Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Experimental Architecture and Unconventional Computing

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Advances in Unconventional Computing

Part of the book series: Emergence, Complexity and Computation ((ECC,volume 23))

Abstract

This chapter examines aspects of unconventional computing from a design perspective through the practice of architecture. It reflects on how non-scientific forms of investigation may help develop cultural and economic frameworks for design thinking and scientific innovation, by building public and commercial interest in the field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The ‘cyberplasm’ robot is an example of the kind of projects that have arisen from the NBIC ‘sandpits’, which is a melange of biological and mechanical systems [19].

  2. 2.

    Fictionalism is the philosophical view that a serious intellectual inquiry need not aim at truth [32].

  3. 3.

    Such platforms may have soft bodies, be recyclable or use completely different kinds of resources than modern industrial systems.

  4. 4.

    This video can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB6MKMqbLIM.

References

  1. Adamatzky, A., De Lacy Costello, B.: Reaction-diffusion path planning in a hybrid chemical and cellular-automaton processors. Chaos, Solitons Fract. 16, 727–736 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Adamatzky, A.De, Lacy Costello, B., Asai, T.: Reaction-Diffusion Computers. Elsevier Science, London (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Adamatzky, A., Armstrong, R., Jones, J., Gunji, Y.K.: On creativity of slime mould. Int. J. Gen. Syst. 42(5), 441–457 (2013)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Adams, T.: The chemputer that could print out any drug. The Observer (2012). www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jul/21/chemputer-that-prints-out-drugs. Accessed 19 Feb 2015

  5. Armstrong, R.: 3D printing will destroy the world unless it tackles the issue of materiality. Architectural Review (2014). www.architectural-review.com/home/products/3d-printing-will-destroy-the-world/8658346.article. Accessed 28 Feb 2015

  6. Armstrong, R.: Designing with protocells: applications of a novel technical platform. Life 4(3), 457–490 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Armstrong, R.: Vibrant Architecture: Material Realm as a Codesigner of Living Spaces. De Gruyter Open, Berlin (2015)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Armstrong, R., Beesley, P.: Soil and protoplasm: the Hylozoic ground project. Archit. Des. 81(2), 78–89 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Armstrong, R., Hanczyc, M.M.: Bütschli dynamic droplet system. Artif. Life J. 19(3–4), 331–346 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Batty, M.: Building a science of cities, Working papers series. 170 (2011). www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/casa/pdf/paper170.pdf. Accessed 10 Feb 2015

  11. Berger, P., Adelman, N.B., Beckman, K.J., Campbell, D.J., Ellis, A.B., Lisensky, G.C.: Preparation and properties of an aqueous ferrofluid. J. Chem. Educ. 76, 943–948 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Beynus, J.: Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by Nature. William Morrow, New York (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bütschli, O.: Untersuchungen ueber microscopische Schaume und das Protoplasma, Leipzig (1892)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Centre for Nonlinear Studies. Unconventional Computing Conference, Los Alamos (2007). http://cnls.lanl.gov/uc07/. Accessed 29 Oct 2015

  15. Chatelin, F.: Qualitative computing: A computational journey into nonlinearity. World Scientific, Singapore (2012)

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Cook, P.: Experimental Architecture. Universe Books, New York (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Corbusier, L.: (C.E. Jeanneret) Toward an Architecture. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (1923, reprint 2007)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Crutzen, P.J., Stoermer, E.F.: The anthropocene. Glob. Change Newsl. 41, 17–18 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Cyberplasm Team. Cyberplasm: a micro-scale biohybrid robot developed using principles of synthetic biology (2010). http://cyberplasm.net/. Accessed 18 Feb 2015

  20. Davies, K., Vercruysse, E.: Incisions in the haze. In: Sheil, B. (ed.) Manufacturing the Bespoke: Making and prototyping architecture AD reader, pp. 162–174. Wiley, London (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Dean, P.J.: Delivery without Discipline: Architecture in the age of design. Ann Arbor: proquest, Umi Dissertation Publishing (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Doctorow, C.: Game of Life with floating point operations: beautiful SmoothLife. Boing Boing (11 Oct 2012). http://boingboing.net/2012/10/11/game-of-life-with-floating-poi.html. Accessed 20 Feb 2015

  23. Else, L.: From STEM to STEAM. Culture Lab, New Scientist (8 Aug 2012). www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2012/08/john-maeda-steam.html. Accessed 19 Feb 2015

  24. Evans, D.: Black Sky Think. Lib. 3, 22–25 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Fuller, S.: Humanity 2.0. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Funtowicz, S.O., Ravetz, J.R.: Three types of risk assessment and the emergence of post-normal science. In: Krimsky, S., Golding, D. (eds.) Social Theories of Risk, pp. 251–273. Praeger, Westport (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Gould, S.J., Lewontin, R.C.: The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptionist programme. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B 205(1161), 581–598 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Green Building Council. Not dated. Buildings and climate change. www.eesi.org/files/climate.pdf. Accessed 29 Oct 2015

  29. Hanczyc, M.M., Ikegami, T.: Protocells as smart agents for architectural design. Techno. Arts 7(2), 117–120 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Hanczyc, M.M., Toyota, T., Ikegami, T., Packard, N.H., Sugawara, T.: Fatty acid chemistry at the oil-water interface: self-propelled oil droplets. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129(30), 9386–9391 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Jarzynski, C.: Nonequilibrium equality for free energy differences. Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2690–2693 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Kalderon, M.E.: Fictionalism in Metaphysics. Clarendon Press, Broadbridge (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Kauffman, S.A.: Reinventing the Sacred: A new view of science, reason, and religion. First trade, paper edn. Basic Books, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Lehn, J.M.: Perspectives in supramolecular chemistry-from molecular recognition towards molecular information processing and self-organization. Angewandte Chem. Int. Ed. 27(11), 89–121 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. McGuirk, J.: Philips microbial home takes kitchen design back to the future. Art and Design, The Guardian (21 November 2011). www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/nov/21/philips-kitchen-design-microbial-home. Accessed 19 Feb 2015

  36. Myers, W., Antonelli, P.: Bio Design: Nature, Science, Creativity. London: Thames & Hudson/New York: MOMA (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Olguin, C.: Programming matter across domains and scales. J. B. Interplanet. Soc. 67(7,8,9), 354–358 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Prigogine, I., Stengers, I.: Order Out of Chaos: Man’s New Dialogue with Nature. Heinemann, London (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Resnick, L.B.: Introduction. In: Resnick, L.B. (ed.) Knowing, Learning and Instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser, pp. 1–24. Erlbaum, Hillsdale (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Roco, M.C., Bainbridge, W.S.: Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology. Information Technology and Cognitive Science. NSF/DOC-sponsored report. Springer, Dordrecht (2003)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  41. Schirber, M.: Cities cover more of earth than realized. Live Science (11 Mar 2005). www.livescience.com/6893-cities-cover-earth-realized.html. Accessed 8 Jan 2015

  42. Schrödinger, E.: What is life? The physical aspect of the living cell. Based on lectures delivered under the auspices of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, in February 1943 (1944). http://whatislife.stanford.edu/LoCo_files/What-is-Life.pdf. Accessed 16 Feb 2015

  43. Stengers, I.: God’s heart and the stuff of life. Pli 9, 86–118 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Sterling, B.: Design fiction: Growth assembly. Sascha Pohflepp and Daisy Ginsberg. Beyond the Beyond. Wired (3 Jan 2012). www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2012/01/design-fiction-sascha-pohflepp-daisy-ginsberg-growth-assembly/. Accessed 18 Feb 2015

  45. Teatini, P., Castelletto, N., Ferronato, M., Gambolati, G., Tosi, L.: A new hydrogeologic model to predict anthropogenic uplift of Venice. Water Resour. Res. 47(12), W12507 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Toyota, T., Maru, N., Hanczyc, M.M., Ikegami, T., Sugawara, T.: Self-propelled oil droplets consuming fuel surfactant. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131(14), 5012–5013 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Turing, A.M.: The chemical basis of morphogenesis. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B, Biolog. Sci. 237(641), 37–72 (1952)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Turney, J.: Imagining Technology. NESTA working paper (2013). www.nesta.org.uk/library/documents/Imagining_Technology.pdf. Accessed 19 Feb 2015

  49. Tyson, J.T.: What everyone should know about the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction. In: Levin, S.A. (ed.) Frontiers in Mathematical Biology, pp. 569–587. Springer, New York (1994)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  50. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. US$6.7 billion floodgates to protect Venice in 2014 (21 Dec 2012). www.unisdr.org/archive/30174. Accessed 19 Feb 2015

  51. Vladimirescu, A.: Can We Re-build a Cell? Bryopsis- An Experimental Model! Artificial Life XI. MIT Press, Cambridge (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  52. WETFab : Event booklet. School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow (24–25 Jan 2011). http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/cronin/files/news/WETFAB.pdf. Accessed 26 Feb 2015

  53. World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Published as Annex to General Assembly document A/42/427 (1987). www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2015

  54. Wolchover, N.: A new physics theory of life. Quanta (22 Jan 2014). www.quantamagazine.org/20140122-a-new-physics-theory-of-life/. Accessed 10 Feb 2015

  55. Woods, L.: War and Architecture. Princeton Architectural Press, New York (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Youde, K.: Unilever employees get taste of the future at Royal Society event (5 Nov 2013). www.citmagazine.com/article/1219480/unilever-employees-taste-future-royal-society-event. Accessed 28 Feb 2015

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

    Rachel Armstrong

Authors
  1. Rachel Armstrong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel Armstrong .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Unconventional ComputingCentre, University of the Westof England Unconventional ComputingCentre, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Andrew Adamatzky

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Armstrong, R. (2017). Experimental Architecture and Unconventional Computing. In: Adamatzky, A. (eds) Advances in Unconventional Computing. Emergence, Complexity and Computation, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33921-4_31

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33921-4_31

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33920-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33921-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation