Author: Shuang Zheng

This week I’m mainly focused on the Project Laboratories on Thursday. Our group theme is climate change. The story background is in 2250. Due to climate change, the sea level has risen. There has no land on the earth anymore. Therefore, the whole human society moves to the sea. They build floating cities. And for us, we have a fashion company, which is multifunctional. It included a design studio, gallery, art cafe, runway, administration department, international logistics department and self-sufficiency garden. We call the scene “LOOP.”

One of my inspirations is the “AntiRoom Pavilion”- a self-built structure in MALTA by Ahmad El Mad, Elena Chiavi, and Matteo Goldoni. They did it in 2015. The light structure free floating on the sea. It’s an ideal future architectural image in my mind.

Meanwhile, I also add Apple Park in my reference. The headquarter building of Apple sets in a beautiful landscape in California. It is a multifunctional building with office areas, an internal garden, design studios, social spaces etc. The building is a perfect self-defence system for the unpredictable future.

Based on my research, I decided to use my architectural skills to make a virtual model first. It helps our group to describe the whole story well to audiences.

The final vision of the building has a self-sufficient garden, office area, and runway. It has its own ecological cycle system on the sea.

In addition, the rest of my group also contributed to the construction of the LOOP world: Queenie worked on the political background of the future, Keer on the human psychology of the world, Ning on the fashion trends of the future, Roxy on transport and Sara on imagining her career in LOOP. We couldn’t have brought LOOP to life without everyone’s contribution!

What should the fashion company of the future look like?

1. Sustainability:Place a greater emphasis on sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. This could include using sustainable materials and production techniques, reducing waste and pollution, and adopting circular economy models. The company should also be transparent about their sustainability practices, and actively communicate with their customers about the environmental impact of their products.
2. Digitization: Embrace digitization and new technologies to improve production efficiency and product innovation. This could include using 3D printing to create customized products, utilizing artificial intelligence and big data to predict consumer trends and preferences, and leveraging virtual reality and augmented reality to enhance the customer experience.
3. Personalization: Erovide more personalized products and services to meet the unique needs and preferences of their customers. This could include offering customized designs, tailoring products to fit individual body types, and providing personalized styling recommendations based on customer data.
4. Social Responsibility: Prioritize social responsibility, and consider the impact of their products and practices on their workers, communities, and society as a whole. This could include investing in fair labor practices and worker safety, supporting local communities, and promoting diversity and inclusion.
5. Innovation and Collaboration: Prioritize innovation and collaboration, and work with other industries and stakeholders to drive change and create new products and services. This could include partnering with technology companies to develop smart clothing and wearable technology, collaborating with cultural institutions to promote creative expression, and working with startups to drive innovation and sustainability.

Reading List this week “Personal agency and social rights /Art, creativity and labour”:

Billett, Stephen (2010) ‘Subjectivity, Self and Personal Agency in Learning Through and for Work,’ in Malloch, ed., The Sage Book of Workplace Learning (Sage). Avail here.

“Subjectivity, Self and Personal Agency in Learning Through and for Work” is an article that explores how individuals develop their sense of self and agency through their work experiences. The authors argue that learning through work is not just about gaining knowledge and skills, but also about personal growth and development.

The article highlights the importance of subjectivity, or the individual’s perspective and experiences, in shaping their learning process. It also emphasizes the role of personal agency, or the individual’s ability to take control of their learning and development, in achieving success in the workplace.

The authors use case studies to illustrate how individuals can develop their subjectivity and personal agency through work experiences, such as taking on new roles, participating in training programs, and engaging in reflective practices.

Overall, the article emphasises the importance of recognizing the subjective and personal nature of learning through work and the need to support individuals in developing their sense of self and agency in the workplace.

What should the commercial building in the future look like?

Commercial buildings of the future should be designed with sustainability, innovation, and flexibility in mind. Here are a few key features that the commercial buildings of the future could have:

1. Sustainable design: Designed with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. This could include features such as solar panels, green roofs, efficient heating and cooling systems, and water-saving technologies.
2. Smart technology: Equipped with the latest smart technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, automation systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize energy use, improve productivity, and enhance the occupant experience.
3. Flexible spaces: Designed with flexible spaces that can adapt to the changing needs of tenants and occupants. This could include movable walls, modular furniture, and multipurpose rooms that can be used for a variety of purposes.
4. Biophilic design: Incorporate biophilic design elements to enhance the well-being and productivity of occupants. This could include features such as natural lighting, indoor plants, and outdoor spaces that provide access to nature.
5. Mixed-use development: Be part of mixed-use developments that combine office space with retail, residential, and community spaces. This can create vibrant, walkable neighborhoods that promote sustainability, collaboration, and social interaction.

Overall, the commercial buildings of the future should prioritize sustainability, innovation, and flexibility to create healthy, productive, and engaging environments for tenants and occupants.

Our tutorial group has been visited Selfridge on 28th Fed with tutor Cynthia Gregoire. She introduced her past work space to us. Her work experience is impressive. After that, we create an online map. The link is below.

Map:

https://miro.com/app/live-embed/uXjVPh2nU94=/?moveToViewport=-31446,-17436,59692,33363&embedId=866108566753

This week I watched ‘How to be “Team Human” in the digital future” by Douglas Rushkoff. It is an exciting talk.

00:45
These tech billionaires were asking a media theorist for advice on where to put their doomsday bunkers. We spent the rest of the hour on the single question: "How do I maintain control of my security staff after the event?" By "the event" they mean the thermonuclear war or climate catastrophe or social unrest that ends the world as we know it, and more importantly, makes their money obsolete. And I couldn't help but think: these are the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, yet they see themselves as utterly powerless to influence the future. The best they can do is hang on for the inevitable catastrophe and then use their technology and money to get away from the rest of us. And these are the winners of the digital economy.

3:48
Even our digital apps -- they don't help us form any rapport or solidarity. I mean, where's the button on the ride hailing app for the drivers to talk to one another about their working conditions or to unionize? Even our videoconferencing tools, they don't allow us to establish real rapport. However good the resolution of the video, you still can't see if somebody's irises are opening to really take you in. All of the things that we've done to establish rapport that we've developed over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, they don't work, you can't see if someone's breath is syncing up with yours. So the mirror neurons never fire, the oxytocin never goes through your body, you never have that experience of bonding with the other human being. And instead, you're left like, "Well, they agreed with me, but did they really, did they really get me?" And we don't blame the technology for that lack of fidelity. We blame the other person.

4:43
You know, even the technologies and the digital initiatives that we have to promote humans, are intensely anti-human at the core. Think about the blockchain. The blockchain is here to help us have a great humanized economy? No. The blockchain does not engender trust between users, the blockchain simply substitutes for trust in a new, even less transparent way.

7:28
We can't think that way anymore. We have to stop using technology to optimize human beings for the market and start optimizing technology for the human future. But that's a really hard argument to make these days, because humans are not popular beings. I talked about this in front of an environmentalist just the other day, and she said, "Why are you defending humans? Humans destroyed the planet. They deserve to go extinct."


11:26
There is no escape, there is only one thing going on here. Please, don't leave. Join us. We may not be perfect, but whatever happens, at least you won't be alone. Join "Team Human." Find the others. Together, let's make the future that we always wanted. Oh, and those tech billionaires who wanted to know how to maintain control of their security force after the apocalypse, you know what I told them? "Start treating those people with love and respect right now. Maybe you won't have an apocalypse to worry about."

It’s no doubt we are facing a “Digitized Future”. From the societal aspect, our life has been ultimately changing since Covid-19 started in 2020. The Internet plays an essential role in our life. “Mobile living”, “virtual office”, and “digital community” etc. new lifestyles in the world. Meanwhile, in the technology field. People have started to seek a unique place for human living. For example, Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to send people to Mars. Also, politics and economics have dramatic effects at the same time, such as Brexit and global trade. It’s hard to determine the future because so many factors occur.

The phenomenon reminds me of the series film “Blade Runner”. It describes a cyberpunk-style future from 2019 to 2049. In the world of the future, humans have migrated into outer space and have mastered top-notch technology for creating bionic humans. They become the primary workforce and serve human society. However, after a long period of contact with humans, androids have developed a sense of self and are no longer willing to be service machines. So they begin to fight against humans. It leads to a series of moral and emotional conflicts.

This film illustrates a dystopian world.

But obviously, it hasn’t happened yet. People still live on Earth, and android stays on the mobile phone. Douglas Rushkoff explains a favourable situation for the unpredictable future: remembering humanity. He said: “Start treating those people with love and respect right now. Maybe you won’t have an apocalypse to worry about.”

In my opinion, people will not move out to Earth in a short time. Because some people still trust a human being. But some people don’t. Therefore, their agency guides their actions. It feels like the Chinese DAO’s image- “Yin Yang”. Different activities have different effects and counterbalance each other.

Historically, architecture has alway played an important role in peoples’ life, providing shelter, enabling the growth of cities and as a reflection of contemporary social values. Nowadays, human society is moving into a new era of globalization, urbanization and technological development. Society, economy and culture are bolstered by the above phenomena, which is simultaneously impacting architecture development. It leads buildings to show a verity of forms in time and makes different city performances. Additionally, another factor which is being considered in modern architectural design is climate change, such as rising sea levels, reduced biodiversity and of the shrinkage in scope of habitats. Thus, human circumstances facings crisis.

This is the reason we’ve seen the rise in sustainable building initiatives, new types of buildings aiming to use new materials and structures to achieve maximum energy conservation and efficient use of resources, an ideal that will help society to navigate the serious impending problems. Sustainable building has become increasingly talked about, and can be seen as a positive initiative in response to the current environmental issue.

With globalization, urbanization and technology development, sustainable buildings continue to evolve, and nowadays, sustainable building design integrates artist and modernist concepts. The shapes of buildings have become more abstract and apply a high level of technology. For now, sustainable building is not just a person or a group thinking, it is the time's manifesto on the world.

This essay will focus on how people use sustainable buildings to develop a balance between natural environments and modern city development through society, economy and culture.Using Singapore as the positive example, it will explain how sustainable buildings play an important role in this eco-city. Then, use other representatives architecture works to explain what types of forces might be fail the above concept. This essay utilizes the resources of the school library, relevant articles from Google scholar, official websites and news websites.

From Shuang.Z (2019)

I have written an architectural essay about the relationship between sustainable building and future city development. The article shows my first concern about the future world. Thus, when the project started, I had an interview with the architect Mr Ong who works in Singapore. We talked about sustainable buildings in Singapore.

Q:” As we all know, Singapore is a very well-planned country with many low-carbon buildings and vertical gardens. May I ask why this has become the case?”

A:” Well, from the <Image of the City>, A city is not built for a specific group of persons, nor is it built for limited functions. A city is a machine filled with people who have widely varying backgrounds, occupations and classes. The landscape and architectural design in its whole already make for a resilient system. The city planners take advantage of sustainable buildings to ensure the growing green rate of the city is higher than 47%, and according to the Singapore Green Plan, green buildings have been mandatory since 2008. Therefore, Singapore becomes one of the most famous eco-sustainable cities in the world and has the highest density of greenery. Furthermore, the Singapore Green Plan makes a blue picture of the idea of a resilient city in future, and is projected to have 80% green buildings by 2030. This plan guides the city’s architecture to the planned distraction. Sustainable building in Singapore like carriers which represents the city planners final target- be a sustainable city and country in future. “

Q:“Which is the most representative low-carbon building in Singapore now?”

A:” I think the Oasia Downtown tower is a typical modern sustainable building which is located in the centre of Singapore. The building design is by WOHA which native architecture studios in Singapore. The project was completed in 2016. As the CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide in 2018. The building facade has covered 1100% green plot which supports by the red aluminium mesh cladding, that is a striking achievement. The tower forms vertical forests which attract birds and serve as a habitat for other animals, helping to maintain urban biodiversity. This build is a smart way in modern time.”

Q:“Can low-carbon buildings effectively reduce energy costs?”

A: ” Yes. n the long term, sustainable buildings have the advantage of the low energy usage, material re-usage and bring outstanding benefits for future. Net-zero energy buildings have become the main target in modern sustainable building. The SDE4, which is the first net-zero energy building design by Serie+Multiply and the National University of Singapore, is located in the School of Design and Environment in the National University of Singapore. The design concept of the building follows the eco-sustainable principal, and has solar panels roof and a hybrid cooling system. It successfully achieves the goal that its energy consumption is less than its production. The hybrid cooling system also is a featured part of the building’s sustainable design, which is a mixed-ventilation design that combines air conditioning and fresh air. In Singapore, the process of cooling buildings usually accounts for 40% to 50% of a building’s energy consumption.”

Q:“Do you think low-carbon buildings will be the dominant form of construction in the future?”

A:” Yes, but it will happen very slowly. To develop sustainable buildings one has to navigate lots of limitations, which also appear in societal, economis and cultural aspects. Through the lens of society, architecture represents the current values. It does not only focus on the building but also the meaning of lending this phenomenon. The sustainable building needs to support a large number of materials and labour forces which are mainly operated by government powers. Thus, political power is an important voice in sustainable building contributions and obstructions. Singapore is a city, and also is a developed country. It has the advantage of assembling various resources more easily than many other countries. In addition, the Singaporean government plays a positive role in sustainable building construct process as they’ve prioritized it at all levels, giving their full support to the project.”

For week one, “Speculative Thinking and Design”, I choose <The 3D Additivist Cookbook> as my book. According to the brief, I will “reflect on speculation as a methodology for both research and design and/ or test out writing in a speculative mode in relation to your group work.”

The introduction of ‘The 3D Additivist Cookbook’

The 3D Additivist Cookbook (2017), devised and edited by Morehshin Allahyari & Daniel Rourke, is a free compendium of imaginative, provocative works from over 100 world-leading artists, activists and theorists. The 3D Additivist Cookbook contains .obj and .stl files for the 3D printer, as well as critical and fictional texts, templates, recipes, (im)practical designs and methodologies for living in this most contradictory of times.

In March 2015 Allahyari & Rourke released The 3D Additivist Manifesto, a call to push the 3D printer and other creative technologies, to their absolute limits and beyond into the realm of the speculative, the provocative and the weird. The 3D Additivist Cookbook is composed of responses to that call, an extensive catalog of digital forms, material actions, and post-humanist methodologies and impressions.

#Additivism is a portmanteau of additive and activism: a movement concerned with critiquing ‘radical’ new technologies in fablabs, workshops, and classrooms; at social, ecological, and global scales. The 3D Additivist Cookbook questions whether it’s possible to change the world without also changing ourselves, and what the implications are of taking a position.

I believe <The 3D Additivist Cookbook> is a “deviant” book, with full of crazy ideas, such as tools, organs, installations and clothes. Artists use 3D printers to create artefacts to announce their opinions and are they consider. Those artefacts look elegant and joyful or cause physical discomfort. I can feel their mockery of some of the irrationalities of real life or their concern for future circumstances. This book is like an artists’ carnival.

One of the most impressive artefacts is by Cathrine Disney. Cathrine uses 3D painter print bionic skins. They are densely attached to the body and look like corroded human skin. It forms a solid visual effect. This devastating effect caused me physical discomfort, but at the same time, it impressed me.

In the year 2100, the unrestricted burning of fossil fuels has led to severe consequences for our planet. When fresh water from the melting polar ice caps flooded into the Northern Atlantic, it shut off the Gulf stream, sending europe into ice age in less than 3 years. The increase in more frequent and intense heat waves has caused several of the lakes in the UsA supplying water to completely dry up, resulting in inhabitable desertification of the majority of Western USA. With these unpredictable extremes of weather, conventional clothing is no longer a suitable form of protection for the human body. A new form of synthetic protection has been developed to aid our survival in these new climates.

The biointelligent Membrane contains genetically modified organisms that can respond to our environment. in an ice-age climate where temperatures rapidly decrease, the biointelligent Membrane begins to produce a layer of insulating fibers that matt together to protect the wearer. As the temperature continues to fall well below freezing, the biointelligent Membrane produces a second layer of fiber. These fibers are longer in length, hollow, allowing the air to be warmed by the sun and sent to the skin, and oily to prevent water from penetrating the skin. When conditions eventually stabilize and temperatures return to habitable degrees, the biointelligent Membrane triggers a malting response in order to ensure the wearer does not overheat. 

In extreme heat as temperatures rise, the biointelligent Membrane forms an opaque surface on the skin, capable of blocking out the sun’s harmful rays and radiating heat away from the body. in order to keep the wearer cool and avoid the dangers of sunstroke, the biointelligent Membrane self- lubricates providing the wearer with continuous hydration. As temperatures continue to soar dangerously high, the scales of the biointelligent Membrane open up, allowing the body to cool and breathe. As th environment begins to stabilize, the biointelligent Membrane triggers a shedding response, returning to its original state, ready for the cycle to begin again.

From the whole book, I feel I’m viewing an exhibition. The book does not tell you any conclusions. It is just continuous, showing you some artwork. But still powerful.

About the Climate Change

Refer to Climate.gov.

“Global mean sea level has risen about 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880. The rising water level is mostly due to a combination of melt water from glaciers and ice sheets and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms. In 2021, global mean sea level was 97 millimeters (3.8 inches) above 1993 levels, making it the highest annual average in the satellite record (1993-present).

The global mean water level in the ocean rose by 0.14 inches (3.6 millimeters) per year from 2006–2015, which was 2.5 times the average rate of 0.06 inches (1.4 millimeters) per year throughout most of the twentieth century. By the end of the century, global mean sea level is likely to rise at least one foot (0.3 meters) above 2000 levels, even if greenhouse gas emissions follow a relatively low pathway in coming decades.

In some ocean basins, sea level has risen as much as 6-8 inches (15-20 centimeters) since the start of the satellite record. Regional differences exist because of natural variability in the strength of winds and ocean currents, which influence how much and where the deeper layers of the ocean store heat.”

Link:

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level#:~:text=Global%20average%20sea%20level%20has,3.8%20inches)%20above%201993%20levels.