An Artificial Life Approach to nteractive Architecture

Abstract

This thesis examines the field of interactive architecture - that is spaces thet engage in a communicative exchange with the inhabitants through a variety of sensory modalities. This thesis focuses on kinetic interactions, examining forms of non-verbal dialogue between human and architectural agency. The notion of agency suggests not simply an architecture controlled by human command, but rather an architecture with degrees of autonomy, a "life of its own". This thesis draws upon developments in the field of artificialo life, that include topics of morphological behaviour, distributed control systems and soft robotics. Although there has been a great deal of development in technologies and methods in this domain, there are limited examples of architectural research harnessing the potential of these advances. This thesis explores three interlinked questions. How can the field of artificial life contribute to novel approaches to design of interactive kinetic architecture? How can recent developments in metamaterial structures be used to create novel transformable architectural surfaces and spaces? What types of actuation are most suitable for animating metamaterial structures in an architectural context? This thesis artificial life approach is developed through a "proto-architectural" methodologty of workshops and gallery installations. The major outcome I present, is the Edge of Chaos installation (Fig. 1) that was internationally exhibited in France, Netherlands and Belgium in 2018. It represents the synthesis of a series of physical experiments and academic workshops in soft actuators, metamaterial structures, and control systems that explore the potential of new technologies to realise novel forms of tactile, kinetic and interactive architecture. The results of the technical experimantation are presented sharing findings on the advantages and shortcomings of recent advances in soft robotic actuators and the metamaterial systems for architectural applications. The results of a series of public exhibitions are presented sharing findings on the aesthetic advantaages and disadvantages of using artificial life techniques to drive an interactive installation. As a contribution, this thesis probes new emerging material and computational technologies and offers novel synthesis between fields of artificial life and architectural research.

This thesis examines the field of interactive architecture - that is spaces thet engage in a communicative exchange with the inhabitants through a variety of sensory modalities. This thesis focuses on kinetic interactions, examining forms of non-verbal dialogue between human and architectural agency. The notion of agency suggests not simply an architecture controlled by human command, but rather an architecture with degrees of autonomy, a "life of its own". This thesis draws upon developments in the field of artificialo life, that include topics of morphological behaviour, distributed control systems and soft robotics. Although there has been a great deal of development in technologies and methods in this domain, there are limited examples of architectural research harnessing the potential of these advances. This thesis explores three interlinked questions. How can the field of artificial life contribute to novel approaches to design of interactive kinetic architecture? How can recent developments in metamaterial structures be used to create novel transformable architectural surfaces and spaces? What types of actuation are most suitable for animating metamaterial structures in an architectural context? This thesis artificial life approach is developed through a "proto-architectural" methodologty of workshops and gallery installations. The major outcome I present, is the Edge of Chaos installation (Fig. 1) that was internationally exhibited in France, Netherlands and Belgium in 2018. It represents the synthesis of a series of physical experiments and academic workshops in soft actuators, metamaterial structures, and control systems that explore the potential of new technologies to realise novel forms of tactile, kinetic and interactive architecture. The results of the technical experimantation are presented sharing findings on the advantages and shortcomings of recent advances in soft robotic actuators and the metamaterial systems for architectural applications. The results of a series of public exhibitions are presented sharing findings on the aesthetic advantaages and disadvantages of using artificial life techniques to drive an interactive installation. As a contribution, this thesis probes new emerging material and computational technologies and offers novel synthesis between fields of artificial life and architectural research.