Lecture Week 11- Computing without computers

Computing without computers

This weeks lecture was given by Professor John Frazer.

- How nature stores information - stores it in DNA.
- Gets imported into seeds, such as the acorn. Every leaf is different. Each tree is different.
- This is affected by climate, water, sun.

What would be the architectural equivalent of DNA?

Back to the beginning: Cellular and genetic structures 1968

- No good access to computers in the 70's
- Good programs where introduced in the 80's
- Not accepted until the 90's

End of the 60's - no software, no display screens, John Frazer hired a machine by the hour. It could do an enormous amount however it was quite difficult to work it out.

By the end of the 60's the cafe grey screen became available. - He had access to the only machine at Cambridge University.

Tried to find ways to simplify using the analogy of the acorn.
- Encoded all elements and left the machine to do the development work
- Was able to use nature  and evolution as a powerful tool.


Building Brief

Generator project: Cedric Price 1976
- Client wanted flexible centre - poetry reading, camp for kids.
- This needed to be rearraged accordingly
- The idea of a crane was used to move the parts of the building around on a day to day basis.
- Embedding electronics (micro process)
- Electronic model of self organising
- Parts would be intelligent and reconfigure itself through computing
- Publishing as 'first intelligent building'.
- Personal Electronic Transactor (PET) If the users didn't change the building enough- it would make the building change itself.

Concept of Boredom
-Provoke interaction with system
-Active/passive computing
-Active is interested in engaging.
-Massive computing allows temporal compression of space and spatial compression of time.

Universal Constructor 1990 AA
Diploma Students

Michelangelo
- made his own tools precisely how he wanted them
- He would also go to the quarry to select his own stone
- Preparing mentally

Students were required to design & construct their own computer and design own software
- Each cube has a micro processor in it.
- Message passes up and down inside it
- Cubes could represent a city, architectural column or a door etc.