bloom - bartlett design research...

Bloom Distributed Urban Game

by Alisa Andrasek and José Sanchez

Bartlett Design Research Folios


Project Details

Designers: Alisa Andrasek and José Sanchez

Andrasek and Sanchez are partners and principal designers of Bloom Games. Andrasek was responsible for the conceptual development, design development and fabrication. Sanchez was responsible for theconceptual design development, design development and scripting/software design.

Title: Bloom: Distributed Urban Game

Output type: Design

Function: Interactive urban game and series of follies

Locations: Victoria Park, London; Cutty Sark, Greenwich; Affordable Art Fair, London: Battersea and Hampstead Heath; FRAC (Le Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain), Orleans; Global Design NYU at The Building Centre, London.

Client: Mayor of London, Greater London Authority

Practical completion: 27 July 2012

Budget: £87,000

Area: Variable

Structural engineer: Manja van de Worp, Advanced Technology and Research, Arup.

Manufacturers: Plastic manufacturer: Atomplast, Santiago, Chile; steel manufacturer: JMR Section Benders, Dagenham.

Design assistants: Salih Topal, Dagham Cam, Andres Darko, Pallavi Sharma, Nicolo Friedman, Vincenzo D’Auria, Mark Muscat.

Statement about the Research Content and Process

Description

Commissioned as part of London’s 2012 Olympic celebrations, Bloom is an innovative urban intervention that engages people in social play and the culture of design.

Questions

1. How can architecture be a social design experience for the user, with reference to ‘game’ design and crowd-sourcing contexts?

2. How can participatory design reflect ‘growth’ and a notion of change/life found in gardening experience (rather than a more deterministically controlled and fixed state of design)? How can universality and redundancy in a system allow for variability, diversification and imaginative projections?

3. How can a project develop under extreme time pressures and volatile conditions (constantly changing site locations and logistics during a complex event such as the Olympics in a large urban environment) by focusing on an easy-to-transport, adaptable and reusable design?

4. Which manufacturing method is most appropriate for high volumes of repetitive and light building blocks?

1 (previous page)Bloom pavilion and game at Victoria Park

4 Bloom: Distributed Urban Game

Statements 5

Methods

1. Generative open design. Bloom’s geometric system is based on the aggregation of multiple components. A custom-written software was developed that could simulate possible geometries. The final design of the cell was achieved by examining different patterns of growth and choosing the one that consistently produced compelling and structurally stable formations.

2. Structure based on principles of redundancy, frequently found within natural complex systems, and on contemporary information systems (versus the paradigm of highly optimised minimal structures).

3. Material testing, prototypes and product development through collaboration with a plastics manufacturer.

Dissemination

Exhibited at Victoria Park, UCL and Greenwich; further sites in London (Building Centre, Affordable Art Fair) and Orléans (Archilab at FRAC). Presented in lectures in Stockholm, Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, New York and Troy, USA.

Statement of Significance

One of the winners of the Greater London Authority’s Wonder competition for architectural installations to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

3

2

2 & 3Testing possible sites during the design phase (rendering)


Introduction

Bloom was commissioned by the Greater London Authority as part of the Wonder series of architectural installations celebrating the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. [fig. 1] It is an extensive material and design urban game research project, realised in collaboration with a plastics manufacturer from Chile and structural engineers from Arup London.

Bloom is conceptualised as an urban toy, a distributed social game and collective ‘gardening’ experience that seeks to engage people in order to construct open-ended design formations using Bloom building cells. At each location, the designers constructed initial pavilions/follies to showcase the possibilities of the system. These acted as the main ‘portals’ of the game, inviting interaction and participation. People were able to manipulate the cells, adding pieces to the initial structure to alter its form or seeding entirely new ground sequences, such as urban furniture or simply unpredictable formations. The only fixed part of the design was the stable bench structure, as an initial seed condition for the

visitors’ interaction, suggesting multiple connection points from which the structure could start to grow. New pieces were fed into this collective construction site depending on game intensity.

The participatory design process aims to bring phenomena of social networks and game culture to the physical environment at an urban scale. Bloom explores modes of assembly, disassembly and reusability that challenge the notions of traditional construction. Looking at the example of toys like Lego, the lifespan of the project is undetermined as it is able to adapt and reappear in many different places and on many different occasions. The collective act of coming to one place and building together becomes a shared memory for each person attending. The energy for Bloom’s design is sourced from people’s interactions. None of the pieces can do anything on its own, and only when thousands of them are put together do the game and the Bloom garden emerge. [fig. 2–4]

Introduction 7

4b

4Games, urban furniture and architecture

4aCombinations game: Rubik’s Cube

4bConstruction toy: Lego

4a


4cUrban furniture: Enzis outdoor furniture by PPAG architects

4dThomas Heatherwick’s UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010Photograph: Michael Freeman

4c

4d

Introduction 9

Aims and Objectives 11

Aims and Objectives

Crowd-sourced design

It is impossible to forecast what people will do with such a game, since the game relies highly on contingency. There is a universality to the building cells, but they also have embedded biases and information encoded into them. No matter how randomly participants connect the cells, they will always exhibit recognisable behaviours. Due to the flexibility and resilience of building cells, the ‘rules’ of the game can be bent; cells can be twisted to follow different shapes and emerge with new configurations. [fig. 5–9]

Adaptability/resilience

Bloom has been designed as a system that is highly adaptive to different site conditions, variable number of participants, available budget and myriad possible outcomes. Being aware of the volatility of logistics and conditions involved in an event like the Olympics, the flexibility and resilience of the design was an imperative (see Andrasek 2012: pp. 36–45). [fig. 10 & 11]

Growth logics

In its basic form, Bloom is a modular construction system capable of generating complex cellular structures utilising standardised units. Simple combinations between cells can produce different sequences. For example, each possible connection has a notation (A, B, C ...), and by following simple letter combinations different sequences are produced. Only by playing does the actual ‘design’ emerge. The final piece is a collective act of search and play. [fig. 13 & 14]

Software

Bloom Games developed a custom-written software in Processing and Rhino testing recursive growth-based algorithms such as L-systems and DLA (diffusion-limited aggregation). Through this design-search environment it was possible to study various growth (‘blooming’) sequences to predict the characteristic morphological behaviours of the system. [fig. 12]

65 & 6Play!

7

8

7–9Play!


9


10

11


10 & 11Testing different scale of possible sites and different configurations (renderings)

12Bloom combinatorics develop as custom-written software in Processing and Rhino

13Bloom combinatorics

12

13


15

14 (previous page)Bloom structures

15Play!


Questions

1. How can architecture be an interactive/social design experience for the user, with reference to ‘game’ design and crowd-sourcing contexts?

2. How can an interactive/participatory design reflect a notion of change/life found in gardening experience and promote ‘growth’ through collectively derived design, rather than a more deterministic control of design (e.g. pre-planned drawings and a fixed state of design)? How can universality and redundancy in a system allow for variability, diversification and imaginative projections (see Andrasek 2012: pp. 36–45)?

3. How can a project develop under extreme time pressures and volatile conditions (constantly changing site locations and logistics during a complex event such as the Olympics in a large urban environment) by focusing on an easy-to-transport, adaptable and reusable design?

4. Which manufacturing method is most appropriate for high volumes of repetitive and light building blocks?

Questions 19

16

17

16 & 17Collective play


Context

1. Architectural designs of play such as those of Constant Nieuwenhuys (New Babylon, 1959–74) and discussions of social engagement and participatory art by critics (Bishop 2012). [fig. 15–17]

2. Game cultures, building units and collective materiality found in physical toys (Lego, Rubik’s Cube) and video games (Minecraft, World of Goo), as well as in architecture (Thomas Heatherwick’s Shanghai Expo pavilion, 2010) where complexity is achieved out of the accumulation of simple elements.

3. Biological cellular growth and its capacity for diversification (Longo and Montévil 2012). Bloom engages with current architectural topics of variance and adaptability in biology and morphogenesis from a point of view of discreteness rather than continuum. Bloom works with a single component type, whereby the crucial factor for diversification comes from randomness generated by the participants’ play, interaction, skill and imagination.

Methods

Cell anatomy

The Bloom cell has three possible connection points. Through the asymmetry of their positions, various types of spiralling connections emerge. Crucial to the cell design were the relationships of the vectors of connection, based on small variations from the shared axis, which result in gradual spiralling if the cells are accumulated consistently.

Future emergent behaviours are pre-seeded into the system by encoding information within the anatomy of a cell. Some combinations block possible future moves and lock users into taking a specific route. In this way, the project encourages different users to take decisions on how to reach a specific goal or build a resilient structure. [fig. 18 & 19]

Context / Methods 21

Prototyping and test play

In order to develop a system that could be truly engaging, laser-cut timber prototypes were produced and made available to test through play. Students without any pre-knowledge of the Bloom system were asked to ‘play’ and ‘design’ with the pieces freely. The construction time was approximately 30 minutes, resulting in a formation of 1.5m × 1.2m × 0.7m. Students’ feedback suggested that the proposed cells were easy to assemble and produced beautiful and structurally stable results rapidly. [fig. 20]

Material and shape testing

In order to ensure public safety and risk-free use of the Bloom cell, the design was tested through 1:1 3D printed prototypes. The prototypes were not produced in the final plastic material but helped to visualise and understand the shape and possible weight of one of the cells.

Bench design

Designed as a modular element, six long benches were produced to allow users to create structures that could connect them. In each location, the benches served as the centre of the Bloom garden. Given their modular nature, the number and length of the benches can vary to adapt to specific site conditions. [fig. 21–27]

In order to deploy an initial stable shape, bench elements are designed to act as structural anchors for the larger Bloom pavilions/sculptures and to diversify the use and aesthetic of the

pavilions. The bench design language is much simpler, using parametric linear arrays arranged in a spiralling fashion, contrasting with other ‘blooming’ sequences with higher degrees of randomness. Benches are designed as self-supporting structures developed off site and could be positioned onto any flat surface without further need for drilling or foundations. Two structural scenarios, one for connected benches and one for a single bench, were developed with Arup Engineers. [fig. 29 & 30]

Cell manufacturing

The Bloom cell was manufactured through a plastic injection mould process, carried out by the manufacturer Atomplast, based in Santiago, Chile. Atomplast partially sponsored the project, which allowed for the cost of the injection mould to be reduced drastically. The process of creating a matrix for injection is costly, but once created, extremely high volumes of identical components could be manufactured quickly at a very low cost. [fig. 28]

Manufacturing constraints affected the development of a design system that could use the same cell in different combinations to allow for highly diverse outputs. The rigidity of the built assemblage would come from the aggregation of elements rather than the strength of an individual unit, which is in itself weak and light. The rigidity of the system emerges through ‘redundancy’ when many elements are brought together.


18

19

18 & 19Cell anatomy

Methods 23

20

20First prototypes and test play by non-experienced users. Time-lapse of construction: 20 minutes with 300 pieces

Methods 25

21

22


23

24

Methods 27

25

26

28 Bloom: Distributed Urban Game 28 Bloom: Distributed Urban Game

21–24 (previous page)Bench design

25–27Bench design

27

Methods 29

Reusability and adaptability

The Bloom cell was designed to be a desirable object, which Bloom participants could take home as a souvenir of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The collective act of coming together and building something becomes a shared memory for each participant. By serving as a symbol of the event of participation in such collective play, the Bloom cell is meant to provoke the seeding of new structures. Bloom’s mode of assembly, disassembly and reusability in new configurations in different places challenges notions of traditional construction.

Health and safety

The Bloom cell is made out of 100% recyclable PET plastic – material certified for food products, with the highest standards. Each cell is light, weighing approximately 90g. The plastic is strong, flexible and can be manufactured in many different colours and opacities. The manufacturer is conducting tests to add photo-luminescent pigments that will create glowing effects at night. The edges of the components are rounded, easy to handle, and child-safe.

28Industrial mould for the cell made by Atomplast plastic manufacturer in Chile


29

29Connected bench unit stress and load test


30Single bench unit stress and load test

30

Methods 33

32

31 (previous page)Bloom pavilion and game in Greenwich

32Bloom at Affordable Art Fair, London

33Bloom at Global Design NYU, London 33


Dissemination

Installations

Olympic location:Victoria Park Live Site, 27 Jul – 12 Aug 2012. [fig. 1]

Paralympic location:Cutty Sark, Greenwich, 28 Aug – 12 Sep 2012. [fig. 31]

Further venues:Affordable Art Fair, Battersea and Hampstead, London, Oct 2012. [fig. 32] Elsewhere Envisioned: Global Design (touring show curated by New York University’s

Gallatin School of Individualised Study), The Building Centre, London, 20 Sep – 20 Oct 2012. [fig. 33]

Archilab 2013, FRAC (Le Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain), Orleans, Oct 2013

Invited talks

Bloom has been the subject of numerous invited international talks, including: Institute for Advanced Architecture in Catalonia (IaaC), Barcelona, Feb 2013Material Gap 2013 and Pecha Kucha, Stockholm, Mar 2013Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, New York, Mar 2013José Sanchez, ‘Design = Play’, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Mar 2013Urbanista magazine launch symposium, Lime Wharf Gallery, London, Mar 2013.

Bibliography

Claire Bishop (2012). Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship. London: Verso.

Giuseppe Longo and Maël Montévil (2012). ‘From physics to biology by extending criticality and symmetry breakings’, Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 106.2: 340–347.

Dissemination / Bibliography 37

Related publications by the researcher

pp. 36–45Alisa Andrasek, ‘Open Synthesis: Towards a Resilient Fabric of Architecture’, Log 25 (Summer 2012): 45–54.

Related writings by others

pp. 48–54Pia Ednie-Brown, ‘The Ethics of the Imperative’, The Innovation Imperative: Architectures of Vitality (ed. Pia Ednie-Brown, Mark Burry and Andrew Burrow) [special issue of] Architectural Design 83.1 (Jan/Feb 2013): 18–23.

Web

pp. 55–57Lucy Bullivant, ‘Bloom: Alisa Andrasek and Jose Sanchez’, Urbanista 1 (2012): www.urbanista.org/issues/issue-1/features/bloom-alisa-andrasek-and-jose-sanchez

p. 58‘The Bartlett Installations for London 2012’, Time Out (19 Jul 2012): www.timeout.com/london/around-town/event/270846/the-bartlett-installations-for-london-2012

pp. 59–61‘Phaidon’s eye on the architecture world’, Phaidon (25 Jul 2012): http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/architecture/articles/2012/july/25/phaidons-eye-on-the-architecture-world-25-07-12

pp. 62–66‘Bloom / Alisa Andrasek and Jose Sanchez’, Re-City Magazine (25 Jul 2012): www.recitymagazine.com/project-479-alisa-andrasek-and-jose-sanchez-bloom

pp. 67–69Laurie Manfra, ‘Opening Games’, Metropolis Magazine (25 Jul 2012): www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/July-2012/Opening-Games

pp. 70–71‘Alisa Andrasek and Jose Sanchez’, Sucker Punch (30 Jul 2012): www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2012/07/30/bloom-2

p. 72‘Notes’, CC: A Global Report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, (30 Jul 2012): http://ccgsapp.org/notes/2012/07/alisa-andrasek-msaad-00-and-jose-sanchez-bring-neon-pink-bloom-garden-olympics-and-par

pp. 73–74‘Hrvatska arhitektura na Olimpijskim igrama’, DAZ: Društvo Arhitekata Zagreba [Croatia] (2 Aug 2012): www.d-a-z.hr/hr/vijesti/hrvatska-arhitektura-na-olimpijskim-igrama,1588.html

pp. 75–80Filip Visnjic, ‘Bloom – Urban toy invites participants to “seed”new formations’, Creative Applications (13 Aug 2012): www.creativeapplications.net/processing/bloom-urban-toy-invites-participants-to-seed-new-formations


pp. 81–83‘Bloom urban toy sculptures by Alisa Andrasek and Jose Sanchez’, Design Boom (14 Aug 2012): www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/23009/bloom-urban-toy-sculptures-by-alisa-andrasek-and-jose-sanchez.html

pp. 84–87Catalina Gutiérrez, ‘Bloom / Alisa Andrasek + Jose Sanchez’, Plataforma Arquitectura [Chile] (3 Sep 2012): www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/2012/09/03/bloom-alisa-andrasek-jose-sanchez

Appendix 39


Founding editor: Yeoryia Manolopoulou

Editors: Yeoryia Manolopoulou, Peg Rawes, Luis Rego

Content: © the authors

Graphic design: objectif

Typesetting: Axel Feldmann, Siaron Hughes,Alan Hayward

Proofreading: Wendy Toole



Bloomby Alisa Andrasek and José Sanchez

House of Flagsby AY Architects

Montpelier Community Nurseryby AY Architects

Design for Londonby Peter Bishop

2EmmaToc / Writtle Callingby Matthew Butcher and Melissa Appleton

River Douglas Bridgeby DKFS Architects

Open Cinemaby Colin Fournier and Marysia Lewandowska

The ActiveHouseby Stephen Gage

Déjà vuby Penelope Haralambidou

Urban Collageby Christine Hawley

Hakka Cultural Parkby Christine Hawley, Abigail Ashton, Andrew Porter and Moyang Yang

House Refurbishment in Carmenaby Izaskun Chinchilla Architects

Refurbishment of Garcimuñoz Castleby Izaskun ChinchillaArchitects

Gorchakov’s Wishby Kreider + O’Leary

Video Shakkeiby Kreider + O’Leary

Megaframeby Dirk Krolikowski (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners)

Seasons Through the Looking Glassby CJ Lim

Agropolisby mam

Alga(e)zeboby mam

Chong Qing Nan Lu Towersby mam

ProtoRobotic FOAMingby mam, Grymsdyke Farm and REX|LAB

Banyoles Old Town Refurbishmentby Miàs Architects

Torre Baró Apartment Buildingby Miàs Architects

Alzheimer’s Respite Centreby Níall McLaughlin Architects

Bishop Edward King Chapelby Níall McLaughlinArchitects

Block N15 Façade, Olympic Villageby Níall McLaughlin Architects

Regeneration of Birzeit Historic Centreby Palestine Regeneration Team

PerFORMby Protoarchitecture Lab

55/02by sixteen*(makers)

Envirographic and Techno Naturesby Smout Allen

Hydrological Infrastructuresby Smout Allen

Lunar Woodby Smout Allen

Universal Tea Machineby Smout Allen

British Exploratory Land Archiveby Smout Allenand Geoff Manaugh

101 Spinning Wardrobeby Storp Weber Architects

Blind Spot Houseby Storp Weber Architects

Green Belt Movement Teaching and Learning Pavilionby Patrick Weber

Modulating Light and Viewsby Patrick Weber

bloom - bartlett design research...

Documents