Future Details of Architecture

Despite the exaggerated news of the untimely 'death of the detail' by Greg Lynn, the architectural detail is now more lifelike and active than ever before. In this era of digital design and production technologies, new materials, parametrics, building information modeling (BIM), augmented realities and the nano-bio-information-computation consilience, the detail is now an increasingly vital force in architecture. Though such digitally designed and produced details are diminishing in size to the molecular and nano levels, they are increasingly becoming more complex, multi-functional, high performance and self-replicating. Far from being a non-essential and final finish, this new type of highly evolved high-tech detail is rapidly becoming the indispensable and critical core, the (sometimes iconic) DNA of an innovative new species of built environmental form that is spawning in scale and prominence, across product, interior, urban and landscape design. This issue of AD re-examines the history, theories and design of the world s most significant spatial details, and explores their innovative potentials and possibilities for the future of architecture. Contributors include: Rachel Armstrong, Nic Clear, Edward Ford, Dennis Shelden, Skylar Tibbits. Featured architects: Ben van Berkel, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Peter Macapia, Carlo Ratti, Philippe Rahm, Patrik Schumacher, Neil Spiller.

Despite the exaggerated news of the untimely 'death of the detail'by Greg Lynn, the architectural detail is now more lifelike andactive than ever before. In this era of digital design andproduction technologies, new materials, parametrics, buildinginformation modeling (BIM), augmented realities and thenano-bio-information-computation consilience, the detail is now anincreasingly vital force in architecture. Though such digitallydesigned and produced details are diminishing in size to themolecular and nano levels, they are increasingly becoming morecomplex, multi-functional, high performance and self-replicating.Far from being a non-essential and final finish, this new type ofhighly evolved high-tech detail is rapidly becoming theindispensable and critical core, the (sometimes iconic) DNA of aninnovative new species of built environmental form that is spawningin scale and prominence, across product, interior, urban andlandscape design. This issue of AD re-examines the historytheories and design of the world's most significant spatialdetails, and explores their innovative potentials and possibilitiesfor the future of architecture.Contributors include: Rachel Armstrong, Nic Clear, EdwardFord, Dennis Shelden, Skylar Tibbits.Featured architects: Ben van Berkel, Hernan Diaz AlonsoPeter Macapia, Carlo Ratti, Philippe Rahm, Patrik Schumacher, NeilSpiller.

EDITORIAL 5Helen CastleABOUT THE GUEST-EDITOR 6Mark GarciaSPOTLIGHT 8Visual highlights of the issueINTRODUCTION: Histories, Theories and Futures of the Details of Architecture14Mark GarciaThe Grand Work of Fiction: The Detail as Narrative 26Edward FordDetails Around the Corner 36Christian SchittichTectonic Articulation: Making Engineering Logics Speak 44Patrik SchumacherFuture Details of UNStudio Architectures: An Interview with Ben van Berkel 52Mark GarciaClose Up 62Hernan Diaz AlonsoUn détail de ce qui change: Function of a Function 68Peter MacapiaFuture Landscapes of Spatial Details: An Interview with Philippe Rahm 78Mark GarciaThe Rise of the 'Invisible Detail': Ubiquitous Computing and the 'Minimum Meaningful' 86Carlo Ratti and Matthew ClaudelInformation, Complexity and the Detail 92Dennis R SheldenGrowing Details 98David Benjamin, Danil Nagy and Carlos OlguinDNA disPlay: Programmable Bioactive Materials Using CNC Patterning 104Skylar Tibbits, Lina Kara'in, Joseph Schaeffer, Helena de Puig, Jose Gomez-Marquez and Anna YoungThe Post-Epistemological Details of Oceanic Ontologies 112Rachel ArmstrongDetailing the Walled Garden for Lebbeus 118Neil SpillerThe Gold Mine: A Ludic Architecture 128Nic ClearCOUNTERPOINT: The Architectural Detail and the Fear of Commitment 134Mark BurryCONTRIBUTOR 142