179prs_Game of Housing: The rubicon model.

The Game of Housing, as played by WHAT_architecture, is represented by a rubicon – a cubic metre model. Large in both size and scale 1:50, the rubicon model is comprised of 5 interlocking pieces, each demonstrative of a role (that interlocks developer with architect, agent, contractor and communicator) and a rule (style, size, density, heritage and use) that informs the designing and building of housing today. Deconstructing the rubicon, reveals 16 international housing projects undertaken by WHAT_architecture over the past 12years… WHAT_architecturemodelIMG_8275 edit2www.whatarchitecture.com  

000off_WAR X WALL X WATER

Thesis project by 吳卓昊 (Victor, Cho-Hao Wu) formerly of WHAT_architecture which looks to re-construct the daily life of Middle Eastern refugees.

179prs_ZAHA HADID AGREES: ITS A ROLE PLAYING GAME!

179prs_TALKING HEADS START MAKING SENSE!

In the age of the jet-setting architect, one cannot possibly be in two places at once. So don’t even bother, rent a talking head! Rem Koolhaas introduces WHAT_architecture at the University of Westminster whilst, simultaneously, we introduce ourselves on the other side of town: at the Design Museum…
blablablarchitecture is talking architecture. This is speech as a design tool. From the Godfather himself.

179prs_GAME OF ARCHITECTURE Barcelona: NOVEMBER 2015

SPONSOR_press conference The Game of Architecture is to be played in Estudio Mariscal’s Palo Alto in Barcelona on 15h00 Friday 27th November 2015.Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 11.19.28Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 11.19.46Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 11.19.56Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 11.20.09

264mar_EXTRACTED LANDSCAPE AS ARCHITECTURE

Naxos_MarbleEdward Burtynsky cararra quarryScreen Shot 2015-10-13 at 18.51.35Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 18.48.51The quarry is the perfect example of landscape as architecture. This is building not as a presence but as a void, where land is removed one block at a time. The photographer Edward Burtynsky likens dimensional quarries to ‘inverted pyramids’. This rock cut landscape as architecture is evident in the oldest buildings on earth: the temples at Petra, the caves of Cappodocia… In the episode Par Condicio of the hit tv series Il Commissario Montalbano, the Inspector arranges a forum between two warring families in the subterranean cut-marble chamber (around 1h19’30”).    

179prs_Game of Housing: a Japanese TV Show

超級全能住宅改造王 (Super Housing Changer) is an extremely popular television show in Japan and Taiwan. It sets the architect a challenge. In the following episode (number 103), the architect has to transform an existing dwelling to accommodate 7 people on 19.8sqm site footprint.The programme always commences with the interview of the occupants, and this ‘lived in’ experience is somewhat amiss in affordable housing design in the UK. Let’s cut to the Japanese English translation to get a flavour: “Japanese housing renovation variety show, the TV station from the majority of the selection of the transformation of family registration renovation, commissioned by talented designers (mostly primary architect) will distress transformed into livable and comfortable living environment with the economy the way dilapidated old house. Powerful storage features, reasonable moving line setting reasonable range planning, the sunshine and wind flow, warm humane care, there is always a little move you from Japan’s top architectural design experts for all kinds of family housing renovation needs performed amazing makeover, again turned into beautiful, impeccable top housing. Your home and living space is not a depravity transformation part? Please Do not miss the set in a renovated experts essence of “all-round residential renovation king.” It has a comfortable and warm to live in the house, the whole family can offer a variety of lifestyle activities required space, is the dream of every human heart. The reality of the living environment, it is inevitable that people feel satisfied, but perhaps because of economic factors, perhaps based on the perfunctory attitude, people are always endure day after day, living in unsatisfactory environment, or the period looking forward to one day be able to move out here looking for a better place. In fact, patience and flee are unnecessary producer “Almighty King House Renovation” program with its production of the program up to three years, as the number of transformation of the experience of more than 100 presented his proposal: “Any house will have its The problem, instead of converting place to go to escape the face of new challenges, as the status quo on issues point to be improved …. “

179prs_GAME OF HOUSING: A SPATIAL PUZZLE

The Game of Housing is a spatial puzzle that requires the resolution of various topological constraints between 1. the house as a container of objects and 2. between the containers themselves. As such relative spatial positions between ‘inside / outside’ and ‘close / far’ needs resolving. In Cartesian space, it is fairly obvious that a single object can only exist in one space at a time and no two objects can reside in the same space simultaneously. That an innovative resolution to the contested field of housing is by no means straight forward can be seen in the classical mathematical puzzle known as the “Gas, Water, Electricity problem”: cube_01_bw cube_02_bw cube_03_bw cube_04_bw cube_05_bw cube_06_bw