Author: Jonathan C. Molloy | ArchDaily

Lebbeus Woods, 1940 - 2012

Jonathan C. Molloy — Fri, 31 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Lebbeus Woods envisaged a world at war. The visionary architect, artist, and educator - who would have turned 73 today - drew cities under duress, buildings in the face of destruction, and landscapes confronting catastrophe. He imagined an underground city connecting divided Berlin, buildings designed for seismic hot zones that could move during earthquakes, and a utopian city that looked like an insect. He didn’t depict the world as it was, he depicted what it might be.

Can Architecture Make Us More Creative? Part III: Academic Environments

Jonathan C. Molloy — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

August Kekulé discovered the structure of the benzene ring after having a daydream of the Ouroboros, a famous mythological snake depicted as biting its own tail. Francis Crick figured out the complimentary replication system of DNA when he remembered the process of replicating a sculpture by making an impression of it in plaster, and using it as a mold to make copies. Johannes Keppler attributes his laws of planetary motion to an inspiration from religion: the sun, the stars, and the dark space around them represent the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost respectively.

Can Architecture Make Us More Creative? Part II: Work Environments

Jonathan C. Molloy — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jane Jacobs revered the West Village. It was a bustling neighborhood enlivened by its social, spatial, and functional diversity. It had different building types and functions, which meant that people were always in places for different purposes; it had short blocks, which have the greatest variety of foot traffic. It had plenty of old buildings with low rent which “permit individualized and creative uses;” and, most importantly, it had all different kinds of people. As a result, West Villagers could establish casual and informal relationships with people that they might not have had the opportunity to otherwise.

Can Architecture Make Us More Creative?

Jonathan C. Molloy — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

What do MIT’s Building 20, the Ancient Greek Agora, 18^th Century British teahouses, and early 20^th century Parisian cafés have in common?

Architecture by Robots, For Humanity

Jonathan C. Molloy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Architecture is quickly adopting the popular technology of robots. Although it is slightly hard to define what “robot” really means, for architecture, it tends to refer to anything from robot arms to CNC mills to 3D printers. Basically, they are programmable, mechanical, and automated instruments that assist in processes of digital fabrication.

5 Robots Revolutionizing Architecture's Future

Jonathan C. Molloy — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Robots fascinate us. Their ability to move and act autonomously is visually and intellectually seductive. We write about them, put them in movies, and watch them elevate menial tasks like turning a doorknob into an act of technological genius. For years, they have been employed by industrial manufacturers, but until recently, never quite considered seriously by architects. Sure, some architects might have let their imaginations wander, like Archigram did for their "Walking City", but not many thought to actually make architecture with robots. Now, in our age of digitalization, virtualization, and automation, the relationship between architects and robots seems to be blooming...check it out.