AADRL Architectural Association Design Research Lab

Interview with AADRL Course Master Shajay Bhooshan

EP 2 | ArchiTech Office Tours | Zaha Hadid Architects Join us on our first ArchiTech Office Tour where we go a tour around prominent offices and sit down and talk with the tech people behind the scenes of the pr...

Schumacher Studio 2023-2024
Studio: Patrik Schumacher
Tutors: Jose Pareja, Aswin Shah
Team: Yuhang Liu, Yuanming Wang, Yingxin Chen, Ning Xu

The dynamic self-organising principles of the emerging post-Fordist network society - variation, flexible specialisation, and networking - make modernist urbanism (zoning) and modernist architecture (continuous monotony) no longer conducive to stimulating the creative energy and productivity of multiple collaborations. We need a complex, legible urban design strategy beyond collage city, that adapts to the multi-species-ecology, with a certain global order.

In the urban scale design phase, our concentration is on the formal composition of a complex and varied order. Each Layer or subsystem is differentiated through progressive transformation, with layers interpenetrating/overlapping interrelated/interdependent. In our programme M.E.L.T., we are inspired by the physical process and resulting properties of the twirled fabric. With the impression of integrating multiple human activities to form new multifunctional hybrid spaces, while these hotspots interfere with each other, we place the twirl surface with four twirl centres into our Y-shape branching form linear site. Furthermore, the marching cubes algorithm is used to form a three-dimensional twirl skin grid. This "twirl skin" will be a second level of the ground surface in the district, which separately introduces pedestrian and vehicle flows vertically. It leaves most of the landscape, pedestrian walks, and outdoor activities above this skin, and the retail, service podiums, and vehicle paths below it. This skin connects to the bridge deck, forming an efficient connection to activate the communication between the north and south banks while forming multi-level functional spaces and activity platforms, providing more possibilities for accommodating the diversity of urban life.

In the architectural scale design phase, we hope that the detailed articulation of the building façade will reinforce the order of the global cityscape, which we call “deep relationality”. Every architectural element and feature supports urban scale concepts and differentiation. From form to programme, every functional use is implied by a corresponding façade language. The functional differentiation and mixing of the buildings vertically drive the variation and fusion of these façade languages, enhancing the orientation of the global form and the urban legibility at multiple levels. M.E.L.T. forms a vertically interpenetrating and active urban space. It aims to integrate functions (Merge), radiate the surrounding area, soften the boundary of the area (Erosion), connect linearly and efficiently (Linear), and guide the activities of the crowd (Twirl).

AADRL M.E.L.T. – Schumacher Studio – Y. Liu, Y. Wang, Y. Che & N. Xu Schumacher Studio 2023-2024Studio: Patrik SchumacherTutors: Jose Pareja, Aswin ShahTeam: Yuhang Liu, Yuanming Wang, Yingxin Chen, Ning XuThe dynamic self-org...

Bhooshan Studio 2023-2024
Studio: Shajay Bhooshan
Tutors: Henry Louth, Keerti Manney
Team: Aria Torabi Nejad Karmani, Karan Kaushikkumar Lotwala, Shubham Sharad Kale, Krish Rajesh Nasta

In the evolution of society, cities stand as pivotal hubs driving progress, demanding continuous design innovation to captivate inhabitants and foster vibrant urban living. The motivation behind design research for Meta Cities revolves around crafting a blueprint to promote cities' growth through high-density infill developments by creating socially engaging urban spaces. This blueprint essentially serves as a prototype for city expansion, integrating innovative design frameworks to redefine urban forms.

Although, megacities have extensive transit networks, much of the land adjacent to these massive transport systems remains underutilized, this presents an opportunity to expand urban areas through high-density infill projects, tailoring urban models and attracting a younger demographic at the same time. Our designs aspire to offer an interactive lifestyle embedded with hyperconnectivity. To explore this vision, London serves as our experimental ground, with the goal of doubling city's population and economy within next 25 years.

As Research on urban design led to the understanding of the direct link between land use and citizen satisfaction, it becomes evident that a diverse and efficient mix of land utilization is vital for a thriving city. This comprehension forms foundational design principles, translating into architectural and urban systems spanning various city locations. These emergent systems are designed to provide highly programmed, mutually beneficial mixed-development conditions, aiming for economic maximization for both the city and its residents.

The development of these prototype district scenarios involves input from key stakeholder communities and undergoes evaluation through a sophisticated land-use and growth simulation. Drawing insights from city-building game engines, this simulation serves as a prototype system, deriving a foundational template that acts as a catalyst for propelling urban growth. Ultimately, the design initiatives behind Meta Cities aim to reignite population and economic dynamics while reshaping urban forms.

AADRL META LONDON – Bhooshan Studio – A. Torabi, K. Lotwala, S. Kale & K. Nasta Bhooshan Studio 2023-2024Studio: Shajay BhooshanTutors: Henry Louth, Keerti ManneyTeam: Aria Torabi Nejad Karmani, Karan Kaushikkumar Lotwala, Shubham Sharad...

Spyropoulos Studio 2023-2024
Studio: Theodore Spyropoulos
Tutors: Apostolos Despotidis, Octavian Mihai Gheorghiu, Hanjun Kim
Team: Mattia Badiani, Ipek Duzova, Natalie Jablonski, Eugenio Tenaglia

In a world where water scarcity is a dangerously accelerating threat, Aéro aims to find a solution in the sky, by harvesting the water in the atmosphere. Inspired by the fascinating natural behavior observed in spiders that is deployed as a strategy to fly called ballooning, Aéro investigates ways to take flight using less energy and resources as opposed to the current understanding of flight heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

To alleviate the challenges posed by water scarcity, water collection practices offer promising potential. These strategies involve capturing, storing, and distributing water for various purposes, which promotes self-sufficiency and resilience, reducing the dependence on overburdened freshwater sources by using an alternative water supply. Most water collection strategies involve the management of existing water resources, such as surface water bodies, groundwater, or rainwater. However, in regions receiving poor precipitation, none of these options are readily available. Improving from the designs of fog catchers in arid regions that receive limited rainfall such as the Atacama Desert, Aéro explores the potential of a new water source – the invisible, yet abundant, resource that spans the globe: the atmosphere. Aéro aims to generate an innovative water infrastructure system that harvests the water in the atmosphere by using atmospheric fog as an essential resource.

Since Aéro aspires to harvest water from the atmosphere, our prototype has gradually detached from the ground, becoming lighter than air. This aerial approach not only granted us a higher degree of freedom but also enabled navigating various atmospheric levels, thus optimizing our water harvesting capabilities. The potential applications of the project developed into multiple possibilities, including becoming a local, adaptable supplier of collecting and distributing water wherever it is needed.

AADRL AÉRO – Spyropoulos Studio - M. Badiani, I. Duzova, N. Jablonski & E. Tenaglia Spyropoulos Studio 2023-2024Studio: Theodore SpyropoulosTutors: Apostolos Despotidis, Octavian Mihai Gheorghiu, Hanjun KimTeam: Mattia Badiani, Ipek Duzova, ...

Angius Studio 2023-2024
Studio: Pierandrea Angius
Tutors: Tina Tsagkaratou, Angel Tenorio
Team: Soravis Nawbhanich, Shengying Tao, Ata Yuksel & Anna Kondrashova

Autoflux embodies two key concepts, the idea of a responsive mechanical system and of being in a state of constant change. Our project tackles urban flooding at the inhabitable scale, enabling a symbiotic relationship between flood zones and the urban population that they impact. Autoflux reclaims parts of today’s cities that are currently at risk of submersion. We refer to this reciprocal relationship, and the act of purposefully occupying these regions, as Aquatic Urbanism, whereby the architecture not only resists the flooding but thrives and is fuelled by it. The objective is not to prevent or inhibit geological events, but rather to learn to exist in a symbiosis with them, to design new kinds of strategies for life with - and not disrupted by - the instability of susceptible environments.

Our intended site is the Okayama Prefecture in Japan, particularly the city of Kurashiki, which suffered a disastrous flood in 2018, and is still in search of solutions to prevent another event of this severity. Testing this specific site helped us explore our project’s capability of resisting both seasonal flooding, as well as the more instantaneous catastrophic flash flooding.

Inspired by the mass-producibility and nomadism of the automotive industry, one of the goals for Autoflux is to create an architecture that gives the occupant freedom to relocate and/or aggregate, on a need-basis. At a time of radical advances in both design and fabrication, from both the nautical and automotive industry, our focus is on material efficiency, resourceful fabrication, structural innovation, resilient form, minimal space and mass producibility.

Our ultimate thesis aim is to envision a new generation of architecture with the capacity to move, transform and evolve, responding to rapidly changing and increasingly volatile global environmental conditions. Autoflux anticipates resilient architectural strategies that can help us not only combat, but thrive in the extreme environmental conditions.

AADRL AUTOFLUX – Angius Studio – S. Nawbhanich, S. Tao, A. Yuksel & A. Kondrashova Angius Studio 2023-2024Studio: Pierandrea AngiusTutors: Tina Tsagkaratou, Angel TenorioTeam: Soravis Nawbhanich, Shengying Tao, Ata Yuksel & Anna Kondrashova...

From the lecture archive:
Publication: Adaptive Ecologies: Correlated Systems of Living
Lecture date: 2013-10-11

Theodore Spyropoulos - Adaptive Ecologies Lecture date: 2013-10-11Architecture finds itself having to cope with new social and cultural complexities that demand systems that are open, adaptive and pa...

From the lecture archive:
Publication: AD Parametricisim 2.0
Lecture date: 2016-04-29

Rethinking Architecture’s Agenda for the 21st Century: Launch of AD Parametricism 2.0 - Part 1 Lecture date: 2016-04-29Architecture, urbanism and all design disciplines are challenged by the diversity, complexity and dynamism of contemporary urban life...

autoflux resilient aquatic units shapeshift between emergency and living states Envisioning Adaptive Architecture for Environmental Resilience AutoFlux, a thesis research project from the Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association, envisions an architecture that adapts to environmental crises and contemporary living needs. The design draws from nautical and au....

Our AADRL 2023-2024 Phase 2 Thesis Reviews go online in a playlist that features all presentations and conversations over the two days. My thanks to Thomas Parkes and his team in the media department for editing this and making this available to everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI1nDzeohfnmv2gcneqzCGcYYFVg_-tA8