n-architecture.net

I found this exciting enough to drive me out of months of blog-slackerdom. I played with this for a while and I just had to post something.

David Fano of Columbia University and SHoP Architects presents DesignReForm, a blog about “the integration of design and software”. In the future, it looks like he will be posting about several different programs, but for now, the majority of the site is devoted to design strategies using 3ds Max.

This current batch of tutorials deserves some attention. David has put together a great collection of 3dsMax videos which demonstrate how to create parametric assemblies using the program’s powerful animation tools.

After viewing his tutorials, I was slapping myself on the head. I consider myself an expert user and I had never put the tools together like this before. It makes so much sense when you see it in action. As I am more comfortable with Max than than the other parametric modelers out there, this is a very exciting development. Moreover, Max is far cheaper and more common in most architecture schools than, say, Gehry Tech. At the very least, I could fold this into next year’s modeling course.

A word of warning: unless you’re already fairly well-versed in 3ds Max (or have great eyesight), the video tutorials might not provide enough information for you to follow along. I might cobble together a supplementary handout to post up later. If I teach this next year, my students will be needing one anyway.

One of the core ideas in my current research comes from some of the last lines of Malcolm’s book, Abstracting Craft:

“(T)he most important aspect of how to use a computer is how to be when using a computer.”

What is the proper state of mind for digital work? A passage comes to mind when I think of this, from a book called The Unfettered Mind: Writings from the Zen Master to the Sword Master:

The mind can be taken by the sword. If you put your mind in the rhythm of the contest, your mind can be taken by that, as well. If you place your mind in your own sword, your mind can be taken by your own sword.

(I)f the instant you see the swinging sword your mind is not the least bit detained and you move straight in and wrench the sword away from him; the sword that was going to cut you down will become your own, and, contrarily will be the sword that cuts down your opponent.

This is what you, in your style, call “No-Sword”. (1)

A substantial part of how to be when using a computer is to not let one’s thoughts be focused on the affordances of computer itself or on the fact that one is using the computer, but to always be thinking beyond the computer—towards serving human goals and ideas.

In other words, “No-Computer” is how the computer becomes our own. John Maeda refers to this state of mind as “post-digital”.

To a certain extent, as with all technologies, digital fixation is a generational affliction destined to fade with time. Still, as the Zen Master teaches us, it is a condition we should be wary of in all our tools—lest we be cut down.

How this relates to my research: State of mind is an important aspect of engaging computational media, something which I will be addressing more in future posts. I’m not yet certain how to get there, but I want to suggest that the goal is Zen-like: to be able to let the computer go.

1.) S. Takuan trans. by W. Wilson. The Unfettered Mind: Writings from the Zen Master to the Sword Master. Kodansha Int’l, Tokyo:19-20.

The inspiration for this blog comes from Nicholas Nova and Fabien Girardin (now at LIFTlab) who first used their sites to document their PhD research and continue to use them in a similar capacity in their careers. Over time, they have developed a blogging style which I find very useful as a reader and I imagine is useful to them as researchers—which is why I plan to steal it for my own blog.

The subject of their posts is typically a paper, a talk, or a discussion with their advisor. Sometimes it’s a random photo or incident, but it’s always related to their work. They take their findings and write up a summary of no more than 250 words or so. Afterwards, they conclude with a statement (e.g. “Why I blog this”) that details the relevance of the post to their overall work.

I think this is a great way to structure a research blog. It keeps the tone of one’s writing on point (no personal drama), makes the layout easy to skim, and it produces quality notes for easy retrieval and review. More importantly, it reinforces the habit of continually reflecting upon one’s work in progress. It’s so easy to get absorbed by research. Cultivating objectivity about one’s own work is critical.

How this relates to my research: It is important for me to establish some ground rules, lest this blog devolve into a MySpace page. Props to Nicholas and Fabien for setting such a good example. In future posts, I will talk (at length) about how information-structuring tools like this blog factor into my evolving research strategy.

For my proposed dissertation topic, I plan to focus on procedural media education in architecture.

Ostensibly, procedural media involve the reading and writing of processes. Music and cooking are familiar examples of this practice, but the area most relevant to architects today is digital media, as their structure and implementation are completely derived from computational processes.

However, procedural thinking is not restricted to production or form-making; it is also an instrument of reasoning. I believe that procedural literacy, with its emphasis on developing and understanding abstract, non-visual relationships, addresses a critical, yet neglected component of design thinking.

Since computer code is the best general purpose method of interacting with processes, cultivating this outlook necessitates some exposure to programming. It should be said that I am not interested in turning architects into programmers. Rather, I am interested in how learning from programming can help make architects better designers.

I hope to show that programming can be both humane and expressive, a craft which is not just constrained to math or the sciences, but something which can contribute to the growth of architectural knowledge. Towards this end, I am examining ways to integrate procedural literacy into the architectural curriculum alongside more traditional forms of representation and design thinking.

How this relates to my research: This is an abstract of my research at the moment. It needs work, but I think it’s sufficient for now. I have a presentation to a group of fellow PhD students coming up in two weeks. As an exercise, I’d like to see if I could edit this down to a crisp hundred words by then.

My name is Nicholas Senske and I am a student in the Architecture PhD program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I am currently a pre-candidate, preparing for exams and developing my research under my advisor, Malcolm McCullough.

This blog is intended as an online research journal, helping me to collect sources and refine ideas as an evolving “live” document. I feel like this will be productive for me because I still don’t have much experience writing. Posting every few days (hopefully increasing in frequency with time) should give me plenty of practice before I have to settle into a regular schedule to write my dissertation.

Relation to my research: It’s been a long wait, but this blog is finally off the ground.