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DELICIOUS DATA

TATE BROCK ARCH 373

[FRAMING]

[LOCATING]

[SPECIFYING]

[REFERENCING]

[FORMING]

[INTERVENTION]

This book explores an embodied character’s (Twitch Streamer) perspective on the built environment. Chapters address the looming social behaviors resulting from this 21st century-specific job and the societal implications of the character/audience’s interpretations of the built environment (territorial understandings, etc.). Perspectives are guided by the societal and psychological connections made in the first chapter (Framing) in the context of a High Line-adjacent site located in the Chelsea District of New York City.

[FRAMING]

Framing the character of a Twitch Streamer in terms of resultant social behaviors, expanded abstracts, and urban episodes that play out the social behaviors determined by framing statements

[FRAMING]

INTANGIBLE SOCIAL UNIT

Twitch began as a platform that live streamed video games on the internet. This site’s basic operation was to broadcast a host streamer’s game play to a publicly accessible internet site. Live streaming video games quickly caught on, the platform exploded, and the spreading of smaller streamers jump started the cycle of succession. Twitch’s interface houses a conglomerate of live stream rooms and chat lobbies. The organization of the website stacks thumbnails of live streaming rooms and hoists the most popular live broadcasts to the top of the feed. The home page also lists a directory of popular streamers. As an audience member, it’s common to go between live stream rooms and visit the live feeds of other streamers. There are security measures (chat moderators) that surveil and filter the comment section in real time to prevent things within the parameters of the host’s rules (i.e. profanity, Inappropriate innuendo, bullying, etc.). Each user’s ‘room’ (live feed) is individually personalized by the streamer with graphics and branding to differentiate their page within the digital space. Subscriber tiers and chat moderator status suggest exclusivity and Intangible status. Ultimately Twitch is a collection of micro-communities

Image: “White Christmas,” Carl Tibbetts, Black Mirror (Netflix) Image: “OVEREXPOSED,” Peter ..Scofidio, Diller Scofidio + Renfro

[FRAMING]

ENTERTAINMENT DECOMPRESSION

The initial popularity of live streaming video games on Twitch has now shifted to expand more than just game play. Ordinary aspects of daily life are now a popular category of streaming (“Talk with me’s,” 24hr+ streams, daily chores: cooking, getting ready, cleaning the house, going for a walk, taking public transit, sleeping, etc.) – ultimately broadening the definition of entertainment. Today, viewers flood live streams that focus on content that is not inherently as immersive, epic, and theatrical as video games typically are. Vicarious pleasure exists in watching someone complete an ordinary task. There is no risk, stress, physical exertion, or monetary exchange required to see a task being completed - but the viewer still experiences a similar level of satisfaction seeing the task completed. The vicarious satisfaction comes from the audience’s ability to engage with and appreciate something they don’t experience directly. There is added emphasis and fascination in witnessing the process/details of an ordinary task be treated with a level of care or specificity. The live aspect of the live stream adds a layer of intimacy that enhances their enjoyment. The viewing experience is created from the captivation of finding a unique aspect to hyper focus on.

Image: “That One’s for Free,” Peter Weir, The Truman Show (1998) Image: “Andy Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ at the Tate Modern Gallery,” Sion Touhig, Getty Images (2002)

[FRAMING]

PARASOCIAL HUSTLE THE CULT OF PERSONALITY

Image: “Blur Building,” Beat Widmer, Diller Scarfidio + Renfro (2002)

A streamer’s ability to appeal to an array of interests,

personal interaction can exist in the digital platform

niches, and personality types while also being able

via a public chat lobbies and direct messages, a

Image: Karmanverdi

to selectively tailor their appearance, audience seg-

screen - and often times a large physical distance -

ments, digital persona, and pop culture appeals in

separates both parties.

Image: “REFRESH,” Diller Scarfidio + Renfro w/ DIA Center for the Arts

real time created higher audience engagement and a more authentic viewing experience. Streamers,

The streamer’s ability to capitalize on a one-sided re-

like celebrities, create income from having a cult-like

lationship, in a sense, creates a parasocial situation

following; so, a sense of more dramatic, reactionary,

between the streamer and audience.

and theatrical personalities became the new normal for streamers. This heightened emotion typically fed into the audience’s perception of relationship between the streamer and them. The streamer extends their emotional energy to the audience and this creates interest in their personality. Status and influence - whether digitally, socially, or physically tangible - are powerful tools to attract loyal supporters and subsequent monetization. Though some level of

[The cult of personality]

[FRAMING]

URBAN EPISODE 1 Physically Present // Performer Aware of Audience

Image: Tate Brock

Entertainment stems form the vicarious enjoyment of a task. The

Image (Glass Facade): Chicago Federal Center, Samuel Ludwig

ably could have completed themselves, but not as methodically

pleasurable factor the audience is to view a task that they probor perfectly executed as the performer could. Real time reactions (cheers/jeers) are essential to the format of live entertainment. In this episode, the common spectacle of a window washer descending a skyscraper facade is exaggerated. A skilled and trained ‘performer’ takes the stage to mesmerize the masses, a parking lots becomes an urban auditorium, traffic light poles are strung with stage lights and velvet curtains, and imposing glass facades become the backdrop of the scene.

[FRAMING]

URBAN EPISODE 2 Mounted CCTV // Audience Unaware of Being Watched

Image: Tate Brock Image: NYPD

NYC traffic lights have been evolved to host surveillance cameras around the city. Currently, mounted CCTV cameras continuously broadcasting (live stream) movements and interactions at intersections to an audience of law enforcement agents. These lights are equipped with sensors that can track the flow of pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, etc. In this fantastical episode, streams are not solely accessible to law enforcement, but publicly accessible, allowing anyone to tune in and watch the flow of the city.

[FRAMING]

URBAN EPISODE 3 Self-aware Surveillance // Audience Becomes the Performer

Image: Tate Brock Image: Stephen Yang Image: Seth Wenig, Associated Press

The continuum of episode two’s publicly accessible live streams has now created a publicity frenzy around the concept. Episode three’s pedestrians no longer turn a blind eye to the surveillance cameras. Now, people’s awareness of interaction with this digital interface is heightened. Some actants choose to provoke the camera’s motion sensor technology in an attempt to have themselves broadcasted on the digital and physical interfaces that line the streets. Like the “Portal” sculpture that linked NYC and Dublin, this type of digital interaction makes users realize their larger roles in a collective of others. The effect of realized influence now plays out on the streets of the city.

[LOCATING]

Locating applies and contextualizes happenings in and around the site based on societal behaviors outlined in [01] Framing. Matters of accessibility, guided views, and urban density manifest themselves via the designer-user relationship in the context of urban territories and an individual’s or collective’s experience in an urban environment. Territorial maps quantify and qualify the preceding locating statements.

[LOCATING]

URBAN DEPOSITORIES of CLIENT CLUSTER CELLS

Image: Unknown

Occupants of high rise housing in NYC create a sort

Image: John Batho

volume of rooms and floors structured within a build-

Image: “An Architecture of Density,” Michael Wolf

of physical point cloud of people by inhabiting the ing’s exterior walls. An individual’s physical presence is mirrored in the meta through their IP locations and signal triangulations. This digital and physical presence is a spatial manifestation of the super clusters of clients hidden within the physical world. The digital point cloud of users define an intangible type of social unit that, like water, fills the volumes of the physical world that the users themselves exist in. High rises become holding tanks of data and street grids direct the spill of individuals in and out of the housing tanks as they take their devices with them. Inhabitants are distributed through the interior units of housing complexes (for example) in a similar orientation to the distribution of points in 3D space. The density and distribution of these points throughout the city creates a territorial interaction that designates areas of collection and areas of seepage.

[LOCATING]

Image: Diagram of the Field of Vision, Herbert Bayer Image: “Double Negative,” Michael Heizer

DESIGNED VIEWPOINTS and FRAMED SIGHT LINES Perches on the High Line create vantage points for

more substantial feeling. The video game feed seems

people to stop and watch New York pedestrians and

to fade into the background and the smaller accou-

traffic. People ascend The High Line to experience

terments become more emphasized and interesting

the spectacle of watching others from above. These

because of their infrequency and brief peek into oth-

perches (rest areas) string themselves along the High

er sectors of live stream fan base culture/interaction.

Line’s path. The designed viewpoints and framed

The High Line is much the same: emphasized and

sight lines built into rest areas on the High Line

infrequent moments of compression and release in

create moments for users to emphasize views - a

the urban canyons of the city make those moments

different perspective - of the ordinary moments

feel much more substantial and interesting because

happening in the city. Much like Twitch content,

they offer something different than a user would

users are only able to see what the host has allowed

experience simply walking down the street of New

them. In the case of the High Line, thick greenery and

York (or an audience member would experience just

dense structures populate and restrict view sheds in

simply playing whatever video game their watching

certain places on the park. When there is a moment

instead).

of release felt between dense zones - wide avenues, side streets, and sky access - the moment is perceived

The spectacle of the ordinary is built into the High

as much more interesting than it may have been

Line through rest areas. Rest areas range from large

without the visual constraints that led up to seeing it.

pits that dip the viewer down to traffic flow of 10th

Twitch content works in much the same ways. If the

Avenue to small spurs that divert people from the

content is video game game play, streamers make it

High Line’s main path. Added/restricted visual

so that only a face cam of them is visible, columns of

emphasis to something perceived as ‘normal’ makes

running chat logs cling to the side of the audience’s

it much more eye catching and desirable to interact

screen, donation and subscription messages pop up

with.

on the feed and fade away after a moment ,and the primary content of interest (game play) is given the most real estate on screen. A majority of the audience is invested in the gamer’s personality, and can have an active role in the chat log/triggering of pop-up messages on the live stream feed, so the temporary or subtly emphasized visual pop-ups become much

[LOCATING]

PERMEABLE PUBLIC and PRIVATE SPACES

Image: “Istanbul 10:43pm,” Leonardo Pucci (2017)

Barriers define access to territory. These barriers

Image: Grand Central Station, Jim Campbell (2009)

publicly occupied and areas that are not.

- including automatic doors, subway turnstiles, etc - facilitate the interaction between areas that are

These automated barriers, while seemingly mundane, define boundaries between public/private spaces. Much like parasocial interactions — where one party is seemingly engaged with an individual without real, reciprocal involvement — automated barriers give the illusion of responsiveness. They open automatically when someone approaches and triggers a mechanical reaction, as if they are acknowledging the presence of the person. Yet, the door has no “awareness” or connection to the individual; it is purely functional and indifferent, responding only to environmental stimulants like motion. They act as transitional mechanisms, allowing for seamless movement between sectors. Socially, automated barriers suggest a more democratic or communal approach to space, while un-automated barriers restrict access - both physically and psychologically - and signal towards a sense of control, exclusivity, and privacy for a place. The absence of automatic doors reinforces the idea that entry is conditional, intentional, and limited to certain individuals.

[LOCATING]

Mapping clusters of digital clients in New York City housing, offices, parks etc.: Carrying devices in backpacks, pockets, etc. tracks the flow of people in the city. Collection tanks of stagnant devices (i.e. server rooms, signal towers, etc.) still activate the network, but don’t actually move. These clusters of client-device interaction and transmission relate to the concept of taking photos with intent to post/share (a common occurrence in New York City that records information on the physical world via comments, photos, and videos). Layering the physical locations of devices and the trajectory of the information shared creates digital motion. This digital motion - initiated by the sharing of information (photos, posts, etc.) - also creates hot-spots/congregations of digital activity that may exist apart from the physical location of the device and insinuate the importance of a moment happening in the city. This relationship creates a sort of density between people’s physical and digital presence and a perception of place that can be captured and shared to others not present in the city.

DIGITAL CONGREGATION AND VIRTUAL POPULATION DENSITY

[LOCATING]

Experience Mapping The High Line’s fluctuating vegetation height zones as an added layer to the already existing alternating sequence of avenue openings and urban canyons. The city itself operates between compressive and expansive experiences for a user walking through the grid. Mixed in to the park path are strategically placed rest areas. People experience the city from dynamic vantage points designed to draw your attention/alter your perspective . Rest areas often split off of the main path and come to a dead end . These dead end remnants of the former sprawling train tracks create either inaccessible nature reserves, spaces for performers to occupy, or seating arrangements that focus your view on traffic, landmarks, looming high-rises, etc. Collecting an inventory of the different types of rest areas along the Highline map out the perceived experiential territory a person might encounter while going for a stroll along the park.

EXPERIENCE MAPPING ...VISUAL PERCEPTION

Image: Tate Brock

[LOCATING]

Barriers of access define public/private spaces within the outer shell of a building, but what happens outside of a structure’s interior spaces are just as ordered. A prime example of the governed regulation of people between public and private spaces lie within the garden, plaza, and privately owned-publicly accessible spaces of the Chelsea District of Manhattan. The High Line itself acts as a long garden with total public access. Scattered along the High Line are privately owned plazas and gardens with varying degrees of accessibility. After all, the High Line used to pierce between the warehouses of Manhattan, so as code and societal attitudes towards it changed business owners and corporate offices wanted to take advantage of the presence of public space. On the flip side, the coding regulations of NYC require new constructions to have ‘open air landscaping’ at the High Line’s height along a building’s park-facing sides. Overall the presence of these green spaces create an organic alley in Manhattan, but the stark difference between what is publicly accessible and what is privately owned (AKA off limits to public access) is an interesting duality that consistently shows up. Regarding potential inhabitant access and lushness of greenery, some private gardens along the park are treated as required, reduced, and restricted while others encourage the occupation of the green space. Other major plazas, markets, malls, sports venues, and convention centers in the near vicinity represent an effort form private owners to extend their properties to public access. These space’s (sometimes) parasocial relation the High Line boils down to occupancy and privatized monetary drivers behind their development.

SEEPAGE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BOUNDARIES

Image: Tate Brock

[SPECIFYING]

Specifying connects broad behavioral and site-specific statements into programmatic concepts and functions for the upcoming architectural intervention. Program episodes, which present the project’s interpretation of a ‘Hotel-Hotel,’ ‘Carrier Hotel,’ and Public Space, precede specified programming diagrams that chunk out the structure’s initial massing and spatial organization.

[SPECIFYING]

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

Image: “Wheatfield,” Agnes Denes

Broader patterns of digital communities form from

Image: Tate Brock

from the online interactions that happen on Twitch’s

the association of the audience to the streamer/content creator/digital personality. These patterns arise platform (commenting, liking, subscribing, donating, following, etc.). Leaning into the ‘cult of personality’ derives the Latin origin of the word ‘cult’ - to grow, till, care for, worship, toil over, adorate... - that has now been applied to broader schemes of cultivation and social efforts that guide the speculative project’s mission. Public space is a necessary item in an urban context considering how isolating and parasocial urban density may feel without it’s presence. Agricultural programmatic spaces (gardening/green space) and public forums are the specific areas of interest for the public space in this project.

These programmatic ideas stem from reflections on the state of intangible interaction online and a playful interpretation of social presence. A group of archivists/gardeners occupying the live + work unit are highly dedicated to a specific task or thing (cultivation and storage of data-inoculated plant matter) the same way digital fan bases are dedicated to a specific influencer/streamer.

[SPECIFYING]

Image: “Celia’s Children Albert + George Clark Los Angeles,” David Hockney (1982) Image: “Photo 51,” Rosalind Franklin (1952) Image: “Labrynth,” Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

ARCHIVED ENTITY + IDENTITY Saving and sharing content are the building blocks

but also economically efficient due to low energy

of our digital world. The speed at which trends at

requirements and easily accessible via seed sharing.

large emerge happens at a rapid pace, and streaming

Data collection can become a participatory event

content related to ordinary tasks is a symptom of the

that activates the tactility of the physical world. The

rapid cultural interests. The perceived immediacy/

bounds of cultural preservation via archived data are

short term lifespans of real time digital culture trends

no longer stagnant - digital identity becomes truly

and preferred content creator personality types shift

tangible and alive. “Data forests” of encoded informa-

from day to day. The fast-changing nature and high

tion can populate the fields, patios, greenhouses, and

level of influence within the wide array of digital

gardens of the built environment. Data can be stored

content creates an interesting duality between rapid

with little to no energy use in comparison to the

information movement and difficult to capture

overbearing reliance of electronic servers that pull

moments.

from the grid and populate formerly human-oriented spaces. The information being stored in seeds is a

There is a need to preserve the collective unit of dig-

collection of digitally shared content of the city. Social

ital information because of the insights it gives into

media-shared photos and videos, comments, live-

human culture in the age of the internet. A common

streams of protests, celebrations, groundbreakings,

thread connecting agricultural efforts and digital

and other digitally-captured, important moments in

activity is the need for archived information .

the city’s history are collected in the archive can act as a real-time running historical timeline of the city,

A recent breakthrough in plant science and data

it’s development, and the general public’s perception

storage created a method of retaining information

of change. Precious documents, photos, content, and

through plant DNA. “Plant-based data storage,” pio-

meaningful or terrible moments in the city become

neered by doctor and genetic researcher Karin Ljubic

easily shareable and tangibly own-able by the ease

Fister, unlocked the potential for binary data (1’s and

of regeneration and possibility of cloning/growing

0’s that make up computer programming language)

plant matter.

to be converted to DNA letter (A, G, C, & T) that can be transposed and “infected” into plant DNA strands. If storage conditions are properly maintained, plant matter (seeds) can become a sort of hard drive that’s not only sustainable and regenerative,

[SPECIFYING]

Image: Bruce Reeve Image: “INDIGESTION,” Diller Scofidio + Renfro Image: Gina Folly

CONSUMING CONTENT Pairing cultivation and archiving collectively addresses representation of people and presentation of content. Social behaviors that emerged from the influence of Twitch streaming also grapple with this concept of (digital) representation for the audience and modes of interaction with the content/content creator themselves. Comments, followers, digital status rankings, likes, etc. are the meat and potatoes of digital methods of representation and interaction. They can have great opportunity to create community but also have effects that push social validation behavior and perception of self worth online because of the physical separation between people. Seeds - being the vehicle for storing these kinds of digital metrics and content - are not only restricted to the intangible means of data collection and sharing. Digital content can now be physically present and literally consumed/ digested digested as a provocative means of content reaping. Digital social presence becomes substantial and fulfilling (literally and figuratively - sustenance from food). The occasional (un)seriousness of digital interaction, personal stake in content, and overall relationship to digital enjoyment are allowed to be interacted with in a new manner. This playfulness with intent and interaction defines the project - “Consume your Content.”

[SPECIFYING]

VOID PUBLIC SPACE // CIRCULATION // VOID

Image: Tate Brock

[PROGRAM TYPES] Public Plant Matter Exchange [‘Dining Room’]+ Atrium Void Circulation Helix + Vertical Circulation Core [NARRATIVE] The general idea of forming community is core to the project, so a central assembly floor (‘public forum’) populates the central atrium void. To facilitate interaction and move people through the space, while also activating the possible entry modes to the structure relevant to the immediate site, a helix-esque path (curved ramp) wraps the central void. The primary public point of entry lies under the hood of the atrium core, facing 10th Avenue, but supplementary (hidden) entrances that blend seamlessly into the facade are on both the 10th Avenue and 26th Street facing corners of the building. Void and mass are spun together to create a condition of radically different programs existing in the same envelope with the circulation and void themselves holding the spaces together. The program that wraps the central void is meant to serve the core of the structure without (perceptually) being on full display. Selective reveals of the building’s adjacent programs are given in numerous places inside the structure to provide a sense of separation/distance between the public and private sectors without feeling too harshly defined.

[SPECIFYING]

HELIX STRAND 1 ADMINISTRATIVE SYNTHESIS

Image: Tate Brock

[PROGRAM TYPES] Encoded Seed Archive Administrative Offices Seed Modification + Content Synthesis Laboratory Live + Work Dwellings [Dormitories] [NARRATIVE] The first strand of the spiraled program sweeps the lower sector of the structure with a systematic, organizational foundation for the horticultural program to build off of. As information/data/ content is collected through the rooftop antenna receiver, it is hardwired to the second level laboratory. The encoded food crops circulate their way upstairs to other programs like the greenhouse and test kitchen. Having educational and group oriented programmatic spaces required support spaces for the individuals learning there. The 3rd and 4th floors, referred to as the “living room,” contain large, private lounging spaces, study and office spaces, dining spaces, and dormitories. These programs parasocially exist in the upper sectors of the structure- only fully merging as users enter the hollow core and enjoy a meal. The pinnacle of the first strand contains the seed archive and seed modification/inoculation laboratory. Functionally, their location requires direct access to the greenhouse and CO2 scrubber in the second program strand for accessibility and efficiency reasons. Workers and plants/seeds alike are intended to easily flow between the upper cluster of programs. The archive, being one of the connectors between the public and private realms of the structure, is nested into the central void for diners to filter in and out of. The space lies directly under the greenhouse for easy of access/transportation between the restaurant, greenhouse, lab, and archive.

[SPECIFYING]

HELIX STRAND 2 APPLIED AGRICULTURE

Image: Tate Brock

[PROGRAM TYPES] Greenhouse [Data Garden] + CO2 Scrubbers Test Kitchen [“Classroom”] Restaurant + Expo Line [NARRATIVE] The second strand of programs draws inhabitants

The double height floors of the greenhouse serve two

to the upper floors of the structure where daylight,

functions: tall stacks of growing trays to maximize

horticulture, and scrubbing loom over the bottom

food crop output and to provide interior lounges

[public] extents of the project. An important accessory

on other floors with the ability to watch agricultural

to the greenhouse and plant trays is the CO2 scrubber

staff work inside of the inflated greenhouse. The

- which pulls excess CO2 that has been emitted by

CO2 scrubbers that feed the inflated greenhouse

vehicles, people, and other surrounding buildings to

allow the form to keep it’s shape in a high pressure

flood selective program zones when beneficial. The

environment and seal the space to temporarily hold

archive itself, located directly under the greenhouse,

a concentration of CO2 gas (speeding up the rate of

requires a controlled environment with proper pres-

plant growth).

ervation conditions - a stream of CO2 is an essential element in the archive to store the data-encoded

The test kitchen on top acts as a classroom for culinary

seeds so that they are able to germinate after poten-

students to experiment with food preparation, and

tially long periods of storage.

the restaurant on the ground floor is the culmination of the agricultural and culinary efforts. The cooking

As plants leave the seed modification laboratory

staff, lab staff, and greenhouse staff ultimately decide

they are sent upstairs to the greenhouse. The most

what content is symbolically and physically being

optimum daylighting conditions for agricultural

dished out of the expo line for diners to consume.

purposes are on the top of the building. Not only did the location of greenhouse matter for functional purposes, the semi-transparent greenhouse exterior and diffused light that is allowed through does not restrict daylight access to the lower floors and public forum in the bottom sector of the building.

[REFERENCING]

03 04

[SPECIFYING] [REFERENCING]

Referencing explores precedent studies relating to/inspired by the spatial, formal, experiential, organizational, and somewhat experimental essence of this project.

[REFERENCING]

DUSTY RELIEF EXUBERANT/DANGEROUS SUPPLEMENTS

Images: R&Sie(n) Architects

Facts + Info

Spatial + Formal

Firm: R&Sie(n)

Dusty Relief is both spatially and formally experi-

Designers: François Roche, Stephanie Lavaux, Jean

mental. The project uses pollution and dust as key

Navarro, Pascal Bertholio + Supplemental Designers

design elements. Dusty Relief seems to mimic the

Completed: 2002 (not built - speculative project)

unevenness of natural terrain, and is a continuous,

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

interconnected, stacked spatial arrangement buried

Client: Petch Osathanugrah

under an exterior ‘fur.’ The structure’s exterior form is non-linear, undulating, and blobby. The project is

Firm Beliefs

largely monolithic/volumetric in appearance, with sol-

The firm’s name is derived form the French work

id, rectangular interior forms that protrude out of the

for “heresy,” which epitomizes their unorthodox

shrink-wrapped exterior skin. The interior volumes are

projects that profoundly challenge the status quo of

large, cave-like spaces that create the feeling of deep

contemporary architecture. The firm deeply believes

interiority - almost like being buried in a pile of build-

that projects are directly responsive - and sometimes

ing material. The building’s facade is intended to be

reactionary - to site context and assumptions made by

performative by changing appearance/texture as dust

the human psyche. Many of their projects are theoret-

and pollution accumulate on it. Inside the building,

ical/ephemeral with the exception of a few built ones.

the circulation system is continuous, designed as a series of looping paths and ramps that spiral through

Origins

the structure. There is not an intent to designate sep-

The architecture firm R&Sie(n) was founded by

aration between floors; instead, movement through

François Roche, Stéphanie Lavaux, and Jean Navarro

the space is fluid, almost like navigating a landscape

in Paris, France in 1993. The firm’s “Dusty Relief”

rather than a traditional building. The tall vertical

project is a speculative design proposal for Bangkok’s

stacks of interior volumes and playfulness with condi-

Contemporary Art Museum. Some of R&Sie(n)’s other

tions of openness and enveloping on the interior also

notable works include “I’m Lost in Paris” (2008),

make for interesting experiences when transitioning

“Mosquito Bottleneck” (2003), “The Water Flux”

from interior to exterior and one space to the next.

(2008), and “Olzweg” (2006).

[REFERENCING]

DUSTY RELIEF EXUBERANT/DANGEROUS SUPPLEMENTS

Images: R&Sie(n) Architects

Programmatic

Behavioral

R&Sie(n)’s Dusty Relief re-imagines the programmatic

The facade’s opacity varies, offering moments

function of a museum, breaking from conventional

of openness and closure. Screening effects are

spaces for displaying objects or exhibits on the interi-

created through the layering of dust and pollution,

or only. Instead, the design integrates environmental

filtering light into the interior and creating a moody,

phenomena (dust and pollution) as an actual function

shadowed environment. These variations also

of the overall building that can be seen from the

provide differing levels of privacy, as some parts of

exterior. The exterior performance turns the facade

the building feel more enclosed, while others allow

into a living/evolving surface that records the city’s

glimpses of the outside. This adaptive facade makes

environmental impact - offering an ongoing “exhibit”

the building behave as if it were a living thing. The

on urban pollution. Internally, the program floats

building behaves in a busy, ambiguous, meandering

between exhibition, circulation, and environmental

manner by screening and withholding pollution

engagement. The stacked volumes and ramped

and light, scattering interior space, and capturing

pathways allow visitors to flow freely through looping

the scruffy, dense, and sometimes chaotic nature of

interior environments. Educational programs, muse-

Bangkok itself.

um exhibits, and environmental labs are integrated into deep, cave-like volumes. By scattering interior space, and embedding an environmental agenda into the structure, the designers challenge the normative idea of a museum as a static structure that is only as valuable as the objects contained on its interior. Material The project reinterprets standard materials like concrete, glass, and metal. The exterior concrete is treated with electrostatic properties that are meant to attract and retain the dust and pollutants floating in the air, integrating environmental forces into the materiality. Metal meshes (screens) are also used to assist in dust collection and to regulate transparency. Using existing material in the natural environment to carry out radical sustainability is a major component of Dusty Relief.

[REFERENCING]

EYEBEAM MUSEUM SPATIAL/MATERIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Images: Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Facts + Info

Origins

Firm: Diller Scofidio + Renfro

DS+R was founded in 1979 by architects Elizabeth-

Designers: Joshua Bolchover, Alfio Faro, Reto Geiser,

Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, initially focusing on

Gabriele Heindel, David Huang, Dieter Janssen, David

art installations and performance projects before

Ross, Matthew Johnson, and Alex Haw

expanding into architecture. The firm initially focused

Completed: 2000 (not built - speculative project)

their design efforts around Manhattan, but as it took

Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York

on larger projects, accepted a new partner/grew in

Client: John Johnson (Eyebeam)

size, and gained notoriety their architectural influence became worldwide. Some of the firm’s other notable

Firm Beliefs

projects include “Blur Building” (2002), The Institute

Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) believes in blurring

of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston (2006), “The High

boundaries between art, architecture, and technology,

Line” (2009), and “The Shed” (2019).

with a focus on creating spaces that engage with culture, urban environments, and social behavior. They often challenge traditional architectural norms by incorporating performance, media, and interaction into their designs. Their work often deals with transparency, spatial fluidity, and the blending of public and private spaces.

[REFERENCING]

EYEBEAM MUSEUM SPATIAL/MATERIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Images: Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Spatial + Formal

Material

The Eyebeam Museum’s conception stemmed from

DS+R’s use of lightweight materials like glass, thin

a reaction to the Internet boom of the Early 2000s. In

metal, and thin concrete shells to allow the dual

order to accommodate the emerging fields of digital

ribbon to open the spatial arrangement. Flexible par-

art mediums, the structure prioritizes open space for

titions can be moved to tailor the space to whatever

exhibition and production of digital age contempo-

function might be needed at that time. This material

rary art for artists in residency. The arrangement of

use creates a open and transparent facade that links

spaces creates a continuous flow that can be easily

visual connections between spaces. Overall, there

reconfigured for various functions and spatial needs.

is a sense of both spatial release and encouraged

The museum uses ribbon strands to make floors and

interaction that manifests in the project.

circulation (platforms + ramps) that fluidly facilitate movement between levels. These ribbons form a

Behavioral

sort of structural spine that supports serial spaces,

The Eyebeam Museum behaves as a dynamic and

creating a hierarchy of interconnected rooms while

interactive structure that articulates hybridity and

maintaining openness for gallery/exhibition/perfor-

linkage between art, technology, engagement, and

mance/production spaces.

residency. Its disposition leans towards full disclosure, inviting public curiosity and interaction while screen-

Programmatic

ing certain intimate spaces like living quarters for

The programmatic layout of The Eyebeam Museum

artists in residency. The behavior of cross-contamina-

showcases an interdisciplinary approach to art and

tion is created by forcing resident artists and museum

includes a stack of exhibition spaces, workshops,

guests to cross paths to access their respective spaces.

and collaborative studios that facilitate a range

The project feels exuberant and expressive of the di-

of activities from art installations to educational

versity of program/spaces inside. Its behavior evolves

programs and public events. The sequence of spaces

over time—daylight enhances transparency and the

sets up a journey through the museum, starting from

feeling of openness while low levels of evening and

open gallery areas that can host diverse media and

nighttime illumination create an amplified sense of

performances, moving into more specialized spaces

shelter. The shifting interactions between interior and

like labs and studios for hands-on engagement. This

exterior along with the adaptability of spaces allow

design creates a sense of cross-contamination that

the museum to respond fluidly to changing activities.

challenges traditional museum formats by interweaving spaces and encouraging cross-programming.

[REFERENCING]

XING RESTAURANT LTL SUPPLEMENTS

Images: LTL Architects

Facts + Info

Origins

Firm: Lewis, Tsurumaki, Lewis (LTL)

LTL was founded in 1998 by Paul Lewis, Marc Tsuru-

Designers: Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, David J.

maki, David J. Lewis. The firm refocused their efforts

Lewis, Eric Samuels, Lucas Cascardo, Alex Terzich,

to primarily sustainable design, but also have a rich

Matthew Roman, Katherine Hearey, Adam Frampton

history of notable projects including “Park Tower”

Completed: 2005

(2004), “Dash Dogs” (2005), The Joseph D Jamail

Location: New York City, New York

Lecture Hall (2017), and The Arthouse at The Jones

Client: Michael Lagudis and Chow Down Manage-

Center (2010) - along with multiple highly influential

ment Inc.

publications like their books “Manual of Section” and “Manual of Biogenic House Sections,” and contribu-

Firm Beliefs LTL Architects consider spatial invention, material innovation, and collective experience to tie together architecture and urbanism. The firm’s goal is to make projects of clarity, innovation, and sustainability. Many of the firm’s projects engage with sustainable practice and adaptive reuse. They prioritize the user experience, exploring how space shapes social interactions and environmental relationships. They challenge traditional norms to create adaptable, context-responsive designs that enhance both function and aesthetic engagement.

tions to Pamphlet Architecture #21.

[REFERENCING]

XING RESTAURANT LTL SUPPLEMENTS

Images: LTL Architects

Spatial + Formal

Material

LTL’s design for the Xing Restaurant features spatial

Creative use of materials, such as textured surfaces,

and formal design ideas that emphasize a fluid, inter-

varied lighting and contrasting color zones enhance

connected, incremental experience based off of the

the sensory experience, making the restaurant dy-

concept of the “Exquisite Corpse” game - a collabora-

namic, inviting, and spatially interesting while accom-

tive game where players take turns contributing to a

modating a range of social interactions. Materials like

drawing on a sheet of paper, without seeing what the

textured wood and transparent glass create a balance

others have contributed. The arrangement includes

between openness and enclosure while allowing nat-

a continuous, open layout that changes as diners cir-

ural light to penetrate. The interior screening thickens

culate through the sequential thresholds of different

as diners move to the back for more private dining.

restaurant zones. The design uses solid volumes for

This innovative and dynamic materiality challenges

private dining, which contrast with transparent walls

typical palettes by changing materiality to evoke

that connect interior spaces to the exterior. Compres-

different experiences in one space.

sion and release are evident as diners transition from the intimate dining areas to more open communal

Behavioral

spaces, and the visual datum that runs the length

The Xing Restaurant by LTL behaves as a fluid, dynam-

of the restaurant enhances the feeling of evolving

ic space that plays with transparency and interaction.

spaces within a larger volume. The careful sequencing

Its disposition leans towards hybridity and linkage,

of spaces promotes a sense of discovery, inviting

connecting various zones (bar, communal dining,

guests to explore different zones while maintaining a

private booths). The use of glass and slatted materials

clear circulation path.

allows for moments of screening and disclosure, offering privacy while maintaining openness. The

Programmatic

restaurant’s theming is exuberant and busy, with its

Xing Restaurant’s programmatic design facilitates

behavior changing from day to night. Lighting plays

spatial versatility and diner interaction with a focus on

a role in shifting the atmosphere from casual daytime

diverse dining experiences. Spaces include intimate

dining to intimate evening experiences, and mate-

booths for better sense of privacy, communal tables

riality responds to spatial sequence transitions from

for shared meals, and a bar area that is completely

more public/open areas to private/enclosed zones.

open to encourage interaction. The layout sequentially links these spaces, guiding guests through varying atmospheres. LTL challenged traditional restaurant norms by segmenting program which creates dynamic interior materiality and experience to emphasize program zones and a sense of place inside.

[FORMING]

Forming is guided by ‘design by making,’ and connects previously defined statements to operational, material, hand modeled experiments - or ‘test nuggets’ - relevant to this speculative project’s physical properties and architectural behaviors/dispositions.

[FORMING]

ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION

Image: Systems Diagram, Tate Brock

The structure’s program was shuffled around and

streamer and audience (meaning, a somewhat

selectively rearranged to push the experiential

one-sided relationship with selectively exposed/ob-

Image: Exterior Render, Tate Brock

and spatial qualities inspired by the abstract social

scured perceptions between individuals or what the

behaviors and digital relationships influencing the

public are allowed to see).

Image: Material Test Nuggets [“Ghost Box,” & “Inflated Column”], Tate Brock

design process. The conglomerate of program, and their linking tendrils [tubes] that spread through the

These concepts are formally explored and challenged

structures interior, make up the architectural expres-

through moves like exposing the building systems’

sion for “Delicious Data” [a culinary research institute

pipework [inner-workings] as a way to break the bar-

for the “ingestion,” “absorption,” and “excretion”

rier between public and private space [public central

of data-encoded food crops]. Ultimately, all private

void vs. ‘private’ wrapping floors], and using mate-

program that wraps the central void serves the public

riality [transparency, exterior finishes, surface color,

access restaurant on the ground floor. Symbolically,

etc.] to integrate practical performance concerns and

the building exercises similar concepts found while

design agendas guiding the project.

researching twitch streaming, like viewership, playfulness/selectiveness with visual perception of a per-

Organizationally, leaning into the relationship

son or place, and the consumption of content. Twitch,

between public and private space and the interaction

of course, started as a platform for video game live

of people to content helped with spatial organization.

streaming, but has become a much broader platform for content creation. Twitch is geared towards sharing

Data is harvested from the antenna and hardwired

video content that is more “ordinary” and long

to the seed encoding laboratory. The data stored

duration in nature. Some streamers can even make

in plant matter is cycled through the greenhouse,

money off of streaming themselves sleep overnight,

test kitchen, and eventually restaurant. Among the

or with 24+ hour live streams following their daily

exposed systems, for example, the hot pink antenna

errands, chores, cooking, cleaning, etc.

cables hug the interior of the central tube structure and sprawl to areas of the building like the server

Looking into the audience-streamer relationship led

room, archive, and laboratory. Though some program

to questioning content consumption, the physical

crosses paths with other programmed spaces, there

location of data (due to the physical distance that

are often only a few colorful tendrils that break the

often exists between both parties), and the sort

frosted screen and hint towards the spatial relation-

of parasocial relationship that exists between the

ships on the structure’s interior.

Image: Tate Brock

[FORMING]

Image: Lower Level - Floor 5 Plans Tate Brock

URBAN EPISODES 01 Lab

—

The kitchen staff, laboring behind the frosted

Technicians encode plant matter (seeds) with data

glass screen, are only visible as silhouettes

harvested by the pink antenna that’s routed through

illuminated by the occasional flare up of a pan

the building.

to a customer on the other side. A slit window at waist level peels back the screen between

FIFTH FLOOR

02 Greenhouse

the realms or public and private and offers an

CO2 scrubbers mounted on the building’s facade

exchange between parties: the handing off of

inflate the pneumatic “backpack” greenhouse as

food from the kitchen to the customer. The goal

urban farmers harvest the food-crop.

of this visually unobscured, tactile moment was

—

FOURTH FLOOR

These scrubbers allow the greenhouse’s interior

to set the customer’s perception to questions

to maximize open space, allow for a constant

their relationship to content while occupying

stream of CO2 rich air, in a controlled environ-

the building and pick up on how it may effect

ment, to accelerate the plant’s growth rate,

the built world.

and create viewing platforms on the interior of

—

What happens behind the scenes? How large

the building that allow amplify the concept of

is the group of people/machine behind what is

viewership over ordinary tasks like gardening.

“served” to us and how tailored is the product? How is the spread of information interpreted

THIRD FLOOR

03 Test Kitchen

differently, and how much influence can some-

Culinary students, instructors, and kitchen staff exper-

one have on it’s journey? How do we feel about

iment with ways to prepare and serve data-encoded

simultaneous separation and connectivity in the

food. Certain data sets may require a low and slow

digital and real worlds?

preparation to untangle complexity/controversy while N

SECOND FLOOR

other encoded content may be intentionally dished

05 Dining Room

out raw, for example, depending on the nature of the

Diners, as do the harvested data and encoded plant

media inside the food.

matter/food items, make their progression down the core of the building. At the bottom of the expo

GROUND FLOOR

LOWER LEVEL

04 Expo Line

line ramp, a large space in the center of the atrium

As prospective diners pass by, peeking under the

contains tables for diners to “consume their content.”

hood of the restaurant’s 10th Ave face, screens on the food pickup window, or “expo line,” depict the

06 Archive

sequence of what data has been harvested, streamed

Finally, there is an archive with a showroom attached

through the building, placed in the food, and served

to the lower level dining room to collect and display

back out to the public.

the encoded seeds, harvested data, and their respective menus.

01 Lab

02 Greenhouse

03 Test Kitchen

04 PROSPECTIVE DINERS EYE THE MENU TO SEE WHAT CONTENT THE KITCHEN IS DISHING OUT

04 Expo

05 Dining Room

Research Booklet ARCH 373 - Stanley Studio - FA ‘24