The document proposes an "ideas lab housing" complex in Ann Arbor, Michigan that is conceived as a community based on inquiry and participation. The complex provides venues for collaborative experiments in collective living through shared spaces that are flexible and can change over time. Individual housing units are also configured flexibly to avoid prescriptive uses of space and require residents to determine how they live. The goal is to cultivate imaginative engagement and publicize the culture of the ideas lab.

1. ideas lab housing
ann arbor, michigan
this housing complex is
conceived with an eye toward
the future, a community based
on a culture of inquiry and
participation. capitalizing on the
recent emergence of the citizen
scientist, the ideas lab provides
a forum in which to undertake
collaborative experiments in
collective space and massing studies living. harnessing the potential
for informal interaction, the
complex is replete with venues
for experimentation at various
scales. lacking in programmatic
specificity yet provocative,
these spaces afford possibilities
for creative modes of living
by cultivating imaginative
engagement. they have the
the spirit of spatial provocation capacity to register change over
extends to the individual units, time, to host converging paths of
which are configured to avoid residents and passersby as they
prescriptive use of space, instead move through the two-block site,
requiring residents to take a and to publicize the culture and
stance on how we live. findings of the ideas lab.
A
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B
central courtyard and terrace

2. ideas lab housing
ann arbor, michigan
street-level exhibition space
collective space studies

3. culinary institute
eastern market, detroit
detroit’s eastern market is a
vibrant and well-used space,
though the usual waste
generated by such endeavors
is underutilized. the culinary
institute offers its main facade
as a venue to reuse and
reconstitute this waste through
a series of vertical, transparent
storage elevators. accumulating
additional resources, the culinary
institue also hosts a number
of micro-kitchens for drop-in
cooking, pushing beck the front
facade to invite the community
inside.
facade studies

4. innovatrium
flavor and fragrance laboratory
the perimeter of the city ends
abruptly; there is no gradual
taper, but a definitive border
that separates perimeter from the
surrounding territory. however,
this border is neither neutral
nor arbitrary. the edge of the
perimeter is highly speculative,
as factions stake their claims
through subtle infrastructural
developments. expansion occurs
through replication, but the
innovatrium seeks to disrupt the
perimeter’s prescriptive nature; it
calls into question the assumed
growth through a deformation
that dissolves the edge
condition, increasing gradually
as the building moves away from
the established perimeter.
figural pulls

5. innovatrium
flavor and fragrance laboratory
the existing perimeter condition
bears remnants of its expansion,
as some figures create
strong pulls. their influence is
evident as it creeps to engulf
weaker figures, layering and
diminishing slightly as it moves
out. hybrid spaces emerge
at the overlap. similarly,
conversation about flavor and
fragrance takes on a layered
character; different discussions
are framed in a variety of
overlapping languages,
shifting to accommodate new
combinations as the players
change. these internal layers
provide the opportunity for
innovative work through casual
conversations framed in multiple
languages at a series of figural
voids.
orchid greenhouse
these interactions are enhanced by an escalating aggregation of error. small inaccuracies are introduced into the activities of the innovatrium; a highly articulated robot
makes a less than precise move, a research assistant puts a bottle of fragrance back in the wrong slot. a minor error is compounded through each series of processes,
incrementally deforming into something quite unexpected. the unintentional mistake becomes intentional, a form of innovation.
flow plan

6. inorganic assemblies
partner: lindsay cooper
the lymphatic system acts as
a shadow system within the
body, just as extensive as the
circulatory system yet only
making its presence known
during periods of illness. the
body’s outer membrane, despite
its own fragility, must keep the
interior safe from harm. after
infection with bubonic plague,
the lymphatic system expands,
distending the body and
exposing itself to scrutiny. as the
nature of the body is dictated by
its systems, it is reconstituted in
response to a different system of
structures and processes.
system relationships
expanded system details
sectioned body

7. brazil summer studio
acaba mundo, belo horizonte
an inexpensive, easily
deployable rainscreen made
from construction mesh and
plastic bags reduces litter in
the favela while screening the
unfinished, highly porous walls
from severe seasonal rains.
screen prototype
site topography

8. favela verde
acaba mundo, belo horizonte
partners: gavet douangvichit,
nghi-dung nguyen-phuoc
a joint venture with urban
planning students yields a
scheme of interconnected
sustainability measures;
infrastructure such as a series of
water tanks doubles as space for
gathering, thus garnering interest
permeable pavement and garden
for more widespread community
improvements through several
small pilot projects addressing
rainwater diversion and storage,
waste collection and recycling,
and ground surface permeability.
pilot project location garbage collection
Sanitation and Water Financing and
Management Organizational Roles
Education and Community Capacity Local Public and Private
Pilot and Demonstration Favela Residents NGOs and Other Organizations
Awareness Building Sector
community private coordination other NGOs /
favela residents municipality main NGOs
kick-off ongoing organizational technical harvesting: absorption: solid waste leaders businesses council organizations
education education capacity capacity rainwater permeable management
activities collection for pavement and recycling
garden installation -key inputs into -coordination of -provide services -technical -project initiation -coordinate -key roles in
approval, decisions and assistance go-ahead decision education and
- initial meetings -collaboration -promotion of -technical skills -coordination and -designate areas -provision of planning, and activities -coordination awareness
with community with NGOs to community required for construction of for different communal trash carrying out of -provide venue for activities
leaders, NGOs, disseminate participation and construction of rooftop collection paving options collection service project -provide -technical coordination with
community information leadership pilot project information assistance community -other possible
organizations (health clinic, etc.) -construction of -installation of -recycling bridges leaders / other collaboration
-financial -technical skills for storage tank pavers and activities to be NGOs/
-wider community -after school management maintenance substrate decided by municipality/
meetings - issues, program -construction of participants others
buy-in, pilot - negotiation skills -data collection garden terraces
- celebratory and monitoring and irrigation
-hands-on activity community fair system
with school -partial labor costs -possible -materials -project operation
children -presentation of of pilots extension of waste (pavement,
data from pilot collection services cement, pvc) -costs of education
project -waste activities
management -permeable
monthly costs pavements -full material costs
(depending on the of pilots
-maintenance community’s
costs ability to -full costs of
negotiate) technical
-all scaled-up assistance
activities
(depending on -partial
how much implementation/
external funding labor costs of
Scaling Up they can obtain, pilots
especially from the
municipality)

9. favela verde
acaba mundo, belo horizonte
water tank/community space:
the storage tank for rainwater
collected from the roofs takes
on multiple roles. it stores, filters,
and pumps out the water for
irrigation of the garden in dry
months. it is also a terrace area
with seating and provides a
place to wash produce from
the garden. additionally, it is
one of the waste collection
points, with space for garbage,
recyclables, and organic matter
for composting.
rainwater harvesting

10. incremental insurgencies
current thesis work
the proliferation of consumable
data produces a tension
between the enormous and the
incremental. the impossibility of
comprehensive understanding
leads to manipulative uses
of data; truthiness becomes
more important than truth,
ultimately shifting the nature
of the data itself. this evident
corruptibility allows for new
forms of participation in the
digital public, clearing the way
for fringe practices to gain a
legitimate foothold in mainstream
technological development.
the resultant insurgencies
employ techniques of disruptive
technology, incrementally
yet enormously shifting the
topography of the digital public.
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3 nmi + 12 nmi + 24 nmi + 200 nmi +
grounding territorial sea contiguous sea < IMO 1984354 exclusive economic zone
N
sovereignty infringement - customs - fiscal - immigration - sanitation exploration - exploitation - harvesting

11. incremental insurgencies
current thesis work
decentralized physical institutions
which straddle the divide
between unruly tinkering and
peer review emerge to facilitate
these new currents of technology
transfer. the patent office for
disruptive technology instigates,
catalogues, and legitimizes
methods for deep examinations
of the digital public through a
series of opportunistic processes.
regulatory boundaries are
continuously gerrymandered,
allowing for a nimble
negotiation of the multiple
grounds of the digital public.
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