Deviant Bodies

April 18, 2014, 1:03 pm

≫ Next: Fabric Epithelia

≪ Previous: Palos Verdes Art Centre

Research Project - 1998 Marcos Cruz

Deviant Body - collages homografts of tissue exchanged betwee different bodies

↧

Fabric Epithelia

April 18, 2014, 1:19 pm

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Deviant Bodies

Research Project - 2002 Marcos Cruzwith Orlando de Jesus
Proposal for a exhibition at the Textile Museum in Toronto, Canada [unbuilt]

The project aimed to use engineered skin as matter for a new living textile, exploring the aesthetic and technical advances of in vitro grown tissue.

First set of latex models with integrated lab equipment

Second model with studies of inlucent skin

Drawings that illustrate the process to create Fabric Epithelia for the exhibition in Toronto

Inlucent Appliance

↧

Article 0

April 18, 2014, 1:20 pm

≫ Next: Article 1

≪ Previous: Fabric Epithelia

News / Events 2014

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Forthcoming

5/6-09-14 Talk at What's the Matter? Materiality and Materialism at the Age of Computation conference, ENHSA/COAC/ETSAV Barcelona Spain.
02-07-14 Opening of UCL Built Environment Club, Seoul South Korea.
23/27-06-14 Low Carbon City Course for the Environmental Agency, Taipei Taiwan.
27-06-14 Bartlett Summer Show, Slade School of Art/UCL Quad, London UK.
06-06-14 Syn.de.Bio Symposium
09-05-14 Final Crits, Unit 20 Bartlett/UCL, London UK.

06-05-2014

Interview by Luz Paz Agras for DARDO magazine, London UK.

30-04-2014

Talk at 'Evolving Formations' event, as part of the Design by Mother Nature - Biomimetic Products exhibition, at Roca Gallery, London UK.

Introduction/organisation: Chris Lefteri
Speakers: Michael Pawlyn, Chris Johnson, Eleanor Morgan, Marcos Cruz

24-04-2014

Lecture and book launch of The Inhabitable Flesh of Architecture, at Escola Superior Artística do Porto - ESAP, Igreja da Misericórdia, Porto Portugal.

31-03-2014 - 08-04-2014

Trip to South America with visits to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Cordoba (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
Besides all lectures, I was lucky that extremely generous friends gave me access to extraordinary buildings and made me discover the work of some great architects (rather unknown outside Latin American).

Thanks to Leonardo Lattavo I went up the Sugar Loaf (I can once more confirm that Rio is the most exuberant and beautiful city on earth) and discovered Casa Villino Silveira by Antonio Virzi – a whimsical and superb piece of Art Nouveaux.

In Santiago, Margarita Greene and Horacio Torrent made it possible to visit the United Nations / CEPAL building by Emilio Duhart. What a fantastic piece of modernism! Also Arnaldo Ruiz Ballac and Andrea Santa Cruz took me up the mountain to visit the Benedictino monastery by Gabriel Guarda and Martín Correa.

My friend Martin Schmidt drove me to the amazing city of Valparaiso where we also had lunch with the community of the OPEN CITY. There we were toured by Mauricio Puentes through almost all the buildings of this incredible place. (By the way, we had coffee at the house of Quena Aguirre, an extraordinary person who lives there for over 35 years!). This visit was one of the most enlightening moments of my whole trip.

In Argentina, my dearest friend Alejandro Romanutti introduced me to Cordoba, which was not only a great discovery as a city but was also amazing due to the presence of the work of Miguel Angel Roca and, most of all, Togo Diaz – the guru master of ‘baroque’ brick work. Besides their amazing oeuvre, Cordoba has endless other good buildings, including the Escuela Superior de Comercio Manuel Belgrano (arqs. Bidinost, Chute, Gassó, Meyer y Lapacó) and the more contemporary Archivo Provincial de Cordoba by Alejandro Cohen y Cristian Nanzer, amongst many others.

Daniela Freiberg and Martin Cobas Sosa hosted me in Montevideu – a beautiful and exquisite city full of beautiful art deco as well as some very powerful modernist buildings. They generously took me to Atlantida to visit the Church of Eladio Dieste, and on the way back the Soca chapel by Antonio Bonet - another amazing surprise. I was further introduced to the work of Julio Vilamajo’ and his exquisite museum house.
http://www.farq.edu.uy/patio/novedades/arq-marcos-cruz.html

08-04-2014

Martin Cobas interviews Marcos Cruz atCasa Museu Vilamajó, Montevideu Uruguay.

07-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura / Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo Uruguay.

Photo credit: Universidad de la Republica, Montevideu Uruguay

04-04-2014

Abril Wilhelm interviews Marcos Cruz forUBP / Canal de Prensa, Cordoba Argentina.

04-04-2014

Lecture at the Universidad Blas Pascal, Cordoba Argentina.
http://www.cbarq.com.ar/2014/04/bio-logica-la-rectora-del-siglo-21/

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

Valeria Lange interviews Marcos Cruz for Esquicio de radio / FMGEN, Cordoba Argentina.

03-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño / Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba Argentina.

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Construcción - Universidad de las Americas (UDLA), Santiago Chile.
http://www.udla.cl/1644/experto-internacional-inauguro-el-ano-academico-de-la-facultad-de-arquitectura-diseno-y-construccion

01-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos / Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago Chile.
Commentator/Moderator: Pedro Alonso
http://arquitectura.uc.cl/Agenda/conferencia-the-inhabitable-flesh-of-architecture-marcos-cruz-01-de-abril-18-30-hrs-salon-sergio-larrain-g-m.html

31-03-2014

Lecture at the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (FAU/UFRJ), Brazil.

31-03-2014

marcosandmarjan’s Algae-Cellunoi part of FRAC's permanent collection, Orleans France.
Following the 9th ARCHILAB Naturalising Architecture exhibition, the FRAC has officially integrated marcosandmarjan’s Algae-Cellunoi into their permanent collection, making it available for future exhibitions and international loans.
Design: marcosandmarjan with Guan Lee and Richard Beckett
Fabrication: Grymsdyke Farm; DMC London
Algae Technology: Marin Sawa with Nixon Group and Hellgardt Group (Imperial College); Richard Beckett (UCL)
Collaboration: Olivia Pearson: Emu Masuyama; Jessie Lee; Keith McDonald; Jonas Brazys; Cullum Perry
Sponsors: Bartlett School of Architecture; Grymsdyke Farm; Innsbruck University

Photography: Paul Smoothy

28-02-2014

Cross Crits Unit 20 and Unit 15 at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Kristina Schenigger, Maren Klasing, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz

27-02-2014

Chair of presentations and panel discussion Designing with Nature: Desiging with Parameters - What's next? at the Architecture Foundation, London UK.

Organisation: Architecture Foundation
Location: Unicorn Theatre
Chair: Marcos Cruz
Speakers/Pannelist: Michael Pawlyn (Exploration); Rupert Soar (Freeform Construction Ltd / Nottingham Trent University); Nerea Calvillo (C+ Arquitectos); Patrick Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects / AADRL)
http://vimeo.com/89862652
http://www.architecturefoundation.org.uk/programme/2014/exploration-architecture-designing-with-nature/designing-with-parameters-whats-next

Introduction by Marcos Cruz

Presentation by Michael Pawlyn

Presentation by Rupert Soar

Presentation by Nerea Calvillo

Presentation by Patrick Schumacher

Panel discussion (left to right): Marcos Cruz, Nerea Calvillo, Rupert Soar, Michael Pawlyn, Patrick Schumacher

26-02-2014

Lecture 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Conversation in Practice lecture series, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

26-02-2014

Workshop 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Tech-fest, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

14-02-2014

Lecture 'Body and Flesh / emergence of novel bio-digital manifolds' at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Greece

06-02-2014

Farewell party with Bartlett School of Architecture staff at St John's restaurant in Farringdon, London UK.

(from left to right) Alan Penn, Inigo Rohrer, Richard Beckett, Penelope Haralambidou, Chee-Kit Lai, Justin Lau, Barbara Penner, Jane Rendell, Max Dewdney, Tim Lucas, Jan Kattein, Claudia Pasquero, Peter Scully, Marco Poletto, Marjan Colletti, Luis Rego and Tom Mole.

(from left to right) Tom Mole, Meredith Wilson, Dgahan Cam, Michelle Lukins, Julia Backhaus, Stoll Michael, Isaie Bloch, Luke Pearson, Kevin Jones and Laura Allen.

(from left to right) Michelle Bush, Emer Girling, Sara Shafiei, Adrian Forty, Oliver Wilton, Tim Barwell.

(from upper left to lower right) Alan Penn, Sara Shafiei and Marjan Colletti, Frosso Pimenides and Tom Mole, Adrian Forty, Bob Sheil, Stoll Michael, Luke Pearson and Steven Gage.

30-01-2014

Lecture at the Canterbury School of Architecture / University of the Creative Arts (UCA), UK.

09-01-2014 - 11-01-2014

Jury member of the Mostra d'Arquitectura Catalana, Barcelona, Spain.
(Prizes to be announced on the 20.01.2014)

Organisation: Collegi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) / Taula de Mostres
Jury members: Francis Rambert; Rosa Rull; Jaume Valor; Vicente Guallart; Marcos Cruz

07-01-2014

Marcos Cruz steps down from his duties as a Director of the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

Farewell email to all staff:

I am writing to you for the last time as the Director of the Bartlett School of Architecture. As you know already, I have decided to step down from my current duties as I felt that it was time to embrace new challenges in my design and research career, not least also my family. Leading the school for the last four years has been an extraordinary journey. I have enjoyed my time immensely as Director and I hope that my contributions have helped to move the school forward.

Four years ago I inherited a school which was the number one in the UK, and my aim and major challenge was to maintain this position and to reinforce it by strengthening our national and international status. Our accomplishments since have been numerous and our success is best symbolised by our achievements at last year’s RIBA Awards where the Bartlett gained an unprecedented six awards out of overall eight prize categories. I congratulate all those awarded and I feel hugely proud of the Bartlett’s outstanding performance.

Our success owes a great deal to the Dean, Alan Penn, who has advised and supported me unconditionally throughout these years. I am very thankful to him. He has been a fantastic Dean who has fostered an increased sense of cohesion in the Faculty of the Built Environment. I am proud that it was in my time that we appointed Frédéric Migayrou, who I supported in achieving new key goals for the school. His contributions as a Chair have been immensely important for us. I have relished my teamwork with him and our shared vision to strengthen our established and well-known programmes, while putting the school on a new international map in innovative design research.

Reflecting our steady growth in the last years, we made several strategic decisions that are worth noting. We made very important appointments, including 12 new Academics, along with over 100 new appointments in teaching, admin and workshops, altogether refreshing and expanding the diversity of our staff. Several new courses were created: the stand-alone BSc AIS, several short courses, including the Summer Foundation and Springboard, as well as B-Pro, which Frederic created as the umbrella structure of the newly relaunched MArch GAD and UD. We completely rethought our communications strategy, including a much improved catalogue and well-disseminated lecture series, a new social media presence for the school, and created a new archive project which is just beginning to become active.

An important achievement was to intensify our research culture, which is now larger, more diverse and prolific than ever before. The REF submission this year is witness to a huge collective effort which I supported by redirecting more financial resources into this vital part of our activities. In parallel we worked on reinforcing our reputation as academic leaders in Design, as well as consolidating our already vibrant History and Theory culture. My personal ambition was to invigorate our building culture and we therefore promoted a steady increase of well-established practitioners who are now teaching here. We also massively improved Technology and Computation, two fields in which we are now leaders.

To support all these changes we carried out an administrative review that made our operational structure more able to cope with current demands. I also reviewed all staff through appraisals, reviewed the teaching load for design tutors, including our field trip policy, and supported over 20 staff with their career promotions. Essential for me was also to give students in our school more attention and a voice. We made the Staff-Student committee a more participatory event, gave students the chance to organise lectures and a publication (in progress) and set-up a new student society.

An important part of my duties was to lead and organise the school’s response to the challenges of an Internal Quality Review (2010); a full RIBA visit as well as an interim visit (2011/13); and to gain ARB prescription (2012) for our Part 1, 2 and 3 programmes. These visits and submissions were completed with success and have been highly commended by our visitors.

None of this would have been feasible without the extraordinary commitment and help of my colleagues. I have an increased respect and admiration for all those who contribute so much to the school, and it humbles me to see how much effort and time many put into making the Bartlett an ongoing success. I learned that directing the School of Architecture implies a fine balance between a proactive leadership and a delegation of duties to others who have initiatives and need the space to act. Most of all, I am aware that the Bartlett is an ongoing collaborative endeavour. My intention here has been mainly to guide and support people and help the school be a more collegiate place for all. I will definitely miss those who I planned many projects with; those who I relied on to help me confront the most difficult decisions; and those who came to chitchat every day about the school.

Finally, I leave my job with a sense of achievement as I am handing over the school as the best in the UK and one of the key players internationally. I obviously also recognise there are lots of new challenges ahead, not least with the move into a new building in July 2014, which we managed to prepare during the last few years. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Bob Sheil for becoming the new Director of the School. He is starting his role at the beginning of this term, while I am still around until the end of January for a hand-over period. I am delighted for Bob and the school, and I wish him and Frederic all the best in keeping the momentum up over the coming years. I feel that it is not only my own duty, but that of us all to support them both to get us through the next round of challenges.

It has been an enormous privilege to work with you all.
Best wishes,
Marcos

↧

Article 1

July 29, 2014, 4:01 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Article 0

CENTRE FOR EXPERIMENTAL ENVIRONMENTS AND DESIGN

CEED is a multi-disciplinary research platform that explores novel architectural environments through design. New computational tools, as well as technological advances in material sciences and fields such as synthetic biology and biotechnology are being investigated, giving rise of alternative solutions for the future built environment.

Architecture is undergoing profound changes and architects are thus forced to rethink their parameters with regard to both professional practice and education: not only the manner in which they understand the body and its place within its natural habitat, but also how architects are going to respond when buildings rely on radically different materials and hybridised with biological matter, creating semi-living systems of a rather unpredictable nature. How are designers going to understand design when it implies notions of programming, control and maintenance of cellular structures that are extremely heave on data – structures that grow, evolve and eventually mutate? In the advent of such developments the professional practice is being critically challenged, not just in terms of the tools that are being employed, the expertise and body of knowledge and emerging interdisciplinary work methodologies, but also in terms of its aesthetic intent.

The sustainable imperative so prevalent in current architecture bears considerable relevance to CEED. New technologies and living materials offer great benefits in terms of sustainability and provide commercial motivation for research and development. While maintaining awareness of this potential, CEED is also concerned with broader parameters beyond the considerations described by ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ terminology. It looks for alternative designs that encompass simultaneously typological, topological, morphological, along with ecological and corpological preoccupations. Ultimately, CEED looks for new design solutions that include body-centred architecture, bio-design, bio-mimetics and morphogenetics.

CEED is directed by Dr Marcos Cruz who is a Reader in Architecture and the City at University College London. His activity is not only focused on research, external consultancy and teaching at postgraduate level, but also on the supervision of doctoral thesis in this field. Extended partners of CEED are marcosandmarjan (co-directed with Marjan Colletti), MArch Unit 20 (run with Marjan Colletti and Richard Beckett), as well as Syn.de.Bio (co-founded with Richard Beckett).

Current PhD students:
Michael Wihart (finished VIVA June 2014)
Pablo Gil
Alessandro Ayuso
Niccolo Casas
Jaime Bartolome'

↧

Article 0

July 29, 2014, 4:09 am

≫ Next: Article 1

≪ Previous: Article 1

News / Events 2014

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

06-09-2014

Keynote lecture at the What's the Matter? Materiality and Materialism at the Age of Computationconference, ENHSA/COAC/ETSAV, Barcelona Spain.

Organisers: Maria Voyatzaki and Constantin Spiridonidis
Keynote speakers: Manuel de Landa, Mario Carpo, Alisa Andrasek, Philippe Morel, Bob Sheil, Mark Burry, Carmen Andriani, Lars Spuybroek, Kas Osterhuis, Luciana Parisi, Justin Dirrenberger, Marcos Cruz
Debate:Marta Male-Alemany, Mark Burry and Marcos Cruz

August 2014
Article 'Architectural Education Today - The School of Tomorrow' published in conference proceedings 16th Meeting of Heads of European Schools of Architecture:Constantin Spiridonidis, Maria Voyatzaki (eds). Dealing with Change - For a dynamic, responsive, adaptive and engaged architectural education", ENHSA Thessaloniki 2014

July 2014

Article/Interview by Luz Paz Agras 'Marcos Cruz - Arquitectura como ecologia', in Dardo Magazine n.25 Art+Architecture+Design (bilingual art magazine in Spanish and Portuguese), Santiago de Compostela/Lisbon 2014
Content: Pedro Cabrita Reis, Escena Artística Peruana, Frenando Velásquez, Marcos Cruz, Tomás Alonso, Rodríguez-Méndez, Alejandro de la Sota, Est Art Fair

02-07-2014

Opening of the UCL Built Environment Club, Seoul South Korea
Location: Renaissance Hotel
Organisation: David Cobb / Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment
Speakers: David Cobb - UCL Bartlett Director of Business Development; Mr Scott Wightman - HM Ambassador to Korea; Professor Lee Kyung Hoi - Chairman, Korea Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Architecture(KRIEA) and Emeritus Professor Yonsai university; Mr Martin Fryer - Country Director, British Council Korea; Dr Ben Croxford - Director, UCL Centre for Sustainable Buildings; Dr Marcos Cruz - Former Director of The Bartlett School of Architecture; Dr Kyung Wook Seo - UCL Alumnus and Assistant Professor, Architectural Department Kyonggi University
Book launch of The Inhabitable Flesh of Architecture

02-07-2014

Seminar talk 'Paradigms of Contemporary Architecture', at Seoul National University, Seoul South Korea

27-06-2014

Book launch of UNIT 20 / poroCITIES - Architectures of Permeability for Contemporary Urban Dwelling, London UK.
Editors: Marjan Colletti, Richard Beckett and Marcos Cruz

Design/Assistant Editor: Anahita Chouhan

Publicsher: ListLAB Trento, Italy
ISBN: 9788898774371

27-06-2014

Opening of Unit 20 exhibition at the Bartlett Summer Show 2014, Slade School of Art / University College London, UK.

Photo Credit: Richard Beckett

27-06-2014

Opening of the Bartlett Summer Show2014 at the Slade School of Art / University College London, UK.
Guest Opener: Michael Webb

23-06-2014 - 27-06-2014

Low-Carbon City consultancy for the Environmental Protection Administration, Taipei Taiwan.
Organisation: EPA Taiwan / Environmental Science Technology Consultnats Corporation ESTCC TaiwanLecturers: Peter Bishop; Oliver WIlton; Marcos Cruz
Marcos Cruz Lecture 1 (24-06-2014): Social Sustainability - Typologies to match contemporary lifestyles
社會永續性 - 符合當代生活方式的類型學
Marcos Cruz Lecture 2 (24-06-2014): Sustainable Placemaking - Methods to reduce energy demands
永續的地方營造 - 減少能源需求的方法

Marcos Cruz Lecture 3 (26-06-2014): GREENER BUILDINGS - Future directions
更綠建築 - 未來方向

Marcos Cruz Lecture 4 (26-06-2014): 2 Case studies - 兩個案例研究

18-06-2014

Lecture 'Paradigms of Contemporary Architecture', an event with Daniel Tai, at Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research - SADI, Shenzhen P R China.

Host: Jianmin Meng

13-06-2014

Interview by Juan Francisco Cañada, London UK.

06-06-2014
SYN.DE.BIO SYMPOSIUM 01 and website launch, Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.
The symposium focused on work that is emerging at the crossroads of design, biology and engineering. 12 international speakers focused on built projects, processes and materials that employ innovative fabrication techniques and design methods to explore and apply biological material in architecture. Advances in the field of synthetic biology, biotechnology and material sciences, as well as new modes of production and simulation are leading towards an increasing multidisciplinary approach to design. The emergence of novel synthetic ecologies and a new sense of materiality are giving us alternative answers to our future built environment.
The symposium could be followed live on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/live and on twitter #syndebio

Location: Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL - REH, 21 Capper Street London WC1E 2QG
Speakers: Claudia Pasquero (EcoLogicStudio/Bartlett UCL); Sandra Manso Blanco (UPC Barcelona/Uni Gent/LabMET); Steve Pike (Arcolony/Acanthus LW); Marin Sawa (Imperial College); Marco Lizzul (UCL Algae/Varicon Aqua Solutions); Henk Jonkers (CiTEG Microlab/TU Delft); Gregory Tudryn (Evocative); Richard Beckett (Arch-T/Bartlett UCL) / Marcos Cruz (marcosandmarjan/Bartlett UCL); Ginger Dosier (BioMason/American University of Sharjah); Jan Wurm (Arup Berlin); Thom Faulders (Thom Faudlers Studio/CCA San Francisco); Bill Watts(Max Fordham)

09-05-2014

Unit 20 Final Crits, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Andy Bow, Christine Hawley, Christos Passas, Claudia Pasquero, Rob Stuart-Smith, Robert Aish, Marjan Colletti, Richard Beckett, Marcos Cruz

06-05-2014

Interview by Luz Paz Agras for DARDO magazine, London UK.

30-04-2014

Talk at 'Evolving Formations' event, as part of the Design by Mother Nature - Biomimetic Products exhibition, at Roca Gallery, London UK.

Introduction/organisation: Chris Lefteri
Speakers: Michael Pawlyn, Chris Johnson, Eleanor Morgan, Marcos Cruz

24-04-2014

Lecture and book launch of The Inhabitable Flesh of Architecture, at Escola Superior Artística do Porto - ESAP, Igreja da Misericórdia, Porto Portugal.

31-03-2014 - 08-04-2014

Trip to South America with visits to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Cordoba (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay).

On this trip I was extremely lucky that very generous friends gave me access to extraordinary buildings and made me discover the work of some great architects (rather unknown outside Latin American).

Thanks to Leonardo Lattavo I went up the Sugar Loaf (I can once more confirm that Rio is the most exuberant and beautiful city on earth) and discovered Casa Villino Silveira by Antonio Virzi – a whimsical and superb piece of Art Nouveaux.

In Santiago, Margarita Greene and Horacio Torrent made it possible to visit the United Nations / CEPAL building by Emilio Duhart. What a fantastic piece of modernism! Also Arnaldo Ruiz Ballac and Andrea Santa Cruz took me up the mountain to visit the Benedictino monastery by Gabriel Guarda and Martín Correa.

My friend Martin Schmidt drove me to the amazing city of Valparaiso where we also had lunch with the community of the OPEN CITY. There we were toured by Mauricio Puentes through almost all the buildings of this incredible place. (By the way, we had coffee at the house of Quena Aguirre, an extraordinary person who lives there for over 35 years!). This visit was one of the most enlightening moments of my whole trip.

In Argentina, my dearest friend Alejandro Romanutti introduced me to Cordoba, which was not only a great discovery as a city but was also amazing due to the presence of the work of Miguel Angel Roca and, most of all, Togo Diaz – the guru master of ‘baroque’ brick work. Besides their amazing oeuvre, Cordoba has endless other good buildings, including the Escuela Superior de Comercio Manuel Belgrano (arqs. Bidinost, Chute, Gassó, Meyer y Lapacó) and the more contemporary Archivo Provincial de Cordoba by Alejandro Cohen y Cristian Nanzer, amongst many others.

Daniela Freiberg and Martin Cobas Sosa hosted me in Montevideu – a beautiful and exquisite city full of beautiful art deco as well as some very powerful modernist buildings. They generously took me to Atlantida to visit the Church of Eladio Dieste, and on the way back the Soca chapel by Antonio Bonet - another amazing surprise. I was further introduced to the work of Julio Vilamajo’ and his exquisite museum house.
http://www.farq.edu.uy/patio/novedades/arq-marcos-cruz.html

08-04-2014

Martin Cobas interviews Marcos Cruz atCasa Museu Vilamajó, Montevideu Uruguay.

07-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura / Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo Uruguay.

Photo credit: Universidad de la Republica, Montevideu Uruguay

04-04-2014

Abril Wilhelm interviews Marcos Cruz forUBP / Canal de Prensa, Cordoba Argentina.

04-04-2014

Lecture at the Universidad Blas Pascal, Cordoba Argentina.
http://www.cbarq.com.ar/2014/04/bio-logica-la-rectora-del-siglo-21/

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

Valeria Lange interviews Marcos Cruz for Esquicio de radio / FMGEN, Cordoba Argentina.

03-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño / Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba Argentina.

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

01-04-2014

31-03-2014

Lecture at the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (FAU/UFRJ), Brazil.

31-03-2014

Photography: Paul Smoothy

28-02-2014

Cross Crits Unit 20 and Unit 15, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Kristina Schinegger, Maren Klasing, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz

27-02-2014

Chair of presentations and panel discussion Designing with Nature: Desiging with Parameters - What's next? at the Architecture Foundation, London UK.

Introduction by Marcos Cruz

Presentation by Michael Pawlyn

Presentation by Rupert Soar

Presentation by Nerea Calvillo

Presentation by Patrick Schumacher

Panel discussion (left to right): Marcos Cruz, Nerea Calvillo, Rupert Soar, Michael Pawlyn, Patrick Schumacher

26-02-2014

Lecture 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Conversation in Practice lecture series, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

26-02-2014

Workshop 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Tech-fest, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

14-02-2014

Lecture 'Body and Flesh / emergence of novel bio-digital manifolds' at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Greece

06-02-2014

Farewell party with Bartlett School of Architecture staff at St John's restaurant in Farringdon, London UK.

(from left to right) Tom Mole, Meredith Wilson, Dgahan Cam, Michelle Lukins, Julia Backhaus, Stoll Michael, Isaie Bloch, Luke Pearson, Kevin Jones and Laura Allen.

(from left to right) Michelle Bush, Emer Girling, Sara Shafiei, Adrian Forty, Oliver Wilton, Tim Barwell.

(from upper left to lower right) Alan Penn, Sara Shafiei and Marjan Colletti, Frosso Pimenides and Tom Mole, Adrian Forty, Bob Sheil, Stoll Michael, Luke Pearson and Steven Gage.

30-01-2014

Lecture at the Canterbury School of Architecture / University of the Creative Arts (UCA), UK.

09-01-2014 - 11-01-2014

Jury member of the Mostra d'Arquitectura Catalana, Barcelona, Spain.
(Prizes to be announced on the 20.01.2014)

Organisation: Collegi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) / Taula de Mostres
Jury members: Francis Rambert; Rosa Rull; Jaume Valor; Vicente Guallart; Marcos Cruz

07-01-2014

↧

Article 1

March 22, 2015, 4:09 pm

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Article 0

https://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/programmes/postgraduate/units-and-showcases/march-architectural-design/cluster7/2014-2015/index

BiotA LAB - Biotechnology and Architecture Lab
Directors: Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett

BiotA is a new and innovative design research lab that merges architecture, biology and engineering. The Lab explores new modes of production and simulation in architecture, as well as advances in the field of synthetic biology, biotechnology, molecular engineering and material sciences, and how these subjects are leading towards an ever increasing multidisciplinary approach to environmental design. The result is a new sense of materiality, new hybrid technologies and unprecedented living forms that are being integrated in our contemporary built environment.

BiotA Lab is part of an emerging network of international experts who develop bio-digital prototypes based on the novel use of advanced biotechnologies. Students plan and grow a series of systems that explore a new ecological model for architecture that respond to specific climates based upon the relationship between environmental conditions and the interfacial properties of materials with mircro-organisms. In opposition to the traditional complexities and highly costly ‘green architecture’, the use of such designed systems promote a new symbiosis between buildings and nature that is more computationally sophisticated, and far less costly for buildings in high-dense cities.

All work is produced between the studio and the laboratory where the application of these systems is designed using advanced computation through modelling and simulation. Organisms are grown and materials tested under real laboratory conditions providing feedback for rigorous iteration and data for advanced fabrication of prototypes.

Opportunities:

BiotA Lab students and research affiliates have a unique set of skills that bridge innovative computational design, fabrication and laboratory protocols. Following their students at the Bartlett they collaborate in wide range of architectural practices and laboratories, with a particular focus on innovative bio-digital design. The cross-collaborative nature of this work allows BiotA students to work individually but also as part of greater teams that are exploring new environmental design agendas that respond to the increasing challenges in our cities.

↧

Article 0

March 22, 2015, 4:11 pm

≫ Next: Mixed-Use Skyscraper, Damascus Syria

≪ Previous: Article 1

News / Events 2014

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

16-03-2015
Crits at School of Architecture Oxford Brooks University, UK.
Critics: Barry Wark, Maria Knutsson-Hall, Marcos Cruz

11/12-03-2015
Final Diploma Reviews at the Leopold Franzens Universitaet, Innsbruck Austria.
Faculty of Architecture

Critics: Volker Giencke, Oliver Domeisen, Marjan Colletti, Peter Trummer, Gaby Seifert, Bart Lootsma, Marcos Cruz, Kathrin Aste, Michael Wihart, Eric Sidoroff, among others.

Photo Credit: Marjan Colletti

25-02-2015
Seminar Talk for the MA Architectural History at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Host: Mario Carpo

24-02-2015
IAAC-Bartlett (BiotA Lab/rC7) conjoint interim reviews at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona Spain.
Critics: Manuel Gausa, Areti Markopoulou, Josep Mias, Silvia Brandi, Ricardo Devesa, Maite Bravo, Richard Beckett, Marcos Cruz

BiotA Lab/rC7 (Bartlett) students during crits. Models on table by IAAC students .
Photo Credit: Marcos Cruz

Critics (from left): Josep Mias, Silvia Brandi, Ricardo Devesa, Areti Markopoulou, Richard Beckett, Maite Bravo
Photo Credit: Marcos Cruz

20/21-01-2015
Final Diploma Reviews at the University of Applied Arts / Die Angewandte, Vienna Austria.
Studio Hadid - Studio Rashid - Studio Lynn

Critics: Zaha Hadid, Hani Rashid, Greg Lynn, Sanford Kwinter, Patrick Schumacher, Klaus Bollinger, Brian Cody, Marcos Cruz

Photo Credit: Francesco Lipari

Photo Credit: Roswitha Janowski-Fritsch

12/13-01-2015
C-BIOM.A - computation, bio-materials and architecture
Marcos Cruz supervises Thesis cluster for MAA 02, at Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

18-12-2014
The Bartlett achieves highest results in REF 2014 (Research Excellence Framework), UK.

The Bartlett has 46% of its REF 2014 research profile rated as 4* world-leading in quality -- significantly up from a combined average of 30% across the two RAE 2008 submissions -- and another 35% of its research profile is recognised as 3* internationally excellent. More than 80% of the Bartlett's profile is now in the two highest categories. It also means that Bartlett staff produced the largest quantity of 4* world-leading research outputs (156 items) of any university submitting to the same REF sub-panel. Altogether, The Bartlett has a very strong grade point average of 3.25, and also a very high number of 4* and 3* research, which when multiplied by the unparalleled number of our research staff, places it clearly as the top-ranking institution for the subject.

The Bartlett’s results in the REF 2014 exercise are among the very best within UCL, which was ranked 1st overall above both Oxford and Cambridge, for its research strength, returning a total of 2,750 scholars (c. 2,566 FTE) as 92% of the eligible staff in the university. UCL’s highly inclusive approach, as exemplified by The Bartlett, reflects its status as a genuinely research-intensive university where a supportive environment enables staff to live up to their potential as world-class researchers.

Source: Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment

December 2014

Book launch of book Sobre El Cuerpo Habitable de la Arquitectura, Montevideo Uruguay.
Author: Marcos Cruz

Introduction: Martin Cobas

Publicsher: Facultad de Arquitectura, Universidad de la República (Colección conferencias)
ISBN: 978-9974-0-1161-8

12-12-2014
Unit 15 Crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Kristina Schenigger, Stefan Rutizinger, Maren Klasing, Jeffrey Lee, David Edwards, Marcos Cruz

11-12-2014
BiotA Juries at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Frederic Migayrou, Natsai Chiesa Audrey, Gyungju Chyon, John Sadar, Stephen Gage, Claudia Pasquero, Andrew Porter, Ruairi Glynn, , Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz, Marcos Cruz

28-10-2014

C-BIOM.A - computation, bio-materials and architecture
Introduction of Thesis cluster for MAA 02, at Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.
Introductions: Areti Markpoulou, Manuel Gausa
Various cluster presentations: Vicente Guallart, Lluis Viu & Jordi Pages, Marcos Cruz, amongst others

23-09-2014

BiotA LAB / rC7 MArch Graduate architectural Design, Bartlett UCL, London UK.
Biotechnology and Architeture Lab
Tutors of rC7: Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz

BiotA is a new and innovative design research lab that merges architecture, biology and engineering. The Lab explores new modes of production and simulation in architecture, as well as advances in the field of synthetic biology, biotechnology, molecular engineering and material sciences, and how these subjects are leading towards an ever increasing multidisciplinary approach to environmental design. The result is a new sense of materiality, new hybrid technologies and unprecedented living forms that are being integrated in our contemporary built environment.

BiotA Lab is part of an emerging network of international experts who develop bio-digital prototypes based on the novel use of advanced biotechnologies. Students plan and grow a series of systems that explore a new ecological model for architecture that respond to specific climates based upon the relationship between environmental conditions and the interfacial properties of materials with mircro-organisms. In opposition to the traditional complexities and highly costly ‘green architecture’, the use of such designed systems promote a new symbiosis between buildings and nature that is more computationally sophisticated, and far less costly for buildings in high-dense cities.

All work is produced between the studio and the laboratory where the application of these systems is designed using advanced computation through modelling and simulation. Organisms are grown and materials tested under real laboratory conditions providing feedback for rigorous iteration and data for advanced fabrication of prototypes.

Opportunities:

BiotA Lab students and research affiliates have a unique set of skills that bridge innovative computational design, fabrication and laboratory protocols. Following their students at the Bartlett they collaborate in wide range of architectural practices and laboratories, with a particular focus on innovative bio-digital design. The cross-collaborative nature of this work allows BiotA students to work individually but also as part of greater teams that are exploring new environmental design agendas that respond to the increasing challenges in our cities.

23-09-2014

UNIT 20 / MArch Architecture, Bartlett UCL

Incredible India - Liminal Geometries, Radical Materiality, Extreme Realities, Awesome Beauty
Tutors: Marcos Cruz, Marjan Colletti, Richard Beckett

India is one of the most incredible places on earth. With its amazingly diverse culture and history, deep spiritual dimension, social richness, as well as extraordinary landscapes, it forms a (sub) continent in its own right. India is growing and changing at a phenomenal pace, yet maintains great economic and infrastructural disparities. For example, medical facilities range from non-existent in rural areas to world-class in some cities and still only 60% of homes have toilets, whilst Bihar State authorities have unveiled a model of the world's largest Hindu temple... Similarly, the very latest machinery and IT skills may be used in some construction projects, whereby most workers do without mechanization on construction sites. Around 16% of the nation's working population depends on construction for its livelihood.

Additionally, increasingly extreme weather conditions are affecting India’s climate, which is leading to regular droughts and floods on unprecedented scale. In this context, Unit 20 will explore notions of the extreme, a phenomenon implicit to our times. Not only India, but also the world by and large is becoming more and more extreme and overcrowded, leading to unparalleled contrasts, scales and complexity, especially in what concerns our beliefs, habits and technological capabilities. The unit is interested in exploring the extreme geometric (form), material (perception), social (reality) and aesthetic (beauty) dimensions of architecture.

Liminal
- Relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process
- Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold
Extreme
- Maximum, greatest, ultimate, supreme, paramount, acute, major, enormous, severe, exceptional
- Drastic, serious, forceful, desperate, dire, far-reaching, momentous, consequential, substantial
- Extremist, immoderate, exaggerated, intemperate, outrageous, unreasonable
- Fanatical, revolutionary, rebellious, subversive, militant, combative, dangerous, risky
- Utmost, furthest, highest, most distant, final, last, terminal, remotest
Radical
- Total, entire, absolute, comprehensive, exhaustive, complete, far-reaching, extensive
- Fundamental, basic, quintessential, thorough, serious, rigorous, profound, deep-seated, profound
- Severe, drastic, draconian, stringent, violent
- Revolutionary, progressive, reforming, revisionist, fanatical, militant
Awesome
- Breathtaking, amazing, stunning, stupendous, staggering, extraordinary, incredible, magnificent
- Unbelievable, phenomenal, awe-inspiring, sublime, miraculous, wonderful, spectacular
- Formidable, imposing, impressive, mind-boggling, mind-blowing, out of this world

06-09-2014

02-07-2014

Seminar talk 'Paradigms of Contemporary Architecture', at Seoul National University, Seoul South Korea

27-06-2014

Book launch of UNIT 20 / poroCITIES - Architectures of Permeability for Contemporary Urban Dwelling, London UK.
Editors: Marjan Colletti, Richard Beckett and Marcos Cruz

Design/Assistant Editor: Anahita Chouhan

Publicsher: ListLAB Trento, Italy
ISBN: 9788898774371

27-06-2014

Opening of Unit 20 exhibition at the Bartlett Summer Show 2014, Slade School of Art / University College London, UK.

Photo Credit: Richard Beckett

27-06-2014

Opening of the Bartlett Summer Show2014 at the Slade School of Art / University College London, UK.
Guest Opener: Michael Webb

23-06-2014 - 27-06-2014

Marcos Cruz Lecture 3 (26-06-2014): GREENER BUILDINGS - Future directions
更綠建築 - 未來方向

Marcos Cruz Lecture 4 (26-06-2014): 2 Case studies - 兩個案例研究

18-06-2014

Lecture 'Paradigms of Contemporary Architecture', an event with Daniel Tai, at Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research - SADI, Shenzhen P R China.

Host: Jianmin Meng

13-06-2014

09-05-2014

Unit 20 Final Crits, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Andy Bow, Christine Hawley, Christos Passas, Claudia Pasquero, Rob Stuart-Smith, Robert Aish, Marjan Colletti, Richard Beckett, Marcos Cruz

06-05-2014

Interview by Luz Paz Agras for DARDO magazine, London UK.

30-04-2014

Talk at 'Evolving Formations' event, as part of the Design by Mother Nature - Biomimetic Products exhibition, at Roca Gallery, London UK.

Introduction/organisation: Chris Lefteri
Speakers: Michael Pawlyn, Chris Johnson, Eleanor Morgan, Marcos Cruz

24-04-2014

Lecture and book launch of The Inhabitable Flesh of Architecture, at Escola Superior Artística do Porto - ESAP, Igreja da Misericórdia, Porto Portugal.

31-03-2014 - 08-04-2014

08-04-2014

Martin Cobas interviews Marcos Cruz atCasa Museu Vilamajó, Montevideu Uruguay.

07-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura / Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo Uruguay.

Photo credit: Universidad de la Republica, Montevideu Uruguay

04-04-2014

Abril Wilhelm interviews Marcos Cruz forUBP / Canal de Prensa, Cordoba Argentina.

04-04-2014

Lecture at the Universidad Blas Pascal, Cordoba Argentina.
http://www.cbarq.com.ar/2014/04/bio-logica-la-rectora-del-siglo-21/

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

Valeria Lange interviews Marcos Cruz for Esquicio de radio / FMGEN, Cordoba Argentina.

03-04-2014

Lecture at the Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño / Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba Argentina.

Photo credit: Alejandro Romanutti

03-04-2014

01-04-2014

31-03-2014

Lecture at the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (FAU/UFRJ), Brazil.

31-03-2014

Photography: Paul Smoothy

28-02-2014

Cross Crits Unit 20 and Unit 15, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Kristina Schinegger, Maren Klasing, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz

27-02-2014

Chair of presentations and panel discussion Designing with Nature: Desiging with Parameters - What's next? at the Architecture Foundation, London UK.

Introduction by Marcos Cruz

Presentation by Michael Pawlyn

Presentation by Rupert Soar

Presentation by Nerea Calvillo

Presentation by Patrick Schumacher

Panel discussion (left to right): Marcos Cruz, Nerea Calvillo, Rupert Soar, Michael Pawlyn, Patrick Schumacher

26-02-2014

Lecture 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Conversation in Practice lecture series, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

26-02-2014

Workshop 'Synthetic Biotopes', as part of the Tech-fest, Newcastle University / School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle UK.

14-02-2014

Lecture 'Body and Flesh / emergence of novel bio-digital manifolds' at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Greece

06-02-2014

Farewell party with Bartlett School of Architecture staff at St John's restaurant in Farringdon, London UK.

(from left to right) Tom Mole, Meredith Wilson, Dgahan Cam, Michelle Lukins, Julia Backhaus, Stoll Michael, Isaie Bloch, Luke Pearson, Kevin Jones and Laura Allen.

(from left to right) Michelle Bush, Emer Girling, Sara Shafiei, Adrian Forty, Oliver Wilton, Tim Barwell.

(from upper left to lower right) Alan Penn, Sara Shafiei and Marjan Colletti, Frosso Pimenides and Tom Mole, Adrian Forty, Bob Sheil, Stoll Michael, Luke Pearson and Steven Gage.

30-01-2014

Lecture at the Canterbury School of Architecture / University of the Creative Arts (UCA), UK.

09-01-2014 - 11-01-2014

Jury member of the Mostra d'Arquitectura Catalana, Barcelona, Spain.
(Prizes to be announced on the 20.01.2014)

Organisation: Collegi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) / Taula de Mostres
Jury members: Francis Rambert; Rosa Rull; Jaume Valor; Vicente Guallart; Marcos Cruz

07-01-2014

↧

Mixed-Use Skyscraper, Damascus Syria

February 27, 2010, 3:43 am

≫ Next: Later Design - Towards a more experimental approach to architectural education

≪ Previous: Article 0

Urban Projects - 2009-10 - DS10 - University of Westminster

Mixed-Use Skyscraper, Damascus Syria - Competition entry for eVolo Design Competition 2010 [Special Mention]
Design team: Rocky Marchant, Ergin Birinci
Supervision: Marjan Colletti, Kasper Ax, Damjan Iliev, Marcos Cruz

↧

Later Design - Towards a more experimental approach to architectural education

March 26, 2010, 4:53 am

≫ Next: The return of the Figural

≪ Previous: Mixed-Use Skyscraper, Damascus Syria

Marcos Cruz (2010)

Published in: Archithese (Universitäre Räume),

3.2010, Zurich Switzerland, pp. 60-65

There are many types of architects today, many of which are involved in practices that are not strictly related to the building industry, such as film, graphic/web design, advertisement, engineering, interactive design, writing, etc. As a result, I advocate an architectural education that, against the idea of a Universalist all-knowing architect prepared for such vast knowledge, allows for more differentiated, varied and even specialised routes in academia that enable students to develop their own architectural personality.

As it has often been described, there are many changes occurring in our profession that have to be understood outside the traditional disciplinary boundaries, and we, architects, are thus forced to rethink our field of action including both professional practice as well as education. This is not just in the way in which we understand our own human body and its natural habitat, but also how the profession is exposed to advances in technology, such as a huge range of new computer-aided design and manufacturing procedures, intelligent environments, developments in a microscopic and nanoscopic scale, etc. Moreover, wireless technologies are improving very fast and being introduced everywhere, ‘now completing the long project of seamlessly integrating our mobile biological bodies with globally extended systems of nodes and linkages’, as William Mitchell has argued.[1] There is also a large amount of research made in the realm of time-based, interactive and responsive architecture, while design in biology and the medical sciences is being approached in new and innovative ways. All of this is becoming of significance to architecture due to its inevitable technical, aesthetic, as well as cultural implications.

This is partly why a school like the Bartlett is shifting to a much more research-driven culture (including Research-by-Design) where such changes are being investigated. Staff and students are involved in particular design agendas that go beyond the education of basic knowledge and skills. There is also a greater cross-disciplinary involvement of the school with other parts of the university, which in turn encourages undergraduate and postgraduate courses to develop conjoint research projects with other departments, including Planning, Energy, Environment, Engineering, along with collaborations with external offices and industries. A great advantage of this approach is that this will not just bring the academic production, often criticised for its self-indulgent and overtly eccentric mannerisms, closer to the ‘needs’ of the outer world, but also help schools to push the boundaries of the traditional architectural practice in a both speculative and realistic ways. A further benefit of this shift towards a far deeper research-lead teaching culture is that a lot of future innovation in architecture is probably laying in the interface between different disciplines, which does not imply loosing architecture’s disciplinary identity, but, in fact, strengthen it via a more inclusive design discourses. In the end, schools should aim to use this as a vital instrument to develop more resource-efficient design in the future, and find new ways to confront the environmental, social and cultural challenges that our profession is exposed to.

I still observe in many academic institutions today a pervasive pedagogic attitude that discourages and even inhibits a ‘risk-taking’ approach to architectural design, partly due to prevailing modernist heritage that has been taught for a long time, or simply due to more recent prescriptive teaching methods in terms of parametric design. Either way, ‘risk’ should not be interpreted as a means to accept academic complacency with low quality work; much the contrary, it should imply a way to encourage staff and students to step into unexplored territories where ‘mistakes’ and ‘failure’ are a necessary and accepted condition. In this context, it is worth mentioning Edward de Bono who speaks of the importance of ‘Lateral Thinking’ in creative problem solving.[2] Likewise, we, architects, should perhaps aim for more ‘Lateral Design’ as a means to find new answers for an increasingly complex world that is intensively scrutinising its unbalanced environment, volatile finances and diminishing resources. We need more non-linear thinking systems that do not seek for obvious and predictable outcomes. The notion of ‘lateral’ implies here thinking ‘out of the box’ and more synthetic action that is prone to generate creative ideas across a variety of disciplines by exploring intuitive, rather free flowing design possibilities. In other words, one is here talking about promoting an experimental work ethos that relies on a multiplicity of divergent thinking modes, which in turn have proven in our Unit 20 at the Bartlett to produce an amazing array of original and innovative design propositions.

But we should not think of architecture in experimental terms without also seeing it as an inherently experiential condition. I am referring to an architecture that is in both conceptually and phenomenologically multi-layered and ‘convoluted’, as my partner Marjan Colletti would argue, and where the body is back in the centre of our preoccupations; an architecture that is not the result of a thin, one-line thinking process, but rather the construct of a deep embodied Convoluted Flesh.[3] Like in psychology, where sensory and emotional awareness is understood to precede cognitive perception, the spatial experience of buildings should precede conceptual design, and, consequently, the practice of architecture precede the theoretical interpretation of it. It is tragic to see how many students today are deprived of an experiential culture that strongly reduces their conceptual thinking, while turning design bodiless, often culturally decontextualised and spatially rather empty.

A way out for many students is the refuge in purely skill-driven design modes, where those with better (computational) techniques stand out. But this is obviously not enough, even though the masterly control of tools and techniques is very important in a time where software and equipment is changing with unprecedented speed. We know that architecture schools are competing like never before for good and motivated students in a global world where anyone can be anywhere at any time. Hence, to be on top of the game, schools have to be proactive and forced to invest in cutting-edge equipment and staff that offer students the opportunity to reach out for innovative design solutions. A school that is not well equipped with a proper high-tech workshop, for instance, is inevitably out of touch and with little chance to fight for excellence in research and teaching. There is also a straighter relationship between academia, practice and industry that needs to be fostered in order to re-establish the crucial triangle between these complementary fields. More than the schism between academia and practice that affects so many institutions, at least in the United Kingdom, this straighten relationship could have much greater impact in the way how schools of architecture are able to contribute decisively to the development of our future built environment.

It is however, fundamental to maintain and foster the old and long-established studio culture as a basic pre-condition from where students learn the shared experience of architectural design. There are academics that argue this to be a model of the past, but it has proven too often that the idea of the atelier, as opposed to the office, is a much more enjoyable, and, above all, most efficient way in which architects develop a true culture of dialogue and teamwork. This allows them (within a necessarily competitive surrounding) to recognise their own strengths and engage with a wider community of experts and critics, particularly when they are proactive in exhibiting and discussing their work through international competitions, exhibitions, etc. as many of our Unit 20 students do. Bear in mind that the contemporary architecture student is not isolated in front of a drawing board as in the past, but rather a networked ‘virtuoso’ that should be able to develop a personal language and critical approach to contemporary architecture.

I stated in our introduction to the Unit 20 book, now eight years ago that for me ‘each project is an adventure; a fight to discover, through experimentation, a method in which ideas and information can be integrated into a final credible outcome.’[4] And this has not changed for me since. Ultimately, I value the very few schools like the Bartlett, because they are in essence schools of design, or better said, schools of Lateral Design, because they see current and future challenges as an opportunity to engage in risk-taking research that is original, experimental, experiential and multi-layered. And that should continue to be its genuine strength.

Images and captions:

Exhibitions of Unit 20

Sublime Flesh, Christ Church Spitalfields, London (numerous)
Framework gallery, Berlin (Steve Pike, Keith Watson)
Actions re Form, Munich and Coimbra (Tom Foster, Steve Pike, Jen Ritter)
SaraBen at …., New York (Sara Shafiei, Ben Cowd)
Dreamspace Gallery, London (Yaojen Chuan, Yousef Al-Mehdari)
Architectural Hinterlands, Arup Gallery, London (Johan Voordouw)
Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show, London (Tobias Klein)

[1]marcosandmarjan. ‘Convoluted Flesh’, in AD – Protoarchitecture, Analogue and Digital Hybrids (guest-ed. Bob Sheil), July/August 08, Vol 78 No 4, John Wiley & Sons, London, 2008, pp. 36-43

[2]Cruz, Marcos; Perez-Arroyo, Salvador. ‘Unit 20 – Ground Zero: Looking for New Territory’, in Unit 20 – Projects by Unit 20 of the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, University of Valencia / Actar, 2002, p. 31
[3]Mitchell, William J., ME ++ The Cyborg Self and the Networked City, The MIT Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 2003, p. 58

[4]De Bono, Edward. The Use of Lateral Thinking, Cape Publishing, 1967

↧

The return of the Figural

March 26, 2010, 5:13 am

≫ Next: Article 21

≪ Previous: Later Design - Towards a more experimental approach to architectural education

Marcos Cruz, Marjan Colletti (marcosandmarjan) (2010)

Published in: Beyond (Trends and Fads),

#3 2010, Sun Architecture, Amsterdam Holland

Introduction

This is an argument about the return of the figural.

In a few brushes, we argue that this return is part of a historic progression in which past figural ornaments are being reassessed in a current architectural debate about ornamentation in the digital realm. Different from décor, ornamentation is here understood as a far more architectural ingrained phenomenon that implies a structural, tectonic and aesthetic depth.

From a petrified to a painted dimension, we seek to establish a clear difference between the abstract, the figurative and the figural in digital architecture.

Figural Ornaments

By Marcos Cruz

The human body identified as an extension of architecture can be understood as part of a long history of figural ornamentation in architecture.

From Greek and Roman times, throughout the Medieval period a plethora of petrified ‘bodies’ as well as animals and vegetation motifs occupy walls and façades of buildings as information screens to describe religious narratives. Buildings at that time do not just speak through the language of architecture itself, but also communicate historic, functional, and moral aspects through the richness of imagery inlaid in them.[1]

A taste for grotesque figures develops especially with the setting of gargoyles in Gothic cathedrals.

The passage from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, however, brings with it the transition from figural ornaments as communication tools to décor.

It is at this stage in history that the image of the human body acquires major importance, namely through a repertoire of figures that conquer the wall outside its former religious context. As Alina Payne describes in her article ‘Reclining Bodies’ (2002), this is demonstrated through a variety of ‘parapet figures, reclining nudes on window pediments, caryatids or modified caryatids, figures on balustrades standing sentinel at entrances, not to mention varied figural bas-reliefs embedded in walls’.[2]

One witnesses a growing ‘sculpturalisation’ of architecture in which figures become more and more free-standing and employed to enhance the formal and tectonic expression of buildings. Rhythmic and vertical compositions as well as structural values in columns, beams and arches are reinforced through the metaphoric representation of bones and muscles of bodies.

Walls become understood as more than walls; they become flesh as Payne mentions in the case of Alberti: a combination of both human and architectural flesh.[3]

With the logic of the contrapposto, for example, architects start enhancing the expressive power of a building to that of a carefully choreographed posture of twisting and dancing bodies. For Payne, the figural ornament thus augments the combination between structural and corporeal references, allowing ‘texture, light, shade, and movement to enhance the tactility of the architectural elements of the façade’;an increasingly integrated wall corporeality takes place.

Figures inhabit walls and façades in which ‘the architectural details belong to sculpture in the same way that the geometry of the bodies placed along pyramids and diagonals suggests that they belong to architecture’.

In other words, the Renaissance accomplishes a significant transformation, in which figural ornaments change from a ‘sculptural motif into an architectural one’.

Figures cease being exceptional signature objects.

Figures become one of many that anonymously ‘inhabit’ the architecture.[4]

In the Baroque period many more figures are introduced into walls achieving an unprecedented excess of sensuous attraction.

An exponent of such phenomenon can be seen in the eighteenth century in Late Iberian Baroque and the majestic effects achieved with the implementation of gilt carvings (Talha Dourada).

The church of S. Francis in Porto (18^th century), for example, stands out as a case of high exuberance and splendour. Various architects and decorators progressively enrich the church in this period with outstanding gilding techniques, forming a rather eclectic ensemble of motifs and spaces, which in turn creates an extraordinary opulent universe of niches, ornamental patterns, rhythms, and an exceptional group of figures.

Differently from the more tectonically rooted version of Italian Baroque, such work is rather decorative, nonetheless achieving an extraordinary three-dimensional depth and fantasy in its topological surface. Hence, although lacking any structural function, the Talha Dourada is fascinating for the haptic intensity and embodied dimension that the interior cladding of gold leaf creates within otherwise rather austere Romanic and Gothic stone settings.

In this brief history it becomes manifest that the phenomenon of figural ornamentation is the reflection of a conspicuous human aspiration to ‘inhabit’ walls both physically and metaphorically. The merger of the human flesh within the architectural flesh is celebrated and accomplished in an unparalleled theatrical manner.

As never before, exuberant and opulently ornamented scenarios exploit a sensory engagement of the body in architecture.[5]

But from the eighteenth and nineteenth century onwards the exposure of bodies is to be gradually erased from architecture. As the German historian Jan Klaus Philipp explains, the loss of the long-lasting relationship between buildings and figural ornaments comes to an end as the result of architecture’s drive for structural and material truth and the understanding of the figural as being pure decoration.

More than relying on figural complexity, architects become obsessed with the veracity of contours, tectonics, as well as textures in buildings, which are understood as truly architectural values that in turn help differentiate architecture from other disciplines in art and science.

The modern era of abstraction takes its pace.

Digital Figural Ornamentation

By Marjan Colletti

Within a contemporary architectural debate, one could argue that it is the recent proliferation of digital techniques that allows going beyond Modern abstraction and the above-mentioned separation of tectonics and ornamentation in architecture.

Observe, for example, how small variations in software protocols, tooling systems and fabrication mechanics can result in the more or less exuberant articulation of ornate textures, surfaces and volumes.

Within digital design, there is a twofold conceptual synthesis to be seen between digital ornamentation and tectonics.

The first propels towards 'pure form' through abstraction, the latter towards the 'purely figural' through sensation. Both these vectors are delineated in Gilles Deleuze's book Francis Bacon: the Logic of Sensation[6] and are described as painting's chance to escape from the figurative in art.

In the context of digital figural ornamentation, the term figurative may stand for the first instance of digitality: ‘cyber’ representation, depiction, narration, illustration of what is not corporeal, body-related, in other words, figural.

Within architecture’s digital domain it can be argued that it is possible to trace a similar distancing from the contemporary digital design equivalent of the figurative in painting, the hyper-real rendering[7]– that simulation that replaces the real with a fictitious and artistic self-representation of its own – digital – properties and characteristics.[8]

Only by avoiding hyper-fake hyper-realism digital design can manage to articulate something purely original beyond the figurative rendering.

As mentioned above, the first trajectory targets abstraction.

The abstract, immaterial, and partly indeterminate nature of the visual arts in the early 20th century had deeply inspired the non-figural 2-D graphic domain of Modern architecture.

Similarly, in the 21^st century, it is still Modern art with its need for geometric clarity and control (i.e. structural and material/digital ‘truth’) in particular that provides the most likely reference material for most of contemporary digital design, which is now mostly described within 3-D software modelling environments. Here, abstraction equals ornament; flat ornament.

Abstraction has no body, and neither has architecture.[9] In parametric and scripted generative techniques for example, a similar generative logic and morphological syntax produces myriads of complex, patternised, ornamental topologies with more and more 'mental' attributes – albeit that the intellectual endeavour here usually drifts towards the generic and the dogmatic, and away from the phenomenological and the experiential.

The computer is used to perform an intellectual task that goes beyond simulation, representation and simulation of representation. Such task is a digital, intrinsic cerebral expression of a synthetic, subjected and almost spiritual blurred code of abstraction: the articulation of a mediated system for a possible symbolic structure or strategy for digitality itself. It implies a code that is predominantly non-narrative and non-representational, yet being a mimetic[10] graphic mental system.

The value is that of aesthetics and application, understood as bodiless decoration, as software programming, and as global applicability – as method.

This trajectory appears as elegant.

But there is a second, less traveled path that leads away from decoration towards the re-inclusion of the figural into digital architecture.

By using the computer to perform a sensorial task, digital design is shaped by purely sensual neural experiences, by the exuberant dynamic form, by isolated, deformed and dissipated forces of convoluted, folded and distorted figures/shapes/lines/Gestalten. It builds up an architectural repertoire rooted in a different set of exuberant references and precedents.

Think of the Baroque and its passions, tormented visions and metaphysics; with all its magnificent figural, sensual, exuberant examples – Pietro da Cortona's The Triumph of Divine Providence (1633–9) or Gianlorenzo Bernini's The Cathedra Petri (1647–53)– that blur the dimensions of space (3-D) and time (4-D).[11]

In recent times, similar features transpire in what may be called the contemporary ‘cyber-streamlining’ fever, sustained by an ever increasing amount of slick, fleshy, lofted furniture and building proposals – a very similar trend to that of the ‘streamlining fever’ of 1930s America.[12]

The justification for the dynamic ornament is again very similar and to do with the manufacturing protocols: such machines and materials had then, and still have now, constraints that usually demand sharp and thin edges to be smoothed down.

Ornamentation at this point is not intellectual; it is to do with the visual consumption of the unequivocal athleticism and ergonomics of shapes and forms.

In this instance, the values of ornament are not aesthetic and application, but esthesis and performance.

Performance is understood as sensorial task or, better, as graphic meta-task (what is to be performed is the performing of a task), and as staging (the reality of the task is not identical to the real-life task).

Without an intellectual structure (or strategy), the ultimate task is for the body/figure to become the ornament, or for the ornament to become the body. Eventually, for the ornament (and hence the body) to become architecture.

Here, ornament and architecture are not flat but convoluted.

This is exuberant.

Albeit arguing in favour of ornamentation, one cannot disregard the fact the danger of misinterpretation and superficiality, i.e. decorative abstract wallpapering, and crude formal contortions.

As ever, even though inherent to the thinking and tooling of digital architecture, ornament cannot be the only feature of architecture. After all, inhabitation is not an abstract thought, it is mere fiction, and space is not only the modeling of forces, of friction.

But then again, digital figural ornamentation should not belong to the everyday, as much as Bacon or the Baroque do not consider themselves, in Waldemar Januszczak's words, 'perfectly formed, exquisite, delicate, so civilized, precious', but rather as the imperfect pearl that gives the name to style: 'blobby, exuberant, misshapen, difficult to handle, and exciting in a deformed kind of way’.[13]

Conclusion: Aesthetics of the figural

Both past and contemporary figural ornamentation implies a bodily dimension of architecture that, against the tendency for abstraction in the Modern era, is essentially impure. It accepts blurry and unclear conditions, along with deformed and grotesque (and ugly) phenomena, while playing out the sensuous (even sexual) as perfectly valid aesthetic criteria.

However, a lot of the contemporary architecture is still lead by a formal drive for purity in the digital realm that, in the way it is being handled, risks bringing about a new Digital Modernism of ‘clean’ aesthetics that are corpologically empty.[i]

Perhaps we should start re-evaluating a less outspoken history of the figural within the Modern period that goes from Kurt Schwitters down to Carlo Molino, Bruce Goff, Pancho Guedes, Gaetano Pesce, Haus Rucker and Archigram, in which the bodily and sensuous (in the context of a technological belief that was neither mechanical nor abstract but rather experiential) were inherently necessarily conditions. They precede the return of the figural.

Wigley: ‘The rejection of decoration in favour of the cultivated eye is explicitly understood as a form of architectural purification.’[ii] Any ornamental voluptuousness or sensual excess is removed in favour of an architectural experience whereby ‘pleasure [is] purified of pleasure’, as Pierre Bourdieu emphasizes.[iii]

[1] Translated by the author from Jan Klaus Philipp, in Architektur Skulptur. Die Geschichte einer Fruchtbaren Beziehung, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart / München, 2002, p. 63.

[2] Payne, Alina, ‘Reclining Bodies: Figural Ornament in Renaissance Architecture’, in George Dodds, and Robert Tavernor (ed.), Body and Building. Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture, The MIT Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 2002, p. 96.

[3] Ibid., pp. 112-113.

[4] Ibid., pp. 108-110.

[5] I am here reinterpreting Natália Marinho Ferreira-Alves’ descriptions of Northern Portuguese Baroque churches. She argues that ‘for the complete understanding of the [Baroque scared space] one has to consider the important role of music played on organs (the majority of organs having great boxes of guilt carvings); the monotonous tune of litanies; the syncopic rhythms of Latin, a language used by priests during the celebrations that just few could understand, and which therefore filled it with mystery; the opulence of liturgical utensils, and the unimpaired vision of hangings with rich embroideries; the inebriating odour of incense emerging from the thuribles, which was mixed with the acrid smell of burned candles, and whose flickering light contributed to intensify the mystic ambience of spaces. “As a fascinating expression of the Baroque, interior spaces of churches covered with gold aimed for a sensory stimulation.”’ Translated from Natália Marinho Ferreira-Alves, A Escola De Talha Portuense e a sua Influência no Norte de Portugal, Edições INAPA, Lisboa, 2001, p. 17.

[6] Gilles Deleuze, Francis Bacon: the Logic of Sensation, trans. Daniel W. Smith, Continuum, London 2003 (first published in France, 1981), p. 2 et al.

[7] The hyper-real rendering is here understood as the commercial illustration and depiction of architecture that in all its sophistication and accuracy is not particularly intended to convey any theoretical, strategic or spatial properties. It is clear that such hyper-real simulations are per se 'hyper-fake'.

[8] In fact, they are neither part of Realism as reality is not altered by the absence of reality effects, nor of Surrealism, which makes a clear distinction between what is real and what is imaginary. Instead, 'hyper-fake' renditions embed the unreal in its very own Baudrillardian ‘real's hallucinatory resemblance to itself’. Architecture becomes a figuration of a hyper-fake simulacrum. Jean Baudrillard, Symbolic Exchange and Death, Sage Publications, London, 1993 (First published in France, 1976).

[9] As known, Islamic architecture omits bodies and figuration, and instead constructs a taxonomy of patterns and ornaments that express a basic tenet of the religion: not to be misled into an imaginary and idolatrous world. Ornamentation here is not mere decoration, it has an intellectual, mental, metaphysical bias. That the Middle East has experienced an urbanistic/architectural/financial boom has also well served such developments.

[10] ‘Mimetic’ here is derived from ‘mimesis’ (world making) and not from ‘mimicry’ (simulation). This differentiation is crucial, as the latter pretends that CAD performs best when simulating something – usually reality, structure, etc. Digital mimesis, on the other hand, is understood as world making, imagination and interpretation.

[11] One can also think of Jain and Hindu Indian temples, or those of the Mayas, Incas and Aztecs. All of these architectures manifest a truly exuberant figural architectural ornamentation. Different to Islam, religion here promotes the creation and representation of a hyper-world of fetish and of simulacra, of eccentric avatars and sexual idols.

[12] Once again there is no need for dynamic-looking, animate formed projects. However, this occurrence has a justification: smooth (Deleuzian) spaces, NURBS geometries and parametric models are described by complex, distinct entities that can be easily manufactured – milled, printed, thermoformed or cut – by specialist CAD/CAM machines. László Moholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, Paul Theobald and Company, Chicago Illinois, 1947, pp. 53–54.

[13] Waldemar Januszczak, ‘Baroque! From St Peter's to St Paul's’, BBC documentary, Episode 1, first broadcast on BBC4 11.03.2009.

[i] A closer look at recent trends that are to a large extent driven by digital/topological preoccupations shows that what was originally an avant-guard of language and thought is becoming now a mainstream in contemporary architecture with a conspicuous Modernist touch. Apart from the fact that this is lead by a hand full of seminal international figures, which spread their thoughts through a waste number of sophisticated publications, exhibitions and buildings, they are supported by a clear networked of leading educational institutions which help disseminating what is at the end consumed almost everywhere.

[ii] Ibid., p. 3

[iii] Bourdieu, Distinction, 2000, p. 491

↧

Article 21

May 5, 2010, 12:58 pm

≫ Next: Article 20

≪ Previous: The return of the Figural

News / Events 2010

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

07-12-2010

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.
Critics: Colin Fournier, Ines Dantas, Johan Voordouw, Paula Morais, Alessandro Ayuso, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

04-12-2010

Lecture at architecture symposium 'COAST (architecture by/on/in the sea)', Arts University College, Bournemouth UK.
Organisation: Simon Beeson
Keynote speech: Sir Peter Cook
Speakers: Dennis Crompton; Mike Davies; Yael Reisner; Richard Horden; Roger Zogolovitch; Marcos Cruz
http://www.aucb.ac.uk/newsevents/architecturesymposium.aspx

30-11-2010

Lecture 'Nurbsters, Foldsters and Neoplasmatic'at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA.
http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/news_and_events/events/archives/2010-2011/?event=0000c0a8de10000007e05a010000012aa706756e6ddb0957

29-11-2010

Lecture 'Nurbsters, Foldsters and Neoplasmatic'at the Beyond the Fringe Lecture Series, UCLA, Los Angeles USA.

24-11-2010

Lecture 'Nurbsters, Foldsters and Neoplasmatic' at AbsolutLab, Madrid Spain.
http://www.absolut-lab.com/es/evento/30/Nurbsters_Foldsters_and_Neoplasmatic_Design

04-11-2010 to 05-11-2010

Marcos Cruz invited jury for the Taiwan Tower Conceptual Design International Competition.

Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Jury: Yucheng Ann (Taiwan) - Dean of College of Design, Shih-Chien University; J.J. Pan (Taiwan) - Principal, J.J. Pan and Partners, Architects and Planners; Marcos Cruz (UK) - Director, Bartlett School of Architecture UCL; David Tseng (Taiwan) - Architecture Professor, National Chiao Tung University; Craig Hodgetts (USA) - Director, Hodgetts+Fung Design and Architecture; Junjieh Wand (Taiwan) - Media artist; Watanabe Kunio - President, Structural Design Group
Judging Results: Stefan Dorin (Romania) with Craciun Mihai Bogdan (USA) - First Prize; Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau Limited (UK) - Second Prize; Irma Maria Coello munoz with Leticia Gemma Montero Amice, Tomer Shimon kenin and Alvaro Guinea Martin (Spain) - Third Prize; Pablo Gil Martinez and Jaime bartolome Yllera (Spain) - Honourable Mention; Nicolas Laisne Architect (France) - Honourable Mention; Spatial Practice Ltd (Switzerland) - Honourable Mention; CYS.ASDO (Taiwan) - Honourable Mention; Institute of Architecture University of Applied Arts Vienna / Tze Chung Ma, Chien-Sheng Liu, Xinyu Wan, Emre Icdem (Austria) - Honourable Mention
http://www.twtower.com.tw/

29-10-2010

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, LondonUK.

Critics: Hannes Mayer, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

12-10-2010

Lecture 'Pensamiento lateral / Proyectos laterales. El caso Bartlett' at the Universidad de los Andes (Auditorio Mario Laserna ML-A), Bogota' Columbia.

http://arquitectura.uniandes.edu.co/scripts/index.php?lang=en

11-10-2010

Lecture 'Experimentalismo/Experiencialismo - El caso Bartlett' at PEI, Universidad Pontificia Javeriana, Bogota' Columbia.

27-08-2010

Opening of 'Exuberant and Sublime Flesh' exhibition at the Venice Biennale, Italy.

Location: Austrian Pavilion
Curator of the Austrian Pavilion: Eric Owen Moss
Curator of Exuberant and Sublime Flesh: Marjan Colletti
Student work in show: Yousef Al-Mehdari, Ben Cowd, David Edwards, Peter Griebel, Tobias Klein, Jay Williams, Sara Shafiei, Johan Voordouw, Hannes Mayer, Vicky Patsalis, Jason Chan, Kasper Ax, Yaojen Chuang
Sponsored:Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

Photography: Marjan Colletti

25-06-2010

Unit 20 exhibition opening at the Bartlett Summer Show, Slade School of Art UCL, London UK.

25-06-2010

Bartlett Summer Show opening 2013, London UK.
Welcome speeches: Marcos Cruz (Director), Alan Penn (Dean)
Guest opener: Hitoshi Abe

25-06-2010

Molly Wally at 350th Royal Society Exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank London UK.

17-06-2010

Keynote Lecture 'Lateral Design'at ENHSA-EAAE Conference: Educating Architects towards Innovative Architecture', Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul Turkey.

04-05-2010

Seminar talk 'Inside-Out Urbanism' to the MArch UD at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

29-04-2010

Lecture 'Neoplasmatic Architecture' at Syracuse University, New York State USA.
http://soa.syr.edu/videos/ensemble.html?videoID=pVvVx3tAq0KiPlZyvtVDIw

24-04-2010
Opening of the 'Food Junction Kiosk' at the Reveal Festival, Camley Street Natural Park, London UK.

Organisation: Stefanie Mills and Marina Chang from the Development Planning Unit, UCL
Design: marcosandmarjan with Unit students (Aleksandrina Rizova, Richard Beckett, Wendy Teo, Linda Hagberg, Amanda Bate, Leonhard Clemens, Luca Rizzi Brignoli)
www.food-junctions.org.uk
www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/fj/?p=496

Photography: Paul Smoothy

16-04-2010

Lecture 'Sublime Flesh' as part of the Design Computing Community, at the RIBA, London UK.

Location: Wren Boardroom, 66 Portland Place, London

Speakers: Tim Lucas & Emmanuel Verkinderen; Eugene Lim; Rory Campbell-Lange; Uli Horner; Gregory Epps; Marcos Cruz
www.design-computing.com

13-04-2010

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.
Critics: Peter Cook, Caroline Rabourdin, Stephan Lengen, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz, et al.

06-04-2010

Symposium 'Sublime Flesh' at Christ Church Spitalfields, London UK.
www.sublimeflesh.blogspot.com
Organiser and Moderator: Marcos Cruz
Speakers: Rev Rod Greene, Sir Peter Cook, Ali Mangera, Robert Harbison, Yael Reisner, Marjan Colletti
Media: M.A.D. London

29-03-2010 - 11-04-2010

Opening of 'Sublime Flesh' exhibition at Christ Church Spitalfields, London UK.
Location: Christ Church Spitalfields

Curators: Marcos Cruz with Lisa-Raine Hunt
Design: marcosandmarjan with Unit 20 students (Aleksandrina Rizova, Richard Beckett, Wendy Teo, Linda Hagberg, Luca Rizzi Bringoli, Amanda Bate, Leonhard Clemens)
Manufacturing of Exhibition Tables: Special Thanks to Emmanuel Vercruysse - CADCAM workshop at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL and Guan Lee at Grymsdyke Farm.
Manufacturing of Models: DMC London

Student work in show: Yousef Al-Mehdari, David Edwards, Sam White, Tobias Klein, Jay Williams, Kenny Tsui, Johan Voordouw, Hannes Mayer, Vicky Patsalis, Jason Chan, Kasper Ax, Yaojen Chuang, Laurence Dudeney, Leonhard Clements, Aleksandrina Rizova, Amanda Bate, Richard Beckett, Lucca Rizzi Bringoli, Wnedy Teo, Linda Hagberg, Jenna Al-Ali.
Sponsored:Christ Church Spitalfields, University College London / DMC London, Grymsdyke Farm + Mesa Studio, BDP

Photography: Paul Smoothy
Opening Recption Monday 29 March 19.00-21.00
Exhibition Continues 30 March to 11 April
Opening Hours Mon-Sat 11.00-18.00, Sun 13.00-18.00
(Exhibition closed on 2 and 3 April for Good Friday and Easter Saturday)

26-03-2010 - 01-04-2010

marcosandmarjan workshop 'Fluid Flesh', at Ecole Speciale d'Architecture, Paris France.
www.esa-paris.fr/Workshop-marcosandmarjan-Fluid/html
workshop-esa-marcosandmarjan.blogspot.com

Photography: Guy Vacheret

25-03-2010

Lecture 'Exuberant Flesh', at Ecole Speciale d'Architecture, Paris France.

24-03-2010

Seminar talk 'Inside-Out Urbanism' to the China Research Group at the Bartlett School of Planning, London UK.

19-03-2010

Sir Peter Cook and Eric Owen Moss in conversation with 'London Eight' exhibitors, at Sci-ARC, Los Angeles USA.
Location: M.H.Keck Lecture Hall

19-03-2010

Opening of 'London Eight' exhibition, at Sci-ARC, Los Angeles USA.

Location: Library Gallery
Curator: Sir Peter Cook
Exhibitors: marcosandmarjan + Yousef Al-Mehdari; CJ Lim + Pascal Bronner; SmoutAllen + Johan Hybschmann

18-03-2010

Final Crits - marcosandmarjan winter studio, at UCLA, Los Angeles USA.
Critics: Hitoshi Abe, Peter Cook, Kivi Sotamaa, Roland Wahlross-Ritter, Dana Bauer, Dina Krunic, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz, et al.

15-03-2010

Lecture 'marcosandmarjan' (back to back with Marjan Colletti), at LA FORUM, Los Angeles USA.

16-02-2010

Interim Crits - marcosandmarjan winter studio, at UCLA, Los Angeles USA.
Critics: Hitoshi Abe, Kivi Sotamaa, Dina Krunic, Natalia Traverso-Caruana, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz, et al.

21-01-2010

Lecture 'Neoplasmatic Design' for the MA Design Interactions, at the Royal College of Art, London UK.

11-01-2010

Crits - marcosandmarjan winter studio, at UCLA, Los Angeles USA.
Critics: Hadrian Predock, Kivi Sotamaa, Dina Krunic, Georgina Huljich, Michael Osman, Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz, et al.

04-01-2010

Marcos Cruz and Marjan Colletti run marcosandmarjan studio (winter semester) at UCLA, Los Angeles USA.

Start of term with intro presentation by Marcos Cruz

Research topic: Alimentary Convolutions - from kitchen interface to Agropolis

Location: Lecture Hall, Perloff Hall

↧

Article 20

January 24, 2011, 4:51 pm

≫ Next: WIW Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers

≪ Previous: Article 21

News / Events 2011

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

19-12-2011

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London.

Critics: Colin Fournier, Jose Sanchez, Marjan Colletti, Hannes Mayer, and Marcos Cruz

30-11-2011 - 07-12-2011

marcosandmarjan's Nurbster II table exhibited at 'Turning the Tables'show, Testbed 1, London UK.
Location: Testbed 1, 33 Parkgate Road, London SW11 4AU
Curator: Yael Reisner

Participants: Will Alsop; GilBartolome'; Cinimod; Peter Cook and Yael Reisner; Barnaby Gunning; Bernd Felsinger; Sixteen Makers; Helen&Hard; Naja de Ostos; Sandra and Rudolf Knoebl; Jason Bruges Studio; Nat Chard; marcosandmarjan

Introduction by Yael Reisner

Proposing the exhibition to TESTBED1, evolved from one’s architect’s instinct to promote and reveal the architect as maker whilst retaining the yardstick of an exhibition that might give a genuine joy to the aficionados of design. Architects, unlike product designers or artists, still lack the system of networking via agents, galleries or others and their design stays in the private realm of development without reaching the public domain.

The aim of exposing a wide range of new tables - from cutting edge innovative ideas through to customized solutions designed around specific architects’ needs - has resulted in wide range of forms and intentions. It exhibits displays that are fast to re-assemble, or domestically suitable in an affordable context, through such varied approaches as the selection of a tree in the forest as the best tree of dinning or perforating steel sheet for best stress forces, vs. perforating steel for best laid table.

Architects who often focus on architecture – as one of the most complex visual arts – collaborate with many disciplines, who are all involved in the long a process of its making, from generating the design to the built end product on site. Nevertheless, some of them take a delight in directly making the real thing, and tables seem a great example of a pleasurable (yet relatively short) task that architects can enjoy making: right up to the moment of having the prototype in hand.

An incredibly wide range of CNC cutting machines and 3D printers enables today’s processes to be more affordable than even five years ago, cutting different materials, in almost no time, or laying others in tight layers. (Robots are now entering these processes, though not sufficiently cheaply as yet.)

Now more than ever before projects are led by drawing. A sketch that captures an idea is articulated and perfected through a three dimensional digital drawing - and there lies the real artistic craft of the architect these days. They have become the makers of 1:1 building fragments and objects - a revolutionary shift, turning them from the visionaries who often lead design processes through the crafts of others to the crafty makers themselves. Yet with the manufacturing now often dependent on the machine, the artistic qualities resides and is controlled by the drawing; surely a meaningful change of character.

03-12-2011

Bartlett Unit 20 Student Sam Welham distinguished by the IAB-SP with his project 'CO +/+ Incident', as part of the International Student Competition for the 9th Sao Paulo Biennale (9a BIA), Sao Paulo Brazil.

Tutors: Marcos Cruz, Hannes Mayer and Marjan Colletti
Jury: Ado Franchini, Italy; Amilia Malavolti, Italy; Francois Chas, France; Ligia Pinheiro, Brazil; Mila Giannini, Brazil; Patrizia Pedrelli, Italy; Paul Maitre-Devallon, France; Yutaka Shiki, Portugal + popular vote.

29-11-2011

Lecture at the FAU - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

18-11-2011

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London.

Critics: Marco Poletto, Izaskun Chinchilla, Ricardo de Ostos, Michael Wihart, Susana Soares, Sara Shafiei, Hannes Mayer, Justin Nicholls, and Marcos Cruz

10/11-11-2011

Jury member of the Taiwan Tower International Competition (Stage Two), Taichung Taiwan.

Jury: Yu-Chien Ann; Adele Naude Santos; Hidetoshi Ohno; Chao-Lee Kuo; Sheng-Fong Lin; Shuenn Ren Liou; Marcos Cruz.

Prizes: Sou Fujimoto, Japan (First Prize); SOMA ZT, Austria (Second Prize); Stefan Dorin, Romania (Third Prize); CRAB Studio, London (Honourable Mention); HMC Group Inc, USA (Honourable Mention).

09-11-2011

Lecture at URS127 Gallery / TamKang University, Taipei Taiwan.

08-11-2011

Public Presentation of WIW project at the Sheraton Hotel Taipei, Taiwan.
Project: World-in-a-World / Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers, Taipei
Design Team: marcosandmarjan
Collaboration: David Edwards; Aleksa Rizova; Tze-Jun Wei; Ergin Birinci
Client: Glory Yeh Art Park Ltd, Taiwan

01-11-2011

Lecture at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham.

10/11-2011

Interview 'Marcos Cruz y la conciencia del tiempo' in resvista SU CASA, Costa Rica.

http://www.revistasucasa.com/contenido/articles/987/2/Especiales-Sucasa-63/Paacuteginas2.html

21-10-2011

Talk at the event This is Tomorrow, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo.

20-10-2011

Jury member for the International Housing Competition This is Tomorrow, Fundacion Fiscac/Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha/Colegio de Arquitectos de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo.

Jury members: Frederico Soriano, Jose Luis Pardo, Juan Luis Morazo, Donatella Fioretti, Marcos Cruz

19-10-2011

Crits at the ESAYT UCJC, Madrid.

Critics: Fernando Jerez, Marcos Cruz

13/14-10-2011

Lecture at the Conference Public and Private in the Contemporary Age: Sliding Broders, Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon.

Speakers: Bernardo Carvalho, Thierry Paquot, Jose Pedro Regatao, Julien Glauser, Jorge Figueira, Didier Fiuza Faustino, Marcos Cruz

We take great pleasure in announcing the Congress Public and Private in the contemporary age: Sliding Borders, organized by the Centre for Comparative Studies of the University of Lisbon, and to be held in the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon in October 13-14, 2011. This conference proposes a reflection on the theme of Public and Private and on the changes related to these two concepts from the second part of 20th century. The borders between these two concepts have been gradually sliding, as well as our needs and sensations. Man as social animal and as entity in continuous cognitive evolution tries to develop new strategies for his protection and exposition, relation and isolation. Our intimacy is more represented, exposed, nevertheless more and more unreachable and protected, distant from the other because of a continuous over-exposition. And above all does public means belonging to Everybody or to Nobody nowadays? To what extent does Privacy correspond to Intimacy and vice versa? Our intent in this occasion will be to determine the alteration of our time considering fundamental paradigms of our social living and questioning them beside the contemporary age. The main interest of this conference is the exchange of opinions and scientific results between different areas of study, but our reflection will focus on the way the concepts of private and public are changing, and how these changes are recognizable in our society: in the organization of spaces, in its rhythms and in its relationships, in its juridical organization, in the description of its demands and frustrations, even in the concept and image of the human body and its exposition and manipulation. Our need of privacy and of public exposition changed deeply in the last 60 years, we propose to start from this point of view in order to define the main paradigms to understand our own reality and man’s new necessities and expectations.

2/3-09-2011

Jury member for the Taiwan Tower International Competition (Stage One), Taichung Taiwan.
Jury: Yu-Chien Ann; Adele Naude Santos; Hidetoshi Ohno; Chao-Lee Kuo; Sheng-Fong Lin; Shuenn Ren Liou; Marcos Cruz

5 Shortlisted Teams: Sou Fujimoto Architects, Japan; Stefan Dorin, Romania; HMC Group Inc/Raymund Pan, USA; CRAB Studio with Tai Architect and Associates and Buro Happold, London; Soma ZT/Martin Oberarscher, Austria
www.twtower.com.tw

August 2011

Unit 20 student Wendy Boon Ting Teo featured in 'Wallpaper Graduate Directory 2011', Wallpaper, London UK.

http://www.wallpaper.com/directory/graduate/2011/grads#54703

Wendy Boob Ting Teo, model of New Taipei Central Station

19-08-2011

Lecture 'El retorno de lo Figural' at the Veritas Festival, Veritas University, San Jose Costa Rica.
Organiser: Juan Carlos Sanabria (Director of the Veritas University)
Speakers: Jorge Ayala / [Ay]a studio; Esteban Zamora; Benjamin Garcia; Juan Robles; Janet Echelman; Ruben Sepulveda y Margarita Flores / DearArchitects; Javier Rojas; Zoom Arquitectos; Pietro Stagno; Juan Lalinde; Marcos Cruz / Bartlett; Marcos Poletto / Ecologic Studio; Datum Zero

Touring the End-of-Year Exhibition at the Veritas University, Marcos Cruz and Juan Carlos Sanabria

19-08-2011

Interview by Randall Zuniga for revista SU CASA at the Veritas Festival, San Jose Costa Rica.

July 2011

Unit 20 students Wendy Boo Ting Teo and Richard Beckett featured in 'Highlights from the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture Summer Show', The Telegraph, London UK.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertypicturegalleries/8586385/Highlights-from-the-UCL-Bartlett-School-of-Architecture-Summer-Show.html?image=8

01-07-2011 - 08-07-2011

Unit 20 exhibition at the Bartlett Summer Show, London UK.
Location: Slade School of Art, University College London

Photography: Tze Jun Wei

01-07-2011

Publication of Bartlett Annual Book 2011, London UK.

01-07-2011

Bartlett Summer Show opening, London UK.
Guest opener: Itsuko Hasegawa
Location: Slade School of Art, University College London

24-06-2011 - 26-06-2011

Participation at the Studioplex exhibition, IE University, Segovia Spain.

Student work by Aleksandrina Rizova and Wendy Boon Ting Teo

24-06-2011 - 26-06-2011

Presentation and participation at the International Architecture Education Summit 2011, Madrid/Segovia Spain.

Organisation: Instituto de Empresas (IE) and University California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Photography: Mar Agra

Participants: Thom Mayne (Distinguished Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, UCLA, Los Angeles), Javier Quintana (Dean, School of Architecture, IE University, Segovia/Madrid), Martha Thorne (Associate Dean for External Relations, School of Architecture, IE, Segovia/Madrid), Hitoshi Abe (Chair, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, UCLA, Los Angeles), Stan Allen (Dean, School of Architecture, Princeton University), Rob Docter (General Director, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam), Mark Wigley (Dean, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, New York), Peter Cook, Odile Decq (General Director, Ecole Speciale d'Architecture, Paris), Monica Ponce de Leon (Dean, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Donna V. Robertson (Dean, College of Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago), Ingeborg Rocker (Associate Professor of Architecture, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Boston), Urs Hirschberg (Dean, Faculty of Architecture, TU Graz), Wang Shu (Head of Architecture Department, China Academy of Arts, Hangzhou, China), Branko Kolarevic (Associated Dean, Professor and Chair in Integrated Design, University of Calgary), Hans-Juergen Commerell (Director ANCB - Aedes Network Campus Berlin), Winy Maas (Director of 'The Why Factory', Delft University of Technology, Delft), Yasuaki Onoda (Professor, Department of Architecture and Building Science, Tohuko University), Brett Steel (Chair, Architectural Association School of Architecture, London), Neelkanth Chhaya (Dean Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University Ahmedabad), Nobuaki Furuya (Professor Department of Architecture, Waseda University, Tokyo) and Marcos Cruz (Director, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London).

20-06-2011

Lecture 'Sublime Flesh and Neoplasmatic Design' at the University of the Arts (UdK), Berlin Germany.

18-06-2011

Presentation at the LUSO 2011 Summit, Nottingham University, UK.

Lecturers: Mario Baptista Coelho, Steve Lewis, Claudio Sunkel, Manuel Forjaz, Fernando Pinho, Ricardo Zozimo, Miguel Soares, Marcos Cruz, Joao de Vallera
Organisation: PARSUK

19-05-2011

Radio Interview at Planeta Beta, Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid Spain.

Interview by: Enrique Encabo, Inma Maluenda with Izabela Wieczorek and Juan Roldan.

19-05-2011

Final crits at the ESAYT UCJC, Edificio de Tabacalera, Madrid Spain.

Critics: Jaime Coll, Judith Leclerc, Marcos Cruz

13-05-2011

Unit 20 final crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.

Critics: Colin Fournier, Ricardo de Ostos, Murray Fraser, Christine Hawley, Justin Nicholls, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

12-05-2011

Lecture 'Marcos Cruz - exploracoes recentes' at the Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Lisbon Portugal.

Photography: Dilen Magan/ M.A.D.

11-05-2011

Lecture 'The Inhabitable Flesh of Architecture' at the Universidade de Evora, Portugal.

14-04-2011

Unit 20 and Unit 22 crits (with Salvador Perez Arroyo and Andres Perea) at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, LondonUK.

Critics: Salvador Perez Arroyo, Andres Perea, Izaskun Chinchilla, Carlos Jimenez, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

Photography: Marcos Cruz

01-04-2011

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.

Critics: Theo Spyropoulos, Fernando Jerez, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

15-03-2011

Critic at PhD Research Project, Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.

Critics: Dr Sharon Morris; Dr Mette Ramsgard Thomsen; Sean Griffiths; Dr Marcos Cruz

Presentations: Jaime Bartolome; Eva Branscome; Joanne Bristol; Pablo Gil; Ruairi Glynn; Popi Iacouvou; Christiana Ioannou; Thomas-Bernard Kenniff; Laura Kuch; Tim Long; Christos Papastergiou; Felix Robbins; Nina Vollenbroecker.

Organisers: Dr Willem de Brujin; Prof Jonathan Hill; Dr Yeoryia Manolopoulou

10-03-2011 - 11-03-2011

Member of re-validation team of MA Design Interactions, Royal College of Art, London UK.

Panel: Alan Cummings (Chair); Jeff Willis; Jane Pavitt; Mat Hunter; Marcos Cruz

09-03-2011

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, London UK.

Critics: Marcelo Spina, Roberto Bottazzi, Peter Zellner, Kasper Ax, Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz.

10-02-2011

President's Medals Crit at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London UK.

Chair: Ruth Reed (RIBA President)

Critics: David Chipperfield, Peter Blundell Jones, Marcos Cruz

Students: Jack Hudspith (Bronzemedal winner 2010); Jonathan Schofield (Silvermedal winner); Clare Richards (Dissertation winner 2010)

↧

WIW Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers

March 22, 2014, 3:29 pm

≫ Next: Alga(e)zebo

≪ Previous: Article 20

Commercial Project - 2010 marcosandmarjan
WIW World-in-a-World / Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers, feasibility study of three multi-programmatic towers in central Taipei [unbuilt], Taipei Taiwan [31.06.05–31.08.05).

Design team: marcosandmarjan;
Collaboration: David Edwards; Aleksa Rizova; Tze-Jun Wei; Ergin Birinci
Client: Glory Yeh Art Park Ltd, Taiwan

Programme:
Residential (large tower) 36000m2
Commercial (middle tower) 29000m2
Retail (base) 13500m2
Hotel (small tower) 17000m2
Cultural centre 12000m2
Circulation (ramps) 1500m2
Roof area 3500m2
Balconies (reidential) 8000m2
Parking 38500m2

CONCEPT

The design concept is rooted in the symbol of the lotus flower, loosely re-interpreted as a symbol for the emergence of beauty and life. As the flower emerges above the water, the proposed complex rises high above the neighbouring park and adjacent buildings, hopefully promoting a further regeneration of the whole site.
In general terms, we propose to translate the spiritual aspects of the lotus’ daily opening and closing and emergence from the water into architectural terms in various ways. The sinuous silhouettes of the towers represent the dynamics of growth, of the flower rising above the water line and reaching for the sun. Seen in perspective, the curvilinear towers should convey this notion of vertical aspiration and of the elegant flower vacillating in the wind. The thin, long cylindrical stalk of the lotus flower is re-interpreted as the internal air-chimney that should work as passive ventilation and conditioning device. Since the lotus flower unfolds its blossoms daily, we are envisioning an interactive façade that responds intelligently to the environment—to light, wind and pollution—opening up and closing down to protect and maintain adequate interior atmospheric conditions.

URBAN PLACEMENT

The proximity of the site to major urban landmarks such as the park, the National Museum, the Theatre, the Mayor’s Town Hall etc. plays to the project’s great advantage, as it will attract and cater for a multitude of users: residents and tourists alike.

It is planned to open up the urban levels towards to park, thus to take advantage of its openness (a very desirable public void within a dense urban fabric) and all the activities taking place there.

At the same time, the urban levels (ground floor plus minus 2 floors or more) are proposed as porous civic interfaces to allow pedestrians to cross the complex from West to East etc. passing by shops and art galleries. We propose diagonal crossings through the site, as this maximizes access and shopping window area. The division of these shopping streets splits the site into sectors by facilitating orientation and circulation and generating an urban feeling, rather than a shopping mall as shed feeling.

The urban levels will be topographically complex and hence very three-dimensional, maximizing the impact of the presence of the project on the street level. However, generous internal and external voids and folded spaces of variable scale and size will open up to the surrounding streets and to the park. Visitors will be invited to enter the lobby spaces, and to explore the facilities located on the urban levels. This opening up of the space will be diversified over the day, i.e. day and night.

MORPHOLOGY

If the East side of the site open up to the park, the West side (and also the North and South side) seems to be confronted with a rather dense and volumetric urban matrix. The project attempts to respond to both conditions, locating the main towering blocks away from the park towards the main traffic axes to emphasize urbanity and density. By pushing the towers to the limits of the site, maximum distance between each other is gained. This layout protects the apartments’ and offices privacy and at the same time facilitates generous panoramic views over the park and the city. Variable exposure to sunlight is thus also granted.

The morphologies of the towers are based on similarity yet multitude. Different folded drapes are constructed based on the outline of each shopping sector and the size and position of its related tower. Whilst the vertical cores of each tower are equal, the floor plates change shape on each tower and also slightly on each floor. This, combined with different skin-morphologies, creates change in shapes based on one structural and material-based solution: since the towers are draped similarly, they generate morphological variety yet at the same time create a sense of togetherness and community.

Lower floors could be granted more balcony space, whilst upper floor would appreciate a better panoramic view. These lower balconies and terraces, with footbridges etc. work also as temperature cushions by providing extra shade to the floors below, especially during the hottest hours of the day. This setup also creates magnificent internal 3D open voids or folded, layered spaces (like the petals of the lotus) between the towers.

The interior space, in particular of the podium, are characterized by the spatial dialogue between the folds and the voids and the floor plates. In these voids, one should feel the presence of the towers above, creating a tension between their weight and volume, and the open scenery of the podium spaces. These urban floors are a topographic landscape that varies with program, height and location (East-West, North-South etc.).

The retail units on the main floors will be accessed from the main circulation loops. Single units will have single sided entrances but maximized window, whilst duplex units can be accessed on various floors. The upper podium floors (but not only) are characterized by large skylights and vertical views of the towers and horizontal views of the city and the park. These are ideal for entertainment, restaurants, lounges etc.

MATERIALITY

We are envisioning a macro-scaled ornamental skin as double-layered veil that is draped around the towers and the podium roof and walls. It filters light, creates privacy and provides the buildings with a very strong design identity. On a micro-scale, ornamentation that will perform as environmental devices should be constructed thanks to parametrically optimized for CAD/CAM manufacturing techniques. Also, it is controlled in relationship to the interiors of the apartments and offices and the exposure to sunlight. The skin could be treated with multicolor varnish. It would reflect and refract sunlight and artificial light in various hues and colorations depending on intensity and inclination angle, achieving the elegance and beauty of the lotus flower.

The podium floors should feature large-scale interactive and mediatic facades to invite people inside and to feature advertisements, but also to respond to the environment: the building should monitor, screen and give feedback of and to the climatic conditions inside and outside as well as to the degree of inhabitation (i.e. amount of people inside).

Natural light will be allowed to flood the podium’s internal voids, yet filtered and diffused by a double-layered skin. Such soft light enhances the dramatic quality of the interior. At night, artificial light penetrates from the inside to the outside giving the building an intriguing, yet spectacular presence.

ENVIRONMENTAL

This building proposal follows a clear environmental strategy. Prevailing winds are drawn into the outer skin of the building. Through a passive downdraft evaporative cooling process, the air remains cool around the inhabited spaces while pressing out hot air through a ‘chimney’ stack effect.

On the roof of the building, but also on particularly sun exposed facades, several photovoltaic panels are set up in order to avoid excessive energy consumption. This double-layered skin-system perfectly integrates the photovoltaics, which are sandwiched between other panels. In fact, the most effective and environmentally sustainable insulation system for a highly sun exposed building is based on avoiding the direct impact of indoor and outdoor climate. Therefore the propose building has a double skin: it has variable opacity following the different building orientations to stop direct sunlight from penetrating the interiors and it grants for a pleasant and temperate indoor climate.

Furthermore, a grid of pipes could be integrated into the south façade to slowly pump water from the ground floor up to the top of the towers. Due to the direct sun exposure, this water warms up and is then used for air conditioning or heating the interiors. Afterwards, the water is pumped back down along the shaded north façade to cool it and prepare for a new circle. Furthermore, like a shower, water will be injected into the north façade, which will evaporate, cool down and condensate lowering the temperature.

Air conditioning will be collected and distributed through the ceilings of the podium in order to maximize its performance. That way, the system cools down he common access and circulation areas of the urban levels.

The podium is designed to cool the hot winds which reach the building’s base before rising upwards along the façade’s folded surfaces. Water and vegetation should be introduced to allow evaporation and evapo-transpiration to cool down air temperature passively.

Rain water and other waters collected by the building (especially podium roof) should be accumulated in a subterranean phase change water tank, to be cooled down and to be re-conducted to the air-conditioning cycle.

↧

Alga(e)zebo

March 22, 2014, 4:24 pm

≫ Next: Article 2

≪ Previous: WIW Chong Qing Nan Lu Towers

Leisure / Culture Project - 2010 marcosandmarjan
Alga(e)zebo, installation for the London Olympics, Euston Square Gardens, London UK [built]

Design team: marcosandmarjan
Manufacturer: Formstaal / CSI, Stralsund Germany
Engineering: Bollinger, Grohmann und Schneider, Vienna Austria
Photobioreactor: Richard Beckett / DMC London with UCL Algae (special thanks to Dr Saul Purton, Marco Lizzul, Lamya A Haj, Laura Stoffels, Joanna Szaub; Joanne Field at the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, Scottish Marine Institute)

Located at Euston Square Gardens, this installation consists of a large decorative canopy-structure, a Gazebo. The concept of the Gazebo follows an English tradition in which such filigree construction becomes a jewel that punctuates the landscape, creating a small gathering or viewing point that in turn organises the natural setting around it. The steel structure also fits in the tradition of exposed steel paraphernalia – gates, fences, fountains, pipe work etc. – which distinguishes and enriches so many UK cities. The complex patterns of the surface create a unique ornamental structure that evokes a sense of delicacy and elegance, with an ever-changing effect of light and shadows.

The internal space functions as a sitting facility for visitors to rest and gather or simply contemplate the surrounding views. The permeable boundaries of the structure, also allows for an endless play of framed vistas through and in-between it. The Gazebo also triggers associations of dynamism, indeterminacy, transparency, as well as joyfulness, festiveness and community, all of which, combined with the recyclable materiality and biotechnological augmentation of the structure makes it a potentially iconic landmark within the London Olympic setting.

The Alga(e)zebo intertwines human artifice with natural surrounding. This is achieved in three distinct manners that vary in scale and effect.

The irregular outline of the Gazebo allows for trees or taller bushes to grow in between the structure.
The multifaceted patterns create a scaffold for smaller vegetation to grow into it as a pergola.
The vertical columns incorporate algae tubes with different strains of locally bred algae that vary in texture and colour. It suggests an Alga(e)zebo.

All three conditions reflect the complex boundary negotiations that take place between architecture and nature in our contemporary cities. There is an aspiration to intermingle and merge these conditions; architecture is behaving and looking more like biological construct, whilst nature is manipulated via human interference.

The installation makes a statement of the use of state-of-the-art technology along with interdisciplinary work methodologies. The design, with its complex geometry and perforated motifs, is originated from the implementation of sophisticated digital media processes by London-based practice marcosandmarjan. Bespoke algorithmic and parametric scripting programmes by the renowned engineering practice Bollinger-Grohmann-Schneider allow for the maximisation and design efficiency of two-dimensional processes (nesting scripting) and structural integrity in three dimensions (topological projections). World leading company Formstaal/CSI guarantees the construction out of double-curved welded steel panels manufactured from recycled steel. The resulting shell plates are then laser cut by CNC (computer-numerically controlled) machines.

Manufacturing process of perforated double steel curvature at Formstaal/CSI, Stralsund Germany.

Calculation of ornamental pattern by Bollinger-Grohmann-Schneider, Vienna Austria.

PHOTOBIOREACTORS
The separate columns, consisting of varying volume bioreactors contain a range of different micro-organisms. From carbon dioxide consuming strains of algae to localised bacteria from surrounding gardens. The columns represent a unique real world testbed, looking specifically to see how such technology can be adapted to work within the complexity of a non standardised environment that architecture inevitably inhabits.

Testing of algae insertion into different thicknesses of growth medium.

Carbon-impregnation of 3D prints, which work as a scaffold that attracts the growth of algae.

↧

Article 2

October 7, 2017, 7:50 am

≫ Next: Article 1

≪ Previous: Alga(e)zebo

News / Events 2015

2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Presentation and discussion at BioSalon, Central Saint Martins, London UK.

Location: Futuro House, Central Saint Martins

Host: Carole Collet (Director Design & Living Systems Lab); Karen Gaskill (Head of Innovation, Crafts Council)

Support: Crafts Council and Central Saint Martins

Participants: Jane Scott; Amy Congdon; Robert Kesseler; Guillian Graves; Claudia Pasquero; Tom Eliis; Natsai Chieza; Kieren Jones; Andy Gracie; Marlene Huissoud; Karen Gaskill; Carole Collet; Marcos Cruz

1-12-2015

Unit 20 crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Critics: Susanne Hofmann, Richard Beckett, Seda Zirek, Malca Mizrahi, Marcos Cruz

27-11-2015

Jury member of Tile of Spain Awards in Architecture and Interior Design, The Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association ASCER, Castellon Spain.
Host: ASCER
Jury: Victor Lopez Cotelo (Chair), Laura Andreini; Isabel López Vilalta; Édgar González; Ramón Monfort; Marcos Cruz

25-11-2015

marcosandmarjan's Alga(e)zebo commended at the Architectural Review_Emerging Architects Award, London UK.
http://www.architectural-review.com/buildings/algaezebo-by-mam/10000189.article?blocktitle=AR_EA-Commended&contentID=15071
Host: AR_EA
Location: Barbican London

Alga(e)zebo

Design team: marcosandmarjan
Manufacturer: Formstaal / CSI, Stralsund Germany
Engineering: Bollinger, Grohmann und Schneider, Vienna Austria
Photobioreactor: Richard Beckett / DMC London with UCL Algae (special thanks to Dr Saul Purton, Marco Lizzul, Lamya A Haj, Laura Stoffels, Joanna Szaub; Joanne Field at the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, Scottish Marine Institute)

Photo credit: Virgilio Ferreira

Architects Journal's review:

The three-dimensional concrete maze, known as 10 Cal Tower, was designed by the up-and-coming Bangkok-based studio to bring together children and adults.

Located on the Bangsaen Beach, 100km south of Bangkok, the red concrete staircase tower reimagines the traditional playground and creates a meeting place.

The practice was handed the £10,000 prize at an event at the Barbican Centre in London last night (24 November).

Japan-based Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP picked up two ‘highly commended’ awards for its forest chapel and bird’s nest treehouse.

Marcosandmarjan architects (MAM) was the only UK-based practice to win an award. It received a commendation for its Cor-ten installation on Euston Square Gardens entitled Alga(e)zebo.

The awards were judged by architects David Adjaye, Peter Cook and Odile Decq.

25-11-2015

Marcos Cruz and Marjan Colletti present at the Architectural Review_Emerging Architects Think Tank, London UK.
Host: AR_EA
Location: Grimshaw Architects London
Moderator: Christine Murray (editor)

19-11-2015

Lecture 'Bio-receptive Design' at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts / KADK, Copenhagen Denmark.

18/19-11-2015

End-of-term Crits at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts / KADK, Copenhagen Denmark.
Host: David Garcia

16-11-2015

Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett on BiotA Lab - interview by Rose Eveleth for The Atlantic magazine, New York USA.

12-11-2015

Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett on BiotA Lab - interview by Meg Miller for Fast Company magazine, New York USA.

30-10-2015

Lecture 'Bio-receptive Design' at the National Taiwan University, Taipei Taiwan.
Host: Shih-Yao Lai

29/30-10-2015

Jury member for the Taiwan Taoyuan Airport Terminal 3 International Design Competition (Stage 2), TTIA / Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan.

Competition Coordinator: Barry Cheng

Jury members: Chu-Joe Hsia / Chair (National Taiwan University); Michael Speaks (University of Syracuse, USA); Gene Kwang-Yu King (King Shih Architects, Taiwan); David Steward (IATA, UK); Shannon Hsien-Heng Lee (National Taiwan University); Lin Pang-Soong (Taiwan Design Centre); Jerry Dann (Taoyuan International Airport Corporation); Yung Sung Wen (Taoyuan International Airport Corporation); Erik Kriel (Landrum & Brown, Australia); Fong Kok Wai (Changi Airport Group, Singapore); Marcos Cruz (University College London, UK)

Rendering of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners proposal

First prize:

Representative Tenderer : CECI Engineering Consultants, Inc., Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Joint Tenderer : Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (United Kingdom)

　　　　　　　 Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Limited (United Kingdom)

　　　　　　　 Fei and Cheng Associates (R.O.C.)

Second prize:

Representative Tenderer : Bio-Architecture Formosana (R.O.C.)

Joint Tenderer : Van Berkel en Bos U.N. Studio B.V. (Netherlands)

　　　　　　　 April Yang Design Studio Limited (U.S.A.)

　　　　　　　 Taiwan Engineering Consultant Group (ROC)

Third prize:
Representative Tenderer : Foster + Partners Limited (United Kingdom)

Joint Tenderer : Ricky Liu and Associate Architects + Planners (ROC)

　　　　　　　 MAA Group Consulting Engineers (ROC)

22-10-2015

Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett presentation and exhibition of BiotA LAB at BIOFABRICATE conference, New York City.

Venue: Microsoft Centre, TimeSquare, NYC

Organisers: Suzanne Lee

Organisation team: Suzanne Lee; Amy Congdon; Annelie Koller; Emma van der Leest

Speakers: Rob Carlson / Bioeconomy Capital; Jasmina Aganovic / Mother Dirt; Tal Danino / MIT; Miranda Wang / BioCellection; Thomas Landrain / pili Bio; Christina Agapakis / Ginkgo Bioworks; Rodrigo Martinex / IDEO; Dan Grushkin / The Wilson Centre; Ellen Jorgensen / Genespace; Eleonore Pauwells / The Wilson Centre; Karen Ingram / Artist-Animator; David S.Kong / Lincoln Lab-MIT; Marcos Cruz & Richard Beckett / BiotA Lab; Eric Klarenbeek / Studio Klarenbeek; Christophe Guberan / Studio Guberan; Danny Cabrera / Biobots; Oded Shoseyow / CollPlant; Matthew Markus / Pembient; Camille Delebecque / Afineur; Isha Datar / New Harvest; Oron Catts / SymbioticA; Andras Forgacs / Modern Meadow

Photo credit: Shawn Liu

Photo credit: Regina Flores Mir

12-10-2015

BiotA Lab / rC7- rC5 MArch Architectural Design, Bartlett UCL, London UK.

Kick start of Biotechnology and Architeture Lab 2015/16

Tutors of rC7: Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Chris Leung, Javier Ruiz

Tutors of rC5: Guan Lee and Vicente Soler

Students: Zhili Wang; Nan Huang; Yi Lui; Yue Li; Chih Hsu; Jiaui Liu; Julie Hagopian; Xinhe Lin; Kwon Kooyoung; Mohit Jotwani; Huang Qian; Jiang Yuxin; Hong Chong; Yeguang Ma; Shiyi Sun; Sanika Mohite; Yucong Xiao; Tang Zheng; Xinyi Zhou; Zeng Qungyue

09-10-2015

C-BIOM.A - computation, bio-materials and architecture

Kick start of Marcos Cruz studio MAA 02, at Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Tutor: Marcos Cruz
Synthetic Biology: Nuria Conde Pueyo

Students: Kunaljit Chandha; Nina Jatonavic; Wilton Machado Neves; Yessica Gabriela Mendez Sierra; Mehmet Yilmaz; Zunabath Abdul Majid

05-10-2015

Unit 20 MArch Architecture, Bartlett UCL, London UK.

Kick start of 2015/16

Tutors: Marcos Cruz and Marjan Colletti

Students: Andreas Koerner; Giota Kotsovinou; Jia Jian Saw; Patrick Mawson; Tom Wong; Selina Yau; Vivian Wong; Mon Thi Han; Daniel Coley; Goerge Bolwell; Chris Falla; James Mills; Matthew Pratt; Firas Saad; Vicent Yeong

Isfahan - Discovering 'Half of the World'
To travel has been one of the quintessential activities of human kind. From ancient times people have embarked on journeys to trade goods and knowledge, discover new worlds, and conquer new land, all of which has shaped the political map of the planet as we live in now. One of the most important and influential international routes was the silk route that linked the Far East with Europe for centuries, and which has allowed for an extraordinary exchange of cultures and commodities.
Today, technology has allowed for unprecedented fluxes of people to commute locally and travel globally. From sophisticated communication systems, to the planning of supra-urban infrastructures, the explosion of the tourist industry and trade relationships, our history is more than ever a reflection of the capabilities (or restrictions) of people’s mobility. This year, Unit 20 will explore Persia, a culture that has been in the heart of the silk route and historically one of the major cultural hubs. But albeit being a place defined by great mobility, it was locked and isolated in recent times due to an international embargo that was only just recently lifted.
The unit will look at the future potentials and challenges of this extraordinary country with its new-invigorated dynamism. Students will study the exuberance of Persian architecture with its ornamentation and elegance and create visions for its future. Unit 20 will be on route to Isfahan, a city of unmatched beauty and historic ambiance that has been considered for centuries as Half of the World. Students will focus on the implications of people’s mobility, travel and communication and delineate future trajectories of this fascinating place.

28-09-2015

BiotA Lab at B.PRO Final Exhibition, London UK.

BiotA tutors: Marcos Cruz; Richard Beckett; Javier Ruiz

Installation design: Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett

Students: Cheng-Hsiang Lew; You Han Hu; Shneel Malik; Jiang; Dan Lin; Sunbin Lee; Zhixiong Yang; Soo Hyung Kim; Chae Ah Ahn; Chen Wen; Sul Ah Lee; Taehyun Lee; Chang Lui; Yuxi Lu; Xia Chen Wei

Photo credit: Shawn Liu

16-09-2015

Marcos Cruz interviewed and featured in BBC EARTH - 'Incredible Buildings Inspired by Nature' by Michelle Douglass, UK.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150913-nine-incredible-buildings-inspired-by-nature

25/28-08-2015

Jury member for the Taiwan Taoyuan Airport Terminal 3 International Design Competition (Stage 1), TTIA / Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan.

Competition Coordinator: Barry Cheng

Shortlisted Tenderer:

Representative Tenderer : CECI Engineering Consultants, Inc., Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Joint Tenderer : ．Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (United Kingdom)

　　　　　　　．Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Limited (United Kingdom)

　　　　　　　．Fei and Cheng Associates (R.O.C.)

Representative Tenderer : Bio-Architecture Formosana (R.O.C.)

Joint Tenderer :．Van Berkel en Bos U.N. Studio B.V. (Netherlands)

　　　　　　　．April Yang Design Studio Limited (U.S.A.)

Representative Tenderer : Foster + Partners Limited (United Kingdom)

July 2015

BiotA Lab wins funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop the research project 'Computational Seeding of Bio-Receptive Materials'.
Call: Design the Future

Research team: Dr Marcos Cruz (PI - Bartlett/BiotA), Richard Beckett (Bartlett/BiotA), Dr Sandra Manso (UPC), Dr Chris Leong (Bartlett/Interactive Lab), Bill Watts (Bartlett/Max Fordham LLP)
Industrial Partner: Laing O'Rourke
Strategic Advisory Board: Andrew Minson (British Precast); Elinor Huggett (Max Fordham LLP); Richard Sabin (Biotecture); Prof Marc-Olivier Coppens (Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering, UCL); Prof Nima Shokri (Multiphase Flow and Porous Media Research Group, University of Manchester); Prof Mark Miodownik (Institute of Making, UCL); Johanna Gibbons (landscape architecture); Stephen Ridell (CIT Development); Prof Antonio Aguado (UPC Barcelona); Prof Alan Penn (Dean Bartlett, UCL); Peter Scully (B-Made Bartlett, UCL); Prof Peter Bishop (Bartlett, UCL / Allies and Morrison); Dr Paolo Bombelli (Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge); Dr Marco Lizzul (Algae@UCL).

9-07-2015

BiotA Lab / MArch GAD rc7 Final Crits at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Martyn Dade-Robertson; Marin Sawa; Natsai Chiesa Audrey, Stephen Gage, Yael Reisner; Chris Leong; Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz, Marcos Cruz

26-06-2015
Bartlett School of Architecture Summer Exhibition opening, London UK.
Guest opener: Carmen Pinos
Unit 20 installation with work of: Selina Yau, Jonathan Wilson, Vincent Yeung, Giota Kotsovinou, Andreas Koerner, Vivian Wong, Jianze Hao, Shiqi An, Maria Esteban Casanas, James Mills, JJ Saw, Firas Saad, Wiktor Kidziak, Daniel Coley

Photo credit: Marjan Colletti

19-06-2015

Final Crits and exhibition of Marcos Cruz Studio in the MAA 02 at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Students: Tobias Grumstrup, Irina Shaklova, Natalie Alima, Alessio Verdolino, Chung Kai Hsieh, Mohamad Yassin

Critics: Manuel Gausa, Stephen Gage, Areti Markopoulou, Silvia Brandi, Ricardo Devesa, Maite Bravo

Final exhibition

Alessio Verdolino

Tobias Grumstrup

Natalie Alima

Photo Credit: Filippo Poli

10/11-06-2015
External examiners for the MArch Architecture / Unit 20 at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Students: Jonathan Wilson, Jianze Hao, Shiqi An, Maria Esteban Casanas, Wiktor Kidziak
Examiners: Marta Malé-Alemany; Perry Kulper; Richard Rose-Casemore; Peter Wilson; Wolfgang Taschapeller; Geoff Manaugh; Barbara Campbell-Lange; Charles Rice

4-06-2015
Presentation and table discussion at symposium Techno-Liberation / Can Technology Contribute to Social Equality?, University College London, London UK.
Organisers: Klara Aylin Wenten; Emilia Lischke
Speakers: David Wood / London Futurists; Judy Wacjman / LSE; Marcos Cruz / Bartlett
Moderator: Jack Stilgoe / UCL

8-05-2015
UNIT 20 final Crits, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Theo Spyropoulous (Minimaforms/AADRL), Moyez Alwani (Aga Khan), Andrei Martin (PLP Architects), Michael Pelken (Laing O'Rourke), Lena Vasileva (P+Studio), Isaie Bloch (Erogatory), Andy Bow (Foster and Partners); Dirk Krolokowski (Rogers Stirk Harbour), Bob Sheil (Bartlett UCL), Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz

Theo Spyropoulous, Moyez Alwani, Marcos Cruz, Isaie Bloch, Roberto Bottazzi

Photo credit: Marjan Colletti

BiotA Lab launch at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Bartlett Labs: BiotA Lab (Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett); Wonderlab (Alisa Andrasek); Interactive Architecture Lab (Ruairi Glynn); Urban Morphogenesis Lab (Claudia Pasquero); City and Urban Infrastructures Lab (Adrian Lahoud)
Guests: Francesco Anselmo / Arup; Pedro Pablo Arroyo / Universidad Europea de Madrid; Jo Bacon / Allies and Morrison; Pete Brugon / Max Fordham LLP; Jane Butler / UCL; Alice Chilver / UCL; David Cobb / UCL; Carole Collet / Design and living Systems Lab; Marc-Olivier Coppens / UCL; Amy Croft / Sto Werkstatt; Wendy de Silva / P + HS Architects; Xavier deKestelier / Foster and Partners; Colin Dowds / Lafarge Tarmac; Tom Mole / UCL; Richard Beckett / UCL; Bob Sheil / UCL; Iain Duncan / MouseTrap Innovation Ltd; Jose Luis Esteban Penelas / Universidad Europea de Madrid; James Flynn / Make; Anne Frobeen / Samsung; Irene Gallo / Foster and Partners; David Green / Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will; Adam Grice / Make; Josef Hardgrave / Arup; Carlos Huggins / UCL; Chris Leong / UCL; Marco Lizzul / Algal Biotechnology UCL; Kimberley Steed German / UCL; Bill Watts / Max Fordham LLP-UCL; Sandra Manso Blanco / Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya; Nick McCormick / National Physical Laboratory; Chris Moore / Max Fordham LLP; Bruno Moser / Foster and Partners; Bill Nimmo / National Physical Laboratory; Irini Papadimitriou / V&A; Brenda Parker / UCL; Michael Pelken / Laing O’Rourke; Henry Pelly / Max Fordham LLP; Alan Penn / UCL; Marin Sawa / Imperial College; Ella Sivyer / UCL; Susana Soares / Southbank University of Architecture; Elizabeth Tweedale /Blueshift; Rich Walker / Shadow Robot; Ed Watson / Camden Borough Council; Jamie Davies / University of Edinburgh

Richard Beckett and Marcos Cruz

Alisa Andrasek

Ruairi Glynn

Claudia Pasquero

Adrian Lahoud

Photo Credit: Richard Stonehouse

05-05-2015
Cross-Cribs of MAA 02 at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.
Studios: Marcos Cruz / C-Biom.A; Vicente Guallart; Jordi Pages / Luis Viu
Critics: Manuel Gausa, Areti Markopoulou, Silvia Brandi, Matie Bravo, Vicente Guallart, Jordi Pages, Luis Viu, Ricardo Devesa, Maria Kuptsova, Mercedes Montilla Garcia

22-04-2015
Filmed interview: Marcos Cruz in conversation with Bill Watts about his Sahara Project, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Production team: Per Liebeck / Director, CFC Norge-Copenhagen Film Company

27-03-2015
BiotA Lab / rc7 GAD interim juries at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Frederic Migayrou, Andrew Porter, Natsai Chiesa Audrey, Stephen Gage, Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz, Marcos Cruz

16-03-2015
Crits at School of Architecture Oxford Brooks University, UK.
Critics: Barry Wark, Maria Knutsson-Hall, Marcos Cruz

Photo Credit: Marjan Colletti

25-02-2015
Seminar Talk for the MA Architectural History at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Host: Mario Carpo

24-02-2015
IaaC-Bartlett (BiotA Lab/rC7) conjoint interim reviews at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.
Critics: Manuel Gausa, Areti Markopoulou, Josep Mias, Silvia Brandi, Ricardo Devesa, Maite Bravo, Richard Beckett, Marcos Cruz

BiotA Lab/rC7 (Bartlett) students during crits. Models on table by IAAC students .
Photo Credit: Marcos Cruz

Photo Credit: Francesco Lipari

↧

Article 1

October 7, 2017, 7:53 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Article 2

News / Events 2016

2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

C-Biom.A / IAAC student Jessica Gabriela Mendez Sierra instals environmental mural at Mexican Consulate, Barcelona Spain.

Venue: Mexican Consulate

Sponsors: CASELLES XIGERU - (concrete panels producers); MC-BAUCHEMIE - Oscar Gines (additives for concrete); TEMATIK BARCELONA - (prefabricated panels and hanging facades systems)

Photo credit: Yessica Gabriela Mendez Sierra

19-11-2016

BiotA Lab and C-Biom.A group exhibit work at BIOFABRICATE conference 2016, New York City.
http://www.biofabricate.co/biofabricate-2016
Venue: Parsons School of Design, NYC
Organisers: Suzanne Lee
Organisation team: Suzanne Lee; Amy Congdon; Annelie Koller; Emma van der Leest
Speakers: Joel Towers / Parsons; Eben Bayer / Ecovative; Mark Drury . Mother Dirt; Heather Dewey-Hagborg; Kenji Higashi / Spiber Inc.; Daniel Grushkin / Gnespace and Biodesign Challenge; Bioesters / FIT; Megan Palmer / Stanford Unviersity; Burak Cakmak / Parsons; Tony Dunne / Parsons; Julie Legault / Amino Labs; Andrew Pelling / Pelling Lab; Amy Congdon / Modern Meadow; Laia Mogas-Soldevilla / Tufts University; Pieter van Boheemen; James Carnes / Adidas; Daisy Ginsberg; Phil Ross / Mycoworks; Cyrill Gutsch; Scott Fullbright / Linving Ink; Chris Callewaert / UCSanDiego; Franklin S Abrams / Srpingut Law; Antony Evans / Taxa; Ginger Krieg Dosier / bioMason; Jens Klein / AMSilk; Christina Agapakis / Gingko Bioworks; Andras Forgacs / Modern Meadow; Tina Gorjanc; Adital Ela / Criaterra; Maurizio Montalti / Officina Corpuscoli; Gerd Manz / adidas; Fiona Raby / Parsons.
Exhibitors:BiotA Lab / Barltett UCL; C-Biom.A / IaaC; Biorealize; Bioesters / FIT; Amino Labs; Officina Corpuscoli / Mogu; Fragant Moss; Mycoworks; Spiderwort; Criaterra; Living Ink; Ecovative & Biomason; Starter Cutlure / Mica; Spiber; Tina Gorjanc

BiotA Lab and C-Biom.A in show

Robotically printed hydrogel prints (J.Hagopian; S.Mohite; X.Zhou; H.Qian - front)

Bioreceptive MPC casts (Z.Wang; Y.Jiang; X.Lin; Q.Zeng - back)

C-Biom.A (Nina Jotanovic/Natalie Alima - left) and BiotA Lab prototypes (right)

BiotA Lab and C-Biom.A in show

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

07-10-2016

C-BIOM.A - computation, bio-materials and architecture

Start of Marcos Cruz studio MAA 02 2016/17, at Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.
Tutor: Marcos Cruz
Assistant tutor: Nina Jotanovic
Academic coordinator MAA02: Maria Kuptsova
Synthetic Biology: Nuria Conde Pueyo
Students: Thorahafdis Arnardottir, Inthat Ueasakaree; Jessica Dias; Nikolaos Argyros; Noor Elgewely; Yasamin Khalilbeigikhameneh; Christopher Wong

28-09-2016

BiotA Lab / rC7 MArch Architectural Design, Bartlett UCL, London UK.

Start of Biotechnology and Architecture Lab 2016/17 - Radical Environments
Tutors of rC7: Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Chris Leung, Javier Ruiz
Thesis tutor: Shneel Malik
Students: Xiao Cao; Marisa Dewi; Hao Ding; Eleni Dourampei; Sara Eljamal; Hoda Eskandar Nia; Ling Gou; Yuan Huang; Jeng-Ying Li; Yi Li; Shengtao Luo; Gang Mao; Leyi Qi; Sung Min Rhee; Xu Si; Mu Tsai; Xinyu Wu; Idil Yucel Inal; Bowen Zhang; Ziwei Zhao; Xiaobing Zhou; Zhou Jia

27-09-2016

BiotA Lab at B.PRO Final Exhibition, London UK.
BiotA tutors: Marcos Cruz; Richard Beckett; Chris Leung; Javier Ruiz
Installation design: Marcos Cruz; Richard Beckett; Javier Ruiz
Students: Zhili Wang; Nan Huang; Yi Lui; Yue Li; Chih Hsu; Jiaui Liu; Julie Hagopian; Xinhe Lin; Kwon Kooyoung; Mohit Jotwani; Huang Qian; Jiang Yuxin; Hong Chong; Yeguang Ma; Shiyi Sun; Sanika Mohite; Yucong Xiao; Tang Zheng; Xinyi Zhou; Zeng Qungyue

Bro Show - BiotA Lab

Bro show - BiotA Lab

Multimaterial cast with MPC concrete for selective bioreceptivity

Robotically printed hydrogel scaffolds with encapsulated algae

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

29-06-2016
Lecture 'Biointegrated Design / BioiD' at the University of Siegen, Germany.
Host: Uli Exner; Nikolaus Pamarsche

July 2016

C-BIOM.A and BiotA Lab projects on Materiability website

Students: Nina Jotanovic; Natalie Alima; Irina Shaklova

http://materiability.com/responsive-manifolds/

http://materiability.com/bio-scaffold/

http://materiability.com/living-screen/

13/15-06-2016

External Examination, Royal academy of Fine Arts / KADK, Copenhagen, Denmark.
External Examiners: Marcos Cruz; Marianne Hansen; Merete Ahnfeldt-Mollerup

June 2016

Article 'Biorecepive Design' (Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett) published in Architectural Research Quarterly / ARQ - Architecture and Biotechnology / Synthetic Biology / Cells as Architects, Cambridge University Press, UK.

June 2016

BiotA Lab installs Bioreceptive Concrete Panels for full seasonal environmental testing at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Venue: Courtyard of 140 Hampstead Road
Team: Prof Marcos Cruz (PI), Richard Beckett, Dr Chris Leung, Dr Sandra Manso, Bill Watts
Funder: Engineering and Physical Science Research Council / EPSRC, UK
Structure: Chris Leung
Engineering: Price and Myers
Assembly: B-Made

Photo credit: Paul Smoothy

28-06-2016

Final Crits and exhibition of C-Biom.A Studio at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.
Location: Corretger Gallery, Barcelona
Critics: Izaskun Chinchilla, Ellena Rocchi, Tony Cumella, Areti Markopoulou, Alex Duboi, Maite Bravo, Maria Kutsova, Mathilde Marengo
Support: Taller Tony Cumella
Students: Nina Jotanovic, Yessica Mendez, Kunaljit Chadha, Zunabath Majid, Wilton Neves

Crits with Izaskun Chinchilla, Areti Markopoulou and Nina Jovanovic

Wall installation by Yessica Mendez

Tiles by Nina Jotanovic

Mycocrete panels by Zunabath Majid

Sulphor concrete robotic printing by Kunaljit Chadha

(from left to right) Kunaljit Chadha, Nina Jovanovic, Marcos Cruz, Zunabath Majid, Yessica Mendez

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

24-06-2016
Book launch of Unit 20 / Hyper-articulated Morphologies (eds. Marjan Colletti and Marcos Cruz) at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Editors: Marcos Cruz and Marjan Colletti

Illustrated student work: Selina Yau, Vincent Yeung, Giota Kotsovinou, Andreas Koerner, Vivian Wong, James Mills, JJ Saw, Firas Saad, Daniel Coley, Man Chung Wong, Jessica Wang, Matthew Pratt, Patrick Mawson, George Bolwell, Jonathan Wilson, Wiktor Kidziak, Jianze Hao, Shi Qi An, Maria Esteban-Casanas

Publisher: List Lab, Trento Italy, Barcelona Spain

Funding: Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

Introduction by editors

Our work in Unit 20 is focused on a multi-layered approach to design where a multitude of thoughts, concepts and methodologies are ingrained in projects. Conspicuously expressive and compelling, the work is driven by programmatic, contextual/climatic and cultural specificities, while at the same time being the result of well-articulated computational agendas that aim not only at novel technological solutions, but also at aesthetics that push beyond boundaries of the conventional.

Computation is a fundamental research tool through which the ornamentation of the architectural skin – or better flesh or bark? – along with augmented spatial and typological conditions, and a novel materiality of buildings can be simulated and fabricated to open up for radically new morphologies in architecture. Buildings seek for a new sense of physical and cultural depth with the use of complexity and hyper-articulated geometries, structures and materials, while simultaneously embracing a new engagement with the body and its ever-changing surrounding environment.

The work in this book is structured around differentiated physical entities – fields, environments, ornaments, materials, bodies and objects – that create the departure points for projects in which multi-cellularity, fluidity, convolution, porosity, tectonic and exuberance form part of a conscious adjectivisation of architecture that is simultaneously experimental and experiential. However, rather than working by exclusion or elimination, projects articulate all the topics in some manner or another, yet with a mature sense of hierarchy, gradually integrating the multiplicity of thoughts in one synthetic act.

The work shown in this book is a collection of sketches, fragments, dissections, tests and prototypes that illustrate, and why not, diagnose our overall production in constant evolution and change. Top-down tactics of delivering knowledge in architectural education should be considered out-dated, ineffective and unproductive. Consequently, we have adopted a research-led educational model that adopts a more bottom-up, poetic, discursive and open-ended approach.

We are aware that such an approach is experimental and hence insecure, risky, and at best approximated. However, a key characteristic of design processes and design intelligence must be variability. Thus, openness, dynamism and hybridity can be seen as appropriate strategies for educating architects. Coaching (not teaching) a student is a dianoetic process that proceeds by reasoning, argumentation and contemplation (by research). It requires reciprocal communication, two-way debate and cooperative dialogue. And therefore an expanded vocabulary. The colourful and complex glossary proposed in this book is a reflection of what we second-order – or post-digital – architects are pursuing. A restricted vocabulary, both in linguistic and in formal terms, is not only not contemporary, but asphyxiating and counterproductive to the advancement of the discipline.

Arguably, such modus operandi of research-led education can only happen and thrive on an open and multivalue platform (call it a unit, a studio, a lab, a cluster, an institute, a centre, a school or a faculty) and we are grateful that The Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL is such a place.

24-06-2016

Bartlett School of Architecture Summer Exhibition opening, London UK.
Guest opener: Liz Diller

Guest opener: Bob Sheil (Director), Frederic Migayrou (Chair), Liz Diller (Guest Opener), Alan Penn (Dean)

Unit 20 installation with work of: Selina Yau, Vincent Yeung, Giota Kotsovinou, Andreas Koerner, Vivian Wong, James Mills, JJ Saw, Firas Saad, Daniel Coley, Man Chung Wong, Jessica Wang, Matthew Pratt, Patrick Mawson, George Bolwell

Photo credit: Paul Smoothy

20-05-2016

UNIT 20 final Crits, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Andy Bow; Yael Reisner; Damjan Iliev; Malca Mizrahi; Richard Beckett; Javier Ruiz; Justin Nicholls; Hina Lad; Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz

6-05-2016

Keynote lecture at the Interior Architecture Symposium, Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul Turkey.

28-04-2016

BiotA Lab presentation at Transport for London, London UK.
Host: Jyoti Patel
Presentation: Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett and Michael Pelken (Laing O'Rourke)

25-04-2016

BiotA Lab's research discussed in article 'Reinventing the green wall' (by Amanda Birch), in Building Design magazine London UK.

8-04-2016

Chairing Production Session at the AAE Research Based Education Conference, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Organisation: AAE / Hannah Vowles
Location: Bartlett School of Architecture, 132 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2BX

Keynote speakers: Izaskun Chinchilla; Achim Menges; Lesley Lokko; Etienne Wenger
Speakers at Production Session: Guan Lee (Bartlett/Grymsdyke Farm) and Eleanor Morgan (Kingston University); Alicia Nahmad Velasquez (Welsh School of Architecture/AA); Ioanna Symeonidou (Aristotles University Thessaloniki/TU Graz)

2/3-03-2016

BiotA Lab research mentioned and illustrated in article 'Moos' (by Jakob Michael), in Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany.

24-03-2016
BiotA Lab research discussed and illustrated in article 'World of Design: The Joy of Moss and Its Modern Uses, in Houzz Magazine.

22-03-2016
Presentation at the Centre for Nature-Inspired Engineering / CNIE, London UK.
Host: Marc-Olivier Coppens

8/10-03-2016
Presentation of Bioreceptive Design at the 'Materials Afternoon Sessions / Big Idea Session', at Ecobuild, London UK.
Venue: Excell Centre, London
Auditorium: Build Circular

8/10-03-2016
BiotA Lab present research and student work at Ecobuild, London UK.
Venue: Excell Centre, London
Stand: E3115

Photo credit: Paul Smoothy

Photo credit: Wanda Yu-Ying Hu

03-03-2016

Seminar Talk for the 1st year History and Theory at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Host: Mario Carpo

24-02-2016

IaaC-Bartlett (BiotA Lab/rC7) conjoint interim reviews at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Critics: Maite Bravo, Maria Kutsova, Mathilde Marengo, Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz, Marcos Cruz

12-02-2016

BiotA Lab / Bioreceptive Design in LS:N Global, UK.

09-02-2016

Lecture back to back with Peter Cook at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London

01-02-2016

Keynote lecture 'Simulated Realities', National Symposium on the Architectural Thesis at the CCAE, Cork Ireland.

12-01-2016
Interim Crit at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonya / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Critics: Silvia Brandi, Maite Bravo, Mathilde Marengo, Maria Kutsova, Antonia Navarro Ezquerra, Jordi Vivaldi

11-01-2016

Lecture 'Bioreceptive Morphologies' at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonya / IaaC,Barcelona Spain.

↧

Article 0

October 7, 2017, 7:57 am

≫ Next: Article 3

≪ Previous: Article 1

News / Events 2017

2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Forthcoming

Jury member, Hsinta Ecological Power Plant International Competition, Taiwan (2nd phase), 26-27.04.18
Jury member, Hsinta Ecological Power Plant International Competition (1st phase), Taiwan, 25-26.01.18
BiotA Lab/rC7 field trip: Iceland (date tbc)
Unit 20 Field Trip: Saint Petersburg and Moscow (date tbc)
Jury member, Professorship for 'Bildnerische Gestaltung und Entwerfen', University of Innsbruck, 23.11.18
Keynote lecture, Marble Show 2017, Antalya Turkey, 19.10.17
Seminar talk, Royal College of Art, London UK, 11.10.17

05-10-2017

BiotA Lab / rC7 MArch Architectural Design, Bartlett UCL, London UK.

Start of Biotechnology and Architecture Lab 2017/18 - Extreme Environments
Tutors of rC7: Prof Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz
Thesis tutor: Shneel Malik
Students: Qi Cheng; Tian Du; Wenxuan Li; Yufei Lin; Dian Liu; Yixin Liu; Junpeng Lyu; Chen Shen; Lingwei Shi; Xiaoqi Wang; Yanghui Yan; Xiaoqing Yu; Kexin Zhang

04-10-2017

C-BIOM.A - computation, bio-materials and architecture

Kick start of Marcos Cruz studio MAA 02, at Institute of Advance Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Tutor: Marcos Cruz

Synthetic Biology: Nuria Conde Pueyo

Students: Catalina Puello; Johana Monroy; Shalini Brahma; Zina Alkhani; Antoniette Elchidiac; Evelina Ilina; Fabio Rivera

28-09-2017

Filmed interview: Marcos Cruz on future architecture for Venice Biennale, The Bartlett, London UK.
Interview by Tom Kovac

26-09-2017

BiotA Lab at B.PRO Final Exhibition, London UK.

GOLD AWARD for Bioreceptive Hydrogel Photovoltaics (tutors: Prof Marcos Cruz and Dr Chris Leung with support of Dr Brenda Parker, Dr Paolo Bombelli, Prof Mario Carpo and Oliver Wilton)

HONORY MENTION for Bioreceptive Acoust Wall (tutors: Prof Marcos Cruz and Javier Ruiz with support of Ruby Law, Paul Bavister, Gary Grant and Shneel Malik)

Installation design: Javier Ruiz, Marcos Cruz; Richard Beckett

Students: Hoda Eskandar Nia; Wei Ziwei Zhao; Mirella Eleni Dourampei; Yuan Huang; Hao Ding; Jeng-Ying Li; Idil Seren Yucel Inal; Sara Eljamal; Marisa Dewi; Yi Li; Sung Min Rhee; Ciao Xiao; Mia Leyi Qi; Jian Zhou; Lingyu Gou; Xinyu Wu; Gang Mao; Xu Si; Bowen Zhang; Shengtao Luo; Mu-Ching Tsai

BIOTA LAB EXHIBITION SPACE

BIORECEPTIVE HYDROGEL PHOTOVOLTAIC COMPONENTS

Hoda Eskandar Nia; Wei Ziwei Zhao; Mirella Eleni Dourampei; Yuan Huang

BIORECEPTIVE ACOUSTIC PANEL WITH MOSS GROWTH

Yi Li; Sung Min Rhee; Ciao Xiao; Mia Leyi Qi

Photo credit: Chris Leung

14-09-2017

Lecture at International Symposium 'Polycephalum City', Tallinn Architecture Biennale 'BioTallinn', Estonia.
Venue: Balti Jaam Pavilion
Speakers (Day 1): Lucy Bullivant (moderator); Bart Lootsma; Marco Poletto; Marcos Cruz; Mitchel Joachim
Speakers (Day 2): Emmanouil Zaroukas (moderator); Rachel Armstrong; Areti Markopoulou; Heather Barnett; Renee Puusepp; Matias del Campo

Photo credit: Claudia Pasquero

13-09 to 27-10-2017

BiotA Lab exhibits at Tallinn Architecture Biennale 'BioTallinn', Estonia.
Venue: Museum of Estonian Architecture

Curator: Claudia Pasquero

Participants: BiotA Lab, London; Experimental Architecture Lab, Newcastle; Ecologic Studio, London; IaaC, Barcelona; Urban Morphogenesis Lab, London; Linkscale; Heather Barnett
Pavilion: Gilles Retsin

VISCOUS BIOMATERIALS FOR APPLICATION IN ARCHITECTURE

Algae-laden hydrogel scaffolds

Shneel Malik - Supervision Prof Marcos Cruz and Dr Brenda Parker

Bioreceptive Biophotovoltaics

Hoda Eskadar Nia; Eleni Dourampei; Yuan Huang; Ziwei Zhao

- Supervision Prof Marcos Cruz and Dr Chris Leung;

Technical support Dr Brenda Parker (UCL) and Dr Paolo Bombelli (University of Cambridge)

Photo credit: Shneel Malik

29-06-2017

C-Biom.A group exhibits at 'Living (in) Future Cities exhibition - End of Year Exhibition', IAAC, Barcelona Spain.
Venue: MUHBA Oliva Artes, Poblenou
Organisation: Mathilde Marengo; Maria Kuptsova
Supervision: Marcos Cruz
Students: Jessica Dias; Thorahafdis Arnardottir; Noor Elgewely; Yasamin Khalilbeigikhameneh; Inthat Useasakaree; Nikolaos Argyros; Christopher Wong

Hyper-articulated Mycomorph

Jessica Dias

Inlucent Resin and Cellulose Manifolds

Noor Elgewely

Photo credit: Jessica Dias; Noor Elgewely

23-06-2017
Opening of Unit 20 exhibition at Bartlett Summer Show 2017, London UK.
Guest opener: Ross Lovegrove

Venue: 22 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0QB

Unit 20 tutors: Marcos Cruz; Marjan Colletti; Javier Ruiz
Installation design: Javier Ruiz; Marcos Cruz; Marjan Colletti
Unit 20 installation with work of: Matthew Pratt; Patrick Mawson; Helen Siu; Tom Bush; Mon Thi Han Han; Man Chung Wong; Ching Yiu Wong; Shi Qi Kiki Tu; Yi Liong; Fadhil Fadhil; Yinghua Chen; Daryl Brown; Cristina Manta; Yulia Amaral

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

16-06-2017

Final Crits of C-Biom.A / Marcos Cruz Studio at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia / IaaC, Barcelona Spain.

Students: Jessica Dias; Thorahafdis Arnardottir; Noor Elgewely; Yasamin Khalilbeigikhameneh; Inthat Useasakaree; Nikolaos Argyros; Christopher Wong
Assistant Tutor: Nina Jotanovic

Technical Support: Khunaljit Chahda
Synthetic Biology: Nuria Conde Pueyo
Critics: Manuel Gausa, Martyn Dade-Robertson, Areti Markopoulou, Maria Kuptsova; Mathilde Marengo; Maite Bravo; Carmelo Zappula

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

14/15-06-2017
External Examination, Royal academy of Fine Arts / KADK, Copenhagen, Denmark.

06-06-2017
Presentation at VISION 2017 Future of the Built Environment, London UK.

Venue: Olympia London

Theatre: Materials Innovation & Technological Insights

01-06-2017

Presentation at the Responsive Matter conference: De L'impression 3D 'a la matiere 4D, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris France.

Organisation Committee: Dominique Peysson, Samuel Bianchini, Emanuele Quinz

Speakers: Eduardo Kac (artist); Roger Malina (Chair of Physics, University of Texas); Jerome Bibette (Director of Biochemistry, ESPCI); Stefane Perraud (artist); Teresa can Dongen (designer); Benoit Roman (Director of Research, CNRS); Corentin Coulais (University of Amsterdam); Jean-Marc Chomaz (physician, Ecole Polytechnique Paris); Aurerie Mosse (designer); Dominque Person (artist); Emile de Visscher (designer); Ianis Lalemand (artist); Lia Giraud (artist); Jeanne Vicerial (designer); Selma Lepart (artist); Marcos Cruz (Bartlett).

28-03-2017

C-Biom.A Crits, IAAC, Barcelona Spain.
Critics: Alex Dubor; Maite Bravo; Mathilde Marengo; Maria Kuptsova; Marcos Cruz

23-03-2017

Guest Lecture 'Biointegrated Design' at Leicester School of Architecture, UK.
Venue: de Montfort University
Host: Ben Cowd and Mary Johnson

17-03-2017

BiotA Lab / rC7 Crits, Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.
Critics: Richard Beckett; Javier Ruiz; Chris Leung; Marcos Cruz

06/08-03-2017

BiotA Lab exhibits at ECOBUILD 2017, London UK.
Organisers: ARCC/UKCIP
Venue: Excell Centre / BRE area
Sponsored: EPSRC

EPSRC funded research on bioreceptive materials (front left); Bioreceptive MPC casts (Z.Wang; Y.Jiang; X.Lin; Q.Zeng - middle back); Robotically printed hydrogel prints (J.Hagopian; S.Mohite; X.Zhou; H.Qian - back right)

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

02-03-2017

Seminar Talk for the 1st year History and Theory at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London UK.

Host: Mario Carpo

01-02-2017

BiotA Lab exhibits at Super Material exhibition, The Building Centre, London, UK.

Organisor: The Built Environment Trust
Venue: The Building Centre, Store Street, London, WC1E 7BT

Participants: 4D printed programmable materials - Self-Assembly Lab/MIT; Prototype glass brick section, MVRDV's Crystal Houses - Poesia Glass Bricks, Delo Industrial Adhesives, TU Delft, Rosso Dotto; Transparent Wood - KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm; Bioreceptive Concrete - BiotA Lab, The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL; Silk Pavilion - Mediated Matter Group, Media Lab, MIT; Digital Grotesque Grotto - Michael Hansmeyer with the ETH Zurich and Voxeljet AG; Urban Algae Folly / Plaited Microbial Cellulose / Microbial Cellulose Structure Prototype - ecoLogicStudio, London; Shrilk Bioplastic - Wyss Institute, Harvard University; Black Graphene Radiation Protecting Paint - GraphenStone with The Grapheme Company; Torsional Stone Floor Slab - Webb Yates Engineers and Interrobang with the Stonemasonry Company and Artisteel Ltd.; Aluminium Foam - Cymat Technologies; Facade made of pollution - Made of Air, Elegant Embellishment, Berlin; Electricity-generating floorboards - University of Wisconsin-Madison; 3D Printed Steel Nodes - Arup with WithinLab, CRDM/3D Systems and EOS; Silk Violin - Luca Alessandrini with Imperial College London, Royal College of Art, Oxford Silk Group, ANLAI and Taroni srl.; Interactive Printed Graphene drum poster - Cambridge Graphene Centre, University of Cambridge with Novalia; Biologically transformed Venice Brick Fragment - Rachel Armstrong, University of Newcastle; Airflow Bioplastic - Urban Morphogenesis Lab, The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL; Radiant Heat Basalt Fibre Concrete - Techniker, London and Cornish Concrete Products, Truro; Agar Plasticity (Bowls and Tiles) - AMAM, Tokyo; Nanocellulose Samples - Aalto University, Helsinki; Bamboo-reinforced Concrete - ETH Zurich; Stabilized Soil from Peru using Aggrebind - Aggrebind, Connecticut; Aerogel Particles - Structura; Aerogel Insulation Wall Panel - Kalwall and Structura; Fire-retardant Plywood - Specialised Panel Products; Crustic Bioplastic Casings - Jeongwon Ji, London; Coconut Husk Board - Goodhout, Delft; Bullet-proof Film - Rosso Dotto, C-Bond; Photovoltaic Transparent Glass - Polysolar; Stone Wool Insulation - Rockwool

Bioreceptive concrete facade component - EPSRC funded (panels on left) Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Sandra Manso, Chris Leung, Bill Watts (components on right) Taehyun Lee, Wen Cheng, Soo Hyung Kim, Dan Lin)

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

13-01-2017

BiotA Lab prototypes installed at Camley Street Natural Park, London, UK.

Venue: Camley Street Natural Park, Camden, 12 Camley Street, London N1C 4PW

Organiser: Karolina Leszczynska-Gogol

Installation: Marcos Cruz and Richard Beckett with Hao Ding, Yi Li, Jerry Jian Zhou, Leo Bowen Zhang, Steve Shengtao Luo, Wei Ziwei Zhao, Kyle Ciao Xiao

Bioreceptive Calcareous Composites facing Regent's Canal

Crystal Xinhe Lin, Yuxin Jiang, Andy Zhili Wang, Qungyue Zeng

Bioreceptive Calcareous Composites

Crystal Xinhe Lin, Yuxin Jiang, Andy Zhili Wang, Qungyue Zeng

De-carbonated concrete column with Canal in the background

Hillier Yue Li, Tommy Zheng Tang

Bioreceptive Claycrete panel

Jiarui Liu, Chong Hong, Yi Liu, Nan Huang

Bioreceptive concrete facade component EPSRC funded Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Sandra Manso, Chris Leung, Bill Watts

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

↧

Article 3

October 10, 2017, 10:36 am

≫ Next: Article 2

≪ Previous: Article 0

Bioreceptive Concrete Facades

Design research - 2015-17 BiotA Lab
EPSRC-funded research Computational Seeding of Bioreceptive Materials, Bartlett UCL, London UK [built].

Research team: Professor Marcos Cruz (Principal Investigator – architectural design); Bill Watts (environmental engineering); Richard Beckett (design and manufacturing); Dr Sandra Manso Blanco (biology and material science); Dr Chris Leung (environmental testing and research engineering); Javier Ruiz (computation)
Industrial Partner: Laing O'Rourke (Michael Pelken)
Strategic Advisory Board: Professor Alan Penn (Dean Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment); Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens (UCL Centre for Nature-Inspired Engineering); Professor Nima Shokri (Multiphase Flow and Porous Media Research Group / University of Manchester); Professor Peter Bishop (Bartlett School of Architecture); Professor Antonio Aguado (Polytechnic University of Catalonia); Richard Sabin (Biotecture - green walls specialists); Professor Mark Miodownik (UCL Institute of Making); Dr Brenda Parker (UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering / UCL

Algae); Joanna Gibbons (Landscape Architecture); Elinor Huggett (Max Fordham); Andrew Minson (British Precast Concrete Federation); Peter Scully - Paul Crudge - Nick Westby (UCL B-Made)

Photo credit: Paul Smoothy

Computational Seeding of Bioreceptive Materials is a research project focused on developing a new type of bioreceptive façade panels for our built environment. Using a novel type of bioreceptive concrete and environmentally driven design, the panels aim to promote micro-organic growth directly on building façades and infrastructure walls.

Outdoor Observational Study: The bioreceptive panels were exposed at a north-west facing orientation for data collection and analysis. The randomly ordered observation system recorded raw quantitative data including photography of biocolonisation as well as measurement of biomass, presence of moisture, and thermal regulation.

Following an in-depth computationally study, 3 geometry types were chosen for fabrication and testing, encompassing a full seasonal observation study of 18 panels, split into the 3 geometry types with a pair-wise comparison between seeded Magnesium Phosphate Concrete panels and Ordinary Portland Concrete panels.

Research: Bioreceptive concrete facades are being designed and tested as innovative wall-panel systems capable of enhancing bio-colonization of building facades. By utilizing novel design and digital fabrication methods, surface morphology and roughness are enhanced to improve the facade performance through the implementation of a new type of biologically receptive concrete, cast to overcome the limitations of ‘green walls’ that have proven expensive to implement and maintain.

Control of tool paths allow diversifying patterns of surface geometry

Magnesium Phosphate Concrete with high porosity and low ph level

Ordinary Portland Concrete with low porosity and high ph level

The project responds to the urgency of improving the environmental quality of our cities. Climate change, increasing levels of pollution, and the loss of pervious surfaces within the urban fabric, has resulted in an ongoing effort of making our cities greener and more sustainable, especially in the developed world. Building envelopes, in particular roofs and facades, have been targeted as an opportunity for greening. Different from common ‘green walls’ the proposed bioreceptive façade panels address the increasing loss of cryptogamic cover surfaces (algae, bryophytes and lichen) in our cities.

The research on Bioreceptive Concrete Facades is at the stage of being applied onto a variety of building or infrastructural surfaces in order to analyse the long-term performance of these innovative designs. Biologically receptive cementitious materials have been studied and chemically altered to provide pH levels, porosity values and water retention properties that are favourable for microorganisms to establish and proliferate. The adoption of biologically receptive concrete as a means of fostering green growth has the potential for the building’s façade itself to become the biological substratum for the growth of photosynthetic systems.

The bioreceptive panels aim to be applied over a range of urban contexts with a particular opportunity for infrastructural projects, including large-scale retaining walls, elevated railway lines and embankment walls, as well as furniture and pavements in public spaces. This can also be applied to buildings ranging in scale and typology from individual houses or housing blocks to the many blank and rather ‘wasted’ building façades of larger buildings.

↧

Article 2

October 10, 2017, 12:24 pm

≫ Next: Article 1

≪ Previous: Article 3

Fluid Lattice with Beak

Bookshelf and cupboard - 2017 Marcos Cruz with Javier Ruiz
Design and manufacturing of custom-made bookshelf, London UK [built].

Design: Marcos Cruz
Collaboration: Javier Ruiz
Fabrication: Bartlett B-Made

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

The bookshelf was designed to display a rather large collection of books, while creating an inhabitable wall that defines different spaces in the room. The shelf also defines hidden areas to store numerous items that need accessibility without being visible, including photographs, old slides, catalogues, etc.

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

The fluid morphology of the lattice with its protrusions and indentations defines areas of more or less width for storage, at the same time projecting an integrated table surface for office work. The resulting 126 compartments of variable size and shape accommodate in a customised way the book collection in terms of thematic order and shape.

The lattice organises taller books on the upper spaces for access of adults, while creating pockets for papers, rolls and other horizontally stored documents in the narrow middle area. The bottom is the children area, with smaller and bigger shelves in which books are in easy reach.

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

The mdf structure was CNC routed and notched together without the need for additional screws or glue.

↧

Article 1

October 10, 2017, 12:46 pm

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: Article 2

Bioreceptive Prototypes

Installation of four bioreceptive building prototypes - 2017 (2015-16) BiotA Lab
A collaboration between the Bartlett UCL and Camley Street Nature Park, London UK [built].

Design and installation: BiotA Lab
Fabrication: UCL B-Made

The building prototypes were developed in the BiotA Lab at the Bartlett during 2015-16 and installed at Camley Street Nature Park in 2017 for an observational study of several years, in which bioreceptive qualifies of the surface morphology and materials are being tested. Each of the pieces demonstrates very distinct features, varying in terms of materiality and form, being vertical or horizontal, exposed to canal or located inland, etc.

Types

Wall fragment: Bioreceptive Calcareous Composites (material: sandstone magnesium phosphate concrete)

Column: De-carbonated concrete column with Canal in the background (material: sprayed ordinary portland concrete)

Floor panel: Bioreceptive Claycrete Panel (material: mix of Ordinary Portland Concrete and Clay)

Floor panel: Bioreceptive concrete facade component (material: magnesium phosphate concrete)

Bioreceptive Calcareous Composites facing Regent's Canal

Crystal Xinhe Lin, Yuxin Jiang, Andy Zhili Wang, Qungyue Zeng

Bioreceptive Calcareous Composites

Crystal Xinhe Lin, Yuxin Jiang, Andy Zhili Wang, Qungyue Zeng

De-carbonated concrete column with Canal in the background

Hillier Yue Li, Tommy Zheng Tang

Bioreceptive Claycrete panel

Jiarui Liu, Chong Hong, Yi Liu, Nan Huang

Bioreceptive concrete facade component EPSRC funded

Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Sandra Manso, Chris Leung, Bill Watts

Photo credit: Marcos Cruz

↧