TAUBMAN COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE + URBAN PLANNING

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

Figure 1: Soft_Accreations – Stefan Klecheski 2014

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.

Figure 2: Recursion Object SPAN 2013

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