Architectural Exaptation

ISBN-13: 9781032358031 / Twarda / 2024 / 256 str.

Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez

Opis

Architectural Exaptation focuses on the significance and the originality of the study of exaptation. It presents exaptation as an opportunity to extend architectural design towards more sustainable approaches.

Spis treści

List of figures

Preface by Fabio Finotti

Acknowledgements

1.     Architectural Exaptation

1.1. Reimagining Architecture: Exploring Exaptation and Ecological Perspectives in Design

1.2. Exploring the Untapped Connections: Evolutionary Biology and Architecture Beyond Biomimicry

1.3. Exaptation: Uncovering Evolutionary Pathways in Human Behaviour

1.4. Rethinking Form and Function: Exploring Exaptation in Evolution and Architecture

1.5. Challenging Determinism: Expect the Unexpected

1.6. The perfect storm

2.     Exaptation: the interplay between forms and functions

2.1. 1978, London, Royal Society…

2.2. Adaptation: a slippery concept

2.3. The notion of exaptation, or functional co-optation

2.4. Exaptation as the transformation of possible

2.5. Exaptation as survival of the most flexible

2.6. Exaptation as structural side effect

2.7. Going to the stake for exaptation: the spandrels of San Marc

2.8. Exaptation in human evolution

3.     Morphospace: The Possible Is Greater Than The Real

3.1. The protein library

3.2. All the animals in the world

3.3. Clusters and empty regions

3.4. Four hypotheses for the mystery of the unexplored areas of morphospace

3.5. The possible adjacent

3.6. Exaptive explorations

4.     Back to the Future

4.1. Time matters

4.2. An Architectural Niche: constraints as designers

4.3. Exploring the Influence of Obsolete Evolutionary Theories on Architecture: A Perspective on Urban Development and Recapitulation

4.4. Critiquing the Concepts of Recapitulation, Ontogenesis, and Phylogenesis: Flaws and Negative Impacts

4.5. The use of the term Recapitulation in Architecture and Historical Connections

4.6. Recapitulation City

5.     Redefining Architecture: Towards a Taxonomy of Exaptation

5.1. Embracing Non-Deterministic Design and Functional Repurposing

5.2. Spandrel: The Missing Link between Biology and Architecture

5.3. Chicken-Egg

5.4. Architecture as a Fusion of Adaptation and Exaptation

6.     Dynamic Adaptation: Shifting Functions in Architecture across Time and Contexts

6.1. The Fluidity of Architecture: Exploring Functional Adaptation and Exaptation in Built Environments

6.2. The Adaptive Transformation of Architecture: Exploring Change of Use in Response to Emerging Needs and Crises

6.3. Layers of Exaptation in Architectural History

7.     Göbekli Tepe: Challenging Narratives and Rethinking Architecture History

7.1. Shaping Human History through Narratives

7.2. Exploring the Creative Nature of Ancient Constructions

7.3. Purpose and Complexity through Interdisciplinary Perspectives

7.4. Exploring Alternative Pathways

7.5. The Functional Relationship Between Beauty and Evolutionary Functionality in Architecture

8.     Learning from History: The Case of Venice

8.1. Exaptation and Resilience in Architecture: Overcoming Inertial Persistence

8.1.1. Rethinking the Perception of the Medieval City in Architecture

8.2. A thousand Venices

8.2.1. Venice: an exaptation continuum

8.2.2.  A fertile terrain for exaptation

8.2.3. Exaptation in Venice

8.3. From Venice to Florence: Mannerism and the decolonisation of order in architecture

8.4. The Functional Relationship Between Beauty and Evolutionary Functionality in Architecture

9.    Romantic Architecture as a manifestation of exaptation: the case of Alessandro Gherardesca

9.1. Architectural Exaptation for a New State

9.2. Enlightenment: an extended architectural taxonomy

9.3. Historicism as an Ideological Re-functionalization

9.4. The project for the Piazza del Duomo

9.5. The Leaning Tower: a serendipitous imperfection

9.6. The Completion of the Piazza del Duomo Transformation

9.7. The imitation of nature in Gherardesca’s writings 

9.8. Stylistic redundancy in Gherardesca’s practice

9.9. Enlightenment Cultural Circle as neuronal network

10.  Unveiling Anomalies: Austrian Radicals as a Case Study in Architectural Exaptation 

10.1. Austrian Radicals and Architectural Exaptation in Discourse

10.2. Everything is Architecture

10.3. Exploring Archetypes: The Convergence of Functions in Spandrels and Arche'

10.4. The Opposition to Rationalist Reductionism

10.5. Aldo Rossi and Raimund Abraham's Fascination with Subterranean Archetypes

10.6. Hans Hollein: Transdisciplinarity and Techno-Landscapes

10.7. Austrian and Italian Radicals

10.8. Design Functional Cooptation: Photomontage and Non-Deterministic Approaches  

10.9. Haus-Rucker Co's Anticipation of Architectural Exaptation

10.10. Biological Architecture: Günther Domenig's Anticipatory Path

11.  Temporary Appropriation and the exaptation of the urban space

11.1. Exploring Urban Dynamics: Temporary Appropriation and Architectural Exaptation

11.2. Unveiling the Urban Phenomenon: Temporary Appropriation and Creative Architectural Exaptation

11.3. Exploring the Role of Creativity and Architectural Exaptation in Human Development 

11.4. Embracing Associative Thinking and informal Design for Creative Resilience

12.  Architectural exaptation and Informality

12.1. Urban Informality

12.2. Informal Settlements

12.3. Informality as an opportunity

12.4. Informal architecture

12.5. Informal architecture and Exaptation

12.6. Insights for the development of a new architectural taxonomy 

12.7. A conclusive note

13.  The Necessity of Diversity in Architecture: Case Studies

13.1. A Critique of Linear Progression and the Importance of Alternative Perspectives through significant case studies

13.2. Embracing Diversity: Exploring its Role as a Catalyst for Exaptation in Architecture through Practice-Based Methods and Case Studies

13.3. Beyond Design Intent: The Crawford Hill Antenna's Architectural Serendipity and Cosmic Revelation  

13.4. The Depot: Exploring Unconventional Spaces and Unforeseen Connections  

13.5. The Polo della Memoria SR1938 project: Embracing the female perspective

13.6. Universo Espanso 9: Architectural Exaptation and the Fusion of Art and Space

13.7. Reimagined Residuum: A Spandrel-inspired Installation Celebrating No Waste Design

13.8. Exploring Architectural Exaptation: Sustainable Design and Innovative Technology in the Cyberwall Installations

13.9. Spandrel and Genoma at La Biennale di Venezia 2021: A Multidisciplinary Exploration of Sustainable Architecture

13.10. Symbiotic Visions: The Living Canvas of 'The Black Box'

13.11. Exploring Architectural Exaptation and Functional Cooptation at Italian Embassy's Republic Day Celebrations

14.  The Art is a Spandrel: Drawings as a Manifestation of Exaptation  

14.1. The Birth of Drawing

14.2. Hand Stencils and Handprints

14.3. Drawing Diversity

14.4. Exaptive Drawings

14.5. Against Order and Authoritarianism

14.6. Heterarchy and Political Aspirations

14.7. Towards Surgical Architecture

14.8. Freespace

14.9. A propaedeutic work

14.10. Contribution to Alternative Paradigms

14.11. Rediscovering Giovanni Michelucci’s Variable City

14.12. Michelucci and history

14.13. Drawings inspired by Biological Matter

15.  Artificial Intelligence as an Exaptive Design Dimension 

15.1. Artificial Intelligence: Origins, Development, Significance, and Impact

15.2. Understanding the Mechanics of Artificial Intelligence  

15.3. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Creativity and the Arts

15.4. AI Design

15.5. The Paroxysmal Option for Collective Creativity 

15.6. Exploring the uncharted design

15.7. Two Acrobat

15.8. Padiglione della Scienza: Embracing Architecture Exaptation for Italy's Technological Showcase

15.9. Exaptation Synergy: Unleashing Poetic Creativity through AI-Driven Image Generation and 3D Fabrication 

15.10. Sustainability Transformed through Multilayered Exaptation: Peccioli's Landfill Renewed through AI and Morphing 

15.11. Reflections and conclusion

16.  Italian Pavilion 2021 at La Biennale Venezia 2021: Embracing Complexity and Darkness 

16.1. Architectural exaptation observed through the manifestation of darkness and disorder

16.2. Johannes Kepler: “Nature uses as little as possible of anything” 

16.3. Dark Architecture: "We can't solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." 

16.4. Against the confines of the white box

16.5. We are creatures of the night who fear the darkness

16.6. Challenging the notion of order and rejecting authoritarianism 

16.7. Conclusion: Redefining Architecture Education and Challenging Authoritarianism 

17.  Conclusion: Unlocking Architectural Evolution, Embracing Exaptation and Adaptive Spandrels

17.1. From Ruins to Resources: Embracing Exaptation in Architecture and Urban Planning

17.2. Exaptation: Unveiling Nature's Design Secrets and Architectural Potential

17.3. From Ruin to Spandrel: Embracing the Potential of Architectural Evolution

17.4. Rethinking Urban Evolution: From Determinism to Adaptive Spandrel Cities 

Epilogue by Edgardo Bolio Arceo

Index

O autorze

Alessandro Melis (PhD, ARB, RIBA, AoU, AIA and UK HEA Fellow), holds the distinguished position of the first Endowed Chair Professor at the New York Institute of Technology. He served as the curator of the Italian Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia in 2021 and was honoured as an ambassador of Italian Design in 2020-2022 (ADI, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Prof Melis has made significant contributions to the field of research, which is evidenced by over 200 publications, numerous citations in reputable publications, and his keynote speeches at institutions such as the University of Cambridge, MoMA New York, the China Academy of Art, the Italian Institute of Culture in London and New York, Italian Trade Agency, and TEDx. Alessandro Melis is the founding director of Heliopolis 21, an international architecture firm based in Italy, England, United States, Germany and Mexico.

 

Telmo Pievani is a Full Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Padua, where he covers the first Italian chair of the Philosophy of Biological Sciences. He also teaches Bioethics and Science Communication. Since October 2016, he is the Rector’s Delegate for Institutional Communication, University of Padua. He is Fellow of several academic Institutions and scientific societies: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Class of Sciences, Venice; Turin Academy of Sciences, Class of Biological Sciences; Accademia Olimpica in Vicenza, Class of Sciences and Technique; “Umberto Veronesi” Foundation for the Progress of Sciences, Milan; Istituto Italiano di Antropologia, Steering Board, Rome. He is a member of the editorial boards of Evolution: Education and Outreach, Evolutionary Biology, ndiconti Lincei Sc. Fis. Nat., Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, and Le Scienze, the Italian edition of Scientific American. He is the author of 256 registered publications.

 

Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez (PhD, CYA and UK HEA Fellow) is a Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto. Antonio was a member of the curatorial team of the Italian Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia in 2021. Antonio is a prolific researcher, his publications and impact beyond the academy in countries such as Italy and Mexico are evidence of his work. He has more than ten years’ experience as a registered architect and urban designer, and a chartered member of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Merida (Mexico). In addition, he was a co-founder of the IMPLAN-Merida (Municipal Institute of Urban Planning in Merida City). Dr Lara-Hernandez is also collaborating at the Cluster of Sustainable Cities in the University of Portsmouth (UK) and City Space and Architecture in Bologna (Italy). J. Antonio Lara-Hernandez is the project coordinator of Heliopolis 21 (Mexico), an international architecture firm based in Italy, England, United States and Germany.