Versioning - Evolutionary Techniques in Architecture

notes_during read through

open models of practice: technique over image

freedom of discipline when understanding versioning as an attitude

borrow from film, food, fashion for use in design and vice versa: the interaction among problem solving work fields

computer has impact on construction practices and design methodologies, which ultimately affect traditional relations of power

horizontal integration of design transitions to vertical integration

removing the traditional notion of an archetypal solution; rather, versioning relies on a set of conditions, capable of evolving parametrically

specific formal means of production to address variable conditions

aesthetic is a result of the interaction between external influences on the object and the ease of manufacture or fabrication; a continuous feedback from a building's users that the design can adapt to is desired

architect takes on the role of translator of unforeseen relationships in both imagined and actual space

synopsis & reflection

     This reading takes on a similar sentiment to that of the Performative Effects passage: the general idea that I'm sensing is that architects and designers are realizing the potential of computer technology as more than just a tool for representation or for creating substance to the designs that we formulate in our minds; rather, the computer's immense computing power catalyzes our abilities to analyze design problems. Beyond the effect of catalysis, the computer liberates design thinking to levels that actively engage with sensibilities of design construction, and expands our possibilities of prediction and projection in the category of contemporary social and spatial discourse. Ultimately, these capabilities not only change the substantial nature of design, but the structure and power relations among disciplines in the field of creative design.

     In these ways, we can optimize our understanding of what can be physically constructed, what types of construction techniques can be challenged, discarded, or expanded upon, and how to most efficiently utilize methods of manufacture and fabrication to create architecture that transcends the superficiality of image, and addresses the most pressing notion of change. As we become increasingly aware of the rapid pace of change in our natural environment and the conventions and practices of society, architecture must seek to move in stride with those changes; no longer can we accept static and unresponsive buildings and construction methodologies that, upon completion, find themselves already outdated from their time of conception.