Infrastructural Territories

Instructor: Neeraj Bhatia

Fall 2015

ARCHT-580

 

This seminar has been selected to take part in a CCA-wide NSF grant examining the intersection of science and the studio. Because of the nature of infrastructural space, which is typically designed by engineers and scientists (over spatial designers), we are interested in how the unique constraints and specificity addressed by these disciplines interact with the generalists design ideology of architects. 

 

The final list will include a combination of talks by those that examine the earth, the organization of systems, and infrastructural design and include a selection of: 

 

SPECULATION / EARTH

Geologists and/ or Geotechnical Engineer are Scientists and Engineers who study the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth, the processes and history that have shaped it, and the behaviors of the of earth materials. This branch of science is involved in the understanding, speculation, and organization of extraction landscapes as well as areas for harvesting. 

 

Hydrologist examine the fundamental transport processes to be able to describe the quantity and quality of water as it moves through the water cycle (evaporation, precipitation, streamflow, infiltration, ground water)

 

SYSTEMS-DESIGN 

Ecologist are part of a branch of biology and earth science that studies the interactions among organisms and other organisms as well as their environment. Ecologists understand the territory as an interconnected web of life that links it to systems-thinking and design. 

 

Transportation Engineer examines the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the safe, efficient, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods. Transport engineers work closely 

with urban planners to understand growth, density, and the phasing of a city’s masterplan. 

 

Capacity Engineer is part of a branch of science heavily invested in understanding the efficient movement of matter through systems. Capacity engineers are the core designers of logistics; their medium is time and their spatial apparatus is infrastructure. 

 

The aim is to engage these disciplines and understand how their specific sets of knowledge can aid in our understanding of infrastructure. We will also engage in interviews / discussions that can be included in your final project.