Realities and Representations
Erosion, Scour, and Mitigation: A Case Study in the Utah Desert
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Torrey Tracy, David Baird
There is a growing concern about developing areas that are susceptible to natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes and wild fires. The occurrences and intensity of these events seem to be increasing and growing evidence points to changing weather patterns brought about by global warming. Areas that were once considered safe to build are now confronting challenges like securing insurance. This is not a transient phenomenon; therefore, designers must adapt a new mindset and develop strategies for moving forward. This paper utilizes a small freestanding structure proposed in an area susceptible to potential damage caused by major flooding and scour. This case study presents an iterative schematic design process focused on addressing these critical issues. The case study is located in the small community of Springdale, Utah - nestled in the canyon near the entrance of Zion National Park. The first phase of construction is currently underway.
Representation of Adjustability and Interactivity in Architectural Space: Achieved through Parametric Design View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tianyu Han
This paper examines how parametric design serves as a powerful tool to enhance the dynamic representation of architectural spaces, promote adjustability and interactivity, and encourage user participation in the design process to create engaging spatial experiences. Through a combination of literature reviews, case studies, and prototype representation of digital modeling, this research highlights the potential of parametric design in achieving these goals. It focuses on generating building component systems, facilitating interactive control of interior space changes, and enhancing human behavioral perception, all of which confirm the feasibility of using parametric methods to transform static architectural elements into interactive experiences. The results show that parametric design allows spaces to continuously adapt and interact, making spatial representation an active participant in the user experience rather than a passive object. This approach not only fulfills functional requirements but also anticipates and accommodates future developments.
Curating Cityscapes: Ways for Thinking and Performing Spaces of Becoming
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ningfei Xiao, Simon Twose
As a Chinese artist and architect living between China and Aotearoa New Zealand, the researcher has encountered many native landscapes hidden within urban environments. In partnership with indigenous women from Aotearoa and China, this creative practice-based research project asks: What unfolds when dynamic realms of native landscapes, hidden within urban environments, are encountered, narrated, and performed? How can design and art contribute to thinking and performing spaces of becoming? By 'becoming,' we refer to the constantly changing and intra-acting dynamics of urban space and processes of knowing postcolonial urban spaces. These inquiries form the basis of this paper, which references a micro-curating and performance project titled 'Native Land and Other Stories.' The project is not just performance by the researcher but also a performative exploration of collective experiences reimagining everyday cityscapes with other female collaborators. These experiences are viewed as acts of 'curating,' rooted in its Latin concepts of ‘caring’ (curitas, cura), and intertwined with Ewengki/Evenki, Māori and Chinese traditions of ‘shamanic healing’. These acts are situated within the 'native lands'—waterways, forests, settlements—hidden within modern landscapes in urban environments. The outcomes demonstrate how performative moments within native and urban landscapes, and spaces of becoming, can influence architecture and art practices, and design-thinking in relation to the collective 'others' of the urban: women, multi-species, native, material, and immaterial beings. This project is detailed and reflected upon through autoethnographic writing and recording, and provides other creative practitioners with alternative ways of knowing and creating in response to urban spaces in posthuman era.
Sensory Landscapes from the South: The Ingahurco Neighborhood of Ambato
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paola Velasco Espín, Ashley Betsabé Zuleta Segovia, Juan Daniel Cabrera
This paper aims to register the sensory characteristics of the Ingahurco neighborhood in Ambato- Ecuador. The questions that guided this research are related to the perception of sound, smell, touch, and taste: What are the characteristics of the soundscape in that area? What does the skin of the neighborhood tell us? What are the most prominent smells, and Where are they located? What is the foodscape in the area? What food can be found and Where? The visual features were not addressed since the image of the city is often studied supported by the sense of sight. Sensory ethnography methods such as collective sensory walks, sound recordings, and neighborhood surveys were collected and analysed. Then, data is processed using sensory interactive maps and sensory representations to reconstruct the predominant sensory features of the site. This paper shows that the analysis of urban space from the sensory approach discloses ignored dimensions of the urban experience, and the complexity of grasping and representing these data reveals opportunities for the creation of various means of representing the urban environment. Moreover, collective sensory walks can become shared and meaningful means to take over public space in contexts of crisis and insecurity.
