The deployable tectonic: mechanization and mobility in architecture

Abstract

Movable elements in architecture are not new, but are gaining in popularity, as evidenced in recent works of architecture such as The Shed at Hudson Yards. This type of architecture, termed “kinetic” shifts the relationship of the public to the space they inhabit. People are no longer moving bodies through the space; the space transforms around them. Further, the design process for success in these types of projects is highly layered and complex. If structural advances drive this trend, we are at a unique juncture in the history of architecture, similar to the flying buttress or standardized fabrication wherein technology is leading architectural aesthetics. From the user’s perspective, a piece of architecture becomes active; it awakens from the static. These elements bring the architectural design to the forefront of a visitor’s attention. Often the technology of mechanized architecture can be simplified into simple diagrams. Indeed there has been in recent years a small flurry around these moves, studied in small models and diagrammatic vignettes. However, in implementation, these structures are quite sophisticated. Their engineering requires a keen understanding of how forces trace through a structure in multiple scenarios of deployment. Looking at the case study of The Shed at Hudson Yards, of which the authors have first-hand project experience, it can be seen that kinetic projects possess what is posited to be called “hyper-collaboration,” as every decision has impacts upon as well as is informed by the allied disciplines within a design and construction team. Thus, a linear model wherein an architectural solution is envisioned then subsequently handed off to be implemented dissolves, and a new, more networked approach emerges.