X|A  -­‐  National  Technical  University  of  Athens,  School  of  Architecture  |May  29th  -­‐  June  9th  2012  

Omni[program]chromatic NTUA 2012

X|A in collaboration with Professors D.Papalexopoulos, G.Parmenidis ,V.Xenou NTUA

Lead Instructors: Prof. Erick Carcamo & Nefeli Chatzimina

T/A ‘s : Christos Koukis and Nikolaos Papavasileiou

>>INTENTIONS  

The  workshop  is  a  discourse  based  in  the  use  of  multi-­‐layered  techniques  and  production  processes  that  allow  for  control  over  intelligent  geometries,  calibration  of  parts,  and  behavioral  taxonomies,  normalizing  an  innovative  field  of  predictability.  Our  goal  is  to  explore  innovative,  potential  architectural  expressions  of  the  

current  discourse  around  form  through  technique  elaboration,  material  intelligence,  formal  logic  efficiencies  and  precision  assemblies  as  an  ultimate  condition  of  design.  

The  workshop  will  develop  and  investigate  the  notion  of  proficient  geometric  variations  at  a  level  of  complexity,  so  that  questions  towards  geometrical  effectiveness,  accuracy  and  performance  can  begin  to  be  understood  in  a  contemporary  setting.  

 

>>THE  PROJECT  

Each  participant  will  develop  an  individual  ‘project’  or  ‘intervention’  for  the  city  of  Athens  or  surroundings.  The  scale  and  program  of  the  project  is  given  by  the  decision  of  each  participant  based  on  a  specific  

individual  research  and  arguable  in  Architectural  Design  terms.  Each  of  these  projects  will  be  developed  by  a  series  of  critiques  and  meetings  with  both  X|A  Principals,  meeting  daily.  The  workshop  discussions  will  crossover  multiple  areas  of  expertise  such  as  Art,  Film,  Fashion,  Product,  surgery,  etc.  therefore  each  

individual  project  will  add  up  to  be  a  multiple  collection  of  deviations  of  design.  

 

>>GUIDELINES:  

The  Workshop  will  run  primarily  using  Autodesk  Maya  and  other  fundamental  software  digital  design  tools.    

1.The  main  aspiration  of  this  workshop  is  to  precisely  develop  a  critical  argument  based  on  an  individual  

research,  which  will  translate  into  pure  geometrical-­‐formal  exploration;  the  format  will  be  an  ongoing  deskcrit  symposium.  

2.  Rather  than  assignments,  the  research  will  be  divided  into  stages,  tactics  and  strategies.  

3.  The  students  will  develop  an  expertise  in  a  specific  Topological  territory;  this  territory  will  emerge  for  a  hybrid  between  4  main  intellectual  fields,  from  the  following  menu:  

 

 

 

X|A  -­‐  National  Technical  University  of  Athens,  School  of  Architecture  |May  29th  -­‐  June  9th  2012  

 

 

 

 

TOPOLOGICAL  ANALYSIS  OF:  

A.   STRUCTURAL-­‐RIGID-­‐Efficiencies  Films,  Case  Studies,  A  topological  development  of,  Dynamics  Techniques,  Corrupting  structure,  prosthetic,  rigid  structural  system  with  soft  components  –  paradox.  

 

B.   SKIN-­‐SURFACE-­‐MASS  Efficiencies  We  will  approach  ideas  of  Color,  Transparencies,  Reflections,  Refraction,  Textures,  patterns,  textile  animals  skin,  surface  effects,  skin  as  mass,  skin  as  volume,  transparencies,  opacities,  corrugations.  

 C.   GROUNDSCAPE  Efficiencies  Plug  into,  dig  in/out,  scratch,  stitch,  seams,  corrode,  erode,  articulate  

organization,  heterotopia,  dystopia.  

 D.   MULTIPLICATION-­‐REPETITION-­‐ACCUMULATION  Efficiencies  Calibration  of  systems,  quantification  of  

parts,  behavioral  mechanism  efficiency,  Defensive  mechanisms,  attacking  methods,  attaching.  

 

 

The  multiple  level  of  experimentation  will  occur  incrementally  every  day,  but  each  segment  will  have  a  clear  main  topic  of  investigation,  these  are  the  reasons  for  the  4  legs  sequence,  so  everybody  can  have  the  proper  

time  for  each  aspect  of  the  problem  (intellectual,  technical,  abstract,  physical,  etc).  

 

 Within  this  context,  our  work  will  turn  into  design  and  production;  each  student  will  operate  within  an  

expertise  towards  intuition  by  means  of  software  and  advancement  of  the  discipline  through  a  precise  

contemporary  understanding  of  Architecture's  reliance  on  surface  performance,  unspecified  systems,  scale  

within  the  scale,  mechanical  parts  and  absurd  precisions  to  expand  its  discourse.  We  will  focus  

simultaneously  in  the  attempt  to  negotiate  the  question  of  topology  vs.  typology,  odd  genus  (Greek.  γένος)  

and  species  within  the  condition  of  space  and  how  fragmented  surface  state  emerges  through,  constituting  

a  potential  assembly  of  parts  and  quantified  normalities.  

 

 

 

X|A  -­‐  National  Technical  University  of  Athens,  School  of  Architecture  |May  29th  -­‐  June  9th  2012  

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE:

Erick Carcamo & Nefeli Chatzimina: Lectures + Production and Techniques (MAYA, Rhino) Assisted by Christos Koukis and Nikolaos Papavasileiou

Workshop Meets EveryDay from 10:00-18:00pm @ The Seminar Room From 10:00 to 13:00 -- Software Tutorials (AutoDesk MAYA, etc.) From 13:00 – 14:00 -- Lunch From 14:00 – 18:00 -- Deskcrits (Individual Projects Development)

DETAILED SCHEDULE (Tuesday May 29th - Saturday June 8th) Before our meeting: Participants are recommended to install the Maya Software into their personal laptop one or two days before the seminar begins. Please follow the link http://usa.autodesk.com/maya/trial/ Tuesday May 29th Introduction + Presentation + Software (10am)

-Lecture by X|A - “Got Technique.. now what?” -Room installation, Software Installation/preparation, Logistics, Schedules, Q&A -Software Introduction: OVERALL Interface

Wednesday May 30th Tutorials + Deskcrits (10am)

Software Introduction: OVERALL Interface, NURBS, POLYGONS, and SUBDIVISION Thursday May 31st --DAY OFF-- Friday June 1st Tutorials + Deskcrits Modeling Techniques: POLYGONS, SUBDIVISION

Rendering Techniques: Materials, special effects, etc. Saturday June 2nd Tutorials + Deskcrits

Modeling Techniques: POLYGONS, SUBDIVISION, DEFORMERS Rendering Techniques: Materials, special effects, etc. PRODUCTION

Sunday June 3rd Tutorials + Deskcrits

Modeling Techniques: SUBDIVISION, DEFORMERS Rendering Techniques: Materials, special effects, etc. PRODUCTION

Monday June 4th --DAY OFF-- Tuesday June 5th Tutorials + Deskcrits

Rendering Techniques: Materials, special effects, etc. Advanced Techniques: Dynamics, Particles, Deformers PRODUCTION

Wednesday June 6th Tutorials + Deskcrits

Advanced Techniques: Animation Animation Techniques: Cameras controls PRODUCTION

Thursday June 7th --DAY OFF— Friday June 7th Deskcrits (Individual Projects Development) PRODUCTION Saturday June 8th FINAL OVERALL PRESENTATION - EXHIBITION

X|A  -­‐  National  Technical  University  of  Athens,  School  of  Architecture  |May  29th  -­‐  June  9th  2012  

Participants following a series of Lectures and Tutorials will develop through computational means a personal exploration of their own design ideas. On a first phase they will produce 3d and 2d drawings. Depending on the needs of each research some projects will investigate conceptual animations or construction of a physical model using latest fabrication technologies

Software Introduction: Maya Interface Modeling Techniques: Nurbs, Polygons, Subdivisions Rendering Techniques: Materials, Special Effects Advanced Techniques: Dynamics, Particles, Deformers, Animations, Cameras controls Workshop Products Participants will produce 1st phase: (mandatory) A series of 3d renderings and 2D drawings representing 3-Dimentionality 2nd phase: (selective) Depending on their research either -Animation of the fragment generation (3000 frames) -or a topographical incremental variation of 1 physical prototype using a combination of Laser Cut,3D printing or 3d milling.

Movies Suggestions:

There will be blood Godzilla | Japanese versions Ridley Scott | Blade Runner / Alien David Fincher | Fight Club M. Antonioni | Blow Up Jean Luc Besson | The fifth element + the big blue Robert Wiene | Doctor's Calligaris cabinet Terry Gillian | Twelve Monkeys /Brazil Mathew Barney | Cremaster 3 Wachovsky Brothers | The Matrix Steven Spielberg | Minority Report Tarsem Singh | The Cell Tron | Original and new

X|A  -­‐  National  Technical  University  of  Athens,  School  of  Architecture  |May  29th  -­‐  June  9th  2012