Papers by Zack Saunders
Interview with Matias del Campo, 2024
With the recent explosion of Artificial Intelligence and the arrival of image, video and music ge... more With the recent explosion of Artificial Intelligence and the arrival of image, video and music generators onto the art, design and
architecture scenes, we sit down with Matias del Campo, a champion of the use of AI to augment traditional design ecologies,
to go in-depth about the theoretical implications of such an arrival and how AI will effect architecture in particular. We speak
about authorship, tame and wicked problems, aspects of architecture that are difficult to capture in images, and whether AI can
(or already has) develop its own sensibilities ....
arch2o.com, 2021
James Wines is best known for his innovative buildings, public spaces, parks, interiors and produ... more James Wines is best known for his innovative buildings, public spaces, parks, interiors and product designs. He founded SITE, an architecture and environmental arts studio in New York City in 1970, and immediately broke into the architecture scene with his controversial BEST Products buildings. With a background in sculpture, he viewed architecture as something to be examined and challenged. The BEST buildings questioned the typology of the big-box retail store while experimenting with the user's expectations in such a setting. Wines continues to create architecture that eschews the comfort of conventions, and as a result, his work has reshaped how buildings are perceived and how architecture is itself defined. Much has changed since SITE was first founded, yet the studio's work continues to be relevant. In 2000 Wines wrote Green Architecture, a book that posed the question "What makes a building 'green'?" The studio cites a growing concern with ecology and the environment, believing that future projects should go beyond early modern influences and find ways to respond more effectively to the current age of information and ecology. Concurrently, the studio advocates an approach to design which blurs the boundaries between conventionally separate territories such as art, architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. We speak with James Wines about his early work and how it led him to use architecture as raw material, whether the city as a project is still relevant, the state of architecture today, and how the pandemic will affect the future of design.
Log 44, 2018
Who is François Roche? Another Ixion spinning on his wheel of protest and malcontent? Perhaps, bu... more Who is François Roche? Another Ixion spinning on his wheel of protest and malcontent? Perhaps, but François Roche needs no introduction, and this is not about him, nor is it about S/he, the avatar and principal of New-Territories. It's about a feeling that persists in the air that the people have lost control of the system they created – the stories we tell ourselves on a daily basis are beginning to be taken as gospel, and we are starting to believe that this bullshit that we force-feed ourselves each day is actually a necessary part of a balanced diet.
A practicing architect and founding principal of the New York firm Archi-Tectonics, Winka Dubbeld... more A practicing architect and founding principal of the New York firm Archi-Tectonics, Winka Dubbeldam is widely known for her award-winning work, recognized as much for its use of hybrid sustainable materials and smart building systems as for its elegance and innovative structures. Winka Dubbeldam is a seasoned academic and design leader, serving as Chair and Miller Professor of Architecture at PennDesign, where she has gathered an international network of innovative research and design professionals. Previously, Professor Dubbeldam oversaw the Post-Professional Degree program for 10 years (2003-2013), providing students with innovative design skills, cutting-edge theoretical and technological knowledge, and the analytic, interpretive, and writing skills necessary for a productive and innovative career in the field of architecture. She also taught advanced architectural design studios at Columbia University and Harvard University, among other such institutions. Born in the Netherlands, Dubbeldam has an MArch from the Institute of Higher Professional Architectural Education, Rotterdam (1990), and a MSAAD from Columbia University (1992). Archi-Tectonics' work ranges from residential to commercial, from real to virtual, and is realized in a variety of formats including urban designs, architectural designs, and installations. Recent projects include the V33 building, the Brewster Building, and the Chelsea Townhouse (all in New York City); the Ports1961 flagship retail stores in Paris, London and Shanghai; and the American Loft Building, Philadelphia. Archi-Tectonics designed a Pro-Bono Project in Monrovia Liberia, a completely self-sustainable school and orphanage for the Cooper Foundation. It is conceived as a " sustainable village, " with courtyards with specific functions such as outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, and gardens. The buildings are built from local materials such as perforated concrete block and bamboo woven walls. The structures have natural ventilation and solar energy, and roofs are designed to collect rainwater. Dubbeldam also headed a design-research team to re-invigorate Downtown Bogota, and recently won the Asian Games Sports Park Competition (2018). Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) speaks to Winka in detail about these and other projects throughout her career, on what the role of the architect is today, and how her work has evolved since her early experiments with form, space and the digital. As a practicing professional in the field today, how are you able to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the what it means to be an architect? What is interesting I think is when people say 'architecture' they think of every building. A building is not necessarily architecture. That everyday strip-mall for instance might be a good building, but it's not necessarily architecture. I think it's really important to make that distinction. For me, the practicing architect today is working more with the manufacturers directly, rather than designing a building and then relying on a general contractor to price it. As a practice, in our office we always figure out the most complex part of a building first, working closely with multiple manufacturers on the building details, and getting cost-estimates as we go. We work like this until we feel we've reached a reasonable price for the project, and then we choose the GC and provide them with options of different vendors they can work with and their prices. Otherwise, if you try to do anything innovative in the US they just double the price for the whole building, and you lose your convincing argument to the client as the building gets cheapened. So, we tend to take that responsibility here in the office, and I see it really as a part of being an architect. I do it also because it's intellectually stimulating, it's really good for the office to speak with the manufacturers directly, we learn a lot from them and I feel this adds to the intelligence of the building itself. It's not so much that it becomes closer to industrial design, it is industrial design at that point-so you can really advance the way buildings are made in this way. And, it goes without saying, as environmental concerns continue to increase, so too must we increase our responsible use of natural resources. The rewriting and innovation of architectural design and its structures requires a revolutionary change in the thinking of how architecture is now conceived. From the notion that a building is a composite of standardized elements such as columns, floors, and walls, we have to rethink a ...
Mitchell Joachim shares thoughts on heroic feats of architecture, the distinction between a 'Jaws... more Mitchell Joachim shares thoughts on heroic feats of architecture, the distinction between a 'Jaws' problem and a 'Piranha' problem, building cities from scratch and the future of Terreform ONE. The following is an excerpt from a piece included in his forthcoming book: "Design with Life: Biotech Architecture and Resilient Cities" , coedited with Maria Aiolova.
Gilles Retsin is a London-based architect and designer investigating new architectural models whi... more Gilles Retsin is a London-based architect and designer investigating new architectural models which engage with the potential of increased computational power and fabrication to generate buildings and objects with a previously unseen structure, detail and materiality. His work is interested in the impact of computation on the core principles of architecture – the bones rather than the skin. The practice has developed numerous provocative proposals for international competitions, and is currently working on a range of schemes, among them a 10000 m2 museum in China. Recently he was appointed the Program Director of the B.Pro Architectural Design (AD) Master’s program at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. Within the AD program, together with Manuel Jimenez Garcia and Vicente Soler, he leads Research Cluster 4 (RC4), which focuses on developing design methods for robotic fabrication. A new generation of research initiated by RC4 moves from 3D-printing to Discrete Robotic Assembly, utilizing principally simple building blocks to assemble incredibly complex forms while exploring the possibilities of utilizing robotic fabrication on an architectural scale.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Gilles Retsin on his recent appointment at the Bartlett and the main agenda(s) of his teaching, the evolution of his own work and design/research methodologies, and his early influences.
New-Territories (R&Sie(n) / [eIf/bʌt/c]) has exhibited its work at, among other places, the Centr... more New-Territories (R&Sie(n) / [eIf/bʌt/c]) has exhibited its work at, among other places, the Centre Pompidou, SF MOMA, the Tate Modern, Barbican London, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) Montreal, has been selected 8 times for participation in the Venice Biennial, in national and international Pavilions – last showing at the Chicago Biennial of 2015, the Istanbul Biennial of 2016 – and a recent major solo exhibition at the Frac Centre, Orleans, France entitled “s/he would rather do FICTION MAKer”.
‘S/he’, an androgynous, trans-gender avatar, is the principal of New-Territories. Created in 1993, ‘S/he’ authorized François Roche to write, talk and teach on his/her behalf, as a PS / personal secretary, an Ariadne’s wire of his-her ectoplasmic system and paranoiac mind … François Roche is based in Bangkok [eIf/bʌt/c], Paris, R&Sie(n), NY with M4, all part of the New-Territories network. Recent work by MindMachineMakingMyth (M4), described as a studio of ”contingent scenario’’, seeks to articulate the real and/or fictional geographic situations and narrative structures that can transform them, with technology, robotic and human natures – both physiological and psychological.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with S/he on teaching, the current/ future state of Architecture, the evolution of his/her work and design methodologies, and what is missing in architecture today ... all by way of Francois Roche.
Liam Young is an architect who operates in the spaces between design, fiction, and futures. He is... more Liam Young is an architect who operates in the spaces between design, fiction, and futures. He is a founder of the think tank Tomorrows Thoughts Today, and also co-runs the 'Unknown Fields Division' at the Architectural Association, all while holding numerous teaching positions worldwide. The Unknown Fields Division is a nomadic studio that sets off on annual expeditions to the ends of the earth exploring the alternative worlds, alien landscapes, industrial ecologies and precarious wilderness set in motion by the powerful push and pull of the city's desires. Tomorrows Thoughts Today is a London-based futures think tank exploring the consequences of fantastic, speculative and imaginary urbanisms. Liam's projects develop fictional speculations as critical instruments to survey the consequences of emerging environmental and technological futures.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Liam on the recalibration of the Unknown Fields Division, its' recent book-launch, his plans to coordinate a curious new program at Sci-ARC, his recent short-films, and how new technologies might generate new forms of culture, among other things …
Architect-educator-author-researcher Marjan Colletti, co-founder of marcosandmarjan design limite... more Architect-educator-author-researcher Marjan Colletti, co-founder of marcosandmarjan design limited in London, is currently University Professor and Head of the Institute for Experimental Architecture at the University of Innsbruck Austria; while also acting as Senior Lecturer, Unit 20 Master and Director of Computing at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. His personal work, the work of his students and of his studio marcosandmarjan have been widely published and exhibited worldwide. Most recently he is the author of Digital Poetics. An Open Theory of Design-Research in Architecture, a monograph wherein he presents " an unconventional and original 'humanistic' theory of CAD " , further suggesting " that beyond the generation of innovative engineering forms, digital design has the potential to affect the wider complex cultural landscape of today in profound ways ". In parallel with his rigorous intellectual pursuit of Digital Poetics, his design and research projects continuously push the boundaries of digitality as it relates to architectural design and discourse; including projects as diverse as proposing a self-sufficient city (AgroPolis) along the Delta in Khataba, to a wall comprised of intricately milled cellular components (Algae-Cellunoi) which host 3d-printed vessels designed to cultivate a garden of liquid algae strains. The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and past student of Marjan's) takes this opportunity to speak with Marjan Colletti on teaching, the current/ future state of Architecture, digitality and sterility, his design methodologies, and his latest book.
(Part 1 of 3: architecture [or] individuation ...) this project asserts that the current trend to... more (Part 1 of 3: architecture [or] individuation ...) this project asserts that the current trend towards a superficial (surface-deep) architecture which resembles nature, will soon cease, only to be replaced by a kind of neo-natural inclusion in an otherwise natural landscape, a blurring of the boundaries between architecture and nature. Rather, architecture as a new nature (...) the conception and manifestation of architecture as a highly differentiated, functional, neo-organic entity ...
Personal Website by Zack Saunders
(...) is engaged in investigative architectural experimentation, writings, concoctions and projec... more (...) is engaged in investigative architectural experimentation, writings, concoctions and projects situated at the intersection of the architectural + the scientific | the plausible + the conjectural | the natural + the artificial | the comforting + the obscene | the ordinary + the whimsical | the analogue + the digital, by architect-artist-researcher Zack Saunders (...)
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Papers by Zack Saunders
architecture scenes, we sit down with Matias del Campo, a champion of the use of AI to augment traditional design ecologies,
to go in-depth about the theoretical implications of such an arrival and how AI will effect architecture in particular. We speak
about authorship, tame and wicked problems, aspects of architecture that are difficult to capture in images, and whether AI can
(or already has) develop its own sensibilities ....
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Gilles Retsin on his recent appointment at the Bartlett and the main agenda(s) of his teaching, the evolution of his own work and design/research methodologies, and his early influences.
‘S/he’, an androgynous, trans-gender avatar, is the principal of New-Territories. Created in 1993, ‘S/he’ authorized François Roche to write, talk and teach on his/her behalf, as a PS / personal secretary, an Ariadne’s wire of his-her ectoplasmic system and paranoiac mind … François Roche is based in Bangkok [eIf/bʌt/c], Paris, R&Sie(n), NY with M4, all part of the New-Territories network. Recent work by MindMachineMakingMyth (M4), described as a studio of ”contingent scenario’’, seeks to articulate the real and/or fictional geographic situations and narrative structures that can transform them, with technology, robotic and human natures – both physiological and psychological.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with S/he on teaching, the current/ future state of Architecture, the evolution of his/her work and design methodologies, and what is missing in architecture today ... all by way of Francois Roche.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Liam on the recalibration of the Unknown Fields Division, its' recent book-launch, his plans to coordinate a curious new program at Sci-ARC, his recent short-films, and how new technologies might generate new forms of culture, among other things …
Personal Website by Zack Saunders
architecture scenes, we sit down with Matias del Campo, a champion of the use of AI to augment traditional design ecologies,
to go in-depth about the theoretical implications of such an arrival and how AI will effect architecture in particular. We speak
about authorship, tame and wicked problems, aspects of architecture that are difficult to capture in images, and whether AI can
(or already has) develop its own sensibilities ....
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Gilles Retsin on his recent appointment at the Bartlett and the main agenda(s) of his teaching, the evolution of his own work and design/research methodologies, and his early influences.
‘S/he’, an androgynous, trans-gender avatar, is the principal of New-Territories. Created in 1993, ‘S/he’ authorized François Roche to write, talk and teach on his/her behalf, as a PS / personal secretary, an Ariadne’s wire of his-her ectoplasmic system and paranoiac mind … François Roche is based in Bangkok [eIf/bʌt/c], Paris, R&Sie(n), NY with M4, all part of the New-Territories network. Recent work by MindMachineMakingMyth (M4), described as a studio of ”contingent scenario’’, seeks to articulate the real and/or fictional geographic situations and narrative structures that can transform them, with technology, robotic and human natures – both physiological and psychological.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with S/he on teaching, the current/ future state of Architecture, the evolution of his/her work and design methodologies, and what is missing in architecture today ... all by way of Francois Roche.
The interviewer, Zack Saunders (founder of ARCH[or]studio in the US and Arch2O contributing editor) takes this opportunity to speak with Liam on the recalibration of the Unknown Fields Division, its' recent book-launch, his plans to coordinate a curious new program at Sci-ARC, his recent short-films, and how new technologies might generate new forms of culture, among other things …