Formal diffusions. Agent-based-systems in the context of architectural space making

Abstract

The defining issue of our time is undoubtedly energy and its consumption, to which buildings and cities are attributed a substantial amount. However, architecture as a design practice need not be constrained by sustainability and energy efficiency standards imposed on new developments. On the contrary, the challenges of environmental design can unequivocally lead to new architectural qualities.

With a thermodynamic reading, architecture can no longer be perceived as a discrete artifact but is constituted, and interwoven with its environment via energy flows. Architectural form is therefore not understood as a mere assemblage of parts, but as energy accumulated as matter that is maintained by a flux of energy. The thesis aims to explore the relationship between such flows and the process of spatial formation from an architectural standpoint. This will be done by employing Agent-Based Modelling and Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to establish a framework for a spatial design language and a method for its evaluation.

The design method is then implemented in a speculative design proposal, which explores topics of sustainable urban growth and climatic adaptation by the coast of Hernesaari, Helsinki.