Text Without Pictures

8/8/2019 Text Without Pictures

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/text-without-pictures 1/141

P A R A L L A X I S :

The 100th

Monkey Effect

By

Patsopoulos Nikolaos

©2011 Patsopoulos Nikolaos

A thesis

submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for

the degree of Master of Science in Architecture

School of Architecture

Pratt Institute

January 2011



P A R A L L A X I S :

The 100th

Monkey Effect

By

Patsopoulos Nikolaos

Received and approved:

______________________________________________________Date________

Thesis Advisor

______________________________________________________Date________

Thesis Advisor



Acknowledgements



Table of Contents

Intro p. 1-2

Scenario p. 3-6

Goals of the project p. 7-9

- Generic p. 7-8

- Specific p. 8-9

Social Condenser p. 11-16

- The Club p. 12-14

- Leonidov p. 14-16

Formalities of a Social Condenser p. 17-18

Strategy and Tactics p. 19

Example: La Villete Project p. 20-26

- Similarity and Difference p. 20-21

- Skyscraper P. 21-22

- La Villete P. 22-23

- Today p. 23-25

- Formulations p. 25-26

Seagram p. 27

Forming the strategy p. 28-31

The Void p. 32

Manahatta p. 33-34

Poromechanics p. 35-40

- Rats p. 38-40

The five elements p. 41



The presence of the Void as an event p. 42-44

The spatial experiment realm p. 45-49

- Examples p. 45-47

- Floating Islands p. 47-49

The Surface, the Solid and the Void p. 50-54

- The Surface p. 50

- The Solid p. 50-51

- The Void p. 51-52

- More examples p. 53

- The name of the game is… p. 53-54

Symbolic p. 55-57

Superstudio p. 58-60

- The grid p. 58-60

- Learning p. 60

The Super surface p. 61-69

- Acting p. 63

- Construction vs. Excavation p. 63-64

- Create vs. Demolish p. 64

- Add vs. Subtract p. 64

- Material vs. Debris p. 65

- Combination vs. Fragmentation p. 65-66

- Height vs. Depth p. 66

- Build vs. Shape p. 66

- Hut vs. Cage p. 67

- What is next? P. 67-69

- Return or enter p. 69



Midterm Response p. 70-77

- The grid p. 72-74

- The frame p. 75-77

- The sculptures p. 77

Description of the Thesis Project p. 78-121

- First Part p. 78-98

- Second Part p. 99-121

Bibliography p. 122-135

- English Bibliography p. 122-131

- Greek Bibliography p. 132-133

- Web Resources p. 133-134

- Films p. 135





1

“You cannot say I hold the present time in too much esteem; and if I do not always

despair of it, it’s only on account of its own desperate situation, which fills me with

hope”

Karl Marx

“If one means by violence a radical upheaval of the basic social relations, then,

crazy and tasteless as it may sound, the problem with historical monsters who

slaughtered millions was that they were not violent enough. Sometimes, doing

nothing is the most violent thing to do.”

Slavoj Zizek

Using a showcase we would like to experiment on the way buildings could be able

to be reactivated, a kind of “derive” action. By saying this we do not only imply the

building as a volume, but as social and functioning entity of a larger human

community.

Starting from analyzing the building itself, through extensive studies that have

revolved around it since the late 50’s, we would try and deconstruct its elements

in an effort to see the problem that needs to be dealt with. Everything is part of

this analysis, from the construction method to the architects’ peculiar thought

about the users’ habits.

A particularly interesting element of this part will be the documentary by William

H. Whyte called “The social life of small urban spaces” [1980]. The film itself deals

with the ideal criteria that urban spaces would follow in order to be successful. As

a prime example of this, the plaza in front of the Seagram is used. The lessons

learned from the film will be directly incorporated into the design procedure of the

thesis project.



2

The thesis will mainly deal with the idea of conversion. Architecture is a vessel that

travels through the seas that society has chosen for a path. Based on the scenario

of a total systemic collapse, that would give ideas for a new approach to the way

architecture would be thought as; we choose to work on one of the most

oppressive buildings present, the Seagram building by Mies Van de Rohe



3

[Scenario]

“If you wake up at a different time and in a different place, could you wake up as

a different person?” the narrator asks us... Our question, after taking a good look

at our society’s achievements in a globalized scale , could or better still should be

instead if we were to wake up in a different time and in different place, could we

awaken in a whole new civilization?...

The concurrent crisis is not merely an economical one. Economy is only its

withering façade; the whole structure that the western world had been dreaming

and constructing for the better parts of the 19th and 20th century, is at its knees.

The global wealth and commodity distribution network is showing its limits and its

real intentions. As David Harvey has stated, the name of the game has

transformed into “Accumulation by dispossession”. People all over the world are

stripped away from their basic rights, and of course left with no means of reacting,

in order for the wealth to be accumulated by the people that exploit them. Wealth

is not being mentioned here only as pure capital, but every form that it can

transform itself to, from ma jor firms to real world resources… We have really

entered the stage of capital- cannibalism…

To continue with Professor Harvey’s theory, he makes clear that a revolutionary

theory is needed right away. In his proposal it is stated that social change is

attributed through the dialectical unwrapping of relations between seven stages

within “the body politic” (sic) of capitalism, as viewed in an ensemble of activities

and practices.

These stages are

1. Technological and organizational forms of production, exchange and

consumption



4

2. Relations to nature

3. Social relations between people

4. Mental conceptions of the world, embracing knowledge and cultural

understandings and beliefs

5. Labor processes and production of specific goods, geographies, services or

affects

6. Institutional, legal and governmental arrangements

7. The conduct of daily life that underpins social reproduction

There is no macro scale for architecture away from today’s realities. Utopia and

dreams help us set the path, but critical thinking that derives deep from within our

civilization’s foundations is what should help us follow trajectories that could

reshape us and the perspective in which we engage the world.

We need to find ways that alienate themselves from what we call “consumer

economy”. Let us find pleasure and gratification far off the coastlines of profit and

its counterparts, for if we settle with anything less Sisyphus will be our nemesis,once again.

Bring the obligations, the duties and the responsibilities back to the people , and

not to institutionalized departments that operate under the umbrella of

representational democracy. People should be “citizens” rather that “consumers”.

Architecture must once again re-play a vital role into the society’s shaping. Not to

be cornered as expensive tool for just a few. It could set the framework into which,as some time ago Hassan Fathy suggested where people, cultures and whole

societies would be able to define their space.

So in order to conclude our scenario in a macro scale, it would be set into a future

not much further than today. When the situational awareness of the society would



5

call for a critical rethinking of the way we inhabit our cities. The infrastructure

would still remain relatively intact from the class war that would have erupted, but

civilization would have to cope with the new questions that would have risen.

But there is no macro scale for architecture away from today’s realities. Utopia

and dreams help us set the path, but critical thinking that derives deep from within

our civilization’s foundations is what should help us follow trajectories that could

reshape us and the perspective in which we engage the world.

We need to find ways that alienate themselves from what we call “consumer

economy”. Let us find pleasure and gratification far off the coastlines of profit and

its counterparts, for if we settle with anything less Sisyphus will be our nemesis,

once again.

The micro scenario will of course be a more in depth view of the macro scale. So in

this base we will use the urban context of the city of New York, and more

specifically the borough of Manhattan, that has long served as the showcase of

new liberalism and the profit “above all” concept. We will look into a specific

building, and see how it could interact will all the new concepts and ideas that

would be formed around it.

The sustainability of the city, even in scales of buildings will play a great role to the

whole project. After all, nobody would survive somewhere without food and

water… The micro society and the way it would organize itself inside the buildings,

not as simple tenants but as active ingredients of the built environment is also a

critical element of our project.

Using the examples given by S. Latouche and T. Fotopoulos, we could use the

“localities” to establish a new kind of ecological and immediate democracy.

Especially Takis Fotopoulos pursues a critique of the representational form of



6

today’s democracy :

“The introduction of representative ‘democracy’ had nothing to do with the size

of the population”: it “was intended to act as a filter, i.e. as the very antithesis of

isegoria, which means equality of speech ―a necessary requirement of classical

democracy […]Representative democracy is democracy made safe for the

modern state”



7

[Goals of the project]

After two full semesters of researching the end goals of the thesis project can be

projected in two very distinct and complimentary categories. We will call the first

one, the generic setting and the second one the specific.

What makes this distinction is firstly the amount of specificity and secondly the

degree of time that we spent in order to research and answer the question that

was posed. So in the first category we can include matters of the general socio-

economic structure surrounding our final scenario, and of course the future of our

proposal as a whole. The second group can be attributed to the architectural

elements that have been introduced here, as well as the way that they were

supposed to contribute and function.

Generic

As we have stated numerous times in this thesis, we are no futurologists

nor can we expect to accurately predict the future in any sense. What we

are in human creatures with a conscience and an opinion. As far as we

witness the systemic crisis that has crippled the lives of millions of people

and has returned most of the western economies decades back in terms of

social security and justice, we cannot help but to imagine that the worst

part is still ahead of us. Under these conditions it would be at least idiotic

to continue to rely, for the context of our scenario on an already fragile

system. That is what makes it necessary to look ahead. With our limited

knowledge, our even more limited experience, but with the help and

guidance openly by our enthusiasm for life, we march ahead.

To a future were no human can be held captive, by trends, objects, images

or anything else that lack substance. To a future so vaguely described, that

being able to define it seems almost like hubris. We use only what we know

that would help our present mutate into what we can imagine being our



8

future. Against everything that is being prescribed for us today, an uncanny

feeling of diffused misery and destruction, we can still hope and dream

about tomorrow. There is still going to be life in the future, and no matter

where the situations take us, where life is there’s always hope.

That is the message that we would like this thesis to convey. We can always

rely on the society of humans, under the condition that it too relies on

itself. With this in mind, we incorporated into the project the necessary

features that could make such a society at least sustainable. Using ideas

transfusing though multiple theorists and disciplines, we came up with the

idea of the sustainable islands. Much like the floating islands in the

contemporary impressive graphic illustrations, we imagine them in a two

dimensional level, virtually floating in open fields that are producing goods

that can sustain them.

In the end the generic goal that we have set for the thesis is to be

incorporated into this spatial dance of production and sustainability.

Specific

The second set of goals that has been termed “specific” can be more easily

comprehended through its scale. Where in the first set the scale covered

the large scale of the context and overall civic scheme, here we are dealing

more with the medium scale of the individual city island and the small scale

of the formatted design element.

The ancient Greek city state finds its evolution here in the form of the city

island . As the city state was always in a constant effort to remain

sustainable, so should the city island. Vast and sparsely populated areas are

no longer viable and realistic. The age of mass individualized transportation

will come to an end. Cities and their remaining fragments will become

denser and will gain in height.



9

The goal for this particular scale is to introduce this new iteration for the

city of the future that would successfully combine the necessary

characteristics of the new city islands and subsequently enhance the role of

the social factor, as this has been stated in the large scale. Of course due to

time and knowledge limitations this goal set will be neither completed nor

absolute. As we manifested in the beginning we are only aiming towards a

prediction not a prescription.

For the last scale, the odds are naturally higher. This is the main focus of

the thesis and the main architectural element that will come out of it. In

reality all of the previous scales conclude into this one. The main objective

here is to tackle a series of problems that come with the definitions that we

firstly defined in the manifesto.

We must come up with a new form of spatial arrangement that would be

able to act as a social activator . On the one hand, although there are

precedents that we have mentioned earlier which we will continue to

analyze through this book, we must incorporate their successes and their

failures. On the other hand we must understand and evaluate the fact that

the final outcome must be agile enough to be able to host not only a vast

variety of functions but also to exist in different social formations.

So the goal sets for the small scale are not only more difficult, but are also

much more important for the success or failure of the thesis itself.



10

Basic Set of Ideas that need to be understood



11

[Social condenser]

Social condenser. The term originates from the early 20’s in the post revolutionary

Soviet Union. According to Moisey Ginzburg, one of the most prominent figures of

the constructivist movement, the “goal” of architecture had changed. It was not to

merely erect buildings, but to transform the nation’s way of life, to mutate the

ordinary man to a new inconceivable social creature. The revolutionary rhythm

was taking everything into consideration and revision, under this glance the word

“social condenser” came to life.

This was not an ordinary leisure place. It was the center of gravity for the emerging

new culture. Lenin himself once stated that the founding of the Soviet Union was

equal with the discovery of a new continent. Not only he was right, but having

said that we come close to realize that the condensers and their given formations

were the pilgrimage of the new adventurers.

“Like the electrical condensers that transform the nature of the current , the

architects proposed the social condensers were to turn the self centered individual

of the capitalistic society into a whole man, the informed militant of socialist

society in which the interest of each merged with the interests of all.” Anatole

Kopp

To realize these formations the soviet architects mostly used two main types of

structures; the Club and housing. We will involve ourselves mostly with the first

case as this is the type of formation that we are mostly linked to through the

thesis.



12

The Club

First of all what must be explained is that the Club had nothing to do with

the term that coins today’s common sense. What we have today refers to

the private, closed spaces reserved only for small groups of people or

wealthy members. To quote El Lissitsky:

“The important thing about a club is that the mass of the members must be

directly involved. They must not approach it or be channeled into it from the

outside as mere entertainment. They themselves must find in it the

maximum self expression. *…+ T he ultimate role of the club is to liberate

men from the oppression of the State and the Church. “

Lissitsky went a step further when he named these new formations as

“social powerhouses”, as he believed that freed from centuries of

oppression, finally the human intellect would find the time, the space and

the combined resources needed to create the driving shaft of the society.

The first years that followed the revolution the idea stood mostly on

improvisations. That was a result of the still fluid state of the project in

hand. It was not until 1925 that the first Club was actually realized and

immediately came face to face with a whole new world of problems.

The most important one, that will also follow us to the design table, was

the question of program. With a vast set of goals like the one the clubs

were expected to serve, it was almost impossible to come up with a

multifunctional plan of that extent. The original Clubs were supposed to

have some amenities, but nothing could prepare them for the demands

they had to fulfill.

The answer that was given was a twofold one. On the one hand, the

element of improvisation took over the structural part of the demands.

Nobody knew better than the workers themselves what was that they



13

needed, so in the Clubs they were the masters of themselves. Improvisation

and direct democracy was the hand solver in the first part of the equation.

For the second part, the spatial riddle, the answer had to come with a form

flexible enough to serve the ever transforming needs of the inhabitants and

also stand still as a symbol of a new era.

As it is commonly known, that answer was given by the constructivists,

when they abandoned the older designs of a failed society, to create

something new and capable of meeting the above criteria. The most

important aspect is that they also decided to trust the inhabitants, as much

as the institutional system seemed to be. The spaces were designed to be

extremely multifunctional and completely transformable in terms of space,

volume, quality and in extreme cases even locality.

In order to be able to sustain at least a minimum of referenced activities,

the central guidelines gave an example of proposed Club activities.

“ According to central guidelines Proletkult clubs had to provide extensive

educational services, including classes in the social sciences, art history,

law, and socialist theory. In addition, they were supposed to offer a broad

array of creative artistic workshops. Yet another crucial function of the club

was the transformation of daily life (byt ) to reflect the values of socialism.

In this area, however, the center issued no specific instructions; presumably,

new patterns of social interaction and collectivity would emerge in the

laboratory of the club itself.”

Lynn Mally

In addition to that most of the Clubs that had adequate space, tried to

extend the horizon of their activities by incorporating exterior facilities

such as sports grounds, pools and even cinemas. Of course the list of these



14

programs had to be extensive and literally unending, as the transformation

process of these spaces was indefinite.

Leonidov

In an attempt to broaden the extent of our research and also make clearer

the spatial formation that we are presenting, we will analyze the work of

Ivan Leonidov, one of the most important and influential figures of the

time. More precisely we will investigate his proposal on the Club of a New

Social Type.

The proposal started its process sometime in the early 20’s, when there

was special interest in the mass production of the new workers clubs.

Finally in 1928 Leonidov published two variants of an experimental design

for a “Club of a New Social Type”

“Leonidov treated the club complex as a kind of social culture center, with a

winter garden, a general purpose hall for lectures, cinemas, planetarium,

laboratories, an open ground for glider competitions , motor racing, war

games, a sports hall, a pool and a park. In architectural terms, it

represented a broadly conceived and loosely organized park like

composition with, as its centerpiece the great hall roofed by a parabolic

vault like covering.” S.O.Magomedov

One of the most interesting elements of his proposal is that Leonidov

conceives the social club as some kind of a park, which contains various

cultural and educational facilities. In addition to this, he further extended

the usual program of a workers club (library, conference hall, labs, cinema

etc), to involve a whole new spectrum of events like sports areas, winter

gardens and more. This not only shows his will to test the new formation to



15

its limits but also to experiment with the vast frontiers of emerging

programmatic desires.

In terms of design, he proposed a linear formation that aligned the four

specific programmatic sectors. Then each sector was in turn subdivided,

using a strict gridiron pattern, to further accommodate the proposed

facilities. The first sector was reserved for scientific and historical research,

the second for mass activities, the third for demonstrations and the last

one for physical activities.

Instead of following his predecessors and using a single elemental building,

Leonidov used his program as a series of repetitive events. Under this

scope he succeeds into creating an environment prone to improvisation,

and in the same time to keep the over unity of the project intact.

“These are the headquarters of the cultural revolution, which on the basis

of mass independent work and of wide ranging development of workers’

initiatives will organize the whole system of spreading political knowledge ,

the whole system of cultural development…” I. Leonidov

The same ideas we can follow also, although in a completely new scale,

when he proposes the new urban settlement of Magnitogorsk. He

designed a linear settlement, which composed of three interconnected

lines of separated programs (sport, residential, cultural) that were served

by a major highway, the main provider of communication for the

settlement. Apart from the obvious similarity in terms of linearity, with the

previous project, he also uses the same design trick by dually subdividing

the elements of the plan. By this way not only he defines the different

programs, but he also manages with the checkerboard system to create

some kind of fractal organization, that on the one hand does never repeat



16

itself, and on the other through repetition it succeeds to go on forever. It is

this way of subdividing that finally organizes the settlement.



17

[Formalities of a Social Condenser]

It is easily understandable that one the main challenges when we deal with this

kind of program is the simple fact that there is no actual program, or to be more

exact, the possibilities of it are infinite. In order to escape this really dangerous

shallow waters, we must investigate the way, that the pioneers of this idea, used

to steer themselves out.

At first glance it seems that one of the most important elements of the solution

can actually be found on the problem itself. The multiplicity that creates the

problem will eventually be the factor that will give birth to the solver of the riddle.

Much like the DNA based algorithms of modern day biophysics, the people that

create the demand, will be engaged through a system of solutions, in order to

discover and subsequently create the solution that fits the society they are a part

of.

Catherine Cook gives rise to the question when she explicitly speaks about the

“general unknowns” and the “ particulars”.

“General Unknowns were those identifying characteristics of the epoch as a whole,

whose influence must permeate the entire design and construction process of the

new society. In Style and Epoch, Ginzburg, discusses the ‘social, national and

economical peculiarities’ of a culture, as inevitably influencing buil ding form. From

further analysis of their own he recognizes four of these peculiarities for the soviet

transition. The first was that the individual client had been replaced by a collective

one, a whole society, which was trying to build a new way of life; the second was a

concomitant shift in the position of architecture, to become a member of the

overall plan. The third was a conjunction of these factors to produce a new,

ideological and technical status of norms and standard types. The fourth and final

one was an overriding methodological obligation under the new ideology, to solve



18

the architectural task like any other, only through precise evaluation of its

unknowns and the pursuit of a correct method of solution.” C.Cooke

“How form should relate to an evolving content.” C.Cooke

This last observation shows us the extent of the problem. An ever evolving content

can never be productively served by any spatial formulation, except one that has

been recreated to fit its specific needs in relation to time and space. This

recreation needs to be done co temporally with every evolution. The only way for

a spatial form to do such a thing, is for it to be constructed, every time by the

sheer element of the evolution, the participants.

So if the participants are the ones that recreate the space every time, where is the

architect’s role and consequently what is the quality of the spatial solution to be

given?

The only way for the architect to be involved a solution like that is to become a

participant. By this we do not imply anything different than for him to trust the

evolution of his design to the hands of those that it is being addressed to. In

architectural terms this can only mean only a handful of things, and of those it is

our concrete belief that the only way is the production of a strategy.



19

[Strategy and tactics]

When we are talking about the definition of strategy, we could not avoid the

reference to the work of Michel de Certeau. What he does is that he defines the

term “strategy” by introducing to us another term, “tactic”. According to him

“strategies are able to produce, impose and tabulate spaces in which they operate,

whereas tactics can only use, divert and manipulate space.” Following his example

we can refer to strategy as the syntax of an established language, when the tactics

is the act of speaking.

“In reference to Certeau’s discussions, strategy is mainly an index of governing

principles, and defines what we do. When tactics are actions of operational logic,

and define how we realize what will be done. This mutual, diachronic and

interactive relationship between strategy and tactics constructs the mechanism of

strategic way of design and produces, reproduces, manipulates and controls the

operational tools to cope with the programmatic indeterminacy of an unstable

context…” O.Ozkan

So if we add in the equation the above elements we can clearly understand that a

participatory design refers to a strategic process that must be formulated for a

defined and given space, but furthermore it can be forever evolving in order to fit

what Koolhaas calls “ programmatic indeterminacy of an unstable context .”



20

[Example: La Villete Park Proposal, O.M.A.]

In order to follow on the previous considerations, we felt it would really enhance

our research if we were able to track down a modern equivalent. Of course due to

the historical events that shaped our century, the Soviet Union no longer exists,

and even if it would, the Constructivists and their theories, were scrapped before

the 15th celebration of the October revolution.

There is however one project that tried to play around and reintroduce, in a

somewhat distorted way, the old notion of the social condenser. This was the

1982 proposal for the La Villete Park that was submitted by the Office for

Metropolitan Architecture. Strangely the whole project tends to signify an

important turn for OMA’s future work, but in the same time it really consists of all

the theories that Rem Koolhaas was working on since the beginning of the 70’s.

Most importantly for this thesis, there is another crossover with the theoretical

work of Rem Koolhaas, since in his book Delirious New York; he first recognizes

the ability of the American skyscraper to act as a social condenser.

The ultimate goal of this research will be to come up with the basic rules, on which

we will try to set up our strategic approach to the Seagram building.

Similarity & Difference

Koolhaas is a well known studier of Leonidov’s work. So it is not shocking to

discover major similarities between the theoretical approaches of the two.

But similarities are not the only things that someone discovers in such a

cross-reference. Where Leonidov talks about the social role that a

condenser ought to play in a rapidly emerging society and in front of him a



21

whole nation takes form and shape, Koolhaas defines it as part of a

programmatic architectural process.

“[ … ]layering upon vacant terrain to encourage dynamic coexistence of

activities and to generate through their interference, unprecedented

effects…” R.Koolhaas

We can understand the immediate relative positions of the two architects,

but is still very intriguing to investigate what a 1920’s idea can do in the

21st century dynamics…

Skyscraper

As we noticed before in Delirious New York Koolhaas provides the facts

that give ground to his argument that an American skyscraper can indeed

be a social condenser. First in hand comes his notion of the Grid as

transformation of a strategic “individuation tool ” and the Skyscrapers as a

tactical tool within each plot of the Grid will be analyzed in detail.

He goes on to describe how the grid acts as a main strategy that formulates

the rigid parts of what he calls the “Culture of Congestion”. It is also very

interesting to mark his positions as we are well aware that if there is one

monolithic gridiron structure in the world then that is the Seagram

building. The important part is to note that the grid may engulf the blocks

but because of that it allows the inside of them to turn completely wild,

baring no relation whatsoever with the neighboring blocks.

Using the same tools and with the addition of A.M. Walkers sketch,

Koolhaas turns his attention to the American skyscraper. Easily he notes

the similarities between the horizontal grid of the city and the vertical grid

of the skyscraper. He also refers to them as “activity generators”.



22

“ As a vehicle of Urbanism, the indeterminacy of the Skyscraper suggests

that – in the Metropolis – no single specific function can be matched with a

single place. Through this destabilization is possible to absorb “change that

is life” by continuously rearranging functions on the individual platforms in

an incessant process of adaptation that does not affect the framework of

the building itself.” R.Koolhaas

The individuality of the blocks becomes the condition for the separate

planes of the scraper. This multi functionality poses as the ignition for the

building to be given the term social condenser. The instability of the

Culture of Congestion, finds its spatial match in the skyscraper. Once again

the participants were up to the task of creating a form effective enough to

survive and shape the concurrent timeframe. The grid retains the valuable

specificity while the scraper hosts the madness of the congestion. Problem

solved; for now .

La Villete

In brief, what OMA did in the La Villete competition is to firstly regard the

park like a park-like condenser, the kind that Leonidov was envisioning in

his sketches. Then they used the primmest example of a contemporary

condenser, the skyscraper, and manipulated him in order to create a

strategy that addressed the site. That manipulation, as Koolhaas himself

admitted, was to lay the section of a skyscraper on the site and use the

basic functions of it to work.

Here we must introduce another important element that OMA used in the

proposal. As Leonidov had done years before, they also needed a vessel to

act as a carrier for the formulation – like the grid acted for the city or the

line for Leonidov. Their answer to this was the two-dimensional strip that



23

was multiplied and applied to the north – south axis of the site and acted

as the signifier of the system, the specificity .

Next in line were the circulation paths that were already predefined. And

they acted as a skyscraper designer would by tolerating them. After that

they applied a formula for the dispersion of the minor elements of the site,

the causes of congestion.

The biggest elements on site were already there, but gained a new

significance with their inclusion to the strip system. So the last but also

important detail of the design was the element of nature. They organized

this, using three different kinds of formations in order to cover their linear,

free formed and programmatic needs.

Today

Interestingly, there still exist types of social condensers today. Under

different scopes and programmatic goals of course but it is still really

fascinating to recognize elements in contemporary formations.

“

Museums and Libraries

- bring visitors together for the shared aim that they require the resources

held there. Although some areas within these buildings may be restrictive to

certain activities and so may inhibit true social interaction, they may still

encourage some level of 'social collision' between the users of the building,

perhaps stemming from what visitors may observe within.

Swimming Pools and (Theme) Parks



24

- may be used in a similar way to the above, yet in a more recreational

sense. It could be said that these spaces are used generally for

entertainment or sport, most likely by groups rather than individuals,

although it is argued that the fact that visitors usually have to pay to use

these facilities would limit their true potential to encourage social

interaction between the broadest demographic.

Student Accommodation

- similar in function to some aspects of the Narkomfin Communal House,

student accommodation (particularly the catered type where only limited

kitchenettes are provided) is intended to cause inhabitants to occupy their

own private spaces (study bedrooms) for only some of the time, as cooking/

dining/ entertainment facilities are located elsewhere, usually in communal

blocks nearby to the study bedrooms. This encourages inhabitants to make

use of the communal facilities in order to carry out every day jobs, and it is

usual that social interaction occurs during the course of this. It may be said

that the occupation of student accommodation acts to 'socialize' students

in the transition (usually) from the private family home environment to

university life and its context. Even in self-catered student flats, or 'clusters',

inhabitants still live in groups where the kitchen/ bathroom etc is shared;

interaction between members of this unconventional 'household' will still

take place, yet in a limited way in comparison with larger student halls.

Bars, Clubs and Restaurants

- Although seemingly very every day, the purpose of these establishments is

to provide a place for visitors to socialize against the backdrop of food/

drink/ dancing/ celebration and so on. Generally speaking, people visit such

places in groups, with the shared intention to socialize. Again, visitors have

to pay for the privilege of eating/ drinking in the ambience of these

establishments, and perhaps they are not a social condenser in the true



25

sense. Yet they highlight the so-everyday-as-to-be-almost-overlooked

connection between social gatherings and the consumption of food/ drink

as a communal activity.

The House

- [ …+ Does, in some ways, act as a micro social condenser. Should a house

be occupied by a family or group of individuals, it is likely that each resident

will have their own private space within the house, or at least a space that

they see as being their own. The living room, kitchen and similar spaces are

pseudo-public, in that although they are private in a sense that they are not

accessible to non-residents, they are shared by the residents of the house.

As the residents of the house are very likely to meet or 'bump into' each

other in these pseudo-public spaces, this implies that social interaction may

occur in these areas, in a more 'public' sense than in the more private

realms of the house . “

OMA

Formula(tion)s

Following the phenomenal analysis of O.Ozkan, where he analyzes in its full

extent the Villete proposal made by OMA, and his consequent

investigations of Koolhaas manipulations and their causes, we would like to

quote his resulting theory and use it to further enhance the investigation

for a new social condenser.

“

Formula 1: “Socially interactive, programmatically condensed architecture”



26

+ To define a flexible and unified organic process with active improvisation

of users

Formula 2: “Minimum architecture, maximum program”

+ To define a script that combines the void with an intense program.

Formula 3: “Innocent pleasure inside versus corruption outside”

+ To define the limits of the inside and to establish a spatial relation

between the inside and the outside

Formula 4: “A city (the skyscraper) within a city (the grid)”

+ To create a pattern of activity generators that guarantee perpetual

programmatic instability

Formula 5: “Architectural specificity with programmatic indeterminacy”

+ To create an envelope that can absorb perpetual state of revision”

O.Ozkan



27

[Seagram]

All of the previous research was aimed at the proposed transformation of the

Seagram building into a social condenser. This effort shares a lot of similarities

with both Koolhaas and Leonidov visions. On the one hand, it is set up to be

situated in an environment pretty much in the same state that Leonidov was living

in. A society in the (r)evolutionary verge, with a lot of questions to ask and few

answers to give.

On the other hand, the same society would evolve out of the Culture of Congestion

that Koolhaas describes. The madness, the overflow, the indeterminacy will all be

present elements. The same can be said for the need of a society to acquire

understand and affiliate itself with an important element like that. As Ginzburg

stated, there always were and always will be social condensers of sorts, those are

the powerhouses of any given society. Restructuring them essentially means that

the society around them has already re institutionalized itself, and the keepers are

to follow.

The Seagram offers all of the above mentioned elements to constitute an ideal

new formation. It is a monumental spatial solution that acts as a very particular

symbol. And symbols are for change to pass right through them.

In terms of design elements, it is a building situated in a grid, strictly posed on a

grid, and Cartesian in every possible way. Mies would never have acted differently,

as he actually never did. Using the evolution of the rigid concrete slab, the three

dimensional ribbon as a vessel of real proportions, we will attempt define the

ever-changing programmatic indeterminacy.



28

[Forming the strategy]

Taking into consideration the method previously explored by the Constructivists

and Koolhaas, in order to deal with an identical problem, we will closely follow in

their footsteps as long as this is to the benefit of the project.

Firstly we will start by posing the question of the programmatic indeterminacy .

Not quite as the previous counterparts did, we will attempt to map out the

programmatic formations of the soviet condenser, the La Villete Park and lastly as

far as we can the “American Skyscraper”. This is been done by keeping in mind the

fact that we are talking about spatial solutions aging from nearly a century back to

20 years old. It is necessary to investigate what types of programmatic elements

could be further needed, or on the other hand would be considered obsolete.

Of course the goal of this project is not to act as a fortuneteller or even more as a

anthropologic study, so the investigations are only valid under the scope of

creating the strategy needed to address the specific problem.

After referencing the programmatic elements, the next step would be to assess

the requirements of each and every one. Different needs of light availability,

volume, structure o even situational issues that need to be dealt with. The

multiple nature of the elements, makes it necessary for us to map out these

relationships in order to be able to pre calculate them later on.

Following the requirements investigation, we believe that we should take a deeper

look into the circulation diagrams. Firstly by investigating the available circulation

modes, or even search for additional ones, and then proceed to cross examine

them with the already set up programmatic formation. Through this process, the

conditional state of the provisional neighbors or clusters will become much clearer

and easily articulated.



29

Parallel with the previous research, it will also be crucial to state some kind of

hierarchy between the different elements of the program. That will give the

necessary weight lists in order to result in a direct and adjustable result.

An additional important element of the strategic implementation, although not in

first glance functional, is the division of space between the smooth and the

striated. This also can be considered as a succession on Koolhaas theory of the

void, in his infamous Berlin Wall project.

The main idea behind this duality, apart from the obvious interconnection

procedure, is the ability to host and serve even wider forms of program. When

Gilles Deleuze talks about striated and smooth space, he masterfully uses the

example of the nomadic and the sedentary. This distinction coincides also with the

one between the war machine and the state apparatus.

If we suppose here that the ribbon structure, the “real” element upon which

everything else is projected, can constitute the idea of striated space, then it is

easily admittedly that the void could take the role of the war machine.

Neither the roles, nor the names are coincidental. On the one hand, the

condenser, being a structure and furthermore using a completely pre striated

space as its emerging realm, will absolutely be a striated space. Even more it needs

this kind of striation in order to further imp lement Leonidov’s multi subdivision

tactic. So it is a striated space, emerging from striated elements aiming to further

striate it.

The above action although at first glance looks like an extremity, in reality it is

something that helps a lot with the definition of its oppositional space; the smooth

space. In this case the smooth space can be traced as the void created between

the slabs, or the habitable space all over. Someone may also argue that taken into

section view, the Seagram – as every American Skyscraper – is an absolutely

striated space that engulfs multiple voids.



30

The idea here is to reformulate these voids, and set them free to cluster, disperse

and ultimately to be able to serve our basic programmatic formalities. This is the

real war machine, the ever changing element. The war is between the continuous

re institutionalization of the society as a whole. Here is where the prominent, the

expected (the law ) meets the unforeseen, the unexpected (the logos). In order to

visualize this struggle we would have to use another part of Deleuzian terminology

and talk about the primacy of the line (striated) and the primacy of the point

(smooth).

These voids, with nothing in particular to add to the structure, but the whole point

of the structure would be to accommodate them, can also act in another level of

physicality. The ribbon, posing as the striated and rigid structure can only

formulate itself by means of Euclidean space, after all it has to be capable of

continuous registry and expected behavior. On the other hand, the void can be the

host of Riemann space. That can be an experimental procedure, solely part of

minor science, which awaits its turn to become part of the striation. After all as

Deleuze argued, between the state and the nomad, the state always wins, so why

not try to change the state from within by influencing its own formulations on the

strategic perceptions of the state.

The last thing to be added to this strategic list of actions is the idea of circulation

methodology. One of the things that Leonidov and OMA share in common, under

different reasoning, is the strict set up of the basic moving axis. Although once off

these axis, the movement is more or less set free, before this it completely

appropriated. The Seagram due to its medium size provides us with the unique

opportunity not to pre appropriate the circulation routes and therefore try to

predict the movement of the people. The plaza gives us the ideal starting point for

the diffusion process that can actually be transformed into the element that

inserts the incoming population. Another advantage gained from using this



31

method is that we can completely eradicate the centrality of the axis, once the

entry point becomes a multiplicity.



32

[The void strategy]

As we mentioned before, the voids are incorporated into the condenser in order to

act as the experimental forefront of the given structure. In reality, the soviets did

not have the luxury of establishing something of the kind, so they used the open

plan arrangement instead.

In our case we would like to take this notion a step further and add the third and

fourth dimension into it. Not all of the empty space between the ribbon elements

can be appropriated as void, but also no space can be excluded from this

functionality. The idea would be for them (the voids) to be occupied by short lived

experimental structures, test the institutional framework to its limits and beyond.

There will be no specificity for the form, function and goal of these occupancies,

after all there is no possible way to predict now the spatial formations of

tomorrow, but you can provide the space for it to evolve from.



33

[Manahatta]

One of the basic foundations behind the conception of this theses project is the

profound relation that comes onto play when we consider the country and the city .

As Marx had always been arguing, through the capitalist methods of production

this balance is irreversibly shattered. Proof to the wise is the obvious trouble

relationship that our civilization shares with our environment. To be more factual,

Paul Crutzen recently suggested that our civilization has had such an influence and

impact on the environment that it would be fair to call this era the anthopocene

era.

Coming back to our main staging, the area of New York City and more particularly

the Manhattan borough, we paid very close attention to the environmental history

and its subsequent evolution. Starting point was the main attributes that were

discovered when the Dutch settlers first set their camp site in the southern tip of

what was until then known by the indigenous populations, Manahatta or the

island of the thousand hills.

Vast forests and marshlands, in conjunction with the unwelcoming climate, drove

the native Indians to use Manahatta island only periodically and not in a regular

basis. The only settlements were located far into the north, closer to where

Harlem lays today. So there was no wonder that at least in the begging there were

no direct conflicts between the natives and the settlers.

From the start, in order to sustain the settlements, the Europeans were forced to

begin a massive effort to de-forestate the dense woods that surrounded their

grounds. This effort was continued up until the point of almost absolute

eradication of the forests and most of the indigenous flora and fauna. Today, the

only thing that stands to resemble the environment that once stood in Manahatta

is Inwood Hill Park.



34

Eric W. Sanderson suggests that in the process of time Manahatta transformed

into the Manhattan that we known today through a series of tradeoffs. The

impressive variety of flora and fauna gave its place to the unending variations of

capital formulations in the modern city of New York. In addition to this the

ecological abundance gave its place to the economical abundance of its citizens.

These steps have altered the environmental stability of this place forever. The

thousand hills have been leveled long ago, and the streams and torrents have

mutated into concrete pavements and luxury entrance halls.

What is left for us to do is not just to document this degradation and report on it.

On the contrary, what we would like to achieve in the context of this thesis, is

contradict the notion that these actions flow only in one direction and reverse the

current. We will try to make this lost stability, resurface. Not in terms of a series of

makeup actions here and there, but by inducing a systemic reconfiguration to the

core of the classic clash between the city and the country.



35

[Poro.mechanics]

“Transpierce the mountains instead of scaling them, excavating the land instead of

striating it, bore holes in space instead of keeping it smooth, turn the earth into

Swiss cheese.” G. Deleuze + F. Guattari

Text inspired from “Machines are digging” (chapter of Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia)

Poromechanics is a term widely used by H.P. Lovecraft in order to talk about the

conditioning of what he calls “the inner field”. Negarestani on the other hand

takes on this term and uses it in an way that adds not only to its meaning but also

to its productive effect as a (w)hole. Therefore he turns it into a system, a way to

talk about the relationship of the solid and the void and the subsequent results

that they provide. In his essay titled “Poromechanics: archeology of psychoanalysis

and militarization of archeology ” he states:

“Deleuze and Guattari’s holey space can be addressed both as an event and

entity. As an event it demarcates the limitropic degeneration of a whole which

never effectuates full annihilation or complete effacement (hence the

nomenclature ( )hole complex) and for this reason it perpetuates a poromechanical

decay whose incessant dynamism is maintained by differentiation between solid

and void. As an entity, the holey space is characterized by its anomalous

distribution of consistencies through the poromechanical space.

The politics of the holey space is defiant toward the existing models of harvesting

power, manipulating and analyzing events on the surface. For the world order,

inconsistent events around the world are failures or setbacks since they resist the

contemporary dominant political models. According to the politics of

poromechanical earth, however, inconsistencies, regional disparities and insidious

non uniformities across the globe constitute the body of the ultimate politics. The

emergence of two entities (political formation, military, economic, etc.) from two

different locations on the ground is inconsistent, but according to the logic of (



36

)hole complex they are terminally inter-connected and consistent. In terms of

emergence, consistency or connectivity should not be measured by the ground or

the body of solid as a whole but according to a degenerate model of whole and the

poromechanical entity. “

Following these ideas, a few years later he adds up to the previous passage that

void might exclude the solid, but solid must include void in order to

architectonically survive. In addition to this according to Negarestani solid needs

void to engineer its composition in case and under every circumstance.

If we get back to basic Deleuzian analysis, it is quite obvious that the solid/void

contradiction as expressed by the previous excerpts, can be easily translated into a

striation/smoothing condition, where the solid takes the place of the smooth

space and the void the place of the striated topography.

As an analogy, but as a real life condition, this relativity is stunning. As we will try

to show later on, the Deleuzian line of emergence can penetrate all the vast field

of possibilities that lie in the materialized substance of the solid. This reminds us of

the indeterminacy factor that came as a conclusion when Koolhaas was addressing

the congestion element. All of this is necessary in our effort to provide our project

with a systematic approach that will not only be able to metabolize itself but

facilitate the transition to new social forms, that we are not yet capable to grasp or

even foresee.

Continuing with the text, Negarestani claims that in terms of Earth “the holocaust

of freedom can be attained by engineering the corpse of solidus through installing

underground machines at molecular levels that exhume (ex + humus: un-ground)

the earth from within and without, turning it into a vermicular and holey

composition whose strata is not dismantled but convoluted in every level of its

composition.*…+ By correcting its consolidating processes, the solid sells its integrity

to the abysmal convolutions inspired by the void, through which the pathological



37

survival of the solid becomes the most basic factor in its irreversible lyses and

degeneration.”

This exhumation process is the key to understanding the interaction between the

solid and the void. We may not be able to predict the exact way that the future

generations will try to direct their experiments, but what we can do is provide

them the tools to start with. Even in terms of pure materiality, it is way easier,

given the correct tools to carve your way into something, than try to construct it

around you.

“In any composition, the solid narrates the anomalies created by the void

*…+ It is a short analytical step to witness that the solid works mainly as two

different entities overlapping each other and functioning concurrently:

1. As a compositional entity whose behavior can induce changes to the

compositional side of the void through Surface Dynamics.

2. The solid as an entity is inherently possessed by the void.”

In order to conclude this early setting up, the solid and the void will be the main

element that we are going to have to implement into our system of solutions. As

previously exemplified the solid plays the role of the infinite possibilities and the

eternal phasing of evolution. Anything can happen when the material of creation is

already present. Another important fact would be the use of the surface in the

“game”. That could give us the necessary background actualization, because after

all, the surface has been the main habitat of the human kind so far… Lastly but

most importantly, the void… That is the real protagonist, in every aspect of this

matter. All of the experimentations, the trials and even the figurative ideas, can be

address through and with the void. The exact results may never emerge to be

what we nowadays expect them to be, but this is the ultimate beauty of providing

the material elements that can be indeterminately utilized in the future, near or

far…



38

The next stage is to try to define the aggregators of the interactions. The element

that will ignite the void creation, by addressing the process of exhumation. Again,

Negarestani in his text has a very interesting suggestion to make about these

elements. As he states, by using the foreword of Lovecraft’s work, he introduces

the idea of the Rats as exhumation machines...

Rats

Negarestani uses Lovecraft’s poromechanical cosmology where

exhumation is “undertaken and exercised by units called Rats.”

“Rats are exhuming machines: Not only fully fledged vectors of epidemic,

but also ferociously lines of un-grounding. They germinate two kinds of

surface cataclysm as they travel and span different zones. Firstly, static

damage in the form of ruptures rendered by internal schisms, uplifts,

dislocations, jumps and thrusts which expose the surface to paroxysmal

convolutions and distortions; and secondly the dynamic anomaly of seismic

waves dissipating as the rats flow in the form of tele-compositions

(ferocious packs ).”

There is a lot of interesting facts about the use of Rats as the acting

proprietors. First of all, even if we take the term literally, as every action

taken in nature rats act like that to fulfill a basic chain of demands. Either

they are digging to create the passage way that will lead them to a food

source, or they are digging in order to escape, or even to hide their

newborns. In any and every case the action of digging not only has a more

specified goal, but also the literal exhuming comes as a consequence, that

has neither been though about nor been calculated.

In the same type of actors, where the creation of void refers mainly to the

meeting of basic necessities, we could easily put a more manageable



39

element, the ant. For thousands of years the ants have roamed the earth,

literally exhuming gigatons of soil in an effort to sustain their way of living.

Every corridor, every chamber they have ever created had to fulfill a

specific function. There is a very strict hierarchy included in the very being

of the ant colony. As we learn from Steven Johnson’s “Emergence”,

everything starts to be created around the queen ant.

The queen being the main aggregator is also the key provider of the colony.

All the ants are being born from her. So in a not so strained analogy, she is

the literal Rat. Everything begins to fall into place around her, the main

corridor are created, the chambers, the storage and the circulation

compartment. Still following the most basic rule of nature, that of survival.

The same adheres to the structures made by termites.

On the other hand, if we decide to see the rat term metaphorically then we

have a totally new problem in our hands. This is the way that we are willing

to use the rat term, so we will try to maneuver through the delicate

metaphorical structure consisting of humans and our life structure.

The basic idea behind this research is to be able to provide an

experimentation zone. As we said before, we are not willing to return to

the misfortunes of the past, where architecture was expected to create

single handedly a brave new world. But on the other hand we definitely

don’t want to fall victims of today’s indifferent stance towards the

experimentation of the social structure.

The ideal balance has to be researched .

In our case, we are mainly trying not to direct, but only provide and

influence experimentation. As with most cases in human history, only when

we have the appropriate tools, we can start the testing runs…



40

So what if, instead of providing old retrofits or failed utopian predicaments,

we actually provide the appropriate tools? Then maybe people can

transform themselves to Rats, in order to address themselves, according to

their own necessities, the basic evolutions that they want to pursue.



41

[The five elements]

Following up on the previous research on what the void could really specify, we

come across the Japanese religious theory of the five elements. Those elements in

ascending order of power are earth, fire, air, water and void.

Void is referred to as Ku and is the strongest among elements because it

represents spirit, thought and unrestrained creation. It is also associated with

power, creativity and inventiveness.

We can easily understand the importance of the void as the ultimate functioning

layer of all importance, since it is what exists before anything becomes.



42

[The presence of Void as an event]

Here we would like to involve ourselves we the idea of the Void as an event.

Negarestani himself tried to give this functionality to the Void but instead he

preferred to talk about it as an entity.

“The world is everything which happens” Wittgenstein

First of all, in order to prove the eventful nature of the void, we must understand

and define what an event really is. To do this we will mention and refer to an

extensive array of excerpts in Deleuze’s work especially from the book “The logic

of Sense”.

“ Axiom 1: ‘Unlimited becoming becomes the event itself “

The Void, with its unlimited possibilities and endless boundaries, clearly

constitutes what Deleuze refers to here as unlimited becoming. The position, the

role or even the function of the engulfed space is ever – changing and therefore

eternally becoming. In a peculiar turn of terms it could ideally constitute the

materialization of what Trotsky called “constant revolution”.

As Badiou argues, the event “is the ontological realization of the eternal truth of

the One, the infinite power of Life, it is in no way separated from what becomes.

*…+ To the contrary it is the concentration of the continuity of life, its

intensification, it is what gives the multiplicities of life” and he concludes “The

event is the becoming of becoming: the becoming of unlimited becoming”

“Axiom 2: ‘The event is always that which has just happened and that which is

about to happen, but never that which is happening’”



43

The main difference for this second axiom is the introduction of the element of

time. Again, we would like to follow Badiou with his analysis where he states:

“The event is a synthesis of past and future. In reality, the expression of the One in

becoming is the eternal identity of the future as a dimension of the past. The

ontology of time, for Deleuze as for Bergson, admits no figure of separation.

Consequently, the event would not be what takes pl ace ‘between’ a past and a

future, between the end of a world and the beginning of another. It is rather

encroachment and connection: it realizes the indivisible continuity of Virtuality. It

exposes the unity of passage which fuses the one-just-after and the one-just-

before. It is not ‘that which happens’, but that which, in what happens, has become

and will become. The event as event of time, or time as the continued and eternal

procedure of being, introduces no division into time, no intervallic void between

two times. ‘Event’ repudiates the present understood as either passage or

separation; it is the operative paradox of becoming. This thesis can thus be

expressed in two ways: there is no present (the event is re-represented, it is active

immanence which co-presents the past and the future); or, everything is present

(the event is living or chaotic eternity, as the essence of time).”

The sheer importance of the time element in the event structure is intriguing. We

can also attribute this importance to the most basic arguments of the necessary

creation of what we call the “spatial experiment realm”. The past is what will help

us create and promote an evolved future, but in order to do this in the present, it

must provide us with the appropriate tooling and resources.

“For Deleuze, the event is the immanent consequence of becoming or Life.” A.

Badiou

Although the Void itself would be sufficient into translating the function of

becoming, there is here something much more than that. The Void that gets

created always has to serve the function that made its existence necessary. In

order for this function to arise and to be actualized, through the creation of the



44

Void, there has to be a whole procedure of human interaction in multiple levels.

These levels can be from the most basic organizational levels (administration, work

force) to the more complex ones of spatial decision making (assembly meetings,

proposals etc.) these are exactly the core elements of what Deleuze names

becoming, this unitary activity comprising of all levels of intellectual and physical

activity, and finally this is what we want to address through our “spatial

experiment realm”.

“The outside is not a fixed limit but a moving matter animated by peristaltic

movements, folds and folding that together make up an inside: they are not

something other than the outside, but precisely the inside of the outside.” Deleuze



45

[The spatial experiment realm]

Apart from the already given justifications that necessitate the creation of such a

realm, we have to think in more reactionary terms.

“ In other words, this is the fundamental action of a society: to code the flows and

to treat as an enemy anyone who presents himself, in relation to society, as an un-

codable flow, because, once again, it challenges [met en question] the entire earth,

the whole body of this society. *…+There is a fundamental paradox in capitalism as

a social formation: if it is true that the terror of all the other social formations was

decoded flows, capitalism, for its part, historically constituted itself on an

unbelievable thing: namely, that which was the terror of other societies.

*…+Because it was the ruin of every other social formation.” Deleuze

It will be interesting to turn this weaponry on the system itself. This negation of

flows can turn in to a negation in spatial arrangements, capable of producing the

elements that will tear it down. The evolution will begin, the (re)volution will ignite

its beginning…

Examples

Thinking of actualizing our realm, the first thing that comes into mind is

soil . The penultimate material that our civilization has relied on, for

centuries. Since the end of the hunting – gathering period, soil was used to

define the most essential figures of human evolution. Manuel deLanda

stated that, the differentiation on the use of soil, among a vast amount of

elements, led to the final phase of the human settlement. Through his

analysis it is easier to understand the significance that the use of the soil



46

can have to the evolution of a given society. The first example would be to

investigate the way that ants and termites correlate to it.

There is a vast bibliography on the way that these insects have used the

ground since the beginning of their existence. It is not only their hunting

ground; they feed, make war and circulate in and through it. They make

their nests and passage ways on it. In reality there is no other living

organization, more sufficient than the ants and the termites, to witness the

use the soil.

What is particularly interesting to us, regarding this research is the way the

ant society defines its structure in the most concrete way, by the presence

of specific chambers. These chambers constitute an unwritten pattern and

rule book that has to be followed by the entire colony if they were to

survive. In some given relaxed perspective, so does the human society

structure. The difference here is that we humans mainly elect to construct

our edifices instead of using space already provided by the underground.

That usually necessitates much more resources and effort, than the

excavating process, and also does not give the opportunity for a more

direct approach to what is being achieved, since for many years structures

were slaves of the technical deficiencies of their contemporary methods.

Imagine, if one day a group of ants, suddenly and unexpectedly, started to

dig a completely new chamber structure in the nest. Let us look beyond the

reasonable doubt of the fact that in nature nothing ever “just” happens or

that there has to be a pretty good explanation for such a move. This new

element, would completely throw of the sum of the hierarchical structure

of the nest. It would be a time stopping experiment that would most

probably lead to the fast extermination of the members that created it.

Imagine if this new chambers where to be implemented in order to

constitute a new kind of change in the society figure of the time. Of course



47

the ants are in no such position as to be able to incorporate a drastic

change like that under democratic or even experimentation means.

But what about the people?

If only this kind of elaborate experiment surfaced in a human community

willing to try it out. Maybe it would actually lead to a complete disaster, or

not. Then maybe a new kind of social formation would start to emerge and

articulate itself spatially. The least it could actually provide is a kind of

playground for though that could only mean that a better chance would be

given to the advancement of socializing or even the way we regard any

given institution to date.

So if the ant farm provided us with the elemental material, then the next

step would be to find an analogy fittingly sufficient to our scales and

values. For this particular research timing is all that matters.

In the recent James Cameron film Avatar there is an unimaginable

depiction of what we are looking for. The floating islands.

The floating islands

The floating islands are a formation known, for water use of course, and

experimented upon for many years. Even geological formations have been

given this name due to their physical resemblance. The islands that we

witness in the virtual realm of the movie are air floating structures, that

seem like a monstrous force ripped them of the surface and by ignoring

every term of basic physics, it left them levitating in mid air.

A small historical background reveals that the idea of the floating islands is

not new or profound. The first time that something similar is actually

mentioned, is in the ancient Greek epos of Odyssey, written by Homer



48

around 8 century BC. There he talks about a floating island on which the

mythical city of Aeolia is situated. Aeolus the god of winds was born in that

city according to the text. The next important mentioning of a similar

formation is Laputa a city in the book Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

(1726). The writer includes in his description detailed views of this

imaginary place and its inhabitants. Also it is very interesting to add that

the floating island has a detailed area, in which it can maneuver, that itself

is part of the same kingdom. The third example comes much later in 1943

when C.S. Lewis writes his fictional novel Perelandra. In the novel there are

a lot of floating islands featured in the surface of Venus. The final example,

although these references do not exhaust the vast amount of material

available on these formations, is the Cloud Nine project by B.Fuller. Based

on the architect’s calculations, a small increase in the internal pressure of

the spheres would result to their instant and safe levitation without the use

of other technology. It was a utopian project trying to discover the

importance of space and time regarding to big communities. In the end it

was not favorably recognized, but it did mark the beginning of the first

realistic approach to an airborne human settlement.

Apart from the visually stunning imagery, the floating islands create an

ideal precedent to the object of our research. It actually redefines all the

bad qualities of the underground structures (light, air circulation etc) and

keeps all the attributes that we have been arguing about. As a bonus

element the surface that remains on these imaginary sightings, can act as

an ideal direct analogy to the contemporary way of formatting.

So in order to summarize in the second research level, the floating islands,

although unrealistic, are an ideal element to make visibly comprehensible

our basic ideas. We will use them as they incorporate the 3 main factors

that we have been referring to; the surface (s), the soil (S) and the void (-S).



49

In another level of thought, these three key players actually fall well into

the category that we have started to set up since the first phase of our

research, the Lacanian Elements (Symbolic, Real, Imaginary).

In an attempt to clearly state what we are thinking about this comparison,

we will try to make a small parenthesis here in order to explain further.



50

[The surface, The soil, The void]

Using the previous mode of distinction, we will define each element in question as

part of the three categories.

The Surface

It has been used to host the constructions of human civilization ever since

man came out of the protective womb of the cave. It functions as a level of

consistency for everything that has ever been built. During every age of the

human history, situations changed, institutions changed even settlements

advanced, but the element of the surface retained its pre historical

significance. As has been frequently stated in the political thoughts of the

19th and 20th century, surface and the notion of ownership over it, gave

rise to the presence of capital and its repercussions. It became not only the

base that we step on, that we build on but also the measure of our

collective value.

Given the foretold arguments, it is easy to understand the central role that

the Surface element has played in the evolution of human civilization. In

short, not only it has been the plane of our existence but it constitutes the

Symbolic since all of the symbolic structures are not only laid upon it but

also defined by it.

The Soil

It is the element that first and foremost shapes and supports the surface

level. As Negarestani states, the surface merely depicts what the



51

underground (the soil) wants to express. The obvious visualization of this

would be the mountain ranges or even the lakes, formations that have

been created due to the subsequent manipulation from the soil.

Also apart from being the supporter of all that stands above it, soil also is a

vector of change. Not only though centuries of small and almost

unnoticeable formations but also sometimes through the use of more

violent and abrupt natural incidents (i.e. landslides, quakes, volcanoes). It

has been used also to produce a steady flow for material leading to

construction or other uses that deal with everyday needs, but its main role

was always to be there, because when it went away, in any form,

cataclysmic events occurred to the adjacent civilizations.

Due to the characteristics attributed to the Soil, it is quite safe to say that it

fits perfectly with what Lacan named the element of the Real.

The Void

The last element of our small parenthetical analysis is what will have to

prove itself in the course of this whole research. The void, in various forms

during the course of human history and especially in the field of utopian

thinking, has always played a key role. Some of the forms it could take

where obvious, like the ideas of flying into the void (air), living into the void

(underwater or underground) or even living into a void that flies into the

void (space).

The first set of ideas, regarding flying structures, where not so utopian in

context as they were in terms of how close they came to be realized. From

living (flying) into the air for a few seconds during the first human flight

(Wright brothers) to the creation of magnificent air levitating cities (Fuller),



52

the airborne structures were not mere figures of imagination but were

goals in active pursuit.

Next in line is the underwater and underground realm. There is a vast

bibliography on success and failure to build habitable spaces and

communities underwater. This research however will not involve itself with

this kind of formations, since we believe that there is no particular

advantage for new social institutions to be created while in the water due

to the fact that there is an immense lack of all that make up a healthy

human settlement (i.e. air, light, food) On the other hand there has been

more than a simple urban legend surrounding the underground

communities. For different reasons every time (production, protection,

burial, circulation etc.), there are a handful of constructed underground

spaces active even today. Mines might be the first thing that comes into

mind, but we are more intrigued by the fictional myth of the inner Earth.

Although we are well aware of the fake character of it, the scientific

interest of formations being created in such an environment would be

immense.

Last but not least is space. No need to mention here the availability of

projects in this particular area, and because of this specific over-

exploitation we would not prefer to involve ourselves with it.

The extensive list of examples comes to prove that the Void and its

features have long ago captured the imagination of artists, politicians,

utopian thinkers, authors and many more. The key word in order to define

the place of our element in the Lacanian trio is imagination. The void has

always had protagonist roles in works of fiction and fantasy. There would

be no other ideal definition for it, if not the Imaginary.



53

More examples

This section is reserved for a more specific architectural example. The

example in question is the proposal by OMA for the Tres Grande

Bibliotheque Jussieu. Despite the fact that the proposal does not adhere to

the sum of our intentions, we feel that is a good precedent to look into and

analyze.

The first interesting element of the proposal is the initial effort to break the

striation of the grid. To achieve this, the architects presented a system of

inclinations (most of them operational in the form of theaters,

amphitheaters etc) that deals with the gridiron. The next step is even more

radical, as they introduced into the core of the building a milieu of voids.

These voids where to house specific functions attributed to the building’s

program.

One of the feelings left from the proposal, is that the maneuvers did not go

all the way. The inclinations were not enough, and most importantly the

void formations were not communicating with each other. So the project

can be viewed as a really important ancestor to the way we would like to

address the building.

The name of the game

Now that we have defined the basic players of this research, it will be a bit

easier to track down their evolution, as the design and theoretical

approach advance. We are interested not only in the juxtaposition of the

three elements and the spatial results that they can provide, but also to see

if from these provisions there would be any chance for a differentiation in

the already established institutional formations of today.



54

Under no circumstance can we act like a fortuneteller, although for

systems sake will try to put our own imagination to the test, what we

would like to do is to provide with the appropriate tools a society of people

willing to experiment.



55

[Symbolic]

One of the most impressive aspects of Freud’s work has to do with what he called

the “narcissistic illnesses” of man. According with his own theory, in an attempt to

place his unconscious discoveries, man has suffered successive humiliations to the

very foundations of his century’s long beliefs of superiority. Copernicus was the

first one to throw humans off their central placement in the universe, by proving

that the sun was the actual center and not earth. Following him, Darwin forever

took away the pride of human beings as the centrifuge of intelligence, by proving

through the evolution theory our blind emergence. Lastly, Freud himself proved

that human is not even the landlord in his own house. The predominant role of the

unconscious forever drove away sentimental linearity and traceable reasoning.

Now, we would like to try to investigate, how not even the solidness of our own

spatial volume is a given. In the way that we accept and recognize and thus legalize

our institutions, we can also admit that we accept, recognize and thus legalize the

un - changeability our living or acting space.

The symbolic [S], the real [R] and the imaginary [I] . These are the main elements,

according to the progressive French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan , that all things

can be described with. In an attempt to spatialize this theory, we are using

examples set forward for us by Slavoy Zizek , an psychoanalyst himself that is

trying to investigate the depth of Lacan’s proposals .

According to Zizek’s designation there is no sound and secure way to assume a

direct link between elements and signified objects or terms. Having this into mind

we will try to translate as close as possible the terms and their given meaning, to

the spatial context of the project.



56

[S]. the symbolic meaning calls for the essential rules of the game that involves

every given society structure. In a game of chess, that would be the rules that

comprise of the game itself.

[R]. the real. A really important element that actually includes in its definition all of

the secondary but yet crucial pieces of environmental or other conditions, that

may affect the subject in an immediate manner. In the chess play, the real would

be the environmental conditions surrounding the game, the health of the players,

their intelligence etc...

[I]. this last designator comes to cover the ground left by the other two. It is easier

to understand it if somebody thinks in terms of Saussure’s signified. All the

attributes that we imaginary give to an object in a completely humanistic and

subjective way. In our example, it stands for the names and the proposed

(designated) chess moves, the shapes of the pieces etc…

“The symbolic space acts like a yardstick against which I can measure myself. This

is why the big Other can be personified or reified in a single agent : the “God” who

watches over me from beyond, and over all real individuals , or the cause that

involves me ( freedom , communism , nation ) and for which I am ready to give my

life.

*…+

In spite of all this power , the big Other is fragile, insubstantial , properly virtual, in

a sense that its status is that of a subjective presupposition. It exists only in so far

that the subject acts as it exists. It is similar that of an ideological cause like

Communism or the Nation: it is the substance of the individuals that recognize

themselves in it, the ground of their whole existence, and the point of reference

that provides the ultimate meaning , something that they are ready to give their

lives for . Yet the only thing that truly exists is the individuals and their activity, so



57

this substance is actual only in so far as individuals believe in it and act

accordingly.”

Slavoy Zizek



58

[Superstudio]

Superstudio or SUPERSTUDIO as the team preferred to name itself, was an avant

garde architectural team created in Italy in 1966. The founders were Adolfo

Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia both architects from the famous

Architecture school of Florence. Along with another architectural and design team

of the era and closely related to them even in terms of spatial proximity , the

ARCHIZOOM ( an association by Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, Paolo Deganello,

Massimo Morozzi; and two designers Dario Bartolini and Lucia Bartolini), they

formed what was coined as the Radical Architecture Movement.

We will not go in depth into the history or the implementations of their work,

because this is firstly easily traceable throughout the internet and secondly it is not

the goal of the project. Instead we want to investigate some elements that this

radical movement explored and see if we can also rely on their interpretation to

further enhance our projected goals.

One of the first elements of their work that we are interested in is the way the

SUPERSTUDIO and the ARCHIZOOM use the grid formation. We focused on two

projects (one for each team), the Continuous Monument (SUPERSTUDIO) and the

Non-Stop City (Archizoom).

Although these two projects share a lot in common they also have a lot that

differentiates them. Common is the utopian perspective of them and the use of

the grid as a starting point, also similar is the ideal that they have upon

commenting on their contemporary consumerist society.

Almost everything else is contradicting one another. In the Continuous Monument

the ideal of a society held together only by a thin grid (or grid structure), that can

supply them with their necessities, is central. In Non-Stop City, the inhabitants of



59

this limitless urban (?) formation are actually depending on a multitude of newly

invented pieces of furniture and their houses that are completely self-enclosed

and artificially air-conditioned. There is much more in this comparison and we will

not address it here. What we are really interested is the use of the grid (the

similarities and the differences) and the way that the two revolutionary thinking

teams regard its relationship with nature; and of course Mies…

The grid

In the Continuous Monument, Superstudio uses the grid and the grid

structure to create an overcoat that would make the totality of our planet

habitable. In the graphics that follow their utopian project we can see the

spatial formation that is constituted by a rectilinear grid, literally in every

environment found on our planet.

In one of the very few (and early) sketches we can take a glimpse of what is

happening inside this grid. We can see structures like the ones we are used

to inhabit today, stacked one on top of another, like a linear city of

humongous proportions. In this case we understand that the grid and its

spatiality create the environment for the city structure (urbanism) to

invade everywhere. Inside of this seemingly uniform grid, everything can

be happening. The exterior façade of this project in no way is able to depict

or even interact with what is happening inside of it. But in a very strange

way, the exterior is the only way for the interior to exist.

This is in very close proximity to the Miesian way to think about a façade.

Furthermore, in another set of envisioning the team sketches out an

entirely new condition for the grid. Here we can see a family of inhabitants

roaming around a open plane field that is constituted by a never ending

grid. According to the team this grid is the ultimate provider of the needs



60

that those people have. What is really interesting to us at this point is the

way that this particular grid interacts with nature and the native ground.

In the collage we see the grid plane covering the whole extent of the field.

In the same extent there are parts of the grid that seem broken off and

reveal the reality that it was protecting us from. Even the presence of the

cactus as a natural element, is indicative of the team’s attitude against

nature.

In the same way, when we take a closer look at Mies work (Farnsworth,

Seagram, Stadtgallerie, Lake Shore drive etc), then we realize an important

similarity between the two. When the grid wants to host a natural element,

it does not distort its presence, it doesn’t even react, it just opens a whole

wide enough for the element to fit in.

It is not a reactionary measure it is an involuntary one.

The same can be said about the Non-Stop City project; although here the

moves are more randomized and the set of rules seems a lot more

figurative and free. The natural element has no continuity, and it is still

encased in the grid. The grid here is much more two dimensional, and all of

the focus is being laid on the architectural objects themselves.

Learning

Having these great examples to look up to, we had a hard time realizing the

difficulty of the process we elected to follow. The diagrid formation that

will cover our structure, is not two dimensional or three dimensional per

se. It relates upon the elements it encounters, and it formulates itself

accordingly. It never breaks or subsides, but it can be taken apart when

need.



61

[The Super Surface]

In the late 60’s the already provocative studio of Superstudio presented and

shocked the architecture and art world with a conceptual study under the name of

The Continuous Movement. The goal of the project was to start a debate on the

modernist exaggerations on the potentially utopian future of architecture.

The exhibit consisted of a single structure of ridiculous proportions that engulfed

the extents of our planet. The structure was a single surfaced gridiron that was

situated unaltered in every environment and condition on earth. This idea came

as an emblematic contradiction to the contemporary norm of the time that spoke

about monolithic ideas turning into the ultimate solutions for the future.

“The grid is, above all, a conceptual speculation…in its indifference to topography,

to what exists, it claims the superiority of mental construction over reality ” - Rem

Koolhaas

In their own words: “(A)ll architecture will be created with a single act, from a

single design capable of clarifying once and for all the motives which have induced

man to build dolmens, menhirs, pyramids and lastly to trace a white line in the

desert ”. It is easy to feel the underlying sarcasm of the architects in this statement.

In the same context Charles Jencks added that the project “was a mixture of

‘fascist’ total urbanization and absolute egalitarianism.”

Jencks remark is really a significant one although it seems to contradict itself. The

absolute urbanization realized with the infinite expansion of the grid, was the

agent that provided the nominal inhabitant with the absolute freedom not only to

be able to live nomadically wherever he desired but also due to the functions of

the grid he could also be sustained by it.



62

This extreme depiction of human control over not only the elements of nature but

also man himself, wanted to act as a parody of the modernist to tamper with

space. Ultimately this gesture also stood ground against the capitalist fetishism of

objects, when we witness the family of people living in a bare tent and the grid

providing all of the rest necessary supplies. In its extreme striation the grid

provides all of the appropriate elements for the creation of smooth space, as

Deleuze taught us.

Following this idea we would like to add the famous Ode of Horace, exegi

monumentum aere perennius, (I built a monument more lasting than bronze).

Although Horace stated the above to prove the superiority of the soul against

materiality, it is suitable to note that in the same way this project, in its own way,

found a way to buy in this drama of monumentality.

But that was then, in the late 60’s. More than 50 years have passed and the

introduction of the World Wide Web, has given a reasonable amount of approval

to their point. It might not be able to supply humanity with housing, but it sure can

provide everything else. Despite this, the words of C. Jencks about egalitarianism

and freedom continue to buzz in our ears.

So we would like to have another go into the implications of this particular project

in our contemporary world. In order to do this more efficiently we would like to

connect the notion of the grid, with that of the Surface, and in the same way that

of the Void to that of the Solid. Also we are not willing to investigate the

implications of whole range of newer and older propositions but just to come up

with a result that would give us an idea of a contemporary rival of the

Supersurface.



63

Acting

One of the most obvious but also important differences between the two

elements of our contradiction (surface and solid) is that the former is

mostly bonded with the idea of open space as simultaneously the latter is

with the idea of the underground. When we think about what defines a

surface what comes into mind is most often the idea of a plane, distorted

or not. On the other hand the idea of the solid is tied with the notion of any

shape in the three dimensional environment.

Construction vs. Excavation

In our debate on a surface somebody constructs or erects a component,

whereas in a solid we can merely excavate or dig into. This is a fundamental

difference in this contradiction.

When we think about construction, especially in a surface, the conceptual

idea is only the first step in this process. The lack of materials and the

necessary hunt for them is a major disturbance in the actualizing process. If

it was possible to have the materials in situ, then it would be much easier

for us to formulate and again reformulate the concept.

That is exactly what the presence of the soil signifies. The infinite

possibilities of conceptual aggregation of space, when the material is

already present. Of course this doesn’t mean that there is no further

material necessary for the stabilization of this perpetual space. We could

look into this supplementary material as the type of elements coming off a

mining facility. It is only there to keep space from collapsing, not to define

it…



64

In another level it is really easy to understand how this stabilizing factor

can be managed in terms of parametric formations. Undoubtedly, the

functions that necessitate the full extent of given elements that cannot be

omnipresent will not be included in the interior of the condenser, but in

the exterior of it. Examples of these functions are the gardens (crops etc),

the open space, education (part of it) and sport activities (again only part of

it).

Create vs. Demolish

Creation is mostly linked with the merging and erection of materials,

whereas demolition is its counterpart. If we take the two definitions

literally then we could also argue that creating means bonding as

demolishing means dissolving. Having in mind this feature, it will be really

interesting to investigate the appearance of space as the result of the

demolition of the solid. Again it is not a profound neologism as the creation

of space in the underground (solid) is something long materialized by the

miners of the world.

Add vs. Subtract

This contradictory pair needs not much of an explanation. As we have

further noted the act on the surface always has been that of adding

elements to create space, where in the solid realm this creation can only be

achieved by subtracting. Provoked from this nihilistic negligence, the

negative action of dis-creating the space is in reality what might as well

provide us with part of the answer …



65

Material vs. Debris

We have involved ourselves so far in the investigation of the actions that

constitute the contradiction between surface and solid. If we look a little

bit later in the same process there are more interesting facts popping out.

One of these is the remains of the actions once those have finished. On the

one hand we have the part of the materials that went unused and can be

either reused or recycled and on the other hand we have the plain debris

as a result of the excavation. There two major differences here.

The first one is that in the first case the materials that remained unused

can be salvaged in order to be once more active ingredients to another

structure whereas in the latter case the remains cannot constitute any

activity in the future. That comes as a result of the fact that the space in

the void is consisted of anti volume, so the volume of the debris is no

longer desired in this situation and under any form and condition.

The second major difference has to do with the inherent quality of the

remains. The surface structure will give us a multiplicity of different

materials like the ones that we have to use in order to build a sustainable

construction. The solid will only give us part of its self that we no longer

desire. So the immediate result is the uniformity of the extracted material

as a (w)hole.

Combination vs. Fragmentation

As we previously demonstrated a key element of differentiation between

our main participants is the way they interact with materials around them.

In the same perspective we would like to add that although in the case of

the surface the (various) materials have to be combined in order to create



66

a uniformity, in the latter case the uniformity of the sole material has to be

fragmented in order to create the spatial quality.

Height vs. Depth

When a construction is situated on the surface one of its main indicators is

that of the height of the construction. Even today in the middle of the 21st

century depression buildings are still trying to surpass each other in terms

of height. Contrary to that the space engulfed in a solid does not count

height as its primer characteristic but depth. Again the visual example to be

stated here is again the mine.

Build vs. Shape

So far we have investigated the results and the excuses behind our two

elements. Now it is time to think about the actions that create them.

When we imagine a structure on the surface the most logical term thatcould follow this activity is building. Everything that we have previously

stated regarding the erection of structures on a surface can be

incorporated into this term. On the other hand, the same term fails to

apply to the soil condition. Despite of the close resemblance of the two

actions, the most appropriate term for the inter soil activity would be

shaping.

So shaping and building are the two different sides of the same coin in this

situation. The operational difference between them is something that will

also help us define the way that this newborn functional “device” will be

able to operate.



67

Hut vs. Cave

The last but not least comparison for our two basic elements, the surface

and the soil is historical. We do not argue that this is an absolute

composition but at least a relative one that will be able to help with the

advancing of our study.

In the most accurate anthropocentric history, our earliest ancestors took

refuge to the caves. Physical structures created as cavities in the same soil

that surrounded them, they were the ideal housing locations for our not so

sophisticated ancestors. On the other hand, with the advancement of our

mental capabilities and the acquisition of the most delicate techniques,

human beings became the builders of their own habitat, the hut.

So we can safely argue that there was a shift from the soil formations to

the ones of surface. Maybe this would be the ideal moment to re propose a

return to basics, a return to the soil. Now that we mastered the surface, we

can try our very best into taming the soil itself…

What is next?

Maybe it would constitute the upmost detrimental cliché, but the whole

meaning of the present article was to make an excuse for our introduction

of the Soil (Void) element. Although an initial proposition of this thesis was

aiming towards introducing a more approximated approach, one that

would also include a transitional background, this has changed. For it is

more important to be able to make direct and as detailed as possible bold



68

propositions for the future, than simple predictions that fluctuate like the

wind.

Karel Teige argued in his 1950’s article that the contemporary metropolis

was a city of “spatial proximity but social distance”. The truth is that his

argument is still very well alive and kicking nowadays. All of the institutions

forged since then, even if they have had some limited success never were

successful enough to close an already chaotic gap. That is true for either

side of the Cold war. “The human being is above all a social product ” Marx

always has reminded us, so the failure of our societies to impose and

stabilize social peace and justice, is always intravenously fed to the

newborn members.

What we lack is neither communication nor information, we already have

more than can handle of both of them. In fact Ian Buchanan stated that we

suffer from having much of both. As he adds what we lack is “creation and

will to experiment. ‘To be able to resist the present’. The creation of

concepts in itself calls for a future form, for a new earth and people that do

not yet exist…”

The story of all our institutions is one of historical process and not of

stabilized objects. But we have not witnessed much of a change in our

institutional formation in the past century, or at least not as much as in the

other sectors of life. Even now with the incorporation of new forms of

communications and cyber relations, the institutions are trying to adapt

merely their façade to match the changes. Nothing has changed. Our

political regimes seem more resilient than ever, even nowadays when the

economic structure of their own liking and choice fails to provide us with

answers.



69

We are sure now, that reproducing ghosts of the past can give us no

answers. As Sanford Kwinter argued “What is certain is that in the coming

age we have lost the option of standing still ”.

Return or Enter

Returning or entering the spatial design field with our results is on its own a

challenge. What we have learned is not to fold on the powers of the past

because they have failed miserably. On the other hand “the kingdom of

freedom can only be situated on the kingdom of necessity ” stated Marx and

we have no reason to contradict him.

The formations of the “old” society must be understood and fought from

within, not from the interventionist god, a role frequently played by the

architects but by the society itself. What we concretely understood is that

our role is to provide them with the tools that would facilitate an

experimental dialogue between what is necessary and what is not, between

what is being imposed and what debated, between what is surplus and

what essential, what is now and what is tomorrow…



70

[Midterm Response]

In response to the midterm review it has deemed fruitful to think over the

commentary that took place from the critics. The main problematic focused in the

linking between the final result and its predecessor.

This text aims to regain the linkage between these two phases and while doing

that to strengthen the approach on the work of Mies van de Rohe. The main

questions that will be answered here concern firstly the choice of the actual site

(why the Seagram bldg, why Mies) and then will move forward through an in

depth look in basic Miesian elements to (re) discover the linkage that seemed lost.

So why the Seagram’s bldg? What it could possibly have that would interest us so

much, as to place it as the ground zero for our scheme?

In late 1999, just before the millennium entered our way, there was a major public

vote in New York City. Those days, as in every other big or small settlement people

got the millennium frenzy. That meant that everything around them had to be

reevaluated in order to be accepted into the completely advanced and new era (or

not so). So the frenzy included a mass public participation in all kinds of voting

contests that all had in common the millennium reference. In those days

everything had the denomination 2000’s or “of the millennium”, as if people in a

massive scale were reevaluating their life’s work and surroundings.

Of course, not eluding this mania, in New York City there was a rather extensive

competition organized by the New York Times in order to find out what was the

millennium’s most important building. The result was rather (or not) surprising.

The then 42 year old (now it is 52 years old) building surpassed every other major

construction in NYC, and was voted first. What is impressive is that the bldg itself

has been overly criticized through the years from almost everyone. Even Rem



71

Koolhaas once stated his disappointment when he first came to the big apple,

excited to see it but was left discouraged and strangely disaffected.

Still, even today it remains the most expensive piece of real estate in NYC and one

of the ten in the western hemisphere. The name and the figure of the building is

one of the most recognizable in the history of modern architecture whilst it has

been copied more times than any other. This love to hate structure has defined

the skyline of the modern cities more than any other man made element of

construction.

In all honesty, no matter how subjective somebody is, there are other impressive

projects around us that have existed the past 40 years, many of which were more

radical, utopian, even more extravagant, but none had ever proven to be so

successful. This success is a key point to understand why we wanted it to be a

main figure in our transformation. When the game is changing nobody wants to

deal with the losers because it doesn’t really matter. On the other hand, taking

down the competition’s head may as well lead to a paradigm shift.

This is not the only reason. Furthermore, in the Seagram, people can witness one

the most successful fusions of classic and gothic elements that have ever been

erected. On the one hand, the classic elements easily spotted in the absolute

symmetry, in the balanced massing, the raised plaza, even the triple division of the

tower into the base, the shaft and the crown. In addition to that the same goes for

the stable repetition of the columns and the beams. Some critics have also made

the linkage with antiquity because of the presence of bronze.

On the other hand, the gothic elements can be traced to the materiality of the

selected components, the pink marble, the travertine, the bronze. Even more in

the relations of the working elements of the construction, the glass wall

(reminding us the great gothic churches), and the steel frames…



72

Ultimately this means that messing with the Seagram means taking on thousands

of years of western architectural taste being balanced between the classical and

the gothic tracery.

So that is why the Seagram’s and no other.

In this second part we will have to analyze the Seagram’s in order to show the

obvious and the not so obvious traces that link our end result to it.

The grid

The first obvious thing that we want to discuss is the grid and the way it

functions not only in the particular example but in most of Mies work. This

is one of the most elemental components that the architect was basing his

projects and subsequently, is the key in understanding our transformations

later on.

In most of his mature work Mies van de Rohe was using the grid as a keyingredient not only for his programmatic manifestations but also for the

final realization of his projects. The grid that was used obeyed most of the

times to two rules. The first one was the span of the given structure and

the actual length that could be accommodated according to the given

materials, technical solutions or even desired effects on the ground (i.e. the

Neue Stadtgallerie). The second rule was the configuration of the grid to be

fitted into the site, or the necessary portion of the site that was linked to

the project.

Those two main parameters, when combined, gave the architect the

necessary base for the introduction of the final compositional grid. Based

on that particular grid where all the rest steps of the procedure.



73

The clue here is not only to understand the significance of the above

statements but also to trace this procedure into the course of time into

Mies work. From the time that the grid was introduced as a design decision

maker there has been practically no significant change until the Seagram’s.

It didn’t matter if the project was a warehouse, an institution or a summer

house; furthermore it made no difference the volume, height or even the

placing of the construction.

So as we can see the Seagram’s obeyed the same rules the Farnsworth did.

The only addition was the fact that the plan was repeated in height as

many times as needed. In essence what we have in hand is an absolute two

dimensional grid.

The two dimensional grid, so profoundly praised by Mies, for its ability to

create such an agile environment (open plan), is only partly successful. All

of the open space created and the consequent “functional mobility” in the

operational plan, is heavily constrained in the X, Y plane. Even if we

multiply this in the Z axis in order to create the skyscraper formation, then

we still keep the design constrained to the same axis. That is the situation

that occurs for every bldg Mies has ever made and is more that a floor in

height.

The easy way to witness this is by tilting the Miesian high structure on the

side and evaluating the result. The tilted construction resembles a

completely different ideal than its previous state. Here we have a weird

analogy between the height and the width of the floors; some kind of

traditional Dutch housing extravaganza.

This exaggeration helps us define the element of our research. When the

slab met the two dimensional grid the result is deceiving. The supposedly

open space falls victim to the constraints of the plane. That is why we say

that the two dimensional grid that Mies operated on is only the bearer of



74

the signal to the road of open and fully functional space. Still in the project

plans that were made for most of the constructions we can sense a

secluded will to break free. We are mostly referring to the plants and

supporting elements that were drawn on them. Many other architects at

the time, as they still do today, present the surroundings rather minimally.

Mies on the other hand did not. The trees elude in the grid invading it and

making them distinctively obvious for the observer in most of his finished

plans (take a closer look at the plans for the Farnsworth house, the Toronto

bank, the Lake Shore drive, the Bacardi bldg etc.)

In our design the slabs give their place to another grid in order to form a

completely three dimensional spatial realm. As arbitrary as it might sound,

the element that bounds all of it together is that of the Soil. It is the form in

which the grid lives and operates. In order for the grid to fully progress in

the three dimensional environment and because antigravity machine

remains fictional, materiality is needed. Every grain of sand is in its own

relative position a point in a vast extent of gridirons. Furthermore this gets

even better when the Soil itself can be continuously re-appropriated,

allowing the unending construction and destruction of unending grid

patterns.

The Z axis is now free to intermix with the rest of the parameters set by the

given functions and demands. The only constraint here is in reality the

human imagination and its consequent drives. Paraphrasing Mies we can

surely agree with his trademark quote “Less is more”, if only less is all it can

actually become.



75

the frame

The second element of the upmost importance for the definition of our

work is the frame and its use in Mies work. Most of the bldg structures he

created in his mature stage were containing a given hierarchy. This given

hierarchy firstly placed the grid, then the functions and then concluded

with the skin of the enclosed environment.

This skin was used mostly to segregate the interior from the exterior but

also to visually connect it. This connection came in the form of

transparency of the frame. Starting from the first glass skyscraper that he

presented as the future of the urban settlement, right to the end (his last

built work the Neue Stadtgallerie in Berlin), the glass (transparency) has

always been a key element.

In the same degree what also mattered was the way he was making the

frame part of the façade and consequently relating it to the built volume.

The exterior façade always comprised of a multiplication of similar

elements masterfully resolved to create a unity. This multiplication is

especially obvious in the Seagram bldg and is what constitutes a great deal

of its character. He called the frame as a “reflexive architectural ornament”

but in real terms we do not see this happening.

One of the rare moments that something like this take place has been

infamously called “the bank joke”.

“…building the Toronto Dominion Bank he had to model specific partitions

in order to block his transparent windows, or else everything would become

seeable (sic).*…+ So he made a display of everything and nothing and vice

versa.”



76

What we have here is a case when instead of making the frame and the

façade react to the needs he evades the action. Instead he creates a

supplementary move to counteract with his unwanted transparency. The

same move has been done in the Seagram bldg when we take a look at the

sides of the construction that host the main circulation core. Transparency

here in not needed but instead of giving away the uniformity of the façade

system he prefers to enclose an opaque element (in this case the marble)

to counter it.

We really are interested in this activity, but we want to take it a step

further. As with the grid (passing from a 2d grid to a 3d one) we would like

to transform a non reactive façade to one that can really participate into

the creation or host the volume it confines.

In order to do so, we also will follow Mies first steps by taking as a façade

base a simple element that would create our unity via multiplicity. In our

case, this element is the most agile in terms of spatial mobility in the 3

dimensions, the triangle.

By using the triangle we succeed into creating the diagrid. The diagrid is a

planar formation that can (depending on the resolution of it) recreate any

geometric shape or condition. Following the conditions that we set, this

diagrid is going to be created by a light, waterproof material that also has

the ability to stretch. This material is called elastic polymer and it has an

added benefit to it, it is translucent.

The translucency will give us the lighting conditionality that we want

because it would be able to allow light in but obstruct the eyesight. When

vision is needed then the material is removed as a whole. In addition to

that the structural system we have created to host our surface, is capable

of doing that.



77

In this way the flexibility of the plan and the section is not being followed

by the façade.

the sculptures

Continuing on the analysis of Mies work on Seagram we come into a very

interesting point, the sketches. While Mies was working on the bldg, he

created a series of sketches in order to think about things that he was

interested in.

What is fascinating about his sketches is that he did only 2 documented

sketches of the Seagram and the Plaza. On the other hand, there are more

than 15 pages of documented sketches that deal with the sculptures that

would be hosted on the plaza. That is an indication of the importance that

the architect gave to the specific element.

Maybe the elements that act as depots for the surplus soil can be the

sculptures of Mies. His ideal of a plaza able to host a vast variety of

sculptures will be revised and revived.



78

[Description of Thesis]

First Part

Board 1.

As an initiation for the final presentable, we wanted to begin with narrating a

story. A story that can be repeated and negated as many times as possible. In

order to do so we decided to create some type of default storyboard, that can

fulfill two basic goals. On the one hand it acts as a narrating device that brings the

spectator into the plot of the story that the design is structured within. On the

other, it makes clear that the whole idea of the thesis is not to come up with a

unique a stabile theorem of completion but on the contrary, everything presented

is designed to be constantly changing and alternated.

In a short description, we begin by depicting a city facing a systemic collapse. This

will have a devastating effect not only in the surface elements of a structured

society, like our own, but will shake the foundations of any given characteristic

that leaded up to the particular point. Next we argue the direct relation of these

changes with the shaping of the urban centers. The reason why the urban centers

are targeted here is double. Firstly the massive urbanization has been a

characteristic mostly triggered by the industrial revolution and the accumulation

of capital mainly by the civic cores and secondly it is a vital fact regarding our

showcase scenario.

Through the storyboard we follow the steady transformation course of the

massive urban centers, to fragmented but more sustainable unities. As arbitrary as

it might seem this course is actually basing its nodes to a materialist logic and

confines its certainties to the smallest extent. An important thing to keep from this

element is the fact that this is not an irreversible path and surely it is not a linear

one. Also it is necessary to note the transformative relationship between the



79

operators (people) and the operatives (buildings). The building can no longer

remain an inactive element with following a linear timeline. It must become an

active reflector of life, a life vessel.

Continuing with the presentation we presented the four basic guidelines that

would act as helpers for this uncharted journey.

The first helper came from the realm of nature sciences. As with every design, it is

our firm belief that the genius loci should be able to play a crucial part in the

creative process. In this case the Manahatta project that was realized by Eric W.

Sanderson was a reliable resource in our attempt to further investigate the historic

location. Through this investigation we came across really amazing datasets that

allowed us to understand the significance of the process we were following. New

York City lies today in a site that was as, if not more, important for the life circle of

the entire east coastline.

In the presentation we elected to focus in the long lost balance between nature

and human activity. As we stated on the board the Manahatta transformed into

the Manhattan we recognize today through a series of exchanges. These tradeoffs

include the abandoning of the fauna and flora abundance in favor of the currency

and the ecological stability for economical prosperity. This lost balance is

portrayed by a dollar sign acting as the main balance instigator and the weights are

on the end the fauna and on the other the flora.

The next important helper to be mentioned in the opening board was the work of

Jacques Lacan. More exactly the part of his extensive work that we mostly were

interested in was his idea of the S.R.I. (Symbolic, Real and Imaginary). It would

really take up to much time and effort to directly and accurately explain all the

essence of this particular theorem, so we will restrain ourselves in a short

description. If we could imagine this theory applied directly into a built project

then that would mean that the Real feature would include all the real life laws of

physics the structure would have to adhere to in order for it to stand ( to mention



80

a few examples, gravity, wind forces etc). Next in line is the notion of the

Imaginary. This could be best explained as the totality of experiences a built

structure can offer to its occupants or short time visitors. The extents of the

enclosed space, the volume, the overall lighting and in general everything that

comes to partake in a complete experiential diagram can be subject to this

category. The last significant category of this theorem is the idea of Symbolic. We

are particularly interested in this due to the overall importance that it plays in the

creation of the design process. In short what the symbolic includes is the sum of

ideas and ideological meanings that a built environment might be able to convey.

It is crucial to note here that the reason why we are particularly interested in this

part of this trilogy of notions is the simple fact that it is our firm belief that it is

something constantly missing from the architectural production of today.

Since one of the main attributes of this thesis was to refer directly to the political

nature of architecture, it only comes natural for us to spend a little more time

examining the idea of the Symbolic nature. Although the symbolic came into

existence through Lacan’s rethinking of the idea of the Imaginary order, it soon

became the upmost important order to define the subject. According to D. Massey

{David Macey, "Introduction", Lacan, Four, p. xxii and p. xxv} the symbolic order in

Lacan’s work is of very close resemblance of the idea of the cultural order in the

work of Levi-Strauss. To advance it even further, Lacan argued that through this

notion he understood the importance of the Saussurrian dialectics and came to

the conclusion that his psychoanalytic process was indeed a “talking cure”.

Although he finally declined this approach in the decades to come, it is important

to note the central role he had already given to this notion. For us what is

important is this idea that the symbolic order is since then attributed to the human

condition. In a plain naïve way, we can argue that the symbolic order is bonded

with the necessity of human beings to interpret the real order, understand and act

on and through it.



81

What we argue for is the necessity of contemporary architecture to be reinstated

in the realm of the symbolic. Globalization and total Capitalism have successfully

transformed every notion of revolt to elements completely absorbable and

indistinguishable from the rest of the mass culture system. The old motto was

“keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and that is exactly what the

systemic handling is realizing. In order to be able to escape from this maze of

uniformity our mission was to understand the extents of the symbolic realm, and

try to manipulate our way around it. Whether this has been a successful attempt

only the resulting violent opposition can show.

Going into the third helper, this time it originates from the field of literature. In his

impressive written study “Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials”

the author Reza Negarestany introduces us to a series of unfamiliar oddities. From

these elements we were especially drawn into two of them; the idea of

transpiercing and the rats. More on this subject can be found on the special

chapter dedicated to it. In short we want to explain the connection between the

design and theoretical process and the elements themselves.

The first two helpers in conjunction with the opening storyboard gave us the

initiation process we wanted. We set up the scenario; a post capitalistic world, we

defined the key players; nature and rebalancing, and with this third helper we

addressed the problem of the actors. In order to extrapolate the main idea behind

the thesis we intentionally researched for a key element that would allow us to

realize and materialize our thoughts. Since this is an architectural thesis and in

addition to the materialist concourse of our beliefs it was only natural for us to

come up with a resulting actor from the natural and existing world; the soil.

The soil has always been a key player in the history of human kind. A hand full of

historians have argued that the different ways in which societies dealt with it were

the main identifiers of their technological and cultural advancement. If fire was the

main ingredient behind the processes that brought us here, then the soil was the



82

sidewinder that was always affected by it. Caves, castles, Bedouin tents and many

more ways of habitation through the years have always relied on soil. This is why

we believe that it is the ideal actor for the play that we are setting here.

Negarestani also shares a lot in common with our point of view and in addition to

this he offers the manipulators that can handle the soil element; the rats.

Our plan was to use the soil and reactivate it. Today and for the quite some time

now the majority of architectural projects either completely neglected the very

existence of it treating it as a two dimensional plane or try to forge an iconic

treatment for it that usually tends to reduce it to landscape and similar secondary

formulations. What we forget is that in reality and away from any theological

similarities everything is soil based and soil based is everything. It doesn’t make

any difference whatsoever if the contemporary architectural feats are made out of

space age materials; they are still originated from the underground deposits as

everything else. Using the already existing construction technology we will

attempt to redefine the way the soil can be used as a hosting device, being able to

do so means that we would need a particular element to act as driver and chief

manipulator for our shaping purposes.

As Negarestani argues in his writings the rats are the ideal intrusion artists and

consequently the chief corresponding manipulators of the soil mass. As rats of

course even if the writers refers to them literally we only do so in metaphorical

fashion. Humans and their main urges to create and recreate would be the actual

“rats”. The soil would act as the mass of possibilities. As in Deleuze and Guattari

world of ideas, this soil could resemble the plane of immanence. An ideological

ground of no dimensions or where dimensions do not mean anything and the

layers upon layers of activity are the only proof of the planes existence. This

infinite roundabout of possibilities is the culmination of our efforts. We want to

believe that there is a way for the construction process to be separated from the

economic strata and regain its long lost significance. Even in the Middle Ages, the



83

constructions of any scale of format where created with an additional burden to

carry; that of the signified object. Now the only thing that is left to be signified is

the amount of wealth incorporated into the construction of a given built

environment.

The soil can provide us with this sea of alternating possibilities. Possibilities left to

be defined by processes of direct democratic means; although this in particular will

be something that we will further discuss in another part of this research. As many

architects through the years have noted, when people decide to built something

they take into account everything except maybe what is the most important.

Buckminster Fuller used to ask of a buildings weight, for he believed that in the

society that emerged in front of him weight would be the key element of

mastering the future. In this case we have to alternate this question and rephrase

it by asking before a structure “how long are you planning to stay here? ”

Of course given the particular economic foundations it is not easy to tear down

built structures. Even more now, when the newly invented environmental

institutions have successfully imposed further constrains in the building codes. In a

world driven by Capital, nobody would be dumb enough to afford to derogate his

investment. That is where the synergy between our parts comes into play. When

there are no economic constraints, then the rest are left where they should have

been, the collective decision making processes. Space and functions are no longer

constituted as answers to money ordering devices but could be used to serve and

protrude a society’s will to experiment if not to advance.

This is the moment to introduce our fourth and final helper. To be able to further

understand the questions posed by us in this thesis, we had to go back and

research our way through what are some answers given to similar questions

through the years. Of course it would be impossible for us to present here the

extensive bibliography that our research included, so this will have to add to end



84

of this book. Furthermore we mainly wanted to present here what we think fitted

best as our research driver and guidance.

After the October’s revolution and the end of World War II, it became clear that

the game of the Cold War had been set up. This gave rise to a world of problems

but also to another one of possibilities. Usually these possibilities do not arise from

the main counterpoises but from the formations in between. This brings as no

surprise the political turmoil in countries like Germany, France, Greece and Italy

mainly in the 60’s and 70’s. As a result of this turmoil ideas were put into question

and new conditions arose. Architecture as a field heavily influenced by political

changes was also affected.

This affection is the key figure of our fourth and final helper. We concentrate

mainly in the architectural scene of Italy in the late 1960 when the in the main

avant garde scene come the Radical Design Groups. This brings us right into the

time period were experimental architectural groups begin to form, destined to

researched novelties and disturb still waters for good. Two of these groups that

meet the above mentioned characteristics are ARHIZOOM and SUPERSTUDIO.

There is extensive bibliography available in order for anyone interested to

commence further analysis on them.

What we were specifically interested in the work of these two architectural groups

was their notion of novelty experimentation. Especially the idea of the

SUPERSURFACE, a notion first introduced by Adolfo Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo

di Francia is of extreme importance for the understanding of the thesis further

development. What the super surface really was is simple and extremely complex

in the same time. At a first glance it looks like a mainly two dimensional plane

taking over the known terrestrial surface and through the eliminating procedure of

nihilism eradicating any form of differentiation.

If we pay a closer attention to the intended result, new facts begin to arise. The

flat two dimensionality gives its place to a three dimensional grid that acts as a



85

connector and separator simultaneously to the external environment. In reality

the grid seems to act as a container of alternate possibilities. These characteristics

given intentionally from the architects to these elements are of great importance

to us for we would like to extend their theorem a step further.

In addition to the above another part of the work of these particular groups that is

of great importance to us is their ideological stance and attitude. As presented in

the board the quote of the now infamous Superstudio manifesto is conclusive to

our arguments:

“ Architecture never touches the great themes, the fundamental themes of our

lives. It remains at the limit and intervenes only at a certain point in the process,

usually when behavior has already been totally codified, furnishing answers to

rigidly stated questions. Even if its answers are evasive, the topic of their

production and consumption avoids any real upheaval. *…+ Architecture presents

no real proposal since it uses instruments accurately predisposed to avoid any

deviation…”

Superstudio Manifesto

Board 2

The second board in turns deals with the specific environment the thesis project

will reflect on. Apart from this we advance into detailed and concise investigation

of the proposed site and the elements that it comprises of. In sequence with the

above we dive into the main programmatic goals of the suspected design solution

and finally take a look at a farce that only history knows how to set up.

First of all we have to continue a series of thoughts that were initiated earlier on.

With the introductory chapter on Manahatta we explained why we regarded New

York City and the borough of Manhattan as a central design exploration device for



86

the thesis. Please refer to the specific chapter that explains in detail why the

Seagram building and the work of Mies Van de Rohe in particular were selected to

act as key sites and ideas.

To start we initiated a design analysis of the Seagram building itself and tried to

deconstruct it. We were mainly interested in the analogies of the classical three

parts, the repetition of the consecutive floors, the floor layout and the structuring

diagram, the methodology of the beams and columns and finally the way that the

façade structure is bonded with the rest of the building. After this we researched

the notion that formally shaped the design; the setback zoning regulations. It is

common knowledge that this is the main attribute for the Seagram’s final

formation.

To proceed we took a further view into the construction methods used to hinge

the exterior façade and its secondary elements. This is a crucial point to

understand the way in which the exterior image of the building does not represent

the internal logic. Additionally it allowed us to come into closer quarters with the

overall construction technology used to create the building at the time.

We called these researches physical ones. They owe this title to the fact that for

this particular part of the investigation we based our info on details on factual

elements and existing drawings. The next phase, which is more intensive and

important, is the theoretical ones.

External Order

For this part we wanted to replicate the timeless connection of the

modernist approach and romance with the volumetric cube. By using the

ideal cube of 3 by 3 meters, we divided the total volume of the encased

structure into segments. The result gave us an algorithmic totality which

we could easily manipulate keeping the overall volume equal. After



87

experimenting with this idea we advanced into the notion of outside –

inside environment. One of the main problems of keeping a absolute shape

(rectangle, square etc) is the difficulty of introducing radical alterations to

the uniformed mass that results from it.

Accumulation through Repetition

In this case the repetitive element of the slab is forced naked out of the

building to disclose the unholy accumulation process that lies in the heart

of the modern building. The contradictory relationship of the two

dimensional open-plan and the separating divisional force of the slab come

into play here. This forms a bubble of alternative reality that will be further

explored in the next paragraphs. The title of this subsection is taken from

the David Harvey notion of “accumulation through dispossession” which in

turns is derived from the classical Marxist analysis of original accumulation

of capital. With our twist we wanted to imply the danger lurking into the

over repetitive and robotic gathering of forms of capital not only in terms

of economics but also by more materialist means (infrastructure, built

environment etc).

Free

Following the previous findings we wanted to explore here the notion a

subsequent alternative realities within a built structure. When Rem

Koolhaas first coined the notion of the culture of congestion in his book

“Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan”, he had used

as point of departure for his idea the American skyscraper. He argued that

in every level in the built environment there can be something totally

different going on. He even re-introduced the famous sketch by A.M.



88

Walker, where the idea of what the skyscrapers would look like, was

depicted in the beginning of the century. We then argue that not only his

theoretical approach still stands to this date but due to the technological

advancement it has been further enhanced. Now it does not take a change

in floors or even rooms to complete alternate the environment. It is merely

a matter of private secular space. In response to these modifications we

claim that there has to be a way where a new dimension can be introduced

in order to be able to deal with this. At this moment we would like to

introduce the concept of the fourth dimension (time) to be used efficiently

and effectively as an alternating force in the design process.

Connect

Between the seemingly liberated spaces there has to be a connective tissue

in order for them to operate as uniformity. In earlier times the systems that

provided us with these capabilities used to be completely top down. The

management oriented systemic was introduced in the Ford production line

and until recently it was not easy to transform it or even get rid of it. With

the introduction of the Post Fordism method of production (or else coined

Flexibilism) these top down systems came to an end. To the markets

pleasure the new technologies were quickly assimilated in order to help

provide the new system with their extensive capabilities. These capabilities

are the ones we are aiming at. We investigated the necessary relationships

between the different systemic elements and the way they operate in

order to deconstruct, analyze and reuse in the design process of our thesis.

It is not a easy process and surely not a simple one so in the boundaries of

the time limits set in front of us we tried to incorporate our findings. The

main areas that were affected are the production communications, the



89

necessary sustainable analogies and most and foremost what we call the

directly democratic system of governance.

(R)evolution

This last part of the subsection holds the greatest importance. This is the

result that culminates what we have researched so far and brings direct

impact to our given testing ground. To start we would like to present a

passage taken from Colin Rowe’s infamous book Collage City.

“Replace functional organization for human association and participation

would substitute imposition...”

In the ideological realm we believe that this simple but so provocative

phrase bring about all the necessary components for us to complete our

set mission. Of course we do not believe that quitting every function would

automatically provide us with the answer to our questions, but the main

question to answer here is to whom and what this functionality refers to.

We would like to get rid of the bleak and unfriendly functions that refer to

mere economical statures and substitute them with functions that really

would help serve the society in terms of bottom up re-contextualization

and even more in terms of just survival. When we apply this to our

concurrent model, the Seagram building some things get really obvious

from the start. The actual way the picture was meant to be read is from the

top to the bottom. It must be read as a vertical timeline with its two

extremes into the past and the future. Starting from the top we have the

normal picture of the Seagram building in an empty terminal space. This is

made specifically for us to focus on the re-contextualization of the special

quality that lies in front of us. As we advance in the imaginary timeline we

slowly realize that the image of the building begins to break up. These



90

breaks seem more like tears and leaks than normative fractures. Further

down the distortion is getting more obvious and simultaneously more

intensive. The more extensive the damage, the more it tends to dissolve

the overall image. Reaching the end of this process we can witness here

the unique qualities of the process at hand. Everything is dust and returns

to dust and with this partly theological, partly materialist assumption we

can signify the ultimate transformation of the principal symbolic figure into

a pile of dust. This dust is what is left of the old systemic when the

processes are over and this is also the first material at hand to help us

rebuilt a new systemic diversion. Until the next one…

While investigating our materials and conducting extensive research

through the net we came across something unexpected. It turns out that in

the same decade the Seagram building was built, the company had

simultaneously order a group of top level scientists, futurologists and many

more to commiserate and come up with what the future world would look

like. This project was named “Men who plan beyond tomorrow ” and it took

nearly 2 years to be completed. The idea behind it was that a company so

strong could really predict the way things were going to play out.

Unfortunately for the company, it did not outlast its predictions but in turn

many of them came true. In many cases there is a shocking resemblance

between what was forecasted 50 years ago and today’s reality.

Telecommunications, global internet, IMAX cinemas and many more are in

the list of what is included in the final outcomes of the research. These

results were showcased as part of a publicity and advertising campaign

named after the initial projects name. Using this weird coincidence we

found it very fitting that their building and overall site would be used by us

in an attempt to predict what might happen in the near future under a

different systemic condition.



91

Concluding this part of the second board all of these mentioned above

were included in the summing sketch on the far left of the board, in an

attempt to further explain the placement of our researches on the building.

Having extensively studied the site and the building, with our helpers in

position, it was time to move forward in the overall design process. Since

our effort involves something close to a novelty, we wanted to have a

much historical backup as possible. Going through the history of civic and

revolutionary architecture one can trace specific times that held interesting

resemblance to our proposal. In order for us to be able to propose a

program we had to dive into the history of these examples and extract all

the necessary components for us to work with.

Due to the lack of space and time, we had to narrow down the showcased

scenarios to the bare minimum. We choose four examples that we regard

as the most sufficient and vital for our exploration. Starting with the

American Skyscraper sketch by A.M. Walker in the turning of the century,

moving on to the dates just after the Soviet revolution of 1919 with the

examples of the Soviet Social Condenser and the cross example of

Leonidov’s proposition on the same objective and finally for a more

contemporary view we elected the competition proposal set forth by the

Office of Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.) for the La Villete park in Paris

With A.M. Walker’s sketch a whole new series of thoughts initiate around

the possibilities of the new architectural production. In the sketch we can

see the expectation of the role that the multistoried buildings would be

called to play. This is the depiction that led Rem Koolhaas in his originating

ideas towards his “Culture of Congestion” and the Delirious New York

theme. We can imagine how important this was in the beginning of the

20th century and the way that this would be accounted for in the collective



92

unconscious for the years to come. For the time being, we restrain

ourselves on imagining the obvious similarities between the slabs of the

Seagram and Walker’s imagination. Using part of Koolhaas theorem on the

Culture of congestion, we understand the necessity of a defining

programmatic discourse. What became known as the American skyscraper

could effectively take on any needed program and transform at any given

time. The only constraints are those that deal with the structural limits of

the building and of course the economical measures around it.

The second picture is that of a soviet social condenser. For more details

there is a more extensive research on the chapter specifically aimed at this

subject. In short, the program of the first condensers was to create a center

point for the new society to form. New and then untested ideas were to be

hosted here. The new soviet man, as they had been calling them, was to be

originating from these spatial and ideological battlefields. Again the

program was flexible enough but this time there was a little more

definition to it. At least there was a specific goal on sight. Common areas

and activities that involved great numbers of inhabitants were among the

chief priorities for these spaces.

In the same time, not very far away from where the condensers were being

planned, another soviet intellectual and pioneer was making his own

propositions for the same subject. Although Ivan Leonidov’s plans were

ahead of the technological capabilities of his time it is still very interesting

to read through what he thought would be the ideal programs to be

enacted on the initializing of the social order. He still stands more or less on

the same terms with his fellow countrymen, but he insists more on the

technological aspect. Cinemas, pools and sport events are more in the

central focus for him as a programmatic ideal.



93

In the last of this ordeal is the OMA proposal of the La Villete competition.

What is the significant factor for this proposition is that in its

contextualizing it also took into consideration the previous programmatic

features that we mentioned. Through a series of processes that we

mentioned in detail in the particular chapter, the OMA group managed to

make the arguments up to date and freshen up the perspectives of their

involvement. The form of the condenser was re discovered and through

this analogy we were given a whole new set of predication. In our case we

found this experiment useful and through its understanding we realized

how far we could stretch the idea of the social condenser.

Black Boards

In order to help with our design solution and further enhance our ability to think in

three dimensional terms, we decided to use the idea of the black boards. These

were small black boards made out of strengthen museum board which measured

15 inches by 20 inches. In the final presentation, a number of these boards were

introduced in order to help the viewers understands more clearly the processes

that took place. As the final printed boards were divided into two main sections

(idea – design solution), the same stood for these boards. So following this process

we are going to introduce the significance and the role of the three first black

boards that were part of the first section of the presentation.

Black Board 1

In the first board our goal was to use our initial ideas and test them in the model

level. Since from the design research of the previous semester we had came up

with a spatial model that partially represented the ideal of the S.R.I. (Symbolic,

Real, Imaginary), we wanted to give it a try and literally form it. So this first

experimentation model is just that, a literal translation, following the notion of the



94

investigation. We wanted to desperately find the connections between the jagged

edges and the raw spaces of the ribbon like structure and make it obey to the

circumstances of our own choosing. Also we had in mind the fact that although

this was a preliminary model, in the end it would have to be incorporated into our

design specimen, the Seagram building. As we were making and analyzing the

model, we started to understand a couple of significant problems that arose. First

of all, the model itself stood well as a fictional model but it would never do so in

real life. All the open spacing and the particularly interesting breaks and

formations would be lost when we would bring reality to meet our idea. The

second problem was that although on paper the idea looked sufficient to express a

number of complex ideas, in reality it did not. As harsh judges we had to accept

that it was just a complicated ribbon structure, only there to recreate what we

thought we had seen as an opportunity.

In order to understand further what the problem was, we used some wisdom that

we inherited by intensively reading books like Bernard Tschumi’s “Manhattan

Transcripts”, or Koolhaas “Delirious New York ”. If we wanted to recreate a new

social condenser then we would have to understand the complicated features that

hid behind the society itself. As architects and engineers, we wanted to trace this

back to the ultimate social – spatial tool, the city. So the bottom part of this board

was used to host a small and very humble investigation of “the kind of a problem

a city is”.

In our effort to do so we recreated a very small fraction of a fictional place, a non

existing urban environment, and tried to analyze the relationships and the bonds

between the forming pieces. Even using a significantly reduced amount of solvers

it was still obvious that the amount of information and counteraction was

immense. Even more we quickly realized that a simple spatial environment would

never be able to host but an insignificant fracture of the multiple diversities that

form the urban environment and subsequently the human society. Curiously



95

enough this board proved to be one of the most important mind openers of them

all. It showed us that a single solution is not possible and that we would have to

think completely outside of the box if we were to meet our given research criteria.

Black Board 2

Moving on to the next board we were still hanging on to the idea of the ribbon

structure, although we recognized the necessity of radical modifications. So we

created a bigger in scale model that took up the whole board and started

recreating what we had already been taught by our previous experiments. It is

easy to spot the differences between the earlier model and the new one, since

now we attempted to incorporate all of the given complexity that would be

needed into the model itself. This actually was the last chance that the ribbon

structure had in order to prove itself capable of addressing our goals. The material

of the ribbon divided itself into two different cases. The main directive ribbon that

would provide the core structure and walking space and the secondary smaller but

far more agile “ribbonet” that would act as the attractor and final formulator of

means and spaces. Both of those elements were created in a way that even they

would be able to host different conditions on their grounds. The result was the

semi-continuous notion of the line was shattered into distinct sections of

underlying materiality.

Gridded structures, stripped narrows and voided surfaces were only some of the

projections that were inflected on the model and its elements. But it ultimately

failed. It could not provide the connective elements that we had witnessed on our

earlier experiment and in addition to that it we unable to handle the informational

grid that was projected on it, since in reality it always had been a linear universe

when we already knew that a parallel universe would be the only solution. Still it

was instructive in two main ways. Firstly it familiarized us with the idea of

information cramping and its results. This was particularly easy to detect when we



96

were running into spatial fields of the model that were used to host too much

information (uses). One could not make out the specific intentions of the place and

even less the fact that this space was intended to be designed in a bottom up

fashion. The second lesson learned from this board was the idea of simplified

complexity. What was in front of us was a bad example of complexity under chaos.

Trying to handle all the specifics of the project it turned out to be an impossible

feat. We had to come up with an idea that would provide us the much needed

complexity and hosting ability and in the same time in would have to be simple

enough to built at least in the near future.

Black Board 3

The last of the experimentation black boards. In this last one we wanted to go back

to the basics. The scope that we aimed here was to start over from the other edge

of the line and investigate what we had on our hands. So far we had an idea of

what was working and what was not. In short, we had the idea but not the way to

fruitfully express it. Taking into consideration the fact that we were dealing with

one of the most important built environments of the western world (for more

information refer to the appropriate chapter about the building itself.), we

understood that we would have to pay closer attention to the objects on hand.

First step we took here was to create and model an exact replica (in 1.50 scale) of

the Seagram building. Through the process of making it and the subsequent study

that this necessitated we became acquainted with what we were dealing with. The

former research now found a literal material ground to be justified and tried out.

The model itself made clear what the possibilities and capabilities for the structure

were and what it could manage. Simultaneously we started the deconstruction

process. Dividing the totality into its pieces and dismantling the relationships

between the various parts was a very delicate but important procedure. In the

end, when we decided the way to set up the final experimentation board we kept



97

the most important finding for the presentation and disregarded the rest. The

main interesting figure that arose from this was the activity and significance of the

grid. The way that Mies Van de Rohe had planned for the structure to obey the

given grid was a noticeable indicator of the way any attempt on the structure

should be handled. Although we made efforts to deconstruct the main comprising

elements from the Seagram building, an attempt clearly showcased in this last

board, one result clearly remains. The only main element that remain when the

deconstruction process is over is the same one that created it; the grid .

Conclusion of the 1st part

This initial part of the thesis was by far the most strenuous and time consuming.

When somebody deals with ideas profoundly buried into the inner core of what

gives life and shape to our existing society, it is not an easy thing to shake and

grasp. As the fish is not aware of the water that surrounds it, most of us carry on

our lives without understanding the most basic features that keep our society

running. These features are the ones that need to be apprehended and well

understood. Through them we can dream on a different world based on ideals that

are currently being distorted and frowned upon.

Even more, for us as architects there is an even bigger cause of concern.

Architecture always has been and needs to continue being a social science. In the

course of the latest century, this image has been seriously damaged. After the

aftershocks caused by the First World War, there was a unique opportunity with

the eruption of the soviet revolution to redefine the present and the future of

many things, architecture included. Unfortunately as with many cases the dream

did not live on. The rapid Stalinization of the USSR, the consequent collapse of the

most prominent free minded states to hard line conservatism (Germany, Italy,

Spain) and the overall scene of humanity of the time did not pose as an ideal

environment for hope to prosper.



98

After the end of the Second World War the world had already split into two very

distinct parts. Even if the short lived prosperity of the social state (in Europe) and

the immense economic growth (in the US) brought about glimpses of hope and

experimentation attitudes in the decades of the 60’s and 70’s, there was always

the element of this separation that came to cover everything up. Architecture

more or less followed blindly this perspective. This is its fate. It is not a completely

free of guilt and cost art form and it has to obey a vast variety of rules that

themselves have been set up by the society. So in order to address the

architectural issues of at least the 20th century, we need to address the social

history of the world in the same time.

Using the work of the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm, we researched the history

of our world so far. We can say or suggest nothing on our future if we are not fully

aware of our history. This is a lesson well learned that has to become a given for

our and the future generations. Returning back to our thesis project, everything

said or implied in the above texts had to be incorporated in to the second part; the

design solution.



99

[Initiating the second part]

In order to be able to explain more efficiently the vast amount of information that

we will have to introduce in this part, we will follow a specific set of rules. Firstly as

we tried to do in the first part we will address the solution by scales. This means

that we will try to expose the information relative to the project in an order more

indicative to the appropriate scale. As an example we will start with the bigger

picture, the social constitution and what we believe the overall context would be.

After this we will introduce the scale of the city of New York and more specifically

the borough of Manhattan. Following this will be the notion of the city center and

in the end the final scale will include the condenser and the rest of the necessary

elements that were designed for this purpose.

The above mean that this time we will have to start with some theoretical

contextualization; move on to the first black boards and then advance to the

presentation boards.

Context

As we proclaimed in the opening sequence the worlds that would host our

solution would not be identical to the one we are living today. Marx once stated

“Freedom can only exist as a necessity ”, and today’s world does not necessitate

freedom to exist. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the beginning of the

1990’s (many will claim this date to be even earlier than that, placing it closer to

the midst of the 80’s decade) the capitalist system ceased to have restrains to its

reach. After a relatively short period of inactivity the masterminds of the economic

development realized the extant possibilities that this could mean for further

exploitation. Professor David Harvey argues in his latest book The Enigma of

Capital and the Crises of Capitalism, that Capitalism in order to sustain itself needs



100

at least a median growth increase (in yearly measures) of 3%. Finding ourselves in

the verge of the first decade of the 21st century we are actually witnessing the

results of this claim.

With the present rate of growth, the system needed to discover more pores in

order to exploit them and continue its advancement. Not only is this getting

increasingly difficult but furthermore due to the globalization affect the main

economical centers are constantly shifting causing economical crisis to spread

globally. In a nutshell what Harvey argues and we totally agree is that given the

circumstances there is no way that capitalism will transform itself into an ethical

and just global system. The bending of laws according to profit needs and the

complete lack of regulatory procedures are only some of the inherited

characteristics of a system mostly relying on greed.

Because of that we proclaim that a change is needed. Of course we do not believe

what the soviet pioneers believed in the 20’s when they felt that through

architecture they could change the world. Now we have grown wiser from their

mistake and efforts. It is clear that if architecture is to take action to a global

change that would be mainly by reflecting it, as a soon as possible. If we want to

be very optimistic then we might allow ourselves to state that in some cases

architecture could reach as far as influencing parts of the population, through

specific spatial manipulation.

In a system that relied on debt to survive, we will have to rely on people to avoid

making the same mistakes. It is not at all important if this system will be called

communism, anarchism, druidism or whatever else. What is important however is

the pillar on which it will be based on. According to our limited knowledge but our

unlimited dreaming abilities, humanity has reached and surpassed the level where

it needs to obey to well informed leader for guidance. We can be the change we

have been waiting for , as S.Zizek has argued, and it is our firm belief that this can

and will happen.



101

Through the history of the 20th century, in times of great despair and turmoil,

there was nothing else that made people survive than the social formation. Human

is a social animal and has to be treated like one. Greed and excessive wealth are

inherited side effects of a mind washing that has lasted more than a century. We

have to put our trust on human ecology; we have to give a fair chance to the

notion of direct democracy.

Even our most advanced cities are designed in order to avoid this chance. The

urban metropolis of today is so big in population and surface that nothing can

control it except perpetual violence and oppressive control systems. Even then,

when the population explodes there is nothing to stop it. Presidents flee like

hunted, revolutions rise and changes are being made through public will and

action. If there is a chance for a more just future this will not be in these massive

uncontrollable formations. We must begin to break up what was set up for profit

production. Locality and countryside have to be resurrected. Slice the monsters to

smaller more sustainable pieces that can not only provide for themselves but also

govern themselves through direct principals.

What we are suggesting here is not profound and revolutionary. Many before us

have argued that this would be the only way to a livable future. Even Ebenezer

Howard with his garden cities was very aware of the incoming situation. Years

after him Apostolos Doxiadis, a renowned urban theorist and architect that was

responsible for the plan of Islamabad, stated in his work “ Anthropopolis” that the

mega metropolis of the world stood no chance of surviving into the next century.

He went on suggesting the ideal size of a city around 200.000 inhabitants.

The last term we would like to mention in this introductory part is the notion social

autonomy. It is understood by now that society is a sort of formal convention, a

rule based system that needs to be agreed upon in order to function. This

agreement is sealed in what we call the social contract. This contract is widely

known under different names, mostly as constitution. Every population that forms



102

a national authority has its own constitution. Through a complex system of

legislations, even more contracts and agreements come to enforce an even

smaller window of allowed activities for the population under rule. With time

these systems have brought us in conditions that have not only relinquished our

ability to act, but have de-capacitated our sense of autonomy. Without autonomy

there can be no freedom, and without freedom there can be no future.

Black Board 4

We begin the second part of the presentation with the largest scale on our project.

The borough of Manhattan that once hosted the bulk of the economic empire of

New York City is now gone. It was rendered unsustainable and parts of it had to be

cleared out. The overall population of the general area will remain mostly stable

but this would only happen because of intense densifications of more suburban

territories that nowadays face deterioration. With this method we can create

more free space to given to ground production. The city cannot survive anymore

on services and aerial products; it needs to start providing for itself.

In order to showcase this scenario, we took as an example the borough of

Manhattan. In the model that was created we spotted 7 distinct city centers that

would remain a habitation and working place as the old city. These centers were to

be intensified in terms of population and built space. The rest of the island would

act as a planting ground, able to sustain at least partially the demands of the city.

As implied by the model the island would be restructured and reformed as a self-

sufficient organism. The old infrastructure like the subway and the main roadways

would remain to provide further assistance to the new environment. Of course we

are absolutely aware of the fact that even with these changes the city would not

be able to be completely off the production grid, but we are confident that a

transformation of this size and extent would have a profound effect on the

lifestyles and eating habits of the residents.



103

Most of the green spaces would remain, if not enlarged. Furthermore the

connection between the shoreline and the inner island would be enhanced once

the massive freeways that block the movement disappear. We didn’t have the

time to research on total changing principles so as we understand the mass transit

and the cars would be also in use, though for a much less percentage since the

distances would be much shorter now.

Board 3

The actual way this board was designed to be read is counterclockwise. So the first

important graph on the board would be the depiction of what the model on Black

Board n.4 was about. Based loosely on the Pyramid of Healthy Nutrition by

Harvard University, we sketched out a rough plan of the different plantations and

crops that would be necessary and needed to be present in a city wide harvest.

These figures are not detailed or accurate; since this was not our intention, but

someone can have a pretty good idea of what would that situation look like in

reality.

The main idea behind the process of this scale is actually the most fundamental

Marxist duality; the city and the country . According to the old Marxian logic, the

separation of the city from the country brought the one against the other and

ended up with the city exploiting all the rural pores in order to create and augment

its capital. Of course this segregation does not end here but goes deep into the

core of Capitalism to every level of its existence. What Marx believed was that

when the separation between the urban and the rural areas would be lifted there

would be no way for the system to further segregate its servants and create the

necessary dynamic difference. Subsequently it would collapse.

Curiously enough this idea was one of the main goals behind the minds of the

pioneer and revolutionary architects in the beginning of the 1920’s. The whole



104

notion of the linear city at the time was based around the belief that it could bring

the city into the country and vice versa. Arguably the most profound team to be

backing up this idea was the De-Urbanists.

In short, DeUrbanism was a short lived architectural and political movement

mostly advocated by Moisey Ginsburg and Mikhail Okhitovich in the beginning of

the 1920’s. Although the only actual remnant of their important work is the

NARKOMFIN project, designed by Ginsburg for the Ministry of Finance in Moscow

in 1929, the main driver behind the theory was Okhitovich. In his most significant

work, the competition for the expansion of the Soviet capital, we can trace around

the main ideas of his theory.

He called the proposition “Moscow: The green city ”, and then proceeded to

dismantle the city in pieces. He believed that through a series of well

interconnected networks offering the basic necessities (power, water, and

communications); there was no reason for the cities to remain as they are. In any

case the cities were formed on the basis of protection and strength in unity. Now

that there was no immediate threat and the networks could provide everywhere,

the old city cramp up was a relic. So in his proposal the inhabitants choose where

they would stay, having at their disposal the vast extremities of the Russian

countryside. All the businesses, the ministries and everything else would follow

the same path. The basic provisions would come and find them. The idea was

simple; there can be no separation between country and city when there is no city

anymore. Of course there are many interesting complications and inventions in the

work but we will have to move on since this is not our main focus.

What we would like to keep from the above, is the failures of the projects and

what they ultimately show us. Even today, with a connection network far more

advanced than the one the Soviet had back then, Okhitovich proposal would be a

nightmare to realize and maybe the most unsustainable habitation on the planet.

But what remains sound is the main idea. The breaking up of the city. If we would



105

attempt that in smaller scales, not in the extremities, then there could be an ideal

solution where the fragments of the old cancerous city would be absorbed into the

countryside without a problem. As we stated before, this is not at all a new idea.

Theorists from all over the world and of different time periods have continuously

argued about it. This is why in our project and in this scale we followed exactly this

path.

With this next element on the board, we begin to dive deeper on the main

formations of the design solution. Now that all our compositional pieces are on the

table it is time to proceed on to the final formational hypothesis. While we were

investigating the role and the architecture of the social condensers we also came

up with a system to find out if there were any similarities apart from their

profound differences. Out of this we got early on an astonishing result. All of the

predecessors of our project were either situated in a park or they constituted

themselves a park. So we decided that in our design solution a park would also be

included.

Apart from discovering the overall character of the proposal, we quickly

understood that there was no simple or straightforward way to deal with all of the

given problems. There would never be a single solution adequate enough to

accommodate all the multitude of complex phenomena that a society requires. So

we started to think out of the beaten path. Our solution came when we looked

deep into the theory that we had laid in front of us and realized that the main

thing that we had to do was fairly simple; to just let go. Although sometimes

letting go is the most difficult thing, we understood that we had to lay off the

effort to try and control everything. In any case we would only be able to think a

specific amount of details or specificities and that would be less than inadequate

to suffice the much needed role that it would have to play.

Instead of doing a controlled linear development we decided to create a kind of a

toolkit. This toolkit would be provided as a social experimental device in order to



106

be incorporated into the given social order. In this way we can be sure that firstly

this experiment will not be silenced by individual efforts to accumulate and

secondly that any given characteristics would be dependent on the individual

society. Also this toolkit should have in its inner core the ability to be agile and

transformable enough even through dimensions of time or even scale.

So we started the experimentation process. Through various physical models we

ended up back to where we had begun. The Seagram and the grid. From the start

we had noticed the absolute crucial role that the quality of the grid would play in

the project. In time we came to realize that this quality would not only be

secondary but instead it could transform itself into the ideal productive element of

our planned device. Next in line when we addressed our aforementioned helpers

back on the first board we realized that the actor was waiting for us there all

along. The soil offers the ideal material, as it is agile enough to move in every

direction, it can be stratified by the notion of the grid, since in reality it constitutes

a three dimensional grid on its own and lastly it is a realistic option to work with.

So the device was beginning to shape itself. The grid gave us the absolute mobility

by transforming itself into material and this material was the soil. This is signified

on the board with the far right diagram depicting the passage from the two

dimensional grid to the three dimensional and from there on to the materialization

into soil. The next step was to set the dimensions and the rest of the context of its

existence as a device proposed to be used.

Since the soil would be our actor the play would be the excavation. The work of

Negarestani gave us a good indication on this direction. So if the device was a soil

formation, then the social order would be able as a given and through direct

democratic means to transform it through transpiercing the solid (refer to the

specific chapter on transpiercing).

We knew right away that the problem of the scale would also be a significant one.

The factors to consider would be the size of the proposed society to serve and of



107

course the space that we would have into our disposal. For the first factor we

decided that we would keep true to the work of A. Doxiadis and hold the specific

city center at a limit of 20.000 inhabitants. This number multiplied by 10 that could

be the number of the rest city centers would give us the proposed urban center

population (200.000). So having the number 20.000 was a significant progress and

a specificity to think about. From the given number since our plot would be the

first in a row of many we calculated that there should be space to accommodate at

least the 10% of the given population. In this order the number we have at hand

was 2.000, as the quantity of people to be hosted when the device will be used for

a massive event.

After that the next step was to define the work area that we could use. The old lot

of the Seagram building was a traditional New York City block. This meant that it

was quite narrow and inadequate for our intended purpose. To solve this problem

we decided to include in the affected area the neighboring blocks. This gave us a

lot more space to work with but also it still meant that the overall dimensions

where not out of scale for the rest of the specific city center. The remaining

problem for dimensioning was the device itself. Looking into the technology of

today it would not be a far stretch to say that the idea shape to act as a vessel

would be a square.

Apart from the symbolic significance of the square shape as the ultimate

democratic shape, it also helps us as it provides us with the most stable geometry

available. As a tribute to Mies the extant simplicity of the proposed device would

be such that even he would envy. So in the end we sum up by having a square of

given dimensions (30 feet to 30 feet) capable of hosting max 2.000 people when it

is meticulously excavated in various forms and functions. Then a new problem

arose. If the function of the devise is to be excavated into form every time the

social order calls it to, then we would have to come up with a plan to store the soil

and when needed return it back to its original location.



108

Since the overall cubic meters of the proposal are immense (close to 27.000m3),

that meant that any move on this part would have a significant effect on the park

and its surroundings. Again here Mies and the Seagram came to our rescue. When

we were digging into the history of the conception and the creation of the project,

we discovered an important detail. Mies loved his buildings and he often devoted

most of his time, while working on a project, on hundreds of sketches about them,

trying to imagine how the final outcome would look like. In Seagram, this was not

the case. He actually drew only a handful of sketches and he invested all of his

time into sketches of the statues and the sculptures that would be placed on the

open ground of the Seagram plaza.

So after all Mies was looking forward for a sculpture garden that he never

managed to get. So we thought that if we take the total volume of the soil and

disperse it through the lot in forms driven by multiple attractors that would

eventually give us the functional garden of sculptures that Mies would have liked.

So we did. We started as the upper left diagram of the board signifies, by taking

the overall volume of the soil and broke it down into manageable pieces. For these

pieces we devised a specific algorithm in order to place them, form them and

ultimately give them their functions. Here we must mention the fact that we didn’t

forget the detail that if this place was to become a park then it should also be able

to function like one.

In any case this would not be an ordinary park, left alone and abandoned without

any relevant uses. In a society like the one we have contextualized our project to

exist, there would be multiple functions that could be hosted in those places,

which from now on we will be calling them the Depots. These depots could act as

small libraries, workshop spaces, relaxing grounds, toilets, storage rooms and

many other uses that may be needed for. Of course the primary function for most

of them would be to host the soil coming from the freshly excavated ground of the

Condenser.



109

In the board on the lower side in the middle part we can see the different zones

that the part was split up to. Those zones were made up to provide a different

variable in the algorithm and more importantly to create a feeling for the distinct

character of those depots in different spatial conditions. So in the diagram we can

also witness the placement of the individual depots (in the upper right corner) and

the different character that their combination provides to the in between space. It

is our firm belief that these spaces can be used for a million uses beyond our

imagination and most importantly beyond our control.

As for the depots themselves, there are a couple of distinct qualities that each one

has. First of all the scale is relative to the function. The depots that are meant to

hold the most amount of soil are situated closer to the condenser (subsequently

closer to the center of the park) and they are the biggest in size and volume. Next

in size come the primary functions which host spaces like toilets, libraries and

other centers of activity around the park. After them come the secondary

functions that deal with issues like storage, energy production and distribution and

anything else that is vital for the normal operation of the project. Last but not least

but still smallest in size come the more accessorial parts of the depots. Here one

can find places to sit, information stands and many other actions that may link

further the proposal with the outside.

Apart from scale the second characteristic that these depots acquire individually is

transparency. The soil hosting depots are mostly transparent whilst the other

kinds are often completely opaque. The reason for this being that we would like

for the wanderers of the park to know what is going on into the Condenser. If the

hosts are full and dark that would mean that something big is arranged inside the

condenser and that might intrigue people further in entering the place. The last

diagram relevant to the depots in the board is the one on the bottom far into the

left where a small portion of the proposed depots are being displayed.



110

Most of the upper part of the board is being occupied by a diagrammatic section

of the park that serves into showcasing all the latter details that we have

mentioned above and the way all of this gets combined and works together.

Through this diagram someone can understand more clearly the notion of the

multiple in between spaces and witness the paths the citizens must go through in

order to reach their final destination the Condenser.

All of the above bring us to the final scale and last proposal of our thesis project.

The Condenser. As we have mentioned so far it is meant to be a cube full of soil

ready to be formulated into function through direct decision making from the

social order that commands and defines it. It does not have a specific purpose on

its own, other than to serve and protect the wishes of the society at hand.

In order to exemplify exactly what we mean in terms of the projects functionality

we had to come up with a showcase scenario. So we allowed ourselves the

freedom of action to pose for an instance like we were the sole decision makers on

a society as described above. Thinking rationally we resulted into believing that

one of the first things we would be able to ask from our Condenser to formulate

into would be an assembly hall. We found this idea very fitting with the rest of the

proposal and decided to stick with it. So the next move was to find a way to create

this assembly hall that would fit the appropriate number of people and only by

using specific non sci-fi methods of today.

Again the ideal here was to think outside of the bow, and to do it this time we

cheated. We thought that it would also be very interesting if we tried to recreate

an ideal function using principles borrowed from an older idealistic and non

realized project. We started the intensive research in order to track down our

objective and it did not take long. If the square and it three dimensional translator

the cube can be regarded as forms of perfect stability then there is only one shape

that can counteract this; the sphere. Fortunately there are a few examples in the

history of architecture that architects have theorized on the shape of the sphere.



111

One of these examples is Étienne-Louis Boullée. It would be a waste of precious

time and space to try and include his entire story in this paragraph so refer to the

specific chapter on him and his work.

Using the sphere as Boullée we came up with a plan to incorporate the perfect

sphere into the cube and through their subtraction to create the space for our

assembly hall. But this was only the beginning of the design decisions. After the

inner space decision, we came across some serious problems created by the soil

and its qualities. First of all through researching we found out that in order to

stabilize successfully the soil element there were some conditions that had to be

met. First of all soil, although it might appear to be stable, is in fact extremely

unstable. Actually there are cases that it can act as a liquid, when under the

correct amount of pressure and location. This meant that we would have to plan

our constructions as if we were really digging underground. The soil would need to

be boxed in and the geometry of the containing surfaces would have to be for the

better part concave, to withstand the tremendous weight pressure. We

successfully analyzed this procedure and mapped it out in a construction

document that we will introduce later on, the important part to keep is the fact

that now we knew that there were important restrictions that needed to be

followed if we wanted this really to by actual and viable.

Next came the question of ventilation. The massive volume would not allow big

openings neither that would that be possible under the threat of collapsing. The

main issue here was not the air coming in but mainly the air coming out. There was

a serious danger of CO2 building up inside the domed structure and that would be

a catastrophic event. With the problem came also an opportunity. Apart from the

exhaust there was also the issue of natural light intruding into the main hall. Even

if we had an entrance level, it would never be sufficient to provide our whole

space with enough light. This problem was especially more intense in the middle of

the hall, the same area that the gas built up would happen. Then we had on our



112

hands a double problem which got solved by using a simple and single solution; we

pierced the soil.

In specific and strategically elected points, based on the orientation, the winds and

the placement in the domed structure we designed exhaust tunnels. These tunnels

were wide enough to allow sunlight in, or if not it directly then the biggest

percentage of it through occlusion. Using this technique we managed to exhaust

the gas and provide the center of the hall with enough light to suffice.

After that was solved we had to think about the problem of circulation. Bear in

mind that we didn’t want to use any electricity if possible and that we would only

keep it for the additional artificial night lighting. Hopefully we would not need any

heating or cooling energy loads since soil with widths over one meter (3 feet) is

one of the best insulators we could ever dream of. In terms of circulation that

meant that we would have to come up with a solution adequate to serve handicap

people, wheelchairs, elderly and small children, without the help of an elevator.

Usually in similar problems the solution lies on the use of ramps. The problem that

ramps have is that they are space hungry and often there is not enough room to

be placed. In our situation things turned out to be quite different. Due to the

relative big dimension of the cube’s sides (30 feet or 10 meters) it was easy to

strap around the main core of the condenser the ramp system. As shown in the

last diagram on the lower right side of the board, with this method we can

successfully divert the circulation from the ground level to the entrance level that

is situated near the middle section of the structure.

The last obstacle to overcome while working on the inside structure of the building

was this particular entrance level. We had decided to follow this solution from the

very beginning because it was an effective way to disperse the incoming

population evenly to the whole assembly hall since its section is circular. In

addition to this there could be opportunities to host different functions if needed

in the same level, prior or as the assembly would meet. The questions started



113

when we realized that this entrance level was in reality the only actively weak spot

for the whole structure. More than half of the immense weight of the soil and any

other added elements would be forcing upon the columns of this level.

The only way to deal with this problem was to embrace it. With the accumulated

knowledge that we gained going through mining techniques and other conditions

of extreme engineering we soon figured out that in our case, the columns would

not be the elements that we would have to focus on but the other way around; we

would have to attentively carve out the circulation diagrams and the subsequent

openings. In order to do so we once again referred to mathematical computations.

With the help of a specific algorithm we created a given number of solutions that

according to our calculations would be adequate to sustain the weight of the

structure. From these solutions we elected the best possible one that met our

design criteria. Those criteria were the correct distribution of openings around the

main hall, the connectivity between the different chambers and finally the

maximum clearance that we could find. After a long and tiring process we got

what we were asking for and finally the interior part was solved and sound for our

given solution.

Exterior Surface

One of the most demanding elements in the overall process was the

exterior surface of the condenser. In the construction plans we have

included multiple details to demonstrate how the system would operate.

Since we explained above the interior implications we feel that it is for the

best to include here the explanation for the exterior as well, even if that

means that we will deviate a little bit from our set path.

Since our Condenser is in a oversimplified way a soil cube, we needed to

come up with a system in order to protect it from the elements (snow, rain,



114

wind). The same system would also have to carry out two more important

functions of the structure. I would have to effectively encase it, so it would

not escape and simultaneously be agile enough to allow it to formulate into

any scheme possible. On a first glance those three functions not only

contradict each other but also it seems close to impossible to meet the

requirements.

Going back to the mining manuals we learned vital information about the

processes that they follow in similar conditions and also we got a firsthand

experience of the tools and materials that they are using. In a mining

tunnel even before the digging operation is over, the special machine

immediately starts shouting out a special form of reinforced concrete,

called ganite. This material is further enhanced with additional

supplements in order to achieve maximum strength as quickly and as

effectively as possible. So in our case imagine the cube encased in its

positive sides with this reinforced concrete material. This will also act as

our basic strategic agent whenever there is any necessity for small

intrusions into the inner core of the soil. It is good that the whole purpose

of the ganite concrete is to be fast and agile and most importantly one man

operated.

Concrete is still not the ultimate protection from the elements since it too

needs to be protected. In order to do so, we created a second layer that

would act as the main connection between the outside environment and

the casing. The challenge here was that we needed this skin layer to be

extremely agile and also it needed to be very light, since we knew no more

weight could be tolerated from our columns on the weak entrance level.

The solution was fairly simple. Instead of creating a skin for the casing, we

allowed the casing to create a skin for itself.



115

As it is demonstrated in the technical drawings, the skin is nothing more

than superlight, translucent surfaces that are positioned on the casing by

attaching on specific spots. That allows us to create any surface

underneath and still we would not have to care about the cover because

the cover would be composed on its own. The elements that create the

skin are hinged together and can be removed from the overall composition

in order to leave room for openings or whatever else might be needed.

Black Board 5

Returning back to our black boards now that we have finished explaining the

basics of the projects will be far easier. In this specific board the goal was double

and for that reason it has been split in the middle. The first part deals with the idea

of the park positioning in relation to the city center in question. Although the park

might appear to be situated in the middle of the sub-city, it must not fool you. The

final proposal calls for a massive number of these elements and not a French

garden type singular ornament. The model does however give the correct

impression in terms of scale and significance as part of the sub-city. Also it allows

us to understand how a partial fragment of our New York City would look like if it

had been plunged into a field of crops and vegetation. We believe that this image

is a powerful tool that can be used today for us to realize how far we are standing

from an ideal balance between the city and the country and the subsequent

notions of sustainability.

The second half of the board is to showcase an example of how could the park

look like. In this scale, the detail allows us to dive deeper into the specifics of our

instrument and lets us have a closer look at the result. The Condenser is appearing

in the middle, inactive of course, and the positions of the depots are already

calculated in by the successive algorithm. In plain words, this is the transformer,

exposed.



116

Board 4

In this last board there is not much theory that needs too much explanation.

Because of this we will only describe here what is being shown on the board itself.

On the left hand we see the two main plans (included in the drawing section as

well) of the Condenser activated according to our own scenario. On the middle we

see a small portion of the overall scheme of the park and mostly the positioning of

the depots. This was done in order to better demonstrate the different kinds of

depots and the ways that these would coexist and cooperate to create a truly

unique environment. On the right side of the board one can see the sections and

the details of the different kinds of depots. It is important to note here that

although all the depots have been carefully and fully detailed, that does not mean

that these are supposed to be the only active programs for them. Each time the

social order can reestablish them at will since their main goal is to remain unstable

and transformable over time. The last diagram on the board is a final calculation

that shows the way that the depots are part of the condenser and the condenser

part of the depots.

Black Board 6

This is the last black board and it is really straightforward. Here we have the three

main depots modeled in section. The first one is the main soil hosting type. We can

see the details of the soil extraction hatch and the ladder designed to make the

access easier. The second on is the depot that can be used as a discussion room, in

order to serve the sharing of ideas and commiseration between people. Here we

see the details of the skylight structure, the main note board and the seating that

are provided. Last of the three showcased models come the depot that hosts a

small library. Again we deem it unnecessary to explain further the extreme

importance of knowledge in a just world. The shelves, the table and again the

skylight are parts of the introduced details for this particular type.



117

Excavation process

One of the details that we want to discuss further in this presentation is the

process of excavating and resetting. As we stated earlier one of the main ideas

behind the use of the soil element was the fact that it could be reset. This means

that the agility of the soil allows us to create whatever we desire but when this is

over we can always return the toolbox to the primary condition. In order to do so

in a realistic and feasible way we had to devise a particular technique that could be

used for this action.

As we can see specifically in the plan entitled A1 Diagram, this is the creation

technique that we would suggest in order to build our scenario proposal. The first

step includes the setting up on the sides of the condenser of all the necessary side

structure in order to make every inch of the external surface approachable. Once

this is done the next step in to commence the drilling (piercing) operation; for his

part we found an unexpected ally. The ventilation and lighting shafts that we had

designed earlier are very well fitted to be the initial intrusion points. This means

that the drilling operation would start going through a number of these shafts

down to the main core of the auditorium. In the way to its goal, the drillers would

shout ganite concrete in an effort to stabilize the shaft and their escape route, if

necessary. In the end this would be the complete ventilation and lighting shaft

without any further a due. Continuing on the process the next step would be to

start digging out the circum reference of the dome structure. By doing this we can

safely secure with a step by step condition, the stability of the dome.

Simultaneously we can start piercing through the ceiling to the open surface in

order to create the remaining shafts.

Once the above steps are completed we can start the strenuous process of the soil

extraction. That would require a small transformation of the ramps that would

lead to the exterior and from there to the depots that would host them. In the

meantime even before the extraction ceases we could start working on the



118

creation of the entrance level. This might appear to be a simple step, but in reality

it is the most difficult and important step. The columns would need to be carved

out exactly in order to be able to sustain the sum of the soil weight. From the

entrance level, we can initiate the excavation of the circulation ramps that encircle

the building.

Last thing to be done now would be to further reinforce the sitting formations of

the assembly hall and make sure that the external surface complies fully to the

needed requirements (ventilation, light, views). Once this is also taken care of then

we can render this process complete and the new formation is ready to be used as

planned.

Resetting process

Equally important with the above procedure is the exact opposite of it; the

resetting process. In order for our proposal to be able to accommodate the ever

changing needs of the social order that defines it, it needs to get ready for a new

formulation every time. So in the direct opposite way than the above procedure

we will explain exactly how after the condenser would have been formulate into

the assembly hall it would easily and quickly reset itself.

Step one in this process would be of course the clearing out of any additional

elements that were installed in order to serve the previous function. So

mechanical installations such as light fixtures, microphones as well as bulk objects

like seats, doors, boards and everything relevant would have to be evacuated and

stored into the appropriate storage spaces provided in the depots. Next in line

would be the demolition part. Initially the part that was reinforced in order to host

the seating would have to be broken down. Simultaneously there would have to

start setting up the exterior scaffoldings as was previously done in the opening

sequence. Then the first loads of soil hosted in the depots would arrive to be



119

situated in the place that once was the assembly seats. The concrete from this

operation due to its nature and quality would be easily recyclable and put back

into the production circle for another use in a future formulation.

After the previous steps it would be time for the most delicate resetting

procedure. The demolishing of the entrance level and the circulation ramps would

be something very important and also difficult to deal with, but thanks to the pre

supposed plan now it does have a fitting solution at hand. First it would require

the restructuring of the external surface of the condenser. When this would be

over then the soil would come and set in order to reform and secure the structural

soundness of the element. The same goes to the entrance level treatment. Specific

demolition placement would be replaced by incoming soil injections until the

affected area balanced again.

It would be time then for the dome structure to be dealt with. Since most of the

structure so far has been reset, the dome does not pose any major challenge. The

way that the people would go out, was the way they originally got in; through the

ventilation and light shafts. Again with the method of structured and controlled

demolition of the reinforced parts, the dome would be torn apart and the soil

would be reinstated in its previous condition. It is important to note here that we

have specifically designed this process in such a way that in the end result, every

affected piece and element of the original idea gets back to its reset state. The

condenser must be left as it was with no pieces of concrete or other external

elements inside, since these could accumulate in the future and saturate the

piercing and drilling process completely.

In the end the external surface would be put back together and the soil machine

would be able to start its re activation process once more.

Future Plan



120

As it’s easy to be understood from the beginning of this project, in reality it is a

prototype. We never thought that something like this should either be unique or

unrepeatable. On the one hand we hope that the direct governmental processes

will actually make the creation of more places like this necessary and on the other

we believe that once this prototype and its potentials were acknowledged by the

majority of the given society then its method and function could also spread into

other sector of habitation.

Maybe the same idea could be used as housing solutions, agile enough to

transform themselves according to the needs. Or even more the factories of

tomorrow could bet on a similar solution to provide them with the workspace

adequate for any business plan. The reality is that the strength of this idea is also

its main weakness. We had since the beginning no intention to frame it into a

specific spatial context and this is something that can actually make a design

skyrocket or come back and bite us. It has always been our strong belief that at

least ideologies and utopias always are worth the effort even if sometimes or

more correctly most of the times they fail miserably.

Who knows where the limits of this design are? Surely not us. Using time on our

side and getting away from the vanity of stability and sturdiness, we believe that

this is material that even whole cities can be constructed with. Sand dunes are

known to engulf whole cities of even portions of them. The inhabitants of these

places come into terms with the situation and are always ready for the constant

change. In a world that relies on information and with most of its drivers on top

gear, architecture must remain alert and ready. So even if we are “swimming of

the waves that swept away the sandcastles of the past” we should continue on

pressuring and hoping cause, for us at least change is something that makes us

move forward and moving forward is always something good.



121

“ - Utopia is what moves ahead two steps, when you have barely have taken one.

When you try moving closer it always leaps away.

- Then why do we need Utopia?

- Because it always makes you move forward…”

Eduardo Galeano



1

[Bibliography]

English Bibliography

+ Jacques Derrida. Learning to Live Finally: The Last Interview . London: Palgrave &

McMillan, 2007.Print

+ Giorgio Agamben. What is an Apparatus? Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2009.

Print

+ K. Michael Hays. Architecture Theory since 1968. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2000.

Print

+ Thomas A. Sebeok. Introduction to Semiotics. London: University of Toronto Press,

1994. Print

+ Henri Lefebvre. Writing on Cities. London: Blackwell Publishers, 1996. Print

+ Henri Lefebvre. The production of space. London: Wiley-Blackwell Publishers, 1992.

Print

+ Timothy Samara. Making and Breaking the Grid . Cambridge: Rockport Publishers,

2002. Print

+ David A. Johnson. Planning the great Metropolis. London: Chapman & Hall, 1996. Print

+ Alain Badiou. Theory of the Subject . New York: Continuum, 2009. Print

+ Alain Badiou. Being and Event . New York: Continuum, 2007. Print

+ Alain Badiou. Logic of worlds. New York: Verso, 2009. Print

+ Alain Badiou. Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil . New York: Continuum,

2002. Print



2

+ Alain Badiou. The Communist Hypothesis. New York: Verso, 2010. Print

+ Nikos A. Salingaros. Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction. Texas: ISI Distributed Titles,

2008. Print

+ Nikos A. Salingaros. A Theory of Architecture. Texas: ISI Distributed Titles, 2007. Print

+ Alejandro Zaera Polo. “The Politics of the Envelope/A Political Critique of Materialism”.

Volume Magazine #17: 76-103, Sept. 2008. Print

+ Kostantinos Floros. The people that circled the A. Athens: Anarchist Press, 2009. Print

+ Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt. Commonwealth. Cambridge: University of Harvard

Press, 2009.Print

+ Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt. Empire. Cambridge: University of Harvard Press,

2001.Print

+ David Harvey. Spaces of Capital . New York: Rutledge, 2001.Print

+ David Harvey. The Enigma of Capital: and the Crises of Capitalism. London: Oxford

Press, 2010.Print

+ David Harvey. Spaces of Capital . New York: Rutledge, 2001.Print

+ David Harvey. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. New York: Verso, 2000.Print

+ David Harvey. A Companion to Marx's Capital . New York: Verso, 2010.Print

+ Marvin Minsky. Society of Mind . California:Simon&Shuster, 1988. Print

+ Jean Francois Brient. On modern servitude. Paris: Les Temps Bouleverses, 2008. Print

+ Slavoj Zizek. Living in the End Times. New York: Verso, 2010. Print

+ Slavoj Zizek. The Idea of Communism. New York: Verso, 2010. Print

+ Slavoj Zizek. First As Tragedy, Then As Farce. New York: Verso, 2009. Print



3

+ Slavoj Zizek. How to Read Lacan. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print

+ Slavoj Zizek. The Parallax View (Short Circuits). Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2009. Print

+ Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The communist manifesto. New York: Tribeca books,

2010.Print

+ Karl Marx. Selected Essays. New York: Fili-Quarian Classics, 2010.Print

+ Karl Marx. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy . London: CreateSpace , 2007.Print

+ Steven Johnson. Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software.

Minnesota: Scribner, 2002. Print

+ Sylvere Lotringer and Christian Marazzi. Autonomia: Post-Political Politics. Paris:

Semiotexte, 2007. Print

+ Paolo Virno and Michael Hardt. Radical Thought in Italy: A Potential Politics.

Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2006. Print

+ Jane Jacobs. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. London: Modern Library,

1993. Print

+ Anatole Kopp. Town and Revolution. London: St. Martins Press, 1986. Print

+ Andrian Parr. The Deleuze Dictionary . London: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. Print

+ Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Thousand Plateaus. London: The Athlone Press,

2000. Print

+ Charles J. Stivale. Deleuze: Key Concepts. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press,

2005. Print

+ Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. London:

Penguin Classics, 2009. Print

+ Claire Colebrook. Gilles Deleuze. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print



4

+ Gilles Deleuze. Spinoza: Practical Philosophy . California: City Lights Publishers, 2001.

Print

+ Gilles Deleuze. Desert Islands and Other Texts (1953-1974). Paris: Semiotexte, 2007.

Print

+ Gilles Deleuze. Difference and Repetition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.

Print

+ Manuel De Landa. A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History . New York: Zone Books,

2000. Print

+ Manuel De Landa. War in the Age of Intelligent Machines. New York: Zone Books,

1991. Print

+ Manuel De Landa. Deleuze: History and Science. Paris: Atropos Press, 2010. Print

+ Reza Negarestani. Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials. New York:

re.press, 2008. Print

+ Apostolis Doxiadis. Anthropopolis: City For Human Development . London: W. W.

Norton and Company, 1975. Print

+ Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau and Hans Werlemann. S, M, L, XL. New York: Monacelli

Press, 1998. Print

+ Rem Koolhaas. Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. New York:

Monacelli Press, 1997. Print

+ Rem Koolhaas. Rem Koolhaas: Conversations with Students. New York: Princeton

Architectural Press, 1996. Print

+ Sandford Kwinter. Architectures of Time: Toward a Theory of the Event in Modernist

Culture. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print



5

+ Sandford Kwinter. Requiem: For the City at the End of the Millennium. New York: Actar

Press, 2002. Print

+ Antony Vidler. Histories of the Immediate Present: Inventing Architectural Modernism.

Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008. Print

+ Antony Vidler. The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely .


+ J.G. Ballard. The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard . London: W. W. Norton & Company,

2010. Print

+ Lois Nesbitt. Brodsky & Utkin: The Complete Works. New York: Princeton Architectural

Press, 2003. Print

+ K. Michael Hays. Architecture's Desire: Reading the Late Avant-Garde. Cambridge: The

MIT Press, 2009. Print

+ Karel Teige. The Minimum Dwelling. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002. Print

+ Juhani Pallasmaa. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. London: Academy

Press, 2005. Print

+ Edward Soja. Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other Real-and-Imagined Places.

New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 1996. Print

+ Edward Soja. Postmetropolis: Critical Studies of Cities and Regions. New York: Wiley-

Blackwell, 2000. Print

+ Sarah de Yong and Marco Michellis. The Changing of the Avant-Garde: Visionary

Architectural Drawings from the Howard Gilman Collection. New York: The Museum of

Modern Art, 2002. Print

+ Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter. Collage City . Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1984. Print



6

+ Colin Rowe. The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays. Cambridge: The MIT

Press, 1982. Print

+ Kevin Lynch. The Image of the City . Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1960. Print

+ Manfredo Tafuri. Architecture and Utopia: Design and Capitalist Development .


+ Bernard Tschumi. Architecture and Disjunction . Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1996. Print

+ Bernard Tschumi. The Manhattan Transcripts. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1994.

Print

+ Bernard Tschumi. Event-Cities 3: Concept vs. Context vs. Content . Cambridge: The MIT

Press, 1995. Print

+ Bernard Tschumi. Event-Cities 4: Concept-Form. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2010. Print

+ Ulrich Conrads. Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture. Cambridge:

The MIT Press, 1975. Print

+ Le Corbusier. Towards a new architecture. London: BN Publishing, 2008. Print

+ David Leatherbarrow. Surface Architecture. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2005. Print

+ Kenneth Frampton. Modern Architecture: A Critical History . London: Thames &

Hudson, 2007. Print

+ Gaston Bachelard. The Poetics of Space. New York: Beacon Press, 2005. Print

+ Michel De Certeau. The Practice of Everyday Life. California: University of California

Press, 2002. Print

+ Januhiro Tanizaki. In praise of shadows. California: Leete'S Island Books, 2001. Print



7

+ Georges Perec and David Bellos. Life: A User's Manual . Paris: David R Godine, 2008.

Print

+ Guy Debord. Society of the Spectacle. London: Black & Red, 2000. Print

+ Guy Debord. Panegyric (Radical Thinkers). New York: Verso, 2009. Print

+ Guy Debord. In Girum Imus Nocte Et Consumimur Igni . New York: Small Pr Distribution,

1992. Print

+ Eric W. Sanderson. Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City . New York:

Abrams, 2008. Print

+ El Lissitzky. Russia: An Architecture for World Revolution. Cambridge: The MIT Press,

1986. Print

+ Nikolai N. Miliutin. Sotsgorod: The Problem of Building Socialist Cities. Cambridge: The

MIT Press, 1975. Print

+ Mark Buchanan. Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks.

London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. Print

+ Wilhelm Reich. Listen, Little Man!. Paris: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974. Print

+ Wilhelm Reich. The Mass Psychology of Fascism. Paris: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1980.

Print

+ Wilhelm Reich. The Murder of Christ . Paris: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1963. Print

+ Peter Lang. Superstudio: Life without Objects. New York: Skira, 2003. Print

+ Larry Busbea. Topologies: The Urban Utopia in France. Cambridge: The MIT Press,

2007. Print



8

+ Peter Cook. Archigram. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. Print

+ Simon Sandler. Archigram: Architecture without Architecture. Cambridge: The MIT

Press, 2005. Print

+ Kniaz Petr Alekseevich Kropotkin. Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution. New York:

Forgotten Books, 2010. Print

+ Peter Kropotkin. Evolution and Environment . New York: Black Rose Books, 1996. Print

+ Peter Kropotkin. Fields, Factories and Workshops Tomorrow . New York: Harper Collins,

1975. Print

+ Brian Morris. Kropotkin: The Politics of Community . London: Humanity Books, 2003.

Print

+ Errico Malatesta. Anarchy . New York: Black Rose Books, 1999. Print

+ Pier Joseph Proundon. Proudhon: What is Property?. London: Cambridge University

Press, 1994. Print

+ Mikhail Bakounin. God and the State. London: Dover Publications, 1970. Print

+ Vladimir I. Lenin. Essential Works of Lenin: "What Is to Be Done?". London: Dover

Publications, 1987. Print

+ Hakim Bey. T.A.Z. the Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic

Terrorism. Berlin: Autonomedia, 1992. Print

+Raul Vaneigem. The Revolution of Everyday Life. London: PM Press, 2010. Print

+Raul Vaneigem. A Declaration of the Rights of Human Beings. London: Pluto Press,

2004. Print

+ Naomi Klein. No Logo. New York: Picador, 2009. Print



9

+ Naomi Klein. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. New York: Picador,

2008. Print

+ Friedrich Nietzsche. Basic Writings of Nietzsche. London: Modern Library, 2000. Print

+ The Invisible Committee. The Coming Insurrection. Paris: Semiotext(e), 2009. Print

+ Saul Alinsky. Rules for Radicals. London: Vintage, 1989. Print

+ Lebbeus Woods. Pamphlet Architecture 15: War and Architecture. New York:

Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. Print

+ Kevin Kelly. Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, & the

Economic World . New York: Basic Books, 1995. Print



10

Greek Bibliography

+ Κορνηλιοσ Καςτοριαδησ. Η ανοδοσ τησ αςημαντοτητασ. Αθηνα:Εκδοςεισ Υψιλον, 1975.

Τυπωμενο

+ Κορνηλιοσ Καςτοριαδησ. Παραθυρο ςτο Χαοσ. Αθηνα:Εκδοςεισ Υψιλον, 1978.

Τυπωμενο

+ Κορνηλιοσ Καςτοριαδησ. Χωροι του ανθρωπου. Αθηνα:Εκδοςεισ Υψιλον, 2007.

Τυπωμενο

+ Κορνηλιοσ Καςτοριαδησ. Το επαναςτατικο προβλημα ςημερα. Αθηνα:Εκδοςεισ

Υψιλον, 2005. Τυπωμενο

+ Κορνηλιοσ Καςτοριαδησ. Η φανταςιακη θεςμιςη τησ κοινωνιασ. Αθηνα:Εκδοςεισ

Υψιλον, 1975. Τυπωμενο

+ Κωνςταντινοσ Δοξιαδησ. Οι πολεισ των ανθρωπων . Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Πολυτροπον,

1962. Τυπωμενο

+ Murray Bukchin. Η ιςπανικη επαναςταςη του 1936. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Ελευθεροσ

Τυποσ, 1991. Τυπωμενο

+ Raul Vaneigem. Η μουςικη του ζωντοσ. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Ελευθεροσ Τυποσ, 2000.

Τυπωμενο

+ Γιωργοσ Ικαροσ Μπαμπαςακησ. Το βορειοδυτικο περαςμα. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ

Ελευθεροσ Τυποσ, 1994. Τυπωμενο

+ Τακησ Φωτοπουλοσ. Θρηςκεια Αυτονομια Δημοκρατια. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Ελευθεροσ


+ Herbert Marcuse. Ελευθερια Ψυχαναλυςη Πολιτικη. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Ελευθεροσ




11

+ Lawrence Ferlingetti. Λαικα Μανιφεςτα. Αθηνα: Εκδοςεισ Ελευθεροσ Τυποσ, 1987.

Τυπωμενο

Web

+ Nothing lasts Forever (especially power). Dystopolitic blogspot, 2010. Web. 15 Sep.

2010.

+ Capital’s Comedic End . Dystopolitic blogspot, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

+ Barricades are everywhere. Dystopolitic blogspot, 2009. Web. 01 Oct. 2009.

+ Capital’s Comedic End . Dystopolitic blogspot, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

+ Take a ride on the Disco stick: Siren’s Song of the financial crisis . Dystopolitic blogspot,

2009. Web. 28 July 2009.

+ Neophyte Badiou interviews Foucault . Dystopolitic blogspot, 2009. Web. 24 July 2009.

+ ΑναρχοΑλφαβηταρι. Indymedia.Athens, 2010. Web. 27 July 2010.

+ Neophyte Badiou interviews Foucault . Dystopolitic blogspot, 2009. Web. 24 July 2009.

+ Πολιτικη αναςκοπηςη 2010. Xstefanou.weebly, 2010. Web. 22 Dec. 2010

+ CENTURY OF THE SELF . LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.

+ ARCHITECTURE: the solid state of thought . LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 18 Nov.

2010.

+ CENTURY OF THE SELF . LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.

+ BARBARISM?. LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 10 Sep. 2010.



12

+ PRETTY DAM PURE . LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.

+ MIES IS MORE (amended). LebbeusWoods.net, 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.

+ Radical Criticism Within Supermodernity .Aparienciapublica.blogspot, 2007. Web. 17

Aug. 2007.

+ Cities and Cosmonauts 3. kosmograd.com, 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010.

+ Cities and Cosmonauts 3. nastybrutalistandshort.blogspot, 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010.

+ The Functionalist Deviation. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2007.

+ Icons in the Fire. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2008.

+ Towards a Communist Couture?. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 21 Aug.

2007.

+ A Pod of One's Own. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 20 May. 2007.

+ Ballard's Banlieue Radieuse. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 08 May. 2007.

+ Revolution in the Garden. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 19 Apr. 2007.

+ Industrial Island Machine. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2007. Web. 02 Apr. 2007.

+ Building Brazilification. themeasurestaken.blogspot, 2006. Web. 03 Noe. 2006.

+ Sooner or later you will all be in trouble.. .occupiedlondon.org, 2010. Web. 12 Oct.

2010.

+ Sooner or later you will all be in trouble.. .occupiedlondon.org, 2010. Web. 12 Oct.

2010.

+ Picture Material . fuckyeahtylerdurden.tumblr.com, web 2009-2011



13

Films

+ Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Fox 2000 Films, 1999. DVD

+ Stalker . Dir. Andrei Tarkofsky. Gabarov Interallianz, 1979. Videocassete

+ Surplus. Dir. Eric Gandini. Atmo Media Betwork, 2003. DVD

+ On modern servitude. Dir. Jean François. Temps Bouleverses, 2007. DVD

+ Skyland . Dir. Mathiew Delaporte. Method Films, 2005. DVD

Documents

Text Without Pictures