Mark Garcia, Senior Lecturer in History and Theory in the Department of Architecture, University ... more Mark Garcia, Senior Lecturer in History and Theory in the Department of Architecture, University of Greenwich, explores the technologically mediated future of drawings in architecture ‘without hands’. He highlights how multiple technological innovations are putting us on the brink of an exploding spectrum of possibilities for the image, and looks at three distinct areas of potential: new media and materials; emerging and future technologies; and theory embodied in fiction and art.
Microscopic section of mahogany wood (Pinus sylvestris). Another part of the ongoing research by ... more Microscopic section of mahogany wood (Pinus sylvestris). Another part of the ongoing research by Hanif Kara and AKT is with regard to the patterns found in living organisms and nature, from plants and animals down to the micro-scale patterns of cells and systems of biological components.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future S... more Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future Systems left off. Led by Amanda Levete, previous co-director of Future Systems with the late Jan Kaplický, the practice retains its unique sensibility with its emphasis on new technologies, materials, science and engineering combined with art, design, fashion and the organic. Mark Garcia visited AL_A's Notting Hill-based studios to review the current projects of this 40-strong team and to talk to Levete about the underlying design principles and processes behind the office's work. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future Systems left off. Led by Amanda Levete, previous co-director of Future Systems with the late Jan Kaplický, the practice retains its unique sensibility with its emphasis on new technologies, materials, science and engineering combined with art, design, fashion and the organic. Mark Garcia visited AL_A's Notting Hill-based studios to review the current projects of this 40-strong team and to talk to Levete about the underlying design principles and processes behind the office's work.
The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of ar... more The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of architecture'. Through the application of highly innovative meshes, Perrault has realised 'synthetic landscapes' that introduce an entirely new type of public space. Mark Garcia visited Perrault in his studio in Paris to discuss his work, his collaborations with manufacturers and ultimately his vision for applying textiles to 'a more democratic, human and pleasurable' type of urban space. The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of architecture'. Through the application of highly innovative meshes, Perrault has realised 'synthetic landscapes' that introduce an entirely new type of public space. Mark Garcia visited Perrault in his studio in Paris to discuss his work, his collaborations with manufacturers and ultimately his vision for applying textiles to 'a more democratic, human and pleasurable' type of urban space.
Garcia and Goslan's investigations into the spatial possibilities of knot theory have led to thei... more Garcia and Goslan's investigations into the spatial possibilities of knot theory have led to their collaboration on a number of projects using the freeware programme Knotplot. For Gotfried Semper, the knot was the first architectural joint. The idea of turning a joint (as a single detail) into an entire structure is the objective of this study. After digitally generating the topography of the knots, two projects for London's East End-the Mile End Centre (on the banks of the Grand Union Canal) and the Olympic Information Centre (in the Lower Lee Valley)-were developed as diagrammatic sketches. The forms hover over the ground, suspended from their minimal footprints. The structural anchorings double up as separated, independent entry points distributed across the open public spaces beneath the forms. As the large, muscular, torqued cantilevers swerve out over the landscape, they increase the space available on the upper levels, allowing for circulation throughout the structure and providing panoramic views out over London. Supported by a mesh of steel and carbon-fibre beams, this fabric supports the flat quadrilateral panels of the pixel-like exterior envelopes (Teflon and glass) and internal plates. Addressing the past and present sociocultural contexts of their sites, the knotted forms refer to the historic textile and rope factories in the area, Islamic geometry, braided Afro hairstyles, the knotting of muscles and the joining of nations (the de/reconstructed Olympic rings) for the London Olympics 2012. 4
substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its histor... more substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its history, its primacy in the present and its future potential. It is an overview that takes in Ottoman palaces, Frederick Schinkel, Gottfried Semper, Mies van der Rohe, a new generation of contemporary grand-scale structures, as well as the visionary. Mark Garcia substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its history, its primacy in the present and its future potential. It is an overview that takes in Ottoman palaces, Frederick Schinkel, Gottfried Semper, Mies van der Rohe, and a new generation of contemporary grand-scale structures, as well as the visionary. 14th-century ceramic detail from the Nazrid Palace of the Alhambra in Granada. A product of the mathematical geometry of the late Nazrid dynasty, the knotted, interlaced patterns in the solid ceramics and architecture of the Alhambra are derived from the aesthetics and design and production processes of Islamic textiles.
This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme ... more This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme of 'Water and Sustainable Development'. Though the subject of the exposition was driven by the recent controversies surrounding Spain and Aragon's management of water, Mark Garcia outlines how the Expo investigated these issues in a way that was relevant to the rest of the world, delivering in just three months an impressive contribution to national and international debates about the problems and future of water. Bridge Pavilion (Zaha Hadid Architects) View from the north bank towards the south, from the eastern underside of the bridge. Aerial-view computer rendering of Expo site. Top left is the newly constructed 3rd Millennium Bridge by Arenas & Partners, and below is Zaha Hadid's Bridge Pavilion. To the right is the white, jagged, six-storey Conference Centre by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano (Nieto Sobejano arquitectos), and Enrique De Teresa's Water Tower. Olano y Mendos arquitectos' Aragon Pavilion can be seen bottom right.
The facade of this residential tower was generated using a handcrafted textile and foam surface w... more The facade of this residential tower was generated using a handcrafted textile and foam surface which was then digitised and applied, as a 3-D model, on to the striped volume of the building. Each housing unit is thereby detailed with its own nonrepeated pattern and unique visual identity.
A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that uni... more A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that unite architecture and textiles. By way of introduction to this issue, guest-editor Mark Garcia highlights the significant rise of interest in this confluence by theorists, architects, engineers, textile designers, materials scientists and artists. He also explains how, as a hybrid mode of design and practice, architextiles is better able to respond to society's fast-changing cultural and consumer demands, enabling the production of more dynamic, flexible, interactive, event and process-based spaces. 6 ONL, NSA Muscle installation, 'Non-Standard Architecture' exhibition, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 2003 The NSA Muscle is a pressurised, soft volume wrapped in a mesh of tensile Festo muscles that can change their own length. Orchestrated motions of the individual muscles change the length, height, width and, thus, the overall shape of the Muscle prototype by varying the pressure pumped into the 94 swarming muscles. The balanced pressure-tension combination bends and tapers in all directions.
This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme ... more This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme of 'Water and Sustainable Development'. Though the subject of the exposition was driven by the recent controversies surrounding Spain and Aragon's management of water, Mark ...
As a first-year architecture student at the Architectural Association in London in the late 1960s... more As a first-year architecture student at the Architectural Association in London in the late 1960s, Will Alsop found a piece of black velvet and stuck it into his sketchbook. Intrigued by its sensuous and tactile qualities of light and texture the impression of these qualities have ...
I wanted a democratic museum I wanted a museum that has no predetermined route I wanted confr... more I wanted a democratic museum I wanted a museum that has no predetermined route I wanted confrontation, which does not mean having everything confront each other in the same room. I wanted a more transparent view a work in a room devoted to a particular artist, ...
Since 2002 and the launch of two benchmark projects ETH Zurich's Ada and Diller + Scofidio... more Since 2002 and the launch of two benchmark projects ETH Zurich's Ada and Diller + Scofidio's3 Braincoat at the Swiss Expo, the promise of a socially engaged interactive architecture has begun to move from the realm of science fiction to reality. How interactive architecture ...
A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinkin... more A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that unite architecture and textiles. By way of introduction to this issue, guest-editor Mark Garcia highlights the significant rise of interest in this confluence by theorists, architects, engineers, textile ...
Mark Garcia, Senior Lecturer in History and Theory in the Department of Architecture, University ... more Mark Garcia, Senior Lecturer in History and Theory in the Department of Architecture, University of Greenwich, explores the technologically mediated future of drawings in architecture ‘without hands’. He highlights how multiple technological innovations are putting us on the brink of an exploding spectrum of possibilities for the image, and looks at three distinct areas of potential: new media and materials; emerging and future technologies; and theory embodied in fiction and art.
Microscopic section of mahogany wood (Pinus sylvestris). Another part of the ongoing research by ... more Microscopic section of mahogany wood (Pinus sylvestris). Another part of the ongoing research by Hanif Kara and AKT is with regard to the patterns found in living organisms and nature, from plants and animals down to the micro-scale patterns of cells and systems of biological components.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future S... more Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future Systems left off. Led by Amanda Levete, previous co-director of Future Systems with the late Jan Kaplický, the practice retains its unique sensibility with its emphasis on new technologies, materials, science and engineering combined with art, design, fashion and the organic. Mark Garcia visited AL_A's Notting Hill-based studios to review the current projects of this 40-strong team and to talk to Levete about the underlying design principles and processes behind the office's work. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) is taking up where Future Systems left off. Led by Amanda Levete, previous co-director of Future Systems with the late Jan Kaplický, the practice retains its unique sensibility with its emphasis on new technologies, materials, science and engineering combined with art, design, fashion and the organic. Mark Garcia visited AL_A's Notting Hill-based studios to review the current projects of this 40-strong team and to talk to Levete about the underlying design principles and processes behind the office's work.
The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of ar... more The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of architecture'. Through the application of highly innovative meshes, Perrault has realised 'synthetic landscapes' that introduce an entirely new type of public space. Mark Garcia visited Perrault in his studio in Paris to discuss his work, his collaborations with manufacturers and ultimately his vision for applying textiles to 'a more democratic, human and pleasurable' type of urban space. The qualities of textiles for Dominique Perrault 'represent a real expansion of the feeling of architecture'. Through the application of highly innovative meshes, Perrault has realised 'synthetic landscapes' that introduce an entirely new type of public space. Mark Garcia visited Perrault in his studio in Paris to discuss his work, his collaborations with manufacturers and ultimately his vision for applying textiles to 'a more democratic, human and pleasurable' type of urban space.
Garcia and Goslan's investigations into the spatial possibilities of knot theory have led to thei... more Garcia and Goslan's investigations into the spatial possibilities of knot theory have led to their collaboration on a number of projects using the freeware programme Knotplot. For Gotfried Semper, the knot was the first architectural joint. The idea of turning a joint (as a single detail) into an entire structure is the objective of this study. After digitally generating the topography of the knots, two projects for London's East End-the Mile End Centre (on the banks of the Grand Union Canal) and the Olympic Information Centre (in the Lower Lee Valley)-were developed as diagrammatic sketches. The forms hover over the ground, suspended from their minimal footprints. The structural anchorings double up as separated, independent entry points distributed across the open public spaces beneath the forms. As the large, muscular, torqued cantilevers swerve out over the landscape, they increase the space available on the upper levels, allowing for circulation throughout the structure and providing panoramic views out over London. Supported by a mesh of steel and carbon-fibre beams, this fabric supports the flat quadrilateral panels of the pixel-like exterior envelopes (Teflon and glass) and internal plates. Addressing the past and present sociocultural contexts of their sites, the knotted forms refer to the historic textile and rope factories in the area, Islamic geometry, braided Afro hairstyles, the knotting of muscles and the joining of nations (the de/reconstructed Olympic rings) for the London Olympics 2012. 4
substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its histor... more substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its history, its primacy in the present and its future potential. It is an overview that takes in Ottoman palaces, Frederick Schinkel, Gottfried Semper, Mies van der Rohe, a new generation of contemporary grand-scale structures, as well as the visionary. Mark Garcia substantiates the place of architextiles in architectural design and theory by tracing its history, its primacy in the present and its future potential. It is an overview that takes in Ottoman palaces, Frederick Schinkel, Gottfried Semper, Mies van der Rohe, and a new generation of contemporary grand-scale structures, as well as the visionary. 14th-century ceramic detail from the Nazrid Palace of the Alhambra in Granada. A product of the mathematical geometry of the late Nazrid dynasty, the knotted, interlaced patterns in the solid ceramics and architecture of the Alhambra are derived from the aesthetics and design and production processes of Islamic textiles.
This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme ... more This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme of 'Water and Sustainable Development'. Though the subject of the exposition was driven by the recent controversies surrounding Spain and Aragon's management of water, Mark Garcia outlines how the Expo investigated these issues in a way that was relevant to the rest of the world, delivering in just three months an impressive contribution to national and international debates about the problems and future of water. Bridge Pavilion (Zaha Hadid Architects) View from the north bank towards the south, from the eastern underside of the bridge. Aerial-view computer rendering of Expo site. Top left is the newly constructed 3rd Millennium Bridge by Arenas & Partners, and below is Zaha Hadid's Bridge Pavilion. To the right is the white, jagged, six-storey Conference Centre by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano (Nieto Sobejano arquitectos), and Enrique De Teresa's Water Tower. Olano y Mendos arquitectos' Aragon Pavilion can be seen bottom right.
The facade of this residential tower was generated using a handcrafted textile and foam surface w... more The facade of this residential tower was generated using a handcrafted textile and foam surface which was then digitised and applied, as a 3-D model, on to the striped volume of the building. Each housing unit is thereby detailed with its own nonrepeated pattern and unique visual identity.
A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that uni... more A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that unite architecture and textiles. By way of introduction to this issue, guest-editor Mark Garcia highlights the significant rise of interest in this confluence by theorists, architects, engineers, textile designers, materials scientists and artists. He also explains how, as a hybrid mode of design and practice, architextiles is better able to respond to society's fast-changing cultural and consumer demands, enabling the production of more dynamic, flexible, interactive, event and process-based spaces. 6 ONL, NSA Muscle installation, 'Non-Standard Architecture' exhibition, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 2003 The NSA Muscle is a pressurised, soft volume wrapped in a mesh of tensile Festo muscles that can change their own length. Orchestrated motions of the individual muscles change the length, height, width and, thus, the overall shape of the Muscle prototype by varying the pressure pumped into the 94 swarming muscles. The balanced pressure-tension combination bends and tapers in all directions.
This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme ... more This summer, Expo 2008 at Zaragoza, in Aragon in Spain, splashed on to the planet with the theme of 'Water and Sustainable Development'. Though the subject of the exposition was driven by the recent controversies surrounding Spain and Aragon's management of water, Mark ...
As a first-year architecture student at the Architectural Association in London in the late 1960s... more As a first-year architecture student at the Architectural Association in London in the late 1960s, Will Alsop found a piece of black velvet and stuck it into his sketchbook. Intrigued by its sensuous and tactile qualities of light and texture the impression of these qualities have ...
I wanted a democratic museum I wanted a museum that has no predetermined route I wanted confr... more I wanted a democratic museum I wanted a museum that has no predetermined route I wanted confrontation, which does not mean having everything confront each other in the same room. I wanted a more transparent view a work in a room devoted to a particular artist, ...
Since 2002 and the launch of two benchmark projects ETH Zurich's Ada and Diller + Scofidio... more Since 2002 and the launch of two benchmark projects ETH Zurich's Ada and Diller + Scofidio's3 Braincoat at the Swiss Expo, the promise of a socially engaged interactive architecture has begun to move from the realm of science fiction to reality. How interactive architecture ...
A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinkin... more A hybrid term, 'architextiles' encompasses a wide range of projects and ways of thinking that unite architecture and textiles. By way of introduction to this issue, guest-editor Mark Garcia highlights the significant rise of interest in this confluence by theorists, architects, engineers, textile ...
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