S_Pound
From Object to Field:
This first section seems to be describing the approach that a designer must take in their understanding of the site. Field conditions as normally understood do not encompass the details needed to successfully design for the site. Going in-person and looking how the field actually interacts with itself and surroundings is important. There are hierarchies and patterns that rely on the full characteristics of the field and everything is interconnected.
Geometric vs. Algebraic Combination:
The main argument is that buildings/structures should be made up of parts that can be isolated and work on their own. The focus of a part is not to make up a whole but to succeed at doing its job. There are ways to thematically design and organize these buildings that make up the whole’s identity that are related to geometric patterns. The goal is unity, and this section focuses on the fact that algebraic unity is not necessary.
Walking out of Cubism:
Minimalism put many limitations and restrictions on the designs of creators, but it was the effort of later designers that led to us “walking out of cubism”. An important note is that design does have constraints but allows the free-formation within that space whereas cubism put definitive constraints. Postminimalism creates a flowing depiction of movement and events, which could be argued is the materiality that is being constrained.
Thick 2-D: Moires, Mats:
Moires heavily relate to surfaces and their composition. I feel as though, if Tokyo counts as a 3-D surface, then technically a lot of major cities are no longer restricted to horizontal expansion. Natural surfaces have intricate patterning that may be beyond human’s understanding. Whereas, surfaces designed by humans can easily be interpreted for human usage.
Flocks, Schools, Swarms, and Crowds:
My favorite part about the discussion of different groups was how there are different kinds of crowds and they can have various traits, like fast or slow and even more complex like angry or joyous. These groups depend on the individuals within them. What is their motivation? What rules do they follow? Do they want to accomplish something? All of these factors can determine the form the crowd takes and how strong it is, which brings us back to bottom-up.