UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ARCH 703-001 SEMINAR| FALL 2015 Meets
TUESDAY/THURSDAY 9:00-10:30am 2227
A&AB
Virtual Engagement
Architecture in the Postdigital Age
Instructor: Matias del
Campo
1: Markers of the
Postdigital
As with every shift in the tectonic plates of architectural discourse,
the tremors of a paradigmatic shift in the culture of architecture has been
present throughout an extended period of time. The emergence of conversations
on aspects of the postdigital in conferences such as Synthetic Ecologies, Synthetic Natures and The New Normal along with exhibitions such as Naturalizing Architecture, and Archeology
of the Digital as well as the
race for the first 3D printed house, serve as marking stones for a conversation
of architecture after the Cambrian explosion of digital design.
2: The Postdigital Shift
Computational tools have become a standard in the discipline of
architecture, in that extent we can think of a saturation of the field with
computational tools. From early design stages, to visualization to the
execution of building designs, every aspect of the industry is dominated by the
use of computers and software. Insofar computational tools do not form the
exception but have become today´s standard, the rule, the norm. The consequence
is not necessarily the omnipresence of sophisticated applications, on the
contrary the predominant method relies on the translation of conventional,
pre-digital, design methods such as the drafting of plans and sections and
visualization of preconceived ideas. This can be described as computerized methods in contrast to the
opposite end of the spectrum which relies on computational ideas1. These will be the field of inquiry for
this edition of Virtual Engagement.
Considering the ubiquitous presence of digital tools in the discipline, we can
consider our current stage as the dawn of the Postdigital Age the initial fascination with the opportunities
inherent in computational tools has evaporated, instead we enter a phase of
maturation, of virtuosity and of exploration into alternative design methods
relying on computational ecologies consisting of code and computer controlled
machinery. The thesis, of this course proclaims a shift away from architecture
design paradigms discussing issues of visualization and simulation towards an
exploration of in situ matter management, historically a core competence of
architecture, within the frame of computer controlled machines.
For the discipline of architecture to be part of this massive shift, it
is of paramount importance to understand how the Postdigital Age will change (or is already shaping) the game in
terms of architectural production and design, as well as how it produces a
novel culture at large. A culture which brokers the realities (and
uncertainties) of modeling, coding and alternative material systems.
Figure 3: Guggenheim Helsinki, SPAN 2014
