Week 7

“Architecture and the virtual , towards a new materiality by Antoine Picon analyses what the inherent effect of digital technology will have towards materiality in architecture. One point that is continuously brought up is the stark differences in visualising the material process due the technical differences between web based design and traditional architecture representation. For instance when an individual is visualising forms in their mind, when they go to represent them in physical form the two different mediums (digital and analog) have inherently different visual characteristics. Although we can never truly experience a building until it has been constructed, the initial  material visualisation steps become crucial to get a better understanding of the building itself. Therefore the difference between digital representation and analog and how they progress will continue to have an influence on architecture as a whole. The second reading for this week, Self-Organization and material constructions explore the use of biological process in the construction of architecture. For example by observing how cellular forms work in nature and the strength it provides for those objects  i,e bones and wood, Architects can then use this information and apply these methods to real life projects. Throughout the text the underlying theme  trying to be conveyed is the ever increasing bridge between the natural and  the manufactured. With the constant implementation of new techniques such as the use of cellular construction and the reliableness of existing organic materials such as kevlar and ceramics. The possibilities for the implementation of theses techniques will of great importance from a form, material and a structural standpoint.