04 Responsive Simplexities
Unit Tutor: Giles Bruce + Wolfgang Frese
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Complexity from chaos suggests hunger for energy, inefficiency, wastefulness. Simplexity from order suggests optimisation, evolution, efficiency of resource. Modern technology often leads to far too complex solutions for essentially quite simple tasks and challenges and often ignores the simple solutions that can respond successfully to complex environmental conditions.

This unit explores this theme in terms of the dynamic relationship between buildings and their climatic context in Tehran. Can local environmental conditions be tweaked, twisted, and manipulated to minimise building energy consumption? Can the rich cultural and engineering heritage of Iran and climatic extremes which characterise Tehran become the catalyst for innovation, experimentation and creativity? Can adaptive and responsive architecture intelligently interface between the environment within our buildings and the dynamic environment outside? By articulating a position towards a specific environmental context, the unit aims to develop architectural strategies and design responses which challenge the conventions of low-energy design in the city.