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This methodological cluster encompasses contemporary processes of creation that involve tools and techniques that provide users the capacity to manipulate and transform input in real time within the process of creation itself as a technologically-mediated feedback loop. Understood generally as 'interactive' or 'intelligent' mechanisms, technologies such as parametric computer aided design, virtual simulation, open source scripting, environmental sensors and collaborative work environments, all require or support multi-directional participation between the maker and his/her process of design, environment, other technologies and/or makers.
Born from the reality of non-linear sequences of creation, the particular technologies in this cluster differ in their role within any schema of design. For example, contemporary parametric design systems deal with dimensions as parameters of a design and enable high-level adjustment of geometric models according to changes of one or more aspects within the design process of a given artifact. Such a capability presumably provides a significant increase of efficiency in the design process since updates of designs, which are typically required in the design-to-manufacturing cycle, can be accomplished in situ (Roller, 1991). In contrast, virtual simulation (VSIM) refers to dynamic spatial models that are created to predict changes in physical environments. Whether they are used to predict the most efficient fire- escape routes in high-rise buildings or to project habitat changes over a period of time, these models are not a function of the design process itself but used in aid of the design process. Within this cluster, parametric design and virtual simulation are two types of methodologies that have their own particularities and characteristics, however, the goal of this research is to expose the underlying common aspects inherent among them. This does not mean that the various processes will be conflated into universalizing terms but that the model created from this cluster share a fundamental ontological status despite their differences. This is an assumption that underlies this project and is applicable to all three clusters.
The strategy for the model for this cluster will articulate the two nuances embodied in parametric/simulation latency: 1) the heightened 'efficiency' of such processes (labour as work), and 2) the heightened nascent potential of such processes (labour as birth) (Goulthorpe, 2010). The potency of the reciprocal relationship between efficiency and potentiality and what this can engender is a primary engine for the creation of this model.
This methodological cluster encompasses contemporary processes of creation that involve tools and techniques that enable uniformity and control in the production of artifacts. Processes such as CNC (computer numerical control) have its origins in military systems of manufacturing where mandates to limit human error and maximize efficiency are forefront. Understood generally as 'fabrication' processes, technologies in this cluster include CNC, laser cutting, 3D rapid prototyping (3D printing), custom die/tool and cast/mold creation. Within an architectural context, benefits of accuracy and efficiency are important but are secondary to, and in support of, these methodologies' capacity to reduce the margin between conception and execution to a point where the distinction between the two becomes indistinguishable. As fabrication devices become more readily available the techniques required to use them become habitually integrated into architectural workflows. The ability to collapse the limiting thresholds within the traditional sequence of creation so that the design process includes the realities inherent in manufacturing and material construction shifts the nature of these methodologies so that the are not used solely to produce 'final' products or to manufacture at a mass scale, but rather, can be implemented at any point within the process itself.
The strategy for the model of this cluster will investigate the qualities inherent in fabrication technologies through the crafting of a model that exploits the discrepancy that exists in the translation of knowledge from maker to machine. Although this is a concern for most methodologies that employ computational systems, it is especially relevant in this cluster due to the reasons behind how and why these technologies were invented. For example, processes such as laser cutting utilize CAD drawings to specify the format of the particular items to be cut. The maker is thus twice conditioned by these technologies that privilege a degree of instrumental precision required in the translation of idea to computer code. As discussed earlier, it is common knowledge that the creation of a work does not simply follow a linear sequence of events and therefore mental processes that embody experiential intelligence, intuition and speculation are not necessarily accordant with methodologies that are designed to streamline and rationalize the creative act. The model for this cluster does not make a judgment of whether this is good or bad but positions the essential tension between maker and machine as its kernel of inspiration.
This methodological cluster encompasses contemporary processes of creation that involve tools and techniques that deal with capturing the qualities of 3-dimensional spatial projection in 2-dimensional formats and modes of representation. Experientially, this cluster also includes augmented or mixed reality formats. The perception common inside and outside the architectural discipline is to misconstrue the role of the architect primarily as a builder, when in fact, the architect's primary role has been, and will continue to be, in the realm of presenting a version of the physical world through drawings and models. Contemporary tools and methods of communicating an architectural vision can now be pursued with technologies such as non-contact laser scanning and inspection, point cloud modeling, photogrammetry, immersive environments and first-person gaming platforms. Of the three clusters, the manifestations of this group are culturally, the most ubiquitous. When they are used to 're-present reality, gaming and virtual reality platforms are common modes of entertainment and presentation. However, within an architectural methodology context, we find that they are most useful when they are not used to this end. The scale and embodied perspective they offer can paradoxically bring to the surface the actual distance between the physical world and that which is being projected in its place.
The strategy for the model for this cluster will be focused on making tangible the distortion of scale that can occur in the use of imaging and virtual reality methodologies. Although 'hyper-reality' is a characteristic of this cluster it is decidedly not about similitude per se. When images are projected at a scale of 'one-to-one' (as they often are in hyper-real digital schemas which are intended to serve as novel replicas for the things in the world) they paradoxically produce the opposite effect - they reveal a perceptual friction between the given world and the prevalent yet intangible presence of 'technical images'. Technical images are computational, guided by theory and have no apparent referent (Flusser, 2000). For these reasons, technical images are easily misconstrued; they can have the illusion of being free of symbolic significance - when in actuality, they contain complexes of references and concepts. This model will be crafted in the effort to unpack the seemingly neutral status of technical images and of the material objectivity that they consequently engender.