First Dynamic Building under pipe

The idea of dynamic architecture isn't far away at all. Look at this proposed scheme in Dubai. Although it is arguatable that such buliding will be extremely hard for service and structure engineers, yet who can know what new technology will be developed tomorrow? Alternatively, if the scale is more managable, or in another word, much smaller, it could become more feasible showcase. This remind me the Simshun project when Yan was doing his research in AADRL. This dynamic structural system is being further developed in digital version for an ongoing competition, which will be released after the deadline.

BMW Builds a Shape-Shifting Car Out of Cloth

I was so impressed by the exiting product of BMW GINA. What a great idea! Since the skin won't help much in any crash, why not using a cloth which is cheaper, lighter, easier to make and replace? That is the motivation behide GINA, which remind me one of our design scheme of AND, an inflatable dynamic structure capable to transform itself. GINA prooves our idea of stretchable fabric used as architecture skin controled by a dynamic skeleton inside. Since architecture is getting more and more temporary, why not using fabric to be the skin?

Here is our AND scheme, which uses tension fabric as inflatable cells to form a dynamic surface.

Two Buildings Designed by MAD

这三张是两周前去参观得MAD的第一个完成建筑作品，红螺湖会所。曲线屋顶的施工质量不够理想，整体坑坑洼洼不平整，局部还出现了比较大的裂缝。
This is the first built project designed by MAD, the Red Snail Villa in Beijing. The quality of the curve roof is so poor that you can see the cracking and bumping on the outside surface.

如果说完成度的话，很明显小马同学新买的这辆宝时捷更胜一筹。周围的都是MAD的员工，小马正在里面得意的轰着发动机。

Apparently the Yansong Ma's porsche is much better articulated than the designed architecture. Ma was showing off his new car's motor while his staff surrounding him.

这三张照片是MAD在内蒙古的一个房地产项目，大概是一个别墅，还没有完工，但是已经出现了不少质量问题。没有去过现场，照片上看好像都是可以改好的方面，大不了刮了重做。不过从第二张照片上牛气冲天的两根落水管来看，设计上也比较粗糙。

These two photos was taken on the site of another villa in Inner Mongolia of China. It's still under contruction. From the photos, it looks like the facade finishes can be improved easily. The last thing they can do is to brush off and re-render the whole thing. However, the down pipe extending outside the wall seems a bit agressive and not easy to disguise. What poor details!

在红螺湖的时候，跟马岩松又提起NoDE与之合作的事情。他还是摆着一幅臭脸，说他现在最头疼的还是后期控制问题。我想他说的这个后期，不但包括通过运用DP这样的参数化模型软件，更重要的还是如何落实到施工上。在这个困境背后，是相关配合行业和下游加工/施工企业的整体水平问题。我们已经CATIA了，您还R14呢，怎么一起玩啊。

不知道马岩松在这个问题上面怎么想的。我的一个朋友在MAD负责后期工地配合。一塌糊涂的现场照片一张张放给小马看，据说马是这么回复的：你自己看着办解决吧。完全一幅不痛不痒的样子。马自己在新出的MAD DINNER这本书里也说了，他要头疼的问题，是楼板楼梯能不能对上的问题；言下之意，像外立面裂口子这样的小问题，根本来不及操心。

Articulating Complexity Issue Of World Architecture Magazine, Apr 2006

NoDE_YG was invited to curate this issue of Apr 2006 as the first issue of the series to introduce complex design approaches and knowledge into China. In this issue, NoDE_Alvin's project designed in Zaha Hardid office was featured, alongside YG's in-depth interview with Patrik Schumache, the Partner of Zaha Hardid.

在现代主义建筑思潮之后曾出现过很多学派，推动了建筑理论和实践发展，但至今没有哪回能比得上这次以计算机技术引入设计为标志的建筑演变在广度和深度上的影响力，这已在西方设计领域得到了广泛的共识，并推陈出新了一整套逐渐成熟的理论和技术。本期“晰释复杂性”（Articulating Complexity）就是在这样一个大的时代背景下，希望能够开启系统了解和学习西方建筑最前沿领域的设计观和方法的大门，去揭示看似玄妙、复杂的建筑形式背后的理论、原因和动机。

晰释复杂性的题目是在和帕特里克·舒马赫（扎哈·哈迪德建筑师事务所合伙人）商量后确定的。在英文的语境中Complicated和Complex的中文翻译都有“复杂”的意思，但前者更倾向于没有规律可循的繁杂，或者是把可以简单的事物变得无序杂乱；而后者倾向的是多种事物复合在一起的复杂，看似杂乱实际却有更高层次规律可循的、非线性化的复杂，它无法被简化。Complex可以从3个层面上理解：首先是指设计形式上的复杂性，即引入计算机数字化技术后，建筑师可以设计和控制更高级、更复杂的几何形体，而不是简单地发挥计算机复制、粘贴的画图优势，让计算机真正参与到设计过程中，带来更多设计形式上的可能性（需要指出的是，这种形式上的演进已经从开始的直觉行为转成由系统理论指导的理性应用）；第二，是指与社会学相关的复杂性，科技让人们更多更快地接受和传递信息，建筑和城市空间的功能性变得越来越模糊，无法预知，随时间调整自身、不断变化的空间正在不自觉地逐步取代原有功能确定的传统空间，或者说一个空间要承受比以前晰释复杂性ARTICULATING COMPLEXITY多得多的功能要求；最后，是指在一个建筑方案内团队组织的复杂性，社会分工越来越详尽，建筑师要面对的除了甲方和使用者，还有政府权力部门、材料供应商、工程技术部门、合同签约顾问、城市规划部门、景观设计师、室内设计师、音响设计师等等相关的合作单位，同时，在项目和设计职员的地域分布上更趋向全球化，这些都带给建筑事务所内部管理和组织上前所未有的复杂性。

基于上述目的，本期资料摘选自威尔金森·艾尔、扎哈·哈迪德和Ocean D事务所，这3个事务所可以基本体现目前在英国针对建筑复杂性进行设计的不同程度：威尔金森·艾尔是比较倾向实践的；扎哈·哈迪德建筑师事务所既重视实践又挑战设计边缘；Ocean D则颇具试验性。对于每个事务所，按照方案尺度从大到小的顺序编排。希望读者阅读后，既能联系实际，又能远见未来，比较客观地认识这场正在发生在我们身边的建筑演变。

当然，这场复杂的建筑演变现象不可能仅通过一期杂志详尽其来龙去脉，也没有足够的篇幅去解释背后的理论，只能凭借和帕特里克的对话引起大家开始严肃地思考一些问题，通过汤姆·韦赖拜什的短文帮助读者梳理时下的建筑境况，以及转引一些关键词的定义明晰我们头脑中一些必要的概念，不致模棱两可，似是而非。

最后，还要感谢高岩为本期的组稿和翻译所作的大量工作，感谢姜、常强和李道德在翻译上给予的帮助，还有AA建筑实验室学生安德烈斯·弗洛里斯、阿米塔·库尔卡尼、奥罗拉·桑塔纳、亚历克斯·迪亚斯、梅利萨·富库莫托、凯文·帕特里克，麦克莱伦、姆鲁纳利尼·尼兰拉朱的全力支持。□

After Modernism many movements havefollowed in the evolution of architecture thus far,all of them taking their place in developingarchitectural knowledge critically, boththeoretically and in practice. However none ofthem have had such a profound impact onarchitecture to date as the most recent wavewhich is represented by the broad application ofdigital design techniques. It (this Movement) isnow increasingly embraced by the mainstreamdesign world in the west, along with a series oftheories and techniques either well developedor yet to be fully articulated. In a broad historicalcontext, this issue titled Articulating Complexity isexpected to be one of the first Chinesepublications to present and discover the mostadvanced architecture ideas and approachesbehind the mask of complex geometry. So peoplelike us in China are able to understand the relevanttheories, reasons and motivations behind thesecomplex architectural forms.

This title was chosen based on theconversation with Patrik Schumacher（Partnerat Zaha Hadid Architects). The translation inChinese for COMPLICATED and COMPLEX refersto the same word. However in EnglishCOMPLICATED tends to connote a mixture of many clues without clear order or to put anotherway, the opposite of simple, whereas COMPLEXITYis generally understood as the combination ofmultiple things creating a new thing. Complexthings may look complicated, but actually theyhave a higher level of order, a sort of non-linearprogression, which can not be simplified at all.You will understand what I mean by COMPLEXITYby noting these three aspects. Firstly, it refers tothe complexity in form. When CAD becameinvolved in the design process Architect’s wereenabled with a higher level of control over evermore complex geometry. Consequently it canand will generate infinite possibilities in the futurefor form finding, which has shifted in emphasis asa more logical design process based onsystematic theories away from intuitive designtechniques. Secondly, it illustrates our growingsocial complexity. As technologies allow peopleto send and receive more information than before,in ever shorter time frames, the function ofarchitecture and urban space will increasinglybecoming ambiguous. Emergent, adaptive andtransformable spaces are replacing limitedfunction spaces gradually. Even a single spacewould afford more potential functions. Lastly, Iam referring to the complexity of collective design team organizations working on different projects.The fact is that our social work division is moreintricate and variegated today; Architects mustby necessity negotiate with governmentalauthorities, material suppliers, engineeringconsultants, quantity surveyor, contractors,planning authorities, landscape architects, interiordesigners, acoustical engineers, et cetera besidesjust our clients. Meanwhile, projects and designteams tend now to be a globally dispersednetwork. All of these things are challenging theconventional architectural practice, it’sorganization, and administration significantly.

Acknowledging and illustrating the above,WA selected schemes from Wilkinson EyreArchitects, Zaha Hadid Architects and Ocean D.They represent three practices who are dealingwith complexity in architecture in the UK. Whilethey do so to a different extent where WilkinsonEyre Architects has a more practical approach,Zaha Hadid Architects is semi-practical and semiexperimental,and Ocean D is purelyexperimental. The sequence of big-to-small isapplied respectively to the individual practice. Inthis way readers can not only see realisticapplications of these ideas, but also foresee thefuture, growing aware of the on-goingarchitectural evolution around us.

Certainly it is impossible for a single issue toexhaust either all the aspects of this overwhelmingarchitectural evolution, or their supportingtheories. It is only achievable to stimulate us bybeginning to contemplate some questionsthrough the conversation with Patrik Schumacher,to help us understand this current architecturalmovement presented in Tom Verebes’s article,to clarify some essential concepts with the keyword definitions from the AADRL.

In the end, WA would like to thank Jiang Jun,Chang Qiang and Li Dao-de for their help ontranslation, as well as the support from AADRLstudents, Andres Flores, Amita Kulkarni, AuroraSantana, Alex Diaz, Melissa Fukumoto, KevinPatrick, McClellan and Mrunalini Neelamraju. WAwould also especially express the gratitude toGao Yan, for his great effort on organizingmaterials and translation work for this issue. □

Diagram

Here is one presentation slides about Diagram based on Eisenman and Van Berkel's article.