2013 Traveling Fellowship for Architecture, Design, and Urban Design
Soft Boundaries: The Emergence of Material Energies

Many sciences are closely intertwined with architecture and design, such as mathematics, geometry, material chemistry, and structural engineering. One of the clearest examples is the influence of the development of novel steel structures on the progress of modern architecture. Here, I want to explore other scientific fields that are not traditionally viewed to be in direct connection with architectural design, such as, biology, botany, robotics, and particle physics. During this study, I met with researchers and designers who are trying to incorporate other distant fields of science in their designs and was astonished by the magnitude of overlap that is often overlooked and has the potential to revolutionize the field of architecture.

Research Approach and Methodology

Throughout my research, I traveled to some of the top institutions and labs around the world and met with scientists, researchers, and designers from different scientific fields. Some have used the expertise they gained from their discipline to find unique solutions to some of the pressing problems in design and construction. I also met with others whose areas of study are far from being related to design and architecture. I began by conducting a series of interviews to gain a deeper understanding of their research and how they approach various scientific problems. I was also introduced to the unique tools some have developed that could potentially lay ground for the next generation of design tools for architects and designers. Each chapter of this report starts with the transcript of the interview with each scientist and researcher followed by case studies of their major ongoing research projects.

One or Many Answers

I never believed that there is only one answer or one solution to any design problem as it all depends on how the problem is approached. Traditionally, the SOM Foundation travel research fellowship has been an opportunity for fellows to experience aspects of design and architecture. I sought to take a different approach by pursuing the boundaries between academic research in a diverse set of fields and their application to the practice of design in architecture. I wanted to see how design problems can be approached from many points of view. What I found is that seemingly different fields often follow that same type of process from problem to solution, drawing on a variety of tools, some experimental, others well-established.

The World University

The SOM Foundation travel and research fellowship allowed me to create a unique learning experience. It was as if I was taking classes with no limits on geographical locations or fields of discipline. One day, I spoke with Jenny Sabin in New York, and the next day with Helmut Pottmann in Vienna. It was literally the world as a university.

I may not have become an expert in all of the fields in which I was interested, but I certainly gained a deeper understanding of each one, and I learned what is available out there from tools and techniques that can be added to a designer’s arsenal. Initially, my decision to learn about the latest discoveries in all of these fields came from the fact that every time I was faced with a design problem, most often I found fascinating solutions in seemingly unrelated sciences.

Many questioned my decision to collect information from many fields rather than focusing on a single research area. But what I’ve learned during the course of the research has surpassed what one would learn over many years of traditional education. What I learned after meeting some of the most brilliant minds in the world from different fields is how each one approaches a problem based on the expertise gained from that field, whether it is a structure, performance, form, aesthetics, or sustainability.

The Essential Drive

Before I planned my meeting with a researcher or a scientist, I tried to become familiar with their work by listening to their online lectures and reading their publications. But what I noticed is that there are certain qualities and depths to their work that can only be captured through one-on-one conversations. I found that the common denominator between all the outstanding people I met was a sense of curiosity, which I believe is an essential drive for any transformative idea.

Custom Tools

I also noticed that the majority of top researchers create their own tools through programming, code, and scripting, all of which have become an integral part of the process that allows for maximum flexibility to create or test concepts that are not available in the current toolbox of software packages. Rhinoceros 3D paired with Grasshopper was one of the most commonly used platforms in the majority of the labs focused on design. It proved to be a very flexible platform by which the researchers could create their own tools, examples of which include RhinoVAULT by the Philippe Block group, EvoluteTools by Helmut Pottmann and Alexander Schiftner, and BrickDesign by Gramazio Kohler research group.

Research Outcome

Throughout the period of my research, I was invited as a guest speaker at several universities, conferences, and symposia to share the outcome of my research project. I presented my research on Soft Boundaries at the Iowa State University College of Design. I was also invited to speak at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Architecture and Design. I later joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee as a professor of practice for the Governor’s Chair design studio. In addition, I spoke in 2015 at the “Facades+” symposium in Chicago. I also served as a panelist at the “State of 3D Printing” conference at Northwestern University. In 2016, I spoke at the BuiltWorlds “Realities of 3D Printing” broadcast and was a panelist on the “Field Notes: Architect as Analyst” session in Chicago.

I also had the opportunity to collaborate on two exhibitions with Chicago-based architect Sean Lally (Weathers LLC): the “BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago” exhibition at the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial and the “Energy Fields” installation as a part of the “Chicagoisms” exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Conclusion

I believe that the most important outcome of the research project is the impact it had on my own design process as an architect. I was able to incorporate many of the design tools, technologies, and applications from a wide range of scientific fields to the way I approach design problems.

Perhaps I ended up with more questions than I had when I began. I believe this opportunity was truly a life-changing learning experience that took me to places and introduced me to brilliant people I would have never imagined meeting. The SOM Foundation traveling fellowship experience has had a profound impact on me as a designer as well was an educator.