Working with students on through a grant from NASA to design and build a Deep Space Vertical Habitat. The design challenge of a vertically-oriented habitat is to work with the volumetric constraints and the “dynamic envelope” of the habitat given that the focus is on deep space habitats which must contain everything they need from the start, without resupply. This proposal hinges on a Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach which we will leverage in two principal ways: 1) To benefit very long duration missions by setting up an inclusive model consisting of the u0073age rate of “consumables” and where they are in the habitat which will allow us to dynamically manage the relationships by means of a real-time automated diagnostic, and 2) To compare alternative architectural designs in order to find the most elegant engineering/ architectural solution within a constraint-driven approach.

Amazing project by Behnaz Farahi (Michaels Student at USC which takes the Kinect / Arduino a way beyond the ACADIA project.  One of the main contributions of this project is to explore how a physical environment can change its shape to accommodate various spatial performances based on the movement of the user’s body. The main focus is on the relationship between materials, form and interactive systems of control.

As communication technology unfolds, our designed environments will be so inextricably tied to our living trends that both will ultimately and simultaneously respond to, and define each other in a corresponding manner. In this course we will develop and prototype designs for a public space that can be used for motivating people.  The reasons for why we do and do not do things are implicit in how you describe your project. Motivation may be about commercial interest (how to get someone to buy something) It may be about personal issues (how do you get them to exercise or stop smoking) It may be about social or political issues (how do you get people to gather around a cause).

As communication technology unfolds, our designed environments will be so inextricably tied to our living trends that both will ultimately and simultaneously respond to, and define each other in a corresponding manner. In this course we will develop and prototype designs for objects and/ or products that can be used for comforting people.  The reasons for why we desire to be comforted are implicit in how you describe your project.  Projects in this course will be focused on individuals and yet often comforting inherently integrates social issues.  Comforting may be about needs, or desires or status, or security and it is up to you to define the term and an object or product that will satisfy your definition.

Michael had to cancel because of incoming baby in the family – Here is the synopsis:
We have seen over the past decade an increasing interest in the capacity of built spaces to respond dynamically to changes in external and internal environments and to different patterns of use. The principal idea is that two-way relationships could be established between the buildings and the environment and users. Changes in the environment (or users) would affect the configuration of built spaces and vice versa. The result is an architecture that self-adjusts – an architecture that is adaptive, interactive, reflexive, responsive.

A short class – Not the best models but some very interesting ideas:
Synopsis: We have seen over the past decade an increasing interest in the capacity of built spaces to respond dynamically to changes in external and internal environments and to different patterns of use. The principal idea is that two-way relationships could be established between the buildings and the environment and users. Changes in the environment (or users) would affect the configuration of built spaces and vice versa. The result is an architecture that self-adjusts – an architecture that is adaptive, interactive, reflexive, responsive.

The organic paradigm is being spurred on by the wealth of explorations in biomimetics, which refers here to the architectural application (as opposed to the acquisition) of developments in robotics and materials. Biomimetics was started by Otto H. Schmitt in 1969 as a scientific approach that studies systems, processes, and models in nature, and then imitates them to solve human problems. It lies at the intersection of design, biology, and computation. Put simply, nature is the largest laboratory that ever existed and ever will. In addressing its challenges through evolution, nature tested every field of science and engineering leading to inventions that work well and last.

Michael received a NASA grant for “Habitation and Fabrication studies for Deep Space Missions” which is pretty much what we normally do in my topic studios, just not as rigorously.  We are very excited about this opportunity with a super cool organization. See the press release here:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/may/HQ_12-166_X_Hab_Selectees.html

We are currently building a mock-up at full-scale.

Link to archdaily article:
http://www.archdaily.com/336844/architecture-in-space-nasa-seeks-architects-opinion-on-habitat-design-for-astronauts/

We are now working on the full-scale install and testing in Israel of this project which is to be the largest fully dynamic event space ever built.

VIDEO

Michael Fox with Sheng Qiang