Designing for uncertainty : novel shapes and behaviors using scissor-pair transformable structures

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2009.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Pages 98-99 blank.Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-97).Much current research in design and computation, within an architectural framework, aims to reduce uncertainty as much as possible. The general belief is that, during the conceptual design process, the certainty about the outcome to be brought into being is achieved by analyzing clients' stated needs, construction and structural requirements and environmental performance. Likewise, this approach is based on descriptions and assumptions about the life of the building, which consider future situations as certain, invariable and in a particular moment in time. However, is it possible to analyze the requirements and the performance of something we have not imagined yet? And, moreover, even if it was possible, are we able to know the future needs, requirements and performance of that something during its life? Even though the analytical approach has been a great contribution to architectural practice and education, uncertainty has not been reduced and remains an unacknowledged factor, that contrary to common belief is actually one of the most important and unavoidable factors which foster innovative and creative design. The vision here is that an alternative approach is needed: a method that acknowledges and uses uncertainty, instead of trying to reduce it. The hypothesis is that both uncertainties, the discovery of the unknown during design conception and the unexpected change during the life of a building, can be merged in a novel method that fosters Designing for Uncertainty in architectural design and practice.(cont.) This research presents a novel method to Design for Uncertainty, along with an empirical experiment that explores the generation of uncertain shapes and behaviors using Scissor -pair Transformable Structures. While, the method proposes general directions to be applied across a range of different types of design projects, the experiment shows a specific application involving the conceptual design and physical implementation of Scissor-pair Transformable Structures. The method leverages uncertainty in a synergetic and continuous process from design conception to the life of the building, which is then materialized through transformable structures able to re-define themselves through time.by Daniel Rosenberg.S.M

Transformational design : a mindful practice for experience-driven design

Thesis: Ph. D. in Architecture: Design and Computation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-301).After our initial hype over the digital revolution, we are realizing that interactive technologies, such as personal computers, smartphones, and tablets, are changing our daily experiences exponentially, without necessarily improving the way we live. Although contemporary design practitioners are increasingly interested is a more human-centered design, they objectify the experiences of the people they are designing for by not considering their own experiences during the design process. As a result, these designers do not have the means to observe, talk and reflect about the implications that their design practices and products have on their own experience and that of others. I propose a radical alternative to contemporary practices conceiving and developing new interactive technologies. I call this Transformational Design-a mindful, hands-on, and collaborative practice that allows designers to bring forth their own experiences within their creative process (designer's experience) and then talk and think about the experiences of others (user's experience) in terms of what they have directly experienced. This practice combines Mindfulness practice (Vipassana) with exploratory design (Shape Grammars) using interactive materials, including sensors, microcontrollers, and effectors. In this dissertation, I present the foundations of Transformational Design, including the conceptual guidelines-a vocabulary and models-along with the exercises to apply them in practice. In these exercises, participants express their experiences and design by putting together interactive and recycled materials. They also play as users and designers, exchanging their expressions and products, and then observing one another. I built this practice by simultaneously conceiving the foundations and exploring them in workshops with many others. In total, I conducted 14 workshops with 188 participants in Chile, India, and the US. I have found that with Transformational Design, participants can become mindful, and then express their experiences as a construction: can bring forth new experiences by engaging with their designs in ways they have not done before; and can begin reflecting on how these experiences change the lives of others in ways they could not have predicted. It is my hope that this practice will pave a meaningful alternative path, one that designers can use to begin reflecting as they are putting together new technologies, for themselves and others.by Daniel Rosenberg.Ph. D. in Architecture: Design and Computatio