Folding-architecture-sophia-vyzoviti.pdf

Folding Architecture

5. Foldingasa
MorphogeneticProcessin
ArchitecturalDesign
Foldingasagenerativeprocessinarchitecturaldesignis
essentiallyexperimental:agnostic,non-linearandbottomup.
Ourinterestliesonthemorphogeneticprocess,thesequence
oftransformationsthataffectthedesignobject.Considering
thisanopenanddynamicdevelopmentwherethedesign
evolveswithalternateperiodsofdisequilibrium,wecan
appreciatethefunctionoffoldingasadesigngeneratorby
phasetransitions,thatis,criticalthresholdswherequalitative
transformationsoccur.Cutofffromthecontinuumofthestudio
process,fourphasetransitionsarepresentedfurther
illustratingthecasewithavisualessay:matterandfunctions,
algorithms,spatial-structural-organizationaldiagramsand
architecturalprototypes.
8
Transition1.:MatterandFunctions
IvoryC.artoniisintroducedasquintessentialfoldablematerial
giventhepaper'sweightandstructuralcapacity.Thetaskisto
extensivelyexploretransformationsofasinglepapersurface
intoavolume,withoneconstraintonly,maintainingthe
continuityofthematerial.Thepaper'stransformativeorigins
aresimpleactions,intuitiveresponses,deliveredhereasalist
ofverbs;fold,press,crease,pleat,score,cut,pullup,rotate,
twist,revolve,wrap,pierce,hinge,knot,weave,compress,
unfold.Intheearlyfoldingperformances,wecanappreciate
thepaperfold 2asadiagraminDeleuzianterms,anabstract
machineknowingnothingofformsandsubstances;operating
purelybymatterandfunction3.Readingthepaperfoldasa
diagram,thatdoesnotrepresentbutratherconstitutesanew
typeofrealityintroducesarchitecturalresearchintoafieldof
actualization.
+
Transition2:Algorithms
Thepaperfoldisadynamicartefact,unstableandevolving.
Itbaresthetracesoftheactivitythatbringsitintobeing:
scores,.creasesorincisionsdrawninthesurfaceofthepaper.
Thepaperfoldunfolded,becomesamapofitsorigination
process.Repetitivepaperfoldingperformancesevolveinitial
intuitiveresponsesintoprimarytechniques:triangulation,
stressforming,stratificationoffolds,foldswithinfolds,or
patternslikestrips,splinecurves,spirals,ormeanders.
Manipulationofpapersurfaceinordertoproducevolume
constitutesacurriculumofactivity,aprogram.Paperfold
generativetransformationsarestructuredinsequences.
Weconsiderthesuccessionoftransformationsresultingtothe
paperfoldartefactasageneticalgorithmofform.Thetaskin
9

6. Transition3:Spatial,StructuralandOrganizationalDiagrams
Spaceemergesinthepaperfoldduringadynamicvolume
generationprocess.Thevoidboundedbetweenthefoldsofthe
papermanifestsacurvilinearformthatcannotbeexactly
defined.Likeitsdelimitingsurfacesitmanifestsincreased
continuitydespiteitsfragmentation.Mappingthepaperfoldas
aspatialdiagramrequiresanabstractionofspatialrelations.
Geometriccharacteristicsareinitiallyirrelevant.Topological
propertiesarecrucialtodescribethespaceemerginginthe
paperfoldartefact;proximity,separation,spatialsuccession,
enclosureandcontiguity.
Thetaskinthisphaseistoperceiveandconfigurethespace
betweenthefoldsasactualspace.Notyetasthevirtualform
ofapossiblebuildingorasanabstractgeometricspacebutas
spaceaccommodatinganabstractprogram.Asmoothspace,
thatneedstobeoccupiedinordertobecalculated.
Weintroducetheitineraryofahumanbody,asuccessionof
movementandstasisasabstractprogram.Accessibilityisthe
essentialoperation.Connectivityisconsequentialperformance.
LoopsandCrossingsareemergentspaceconcepts.
Giventheconsistencyofivorycarton,thecrease,thepleatand
thehingeacquirestructuralpropertiesinthepaperfold
artefact.Inthefoldingprocessofsurfacewarpingcreases
receiveanddistributetensionandcompression.Structural
patternsmostlyencounteredinthedevelopmentofpaper
foldingtechniquesaretriangulatedsurfacesofincreased
variabilit~.Thefishbone6isamajorstructuralpatternderiving
fromthedomainoforigamipaperfolding,aregularstructure
susceptibletomaximumvariability.
Paperfoldderivativeorganizationaldiagramsareentanglement,
interlacementandstratification.Serialvariationofstripshas
beenobservedasafoldingtechniquethatcanevolveintoan
organizationalsystem.Duetothewarpingofthesurface,the
dominanceoft)1eobliqueplaneisexpressedthroughaseries
betweenhorizontalandvertical.Blurredboundariesbetween
spacesindicateconstanttransformationsinconditionsof
enclosure.
thisphaseistodecipherthepaperfoldalgorithmasa
morphogeneticmechanism.Generativesequences,augmented
techniques,unfolding,transformationmappings,instructive
plansandinventoriesoftransformationaresubmittedhereas
definitionsofthepaperfoldalgorithm.Understandingand
developingthepaperfoldalgorithmtransgressesthesingularity
oftheobjectspawningaseriesofsimilarbutvarying
artefacts.Thisre-introducestheproblemofdocumentation,
requiringnotation4asasetofinstructionsthatincludetimeas
avariable.Thusthepaperfoldcanbeconsideredanevent,
definedbyLeibniz5asanextension,wheretheobjectexpands
intoaninfiniteseriesofvariabilitycontainingneitherafinal
termnoralimit.
Transition4:ArchitecturalPrototypes
Inadesigngenerativeprocessbyfolding,thearchitectural
objectisnotanaprioritargettobeachieved.Giventhe
educationalcontext,thespatial,structuralandorganizational
diagramsemergingintheprocessaredevelopedinto
architecturalprototypes.Thetaskhereistoattribute
architecturalpropertiestothediagramintroducingparameters
ofmaterial,programandcontext.Thuswecandefinehereas
architecturalprototypethespatial,structuralororganizational
diagramthathasacquired'architecturalsubstance'7.
10 11

7. Aconciseaccountoftheprototypesdevelopedinthestudio
courseillustratedhereincludesthewarpedsurfaceseries,the
wrappedinterior,theniche,intertwiningtubes,life-podsfor
urbannomads,theliving-workingmachine,thehollowdikeand
theurbancamping.Unlikedisjunctivenotionsofcross,trans,
ordis-programmings,attributingarchitecturalsubstancetothe
paperfolddiagramisaresearchprojectthatseeksreciprocity
betweenspatialproperties,organizationofprogramand
structure.Neverthelessthisreciprocitygoesbeyond
deterministicinterdependenceintoamultiplicityofpossible
associations.Throughtheevaluationoftheseprototypeswe
couldverifythediscursiveclaimoffoldinginarchitectureasa
strategythatmanagescomplexitybyintegrationofdisparate
elementsinto'aheterogeneousyetcontinuoussystem'g,
Footnotes
1IvorycartonisdirecttranslationfromtheDutchivairkartan;thin,robustbut
easytocutwhitepaperavailablefrom90to300g.
2Paperfaldisdefinedhereastheresultoftheprocessoffoldingpaper,the
productofafoldingperformance.
3TheargumentfordiagrammaticarchitecturecomesinaccordancetoDeleuze
&Guatarri'snotionofthediagrammaticbeinganintrinsicpropertyofthe
abstractmachine:'Wedefinetheabstractmachineastheaspectormoment
atwhichnothingbutfunctionsandmattersremain.Adiagramhasneither
substancenorform,neithercontentnorexpression.'FromAthousand
plateaus.capitalismandschizophrenia, translationBrianMassumi,
UniversityofMinnesotaPress,Minneapolis,
1987
4StanAilen,'mappingtheunmappable-onnotation' inPractice:architecture,
techniqueandrepresentation, CriticalVoicesinart,theoryandculture,
G+BArtsInternational,2000.
5GiilesDeleuze,Thefold,LeibnizandtheBaroque,trans.TomConley,
TheAthlonePress,London,1993
6Seealsopage18and138ofthispublication.Forfurtherreferenceconsult
OrigamiScienceandArt-ProceedingsoftheSecondInternationalMeeting
ofOrigamiScienceandScientificOrigami,Otsu,Japan,1994
7StanfordKwinter,'Thecomplexandthesingular'in
Architecturesof
Time-TowardsaTheoryoftheEventinModernistCulture,
TheMITPress,
CambridgeMassachusetts,
2001
8BernardTschumi,Architectureanddisjunction,
TheMITPress,Cambridge
Massachusetts,
1996 .
9GregLynn,'Architecturalcurvilinearity-thefolded,thepliantandthesupple'
in'FoldinginArchitecture',ArchitecturalDesign,vo1.63,AcademyEditions,
London,1993
SophiaVyzoviti,June2003
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69. 1
FoldingArchitecture,
ConciseGenealogyofthe
Practice
Foldingemergedasanarchitecturaldiscourseaspiringto
becomethenewarchitectureoftheendofthe20thcentury.
Intheperspectiveofaconcisegenealogywecanconsiderthe
ArchitecturalDesignProfile,guest-editedbyGregLynn,Folding
inArchitecture1itsearlymanifesto.Theissuereleasedin
1993comprisesananthologyofessaysandprojectsbya
groupofarchitectsseekinganalternativetothecontradictory
formallogicofDeconstructivism,andincludesamongothers
Cobb,Eisenman,Gehry,Kipnis,Lynn
andShirdel.Featuringanexcerptfrom
Deleuze's,atthattimerecentEnglish
translation,Thefold,Leibnizandthe
Baroque2;FoldinginArchitecture,
drawsphilosophicalsubstancefrom
theworkofDeleuze,aradical
understandingofLeibniz,employing
theBaroqueasatheoreticaltoolto
analyzecontemporaryartisticand
intel1ectualmovements.
SophiaVyzoviti
130
GregLynn,inhiscontributiontotheaboveissue,titled -
'Architecturalcurvilinearity-thefolded,thepliantandthe
supple',introducesfoldingasathirdarchitecturalresponseto
complexanddisparateculturalandformalcontexts,operating
neitherbyconflictandcontradictionasDeconstructionnorby
unityandreconstructionasNeo-Classicm,New-Modernismand
Regionalism.Etymologicallyrelatingcomplexitywithpliancy3,
thearchitectureofthefoldisconsideredacunningtacticfor
intensiveintegrationofdifferencewithinaheterogeneousyet
continuoussystem,workingbeyondadditionbysmooth
layering,aconceptdemonstratedwithanaloguesfromgeology
asmineralsedimentation,andculinarymixingtechniques.
Formsofviscosityandpliabilityareconsidereditsnew
instruments:formsthatarestickyandflexible,'wherethings
tendtoadhereto'.ForLynncurvilineariltyistheformal
languageof'pliantarchitecture'.Husserl'sunexactgeometries
areessentialforthecomprehensionofpliantforms:rigorous
geometriesthatincontrasttoexactgeometries,cannotbe
reproducedidentically,areirreducibletoaveragepointsor
dimensionsbutcanbedeterminedwithprecision.
AsaparadigmforgeometryofmultipleprobablerelationsLynn
introducesthesuppletopologicalsurfaceofReneThom's
catastrophegraph.
InThefold,LeibnizandtheBaroque4Deleuzesubmitsasetof
Baroquetraitsthatstretchingoutsideitshistoricallimitsare
contributingtotheappreciationofcontemporaryart.
Consideringthemcrucialfortheunderstandingoftheevolution
ofthediscourseonthefoldintoapracticeoffolding
architecturethesetraitsaresummarized:
131

70. 1.Thefold:theinfiniteworkinprocess,nothowtoconclude
buthowtocontinue,tobringtoinfinity.
2.Theinsideandtheoutside:theinfinitefoldseparatesor
movesbetweenmatterandsoul,thefacadeandtheclosed
room,theinsideandtheoutside.
3.Thehighandthelow:beingdividedintofolds,thefoldgreatly
expandsonbothsidesthusconnectingthehighandthelow.
4.Theunfold:notasthecontrarytothefoldbutasthe
continuationofthisact.
5.Textures:asresistanceofthematerial,thewayamaterial
isfoldedconstitutesitstexture.
6.Theparadigm:thefoldofthefabricmustnotconcealits
formalexpression.
Deleuzeregardsinflectionastheidealgenericelementofthe
variablecurveofthefold.QuotinghisstudentBernardCache,
hedefinesthepointofinflectionasan'intrinsicsingularity'
involvingthreetransformations:vectorial,projectiveandinfinite
variation.InthisframeCachearguesforanewdefinitionofthe
technologicalobject,the'objectile'asanevent-assumingplace
inacontinuumbyvariationwhereindustrialautomationor
serialmachineriesreplacestampedforms.Thisnewstatusof
theobjectnolongerreferstoaspatialmouldbuttoatemporal
modulationthatimpliesasmuchthebeginningsofa
_continuousvariationofmatterasacontinuousdevelopmentof
form.InEarthmoves:thefurnishingofterritories5,published
in
1995BernardCacheproposestore-definearchitectureasa
foldedpracticeofinteriorandexteriorrelationsandastheart
oftheframe.Cachesetstheconditionsforthenewin
architecturebythe'inflectionimage'focusingonfurnitureas
hingebetweengeography'andarchitecture.
132
Perhapsthemostinfluentialunexecutedprojectofthe90's
andprobablytheearliesttotranscribeDeleuziantraitsinan
architecturaldesignare2
BibliothequesatJussieu,Parisby
OMAin1993.Inthiscompetitionentryforthepubliclibraryon
theuniversitycampusfoldingisemployedbothasorganizational
diagramandaspatialdevicethatproducesdensity.Koolhaas
usesthemetaphorofthe'thesocialmagiccarpet'addressing
thecontinuousfloorsurfaceofthebuilding.Thefloorsslabs
areslopedtocoincidewiththesupercedingandunderlying
ones,producingacontinuouspath,'awarpedinterior
boulevardthatexposesandrelatesallprogrammaticelements'
thustransformingthelibraryexperienceintothatofanurban
landscape.Foldingasaspatialdeviceabolishesthe2.5-meter
humanoccupationheightconstraintwhileinstigatingafIaneurie
throughthelibraryinterior.InS,M,L,XL6thepaperfoldisnot
onlyillustratedasaconceptmodelbutalsointroducedintothe
practiceasanewarchitecturalstrategyandimagery.
Thedesignexemplifiesarchitectureneglectingtheideaofthe
facade,ratherconcentratingonthefloorasacatalystof
spatialconnectivityandsocialinteraction.
133

71. InvestigatingtheoriginsofJussieu'scontinuousslopedfloors
weshouldacknowledgeasprecedentsVirilio'sconceptsofthe
obliquegroundandhabitablecirculation.PaulVirilioand
ClaudeParent_publishedin
1966Architecture Principe,aseries
ofarchitecturalandurbanmanifestos.HereViriliodevelopsthe
theoryofthe'oblique
function',anangularplane
thatconstitutesthe'third
spatialpossibilityfor
architecture'subvertingthe
normsofhorizontaland
verticalorientedspace.
Theobliqueplaneis
consideredtheinstigatorof
atactilerelationship
betweenbuildingandbody
primarilyactivatedbydisequilibrium.Theobliqueisidealizedas
thefieldwherethecorruptedbythestaticarchitectureof
horizontal-verticalintensespatialperceptionisre-gained,bya
kindoferoticizationoftheground.'Architecturewillnolonger
bedominatedbythevisual,thefaQade,butwillrelatetothe
humanbodyasareceptivetotality'.Theobliqueplanealters
therelationshipofspaceandweight:gravityaffectsperception
since'theindividualwillalwaysbeinastateofresistance-
whetheracceleratingasgoingdownorslowingdownas
climbingup,whereaswhenonewalksonahorizontalplane
weightisnil'7.Virilioclaimstheoriginsofthetheoryofthe
obliqueinhischildhoodexplorations.Interiorsofupturnedor
tiltedbunkersonthecoastofNormandyprovidedhisfirst
experiencesof'unstablespaces'.Theobliqueplane,asthird
axisintheEuclideansystem,offerstheopportunityfor
habitablesurfaceandcirculationtobecomeonecontinuous
space.Theallocationofhumanactivitiesonsequencesof
obliquesurfaces,cannotbeexactlydefinedbutrequirea
geometryofmultipleprobablerelations,includingzonesof
predictabilityofactivitiesasinThom'scatastrophecurvesthat
areconstrainedbypercentageofinclinationandmaterial
texture.
Theobliqueplaneashabitablecirculationwillprovetobeone
ofthemostfertileconceptsintheevolutionofinnovative
Architectureinthenineties,admittedlyaprolificdecadein
respecttofolding.TheJussieulibraryprojectfertilizesthe
foldingdiscourseintoarchitecturalpractice,spawningaseries
ofsinglesurfaceprojectsinagenerationofarchitects
worldwide.ParticularlyintheNetherlandstheobliquefloor
acquirestectonicsubstanceinanumberofprojectsbecoming
asimulationofalandscape.Sinceanexhaustiveenumeration
ofsuchdesignswouldexceedthelimitsofaconcisesurvey-
onlyafewreferenceswillproceed.Thecontinuousslopped
surfaceevolveswithinOMA'spracticeintothefoldedfloor.
Kunsthall,Rotterdam1993,
comprisesaknotofpaths,
circulationspacesinvolving
differentkindsofmovement:
exhibitionvisitors,passers
byandvehicles.Thefolded
.concretefloormanifests
tectonicmasteryinthe
Educatorium,Utrecht1997,
acentralfacilitysharedby
thefacultiesofthe
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135

72. consistingofacontinuousstripunfoldinginlengthto110
meters.Bicyclescanbestalledonbothsidesofthetrack.The
architectsstatethatthedesignisbasedonaveryfunctional
storage:'Usingtheexistingheightdifferencealongthestation
squareof1,25metersasystemofslopes(3degrees)has
beencreatedonwhichthebicyclescanbestored.Redasphalt
willbelaidovertheslopeslikeacarpet.Shortcutsforgoing
updoexistinanumberofbicyclestairs,butundoubtedly
cyclists
willprefertogodownusingtheramp.Theexpression
ofthebuildingwillbemadebyanefficientdetailingand
materialchoice,butchieflybythesculpturalformofthe
slopes.'9Despitethis,thebuildinginitsperformanceappears
tobetransgressingtheinfrastructuralefficiencyofthebicycle-
storagetobecomeanewkindofpublicspaceanda
contemporaryiconforthecityofAmsterdam.Besidesthe
massofcommuters,
thebicycle-flathostsa
numberofothervisitors:
tourists,filmmakersand
bmx-freestylers,whose
presencesupports
Virilio'sclaimfor
inhabitablecirculationas
aninstigatorofsocial
interaction.
UniversityofUtrecht.DescribedbyBartLootsma'the
Educatoriumbringsaboutanentirelynewkindofspatial
experienceinwhichishardtotellwheretheexteriorendsand
theinteriorbegins.Passingthroughdoorswithoutnoticingthe
transition,onedoesnotobserveanystaircasesoreven
thresholds-visitorsglideintothebuilding.Onceinside,
movementisimperceptiblefromoneleveltoanother,even
thoughstaircasesarehereandthere,whereverticaldistance
tobebridgedissufficienttowarrantone.'
8
Ifweconsiderflowasaprerequisiteofacontinuoussurface,
thegarageaswellastheGuggenheimMuseumofModernArt
wouldqualifyasarchitecturalprototypesofinhabitable
circulation.Vehicularmovementasanoverridingarchitectural
programistheidealbriefforafoldedorganization.Avoiding
repeatedreferencetothecar,anotherparadigmoftheoblique
continuousplaneasasupersedingarchitecturalelementwould
bebicycleparking.Thebicycle-flator
fietsflatinDutchdesigned
byAmsterdambasedVMXArchitectsin
1998andcompleted
constructionin2001,
isconceivedasacontinuous-enfolded
--.:.-...::.sl ~ ~ ~~ ~~-~
"~,., ~ " ~- "~
--~ ~- ~
=-n~"'.
bicyclepath.Intheprocessofinfrastructureupgrading,the
Amsterdammunicipalitydecidedtofreetheentranceplazaof
itsCentralRailwayStationfromthemassofbicycles,by
installingtemporarystoragefor2500 bicycles.VMXarchitects
proposedathreelevelself-supporting,de-mountablestructure
Havingelaboratedonthecontinuousobliquesurface,amajor
featureoffoldingarchitecture,anewnotionwillbeexemplified
furtherthroughthefoldedtexture:thefabricrevealingitsform.
AreferencetotheworkofDiller+Scoffidioservesasanideal
introductionhere.
136 137

73. Intheir1995winninginternationalcompetitionentry,
YokohamaPortTerminal,architectsAlejandroZaera-Poloand
FarshidMoussavideliveredasinglesurfaceprototypewhere
foldingtraitspermeatedallscalesofthedesign.Theurban
proposalintroducedthecontinuousgroundasamechanismfor
thepenetrationofurbanspaceontheterminal'sroofandan
instigatorofapublicspaceattheinterfaceofterminal
functionsandcityevents.Ithasbeendescribedbythe
architectsas'...apublicspacethatwrapsaroundtheterminal,
neglectingitssymbolicpresenceasa
gate,de-codifyingtheritualsoftravel
andafunctionalstructurewhich
becomesthemouldofana-typological
publicspace,alandscapewithno
instructionsofoccupation'
11.
Thecruiseterminalprogram,consisting
ofabundleofdiffuseanddirected
movementincludingtheflowsof
citizens,passengers,visitors,vehicles
andluggage,isorganizedbythe
layeringandinterlacingofpaths.
Thebuilding'sformaldetermination
manifestsatopologicalsurface
conceptinsequencesofinclined
curvilinearspacesthataccomplish
smoothtransitionsbetween
programmaticelements.Thestructural
andconstructionprinciplesintensifytheoverridingspatial
conceptbyassigningtheorigamifoldedsteelplateasthe
structuralprinciplethusdemolishingthetraditionalseparation
betweenbuildingenvelopeandstructure.
InBadPressfoldingmaterializesasa
processresultinginthere-configuration
ofthemasculineshirtasacritiqueto
standardizationandasubversionofthe
constitutionofcontemporaryself-image.
Inthewinningcompetitionentryfor
Eyebeam,MuseumofArtand
TechnologyinNewYorklocompletedin
2002thefoldedstripisdeployedboth
asspatialandorganizationaldiagram.
ThenewEyebeambuildingwillhouseamuseumofartand
technology,artist-in-residencestudios,educationcenter,
multi-mediaclassrooms,state-of-the-artTheateranddigital
archive.Thefacilitywillprovideunprecedentedproductionand
exhibitionopportunitiesforartistsexploringnewmediain
video,filmandmovingimageart,OVOproduction,installation,
20/30digitalimaging,netartandsoundandperformanceart
forms.Thedoublefoldedstripdisplaysthebuildingsformal
determination;itprovidestheinterface
forthedigitalmediaspaceand
enclosesitssupportinginfrastructures.
ThepleatedsectionoftheEyebeam
buildingcomputes.Itisaplexusof
technologicalinfrastructuresandtheir
interfaces,intoanintelligent
architecturalsmoothlylayeredskin.
Thefinalreferenceinthissurveyembracesanemergent
architecturalparadigmofafoldedorganization,consideringthe
projectsscaleandinfluence:thePortTerminalatYokohama
OsanbashiPier,completedin
2002byForeignOfficeArchitects.
138 139

74. Duringthesevenyearsimplementationperiodoftheproject
thestresshasshiftedtowardsresearchbasedconstruction
pragmatics.AsAlejandroZaera-Polostates'thestructural
developmentoftheprojecthasbecomethemainsourceof
ideasforitsimplementationandatrailofdiscoverythat
reachesfarbeyondtheimagesthathavebecomethebetter
knownsideoftheproject'12.Researchonengineering
processesindifferentlevelswasconductedincollaboration
withJapanbasedSGDengineers.Aseriesofalternative
structuralprototypeswheredevelopedbeforeresolvingtothe
combinationofgirdersandafoldedplatestructure.Anorigami
archetype,thefishbonepatternistheoriginofthefoldedplate
visibleontheroofoftheterminal'shalls.Origamistructurecan
beappreciatedasregionalreferencesupporting'theintroduction
ofcontextasaprocessofmaterialorganizationratherthan
image'.Eventhoughthefishbonecomprisesaregulargeneric
structure,everyunitinthespecificfoldedplateisdifferentiated.
Followingtheterminal'sgeometricguidelinesthatare
themselvesinflected;thegeometryofthepatternistangential
tothecirclesregulatingthecomplexcurvilineargirders,
constantlyvaryinginalesserdegree.Thusthestructural
patternextendsthroughaninfiniteseriesofvariability.
Inconclusion,FoldingArchitecture-ConciseGenealogyofthe
Practicehasregisteredtheeffectofthediscourseofthefold
inthepracticeofarchitecturefocusingonasmallnumberof
landmarkprojectsthathaveessentiallycontributedtoits
evolutioninthe10yearsfollowing1993.Thepurposeofthis
surveywastogroundthestudioresearchFoldingasa
MorphogeneticProcessinArchitecturalDesigninatheoretic
andprofessionalframework.
Thisgenealogyhas,however,omittedalineofworkintersecting
Deleuziandiscursivetraitswithcomputergenerateddesign,
narrowingtheperspectivetoendof20thcenturytechniques.
Giventheopportunityofanextensivesurveyanupdateonthe
recentworkofBernardCacheandGreg,Lynnwouldbe
fundamental.
ThetraitsintroducedbyDeleuzestimulatedthethinkingofa
generationofarchitects.Consequentlythefoldhasacquired
architecturalsubstance,manifestedtectonicpropertiesand
canbedeliverednowasdesignknowledge.Theattributesof
thenewarchitecturalobjectemergentinthere-definitionofthe
practicearecontendedbelowinasetofpropositions:
1.Extension:theobjectasaninfiniteseries,serialvariability
2.Multiplicity:theobjectasaplexusofelements,potential
interactivity
3.Curviliniarity:inflection,obliqueness,warpingofsurfaces
andnonEuclideangeometries
-
4.Stratification:layeringandinterfacingbetweencontradicting
architecturalfactors
5.Continuity:topologicalpropertiesofsurfacesand
organizationalprinciples
6.Fluidity:interlacementofboundaries,fuzzydemarcations
andzonesofprobability
140
141

75. BywhichIcansubmitthefold,Deleuzeandthere-definitionof
thepractice,asanalternativetitlewhichmayfurtherthe
researchpresentedinthisessayFoldingArchitecture-Concise
GenealogyofthePractice.Giventhefactthatanewgeneration
ofarchitectsisbeingeducatedonthefoundationofthis
discoursewecanonlyexpectanevenmorerigorousand
innovativeperformanceinthefuture. Footnotes
1'FoldinginArchitecture',ArchitecturalDesign,vol.63.,~ Edtions,
London,1993
2GillesDeleuze,Thefold',LeibnizandtheBaroque.tJ<R;..KIf'"Coniey,
TheAthlonePress,London,1993,Originallypublishedrfi'enct'as
LePIi:LeibnizetIebaroque,1988
3ibid.'FoldinginArchitecture',GregLynn,'ArchitecturalaniIneari)-
thefolded,thepliantandthesupple'
'Theunforeseenconnectionspossiblebetweendifferentia;;edsiresandalien
programsrequireconciliatory,complicit,pliant,flexiblear-Gra-~
tactics.Presentlynumerousarchitectsareinvolvedwiththe~,
discontinuitiesanddifferencesinherentwithinanyculturaLandphysEaI
contextbyaligningformalflexibilitywitheconomic,prograrnrJaOicand
structuralpliancy,Amultipleofplibasedwords-folded.plant,~
flexible,plaited,pleated,placating,complicitous,compliar.t,
~
complicated,complexandmultiplicitoustonameafew-callbeem:::aIill
describethisemergingurbansensibilityofintensiveconnectiIx-.s,:~
4Ibid,GillesDeleuze,Thefold,LeibnizandtheBaroque
5BernardCache,Earthmoves:thefurnishingofterritories,trans..
AnneBoyman,ed,MichaelSpeaks,MassachusettsInstitute
ofT~
1995
6RemKoolhaas&BruceMau,S,M,L,XL,010publishers,Rotterdam,1.995
7EnriqueLimon,aninterviewwithPaulVirilio,'PaulVirilioandtheObrKl'Je'.
inSitesandStations
-ProvisionalUtopias, S,AllenandK.Parkeds..
LusitaniaPress,NewYork,1995
8BartLootsma,SUPERDUTCH,ThamesandHudson,London,2000
9'Freshfacts',NetherlandsArchitectureInstitute,Rotterdam, 2002
10www.eyebeam.orgjmuseumjarch.html
11ForeignOfficeArchitects -'YokohamaInternationalPortTerminal',
AAFilesno,29,London,1995
12AlejandroZaera-Polo,'Rollercoasterconstruction',
verb_architectureboogazine,Actar,Barcelona,2001
Iii
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142
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