Tendered Future Scenario

Technology is altering the landscape of possibility in places where possibilities used to be scarce. Advancement in technology is shaping our the direction

Week 05: Strategic New York

Week 05: Reading Reflection

Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development

Scenarios are designed to stretch our thinking about both the opportunities and obstacles that the future might hold; they explore, through narrative, events and dynamics that might alter, inhibit, or enhance current trends, often in surprising ways. Together, a set of scenarios captures a range of future possibilities, good and bad, expected and surprising but always plausible.

Importantly, scenarios are not predictions. Rather, they are thoughtful hypotheses that allow us to imagine, and then to rehearse, different strategies for how to be more prepared for the future or more ambitiously, how to help shape better futures ourselves



Rockerfeller Foundation. (2010). Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development. Retrieved from http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/uploads/files/bba493f7-cc97-4da3-add6-3deb007cc719.pdf

Week 04: People and Lifestyles

Week 04: Reading Reflection

Winters, E. (2007). Politics and the Situationist International. in. Aesthetics and architecture, London ; New York: Continuum. 92-98. Retrieved 18 August http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/@@/8B4148906746FD3847282C83CDF08B95/courses/1/DAB810_12se2/content/_4400871_1/embedded/Aesthetics-and-architecture-C8_Winters.pdf


Architecture, according to van Eyck, is much deeper than having thought of function in terms of warmth, shelter and security. Eyck had thought to establish the ways in which the patterns of life are to be mapped onto, so that they are designed  into, the buildings and artifacts through which, and which, those patterns of life are shaped.

Our Future scenario is more then a measure of forward thinking... We are considering, brainstorming, and fundamentally designing an adaptive reality. Design can mold peoples behavioral characteristics. Our future scenario uses our groups current future prospects, with one of the key fundamental relationships is a desire to  work from home.  

The FACTORY HOME

It would be rewarding to explore the design of a working from home environment. What would the home look like if work was ingrained into the floor plan?

http://vimeo.com/45162091#at=182

(if the link above does not work, visit the link below. scroll down to the video labelled Factory Home)

http://www.archdaily.com/252836/designing-for-adaptable-futures-winners-announced/



TO DATE: Key concepts for Future Scenario are: (key words are highlighted)

- Sustainable Urban Environment
- Building floor substitute purpose
- Street Edge Design
- A Vibrant City
- A Modular Urban Context
- Exploring the design of a home/work space

A MODULAR CITY

The link below was also apart of the same competition as the adaptable street edge 

http://vimeo.com/43742781

What i liked about this proposal is it welcomes the variables of age, function and social preference to create an evolving environment.

RE-Thinking the Urban Street Edge

The ADAPTABLE STREET EDGE 

A really creative example, placing 3rd in the Designing for Adaptable Futures competition. I went looking for an example like this to follow on from my previous post about vertical suburbs and lifting street-spaces. 

Adaptable Street uses the existing infrastructure that every city has – streets.  The project proposes exploiting this space with myriad programmed uses by building them up to create “thick streets” with various layers and a mix of uses built in to different sections.  The extensive networks of our cities gives this project potential to transform linearly, seasonally and over time (Jaque, 2012).




Reference: 

Jaque, P. & Rousseau, M. (2012). Designing for Adaptable Futures: Adaptable Street Edge. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/252836/designing-for-adaptable-futures-winners-announced/

Initial Thoughts for FUTURE SCENARIO

THEME GROUP: URBAN

Basic Idea for the urban context: EVERYONE WORKS FROM HOME 

What would happen to our cities Central Building District (CBD) if buildings do not host work environments?

I did some research to investigate any mention of this notion, or what developers and critics are discussing. This is what i found...

The Limits of Density 
An article published by The Wall Street Journal called For Creative Cities, the Sky Has Its Limit, by Richard Florida



Florida cites that trends indicate that by 2050 cities will make up 70% of the global population.  With so many people, elevate density within cities will be unavoidable, but what Florida emphasizes is that it isn’t just density that makes a vibrant and thriving city.

So what makes a city vibrant and thriving city?

The density of big cities provides the man power and diversity that inspires innovation and creative force in the industry.  But, Florida points out that the rush to density and the rush to build taller and taller buildings actually nullifies the innovation that a large population can produce.

While the community within these concrete landmarks may have spontaneous interactions in the lobby or in the elevators, the building and the people inside of it are essentially isolated from the context surrounding it.

Increased density in an Urban context could potentially “mute” the “street life”. 

Reference:

Florida. R. (2012). For Creative Cities, the Sky Has Its Limits. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/260214/the-limits-of-density/

Week 03 : Sustainable Future

Urban Sustainability 

Cities have involved into sophisticated cybernetic machines that are keeping civilizations alive. According to Christopher Barnatt, Associate Professor of Computing & Future Studies in Notingham University Business School, most cities would descend into anarchy in only 48hours without a constant supply of food, energy and clean water. 

Future Cities

Other KEY points: 

- Complex food chains were developed to supply for Urban dwellers.
- As a consequence, every calorie we eat is equivalent to the consumption of 10 calories of oil
- Vertical Farming would allow city dwellers to harvest crops all year round
- News laws to introduce floors in new buildings, dedicated to food production

The final dot point ties in with our groups initial discussion for Urban planning and development for the future.  IF all buildings in the CBD were no longer used for business, what would happen to the existing floor space of each building?


Reference: 

Barret, C. (2010, August 27). Future Cities (Video File). Retreived from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmRoc7_jVdo&feature=player_embedded

Week 03 : Reading Reflection

Brand, S (1997). Shearing Layers, in How buildings learn : what happens after they’re built. 12-23  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html



Shearing Layers refers to Duffy's six 'S's'. The sequence below is followed  directly through design and building construction.  

 Site, Structure, Skin, Services, Space Plan, and Stuff. 

His time-layered perspective is fundamental to understanding how buildings behave. It also contributes to our understanding of the design process, and to what extent the longevity of each layer is considered. Layers such as the site and structure are expected to have a long lifespan, and are not interchangeable. The space plan, and stuff layers relate to interior design, joinery and furnishing which, are very much manipulated by the current occupants.

To draw points to compliment our future scenario project, designing a time-layered perspective will ensure all aspects of the vision have been considered. We also, then begin to understand how the future scenario will behave and to what extend it will be adaptive to society. 

Week 02 : Future Visions and Scenarios

Design Charette Exercise:

For the design charrette exercise we explored different what if scenarios for each theme group direction. Listed below are the more detailed and highly explored ideas discussed in the tutorial.

URBAN What if Scenario: Car-Free Environment

Picture an URBAN area that has no cars, limited street edges, and no subtropical layering. People live in self-sustainable (single) apartment pods with 3D printing, a reality that lends itself to the 'matrix movie' and no attachment to the outside world. The city context is a large mass of man-made pods, stacked and packed like a game of tetris.

SUBURBAN What if Scenario:  Sustainable Retail Experiences

Picture an SUBURBAN area that takes eBay and shopping online to the next level. Everything about you, and your sizes, likes and dislikes, past purchases are data based. Shops are unattended 24 hours a day, without being confined to doors, walls and glass. Shopping items are displayed on large screens using bar-codes to process your choices. The shopping experiance is enjoyed through a digital projection of yourself wearing your desired purchase. Upon purchase, items are sent to your door.

Week 02 : Reading Reflection

Koerth-Baker, M., 2012. Innovation that will change your tomorrow. Accessed 15 July, 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html

Raw innovation doesn't seem to exist now days. Ideas are recycled. We take an old idea, we go back to the drawing board and work out how we can make it smaller/larger, faster, stronger, more efficient and more reliable.

What i really appreciated about the article was it drew attention to the highly probable chance of failure when   tendering an innovative idea...