Rubik’s Cube
The condition of being human has granted our society the power for continuous modulation, a cyclical permutation of some sort, that produces a different fallout each time. Architecture is the paradisiac specimen. From the monumentality of the Gobekli Tepe temple, which highlighted engineering advancements and religious beliefs, to the sleek lines of the Bauhaus, which heralded an era of functionality and industrialization, the architectural Rubik’s cube has landed on a different face each time. So it’s only reasonable to ask where the future of architecture falls within life’s hexahedron.
When a Rubik’s Cube falls, it rotates chaotically at first, bearing an unknown outcome. Upon landing, it rests on a particular face, with its vibrant squares aligned in a static pattern, ready for the next twist or turn. Architecture is analogous and is currently in its orbit stage. It’s a phygital entity that is trying to account for the analog aspect of a human. If architecture has historically mirrored the specifics of society, then perhaps the Future of Architecture undividedly lies within the disparate problems humanity is facing today, such as sustainability, technological prowess, inclusivity.
Undeniably, The Future of Architecture lies within THE HUMAN.
Genesis
The modern human is fundamentally challenging their condition at the core by introducing a new variable, x, into the permutation calculus of Rubik’s cube rotations.
The perpetual rapid evolution of machine learning and algorithm integration into the day-to-day human labour spans across multiple disciplines. It falls to the experts in each industry to decide a way to address it. Many tend to avoid the unknown.
Professional fields are concerned, cautious, or outright negative towards technological progress of such magnitude. Fear is only natural towards the unexplored. It’s a human emotional response. But architects have always been the innovators, the creators and the audacious ones by definition. Therefore, inevitably, one inquires: how does the architectural field navigate the genesis of this artificial landscape? Is this the birth of a hyperobject in itself? And if so, where does the future of architecture fall within the vastness of this hyperobject?
Coincidently, in her book “Architecture or Techno-Utopia: Politics After Modernism”, Felicity D.Scott notes: “Architecture must grapple with hyperobjects — phenomena that are massively distributed in time and space, exceeding our usual frames of reference and comprehension.” (Felicity D.Scott, 2007)
The Future of Architecture is Now
Progressive design studios from across the globe are engaging in tactics that allow for technological integration and workflow optimization.
AI SpaceFactory, a New York-based architecture and manufacturing company gained attention through the revolutionary “MARSHA” project, an architectural innovation meant to offer a habitat for life on Mars.
Cloud Pergola is one of their unique and outstanding structures that encompasses architecture, engineering, computational design, and robotic fabrication. Designed by architect Alisa Andrasek, the structure was then given physicality through computer calculations, AI simulations, and robotic 3D printing by the Aibuild team.
‘This project is a glimpse of what architecture is evolving into with the advancements in technology. Traditionally architects used to design with the constraints of standard, labour-intensive fabrication methods. Now we are giving designers the ability to produce almost anything with robots. This new paradigm in fabrication is opening up the possibility of producing very complex designs that are driven by data, performance, and novel aesthetics. Cloud Pergola is the perfect example of a strong, lightweight structure with unseen aesthetic qualities made possible by like-minded designers, engineers, and technology specialists’. (Daghan Cam, 2024).
This phygital architectural organism serves as a testament that the future of architecture is happening now and is being created through a synergistic convolution of two very powerful forces: man and machine.
Where To
The future of architecture is a direct manifestation of professionals trying to understand and communicate with this gigantic hyperobject that is technology-driven, and which has emerged as a result of immense human ambition.
In “Being and Time”, Martin Heidegger talks about the condition of being human:
“Man is an entity that does not just occur among other entities. Rather, each man is an entity for whom his being in its entirety is at issue. Thus each man, in his being, reveals the being of all other entities. In doing so, he understands his being, in accordance with the Being of the entities encountered.” (Martin Heidegger, 1927)
The question isn’t rather related to what architecture will look like in terms of aesthetics, and shape, but rather to how embracing the AI hyperobject within the profession will bring about outcomes that exceed our current imagination. Architecture won’t become this futuristic, dark, neon Blade Runner city. It won’t be so form-focused as it used to be. The architecture will mature into an organism that adapts to HUMAN needs as those will continue to evolve and interact with the hyperobject. This will enable architecture to liberate itself of constraints and ideologies that have followed since the beginning of ages, fostering inclusivity at the same time. Architecture has now the potential to defy the ordinary, has the potential to break free from doctrines, and opinions because THE HUMAN is finally starting to break free from his constraints. And the result of human and technological liberation is colossal. It allows for each individual within this life-generating profession to contribute, thus creating singular, varied aesthetics.
The Future of Architecture is already upon us. The permutation within the falling Rubik’s cube has already occurred. The face has already been chosen. But what is so different this time, is that the vibrant squares that have aligned in a static pattern throughout our history, are no longer static…
It is up to each architect and designer to embrace this gift and create disparate, engaging, and breathtaking worlds, because world-making is what the future of architecture is.
References:
- Scott, F.D. (2007) Architecture or Techno-Utopia: Politics After Modernism. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
- Morton, T. (2013) Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
- Heidegger, M. (1927) Being and Time. Harper & Row, New York.
- SuperRubiksCube (2019) Le Rubik’s Cube pour résoudre Les Problèmes : Tout ce qu’il faut savoir., Superrubikscube.com. [Photographe]. Available at: https://superrubikscube.com/le-rubiks-cube-un-jeu-qui-aide-a-resoudre-les-problemes/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
- Cotruta, C. (2024). AI Hyperobject. [AI generated image]
- Ai Space Factory (no date). AI Space Factory. [online]. Available at: https://spacefactory.ai/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
- Marsha: 3D printed huts imagined by AI Spacefactory & NASA, Parametric Architecture. [Digital image]. Available at: https://parametric-architecture.com/marsha-3d-printed-huts-by-ai-spacefactory/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
- Cloud pergola (2024). Aibuild. [online]. Available at: https://ai-build.com/resources/cloud-pergola/ (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
- Cotruta, C. (2024). Tomorrow, Today. [AI generated image]. The age of post-human and world making, Archinect. Available at: https://archinect.com/cotrutacristina/the-age-of-post-human-and-world-making (Accessed: 29 June 2024).
