Folding landscapes – defining a new language of surface?
Christopher D. Gray
[Published as "Folding the land" in Landscape – the
Journal of the Landscape Institute, Issue 6, June 2004.]
“To produce a relationship
between different disciplines, it is necessary to place oneself on the [external]
limits of one's own discipline”. Enric Miralles.
Enrique Cerda and Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan of the Department of Applied Mathematics
and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge are fascinated by drapes.
No, they are not into home-decoration, but are experts in the physics of folding,
wrinkling and creasing. They recently published a study entitled 'The Elements
of Draping'(1) in which they present equations which for the first time accurately
predict the way fabric folds and drapes under gravity. This ground-breaking work
follows on from their significant research into wrinkles in which they broke the
boundaries of classical theory in order to predict not simply the position of
wrinkles but also their amplitude and wavelength.(2) Such revolutionary research
offers the possibility for progress in a broad range of fields outside applied
mathematics, including fashion design, computer game rendering, and of course
topographical modeling.
The scientists are not the first to be intrigued by the concept of such “complex
patterns [arising] from simple causes in the mundane world” (3) and themselves
cite examples of Renaissance artists such as Da Vinci carefully studying the intricate
draped form of a fabric thrown across a model's knees in chiaroscuro studies (4).
Understanding of such complex forms has until now progressed little beyond these
visual studies, which may seem surprising considering the universality of wrinkles:
from the macro-level deformations of the earth's crust that we see in the Scottish
Highlands, to the crow's foot creases at the corners of eyes.
Such new research could potentially be of great interest to landscape architects
and architects who have long been fascinated by the folding and deforming of surfaces,
in theory and practice. An understanding of how the manipulation of topographies
and surfaces impacts our perception of space has always been key to the creation
of great spatial designs and with the current vogue for organic yet artificial
folded forms in landscape architecture and architecture (5), this awareness looks
like it is becoming evermore important. Cerda and Mahadevan are not the only people
currently interested in defining complex geometries that have otherwise evaded
careful definition: Foreign Office Architects' recent exhibition 'Breeding Architecture'
(6) and the accompanying publication read as a textbook for their ideas of defining
a “lineage of projects through seven categories of surface diversification”(7).
FOA become taxonomists, appropriating the biology term phylogenesis, (8) to describe
their carefully constructed organizational tree diagram that classifies surfaces
by branching paths as they are assessed for various attributes. In their classification,
the first major lineage split is by function, separating ground surfaces from
enveloping surfaces. Subsequent branching narrows the species definition under
such categories as faciality (how many surface faces are inhabited), discontinuity
(whether there are discontinuities in the surface such as ripples, pinches or
perforations), and orientation (how the surface relates to gravity). A route down
this treemap ultimately produces a species name followed by the 'Common Name',
which of course turns out to be the FOA project name. Quite a stratagem, but this
is more than just a clever way of codifying and post-rationalizing their diverse
projects. FOA have really made an attempt to examine what operations and conditions
make certain surfaces behave in ways that other surfaces do not. They have made
a careful study of what surfaces are produced under what circumstances. By specifically
defining each attribute in the process and detailing the options within each category,
a relatively objective definition can be assigned to a particular surface along
with particular image of what may be expected when experiencing the surface.
The inherent strength of the system is the use ofcategories and attributes that
are applicable to both landscapes and buildings. Thus surfaces are defined in
a way that reveals common lineage between what might otherwise be thought of as
unrelated projects.Consequently, a project that might traditionally be defined
as a building ultimately ends up amongst relatives that might be traditionally
described as landscape projects. Thus the extraordinary International Port Terminal
at Yokohama is defined as gromulfa_perstricon [ground:multiple face:perforated:striated:contingent]
which is closely related to the FOA's proposal for the South Bank Centre (gromulfa_birforicon_londinium),
a relationship that might otherwise not have been immediately clear.
One of the simplest (or should that be the most refined?) creatures to have evolved
within the FOA's system is their soon-to-open Coastal Park and Auditoriums in
Barcelona. A newborn of the species grosifa_pin [ground:single face:perforated],
the park is part of developments for the cultural festival Forum 2004 (9) and
is due to open May 2004. Located on the waterfront where the city's Via Diagonal
and River Besòs intersect, the park is described by FOA as “explor[ing] the organizationally
complex landscapes that emerge from topographies artificially generated by a mediated
integration of rigorous modeled order”(10). Essentially, the park takes coastal
sand dunes as its organizational prototype, and weaves a network of different
programmes through this landscape. The result is a circuit of activities: artificial
surfaces woven through natural surfaces to produce a landscape rich in section
as surfaces fold and perforate constantly(11) and a network of different sport
and leisure activities. It is too early to judge how the park fits into its distinguished
family lineage, however the project may show the potential for expanding the relatively
limited attribute definitions. Such a complex park is reduced to just three differentiating
attributes, whilst more architectural interventions receive up to six. This is
where landscape projects excel - evolving and developing new characteristics and
attributes over time. Initially defined as a relatively base species, grosifa_pin
may evolve into FOA's most complex creation yet.
So why all this discussion of taxonomy, crow's foot wrinkles and Renaissance artists?
Perhaps it is because we are currently in a period of architecture and design
where the power of computers to model complex organic built forms is being exploited,
resulting in the development of a new design language that works for both architecture
and landscape architecture. Could such a common language lead to closer cross-disciplinary
understanding and ultimately better designed landscapes, buildings and spaces?
If landscape architects are part of the development of such a design vocabulary,
there is an opportunity to not only ensure that landscape issues are given value
alongside built issues, but also to challenge the territory that may have been
lost to other professions. Other professions have started the process; now is
the time to push forward and develop the dialogue in order to shape future landscapes.