2nd PAM Talk : Prof. Ir Bart Lootsma
Prof. Bart Lootsma
In the second PAM talk, the guest speaker was Prof. Ir Bart Lootsma. He was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1957. He is a historian, critic, and curator in the fields of architecture, design and the fine arts. He is a Professor for Architectural Theory and Head of the Department for Architectural History and Theory at the University of Innsbruck. Before, he was Guest Professor for Architecture, European Urbanity and Globalization at the University of Luxemburg; Head of Scientific Research at the ETH Zürich, Studio Basel; a Visiting Professor at the Academy of Visual Arts in Vienna; at the Academy of Visual Arts in Nurnberg; at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna; at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam and Head of the Department of 3D-Design of the Academy of Arts in Arnhem. He held numerous seminars and lectured at different academies for architecture and art in the Netherlands.
This talk was to share with us his philosophies on design and architecture. The title of his talk was “Electrification Takes Command”. To be honest, I wasn’t really clear of his speech in the beginning. Everything to me was small pieces circling my mind, I have no clue how it is related to his idea of architecture. However, I think what he was trying to tell us that how machine is starting to or already have controlled us. The first idea human invented machine was to control machine to make our life better but things have change now. In this modern era where technologies has practically play a major part in human daily activities, it seems that machine is now controlling us.
Spatial Agency : Haus Rucker Co
With the technologies developing like a rocket, Robotic mechanical knowledge seems to be more powerful than before. Things happened in the early stage is when people was trying to explore their thoughts on architecture through machine. In the 1950s, Viennese architects such as Hans Hollein and Haus Rucker Co. It was interesting to see that in the olden days, people was so active in exploring their thoughts and ideas in architecture with limited technologies and soon created new technologies. Their work explored the performative potential of architecture through installations and using pneumatic structures or prosthetic devices that changes the perceptions of space. They were exploring the relationship of body senses and the nature using design and architecture which really impressed me a lot. Thinking on how positive and creative people used to me makes me reflects on myself being so passive about things or architecture while I have better and more advanced technologies then the olden days people would have.
3D printing is happening in some countries now and this video is showing a private company in Shanghai, China using 3D printers to print 10 houses with just 24 hours.
With the Robotics mechanical knowledge, 3D printer is invented to build buildings. It has now changed the building environments and human need to also change to contemplate on it. It has made buildings like a real lego things. We can construct a building or a house in a shorter period of time and maybe even more detailed than before. It makes me wonder what’s the future position of architects when it seems that architects no longer to be as needed like the olden days. People can just copy a house from the internet and print the house out. Will architects no longer be on site and just to upload our works online?
Prof. Bart also mentioned the relationship between human, nature and machine. When technologies become so important and advanced, it is the job or us human to get back to nature and plans how nature or environment can be to fit in this new world. Nature always plays an important roles in architecture. During the question of his view on his studies on relationship between architecture and nature, he answered that his deceased uncle once wanted to plant something what is not suitable for the place due to weather or so, he told his uncle it is impossible. His uncle then told him that “Things doesn’t stay unchanged. It you that can make the change. When you want it to be build there, make an ecosystem, your own ecosystems to fit it. “
I think it was just like telling people: Build what is needed, not what you wanted. For example, Prof. Bart shown an example of the Skiing Map for Innsbruck Olympic 1976. People wanted to watch it closely and wouldn’t miss a single action, so to fit the requirements, they turned Innsbruck from a small village, into a cluster of skiing resorts city. Architecture isn’t just designing but it involves culture, politic, history and lots of aspects. With the technologies we own now, it is becoming more city branding to attract tourist. Just like Dutch houses in Bart’s hometown, Netherlands. The function as a farm house is no longer practical but rather it has become the design of resorts and hotels or even restaurant despite the cultural and historical value.
To fulfill the wish of people from all over the world being able to watch skiing action close up and on live, human built construction of installations on the environment.
Rather than skiing down from the mountain high up covered with snow, human built installation to accommadate it need to watch it closely.
The original function of a Dutch house as a farm house is now no longer important. it has now become a branding design to attract tourist.
Overall the talk really inspired me a lot and realising lots more to reflect on myself as a human or as an architecture students. Technologies made human’s life better and easy. With our basic needs of living fulfilled, technology’s purpose has then change too.
