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pneumatology [2008-02-20 16:37] – 62.166.51.71pneumatology [2008-02-22 21:53] – 62.166.51.71
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-====Context==== 
  
-//Pneumatology// consists of  +
-  * a visual survey of -alive inflatables- ,\\ +
-  * writings trying to distincts what makes an inflatable -alive- +
-  * a collection of physical materials suited for inflatables for foam's public library\\ +
-  * a collection of innovative inflatable experts, labs etc.\\ +
  
  
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-====Lightness as a state of being====+ 
 + 
 +===== Lightness as a state of being =====
  
 Around our contemporary environmental questions at least one thing became clear to me and that’s that out of fear, or to build on top of our guilt, we can’t create anything. So instead I rather like to slide the heavy burden of my shoulders and  choose the quality of lightness. Around our contemporary environmental questions at least one thing became clear to me and that’s that out of fear, or to build on top of our guilt, we can’t create anything. So instead I rather like to slide the heavy burden of my shoulders and  choose the quality of lightness.
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 And in wondering if we can construct our worlds from the lightest quality surrounding us everywhere: –air- inflatable architecture comes the closests. Its thin flexible membrane, acts as a space-defining skin is able to give shape of –air- itself allowing it to be a breathing unity with its own integrity. Its close related to its surrounding its specifically bodily and tactile by nature and its portable, mobile, and playful.   And in wondering if we can construct our worlds from the lightest quality surrounding us everywhere: –air- inflatable architecture comes the closests. Its thin flexible membrane, acts as a space-defining skin is able to give shape of –air- itself allowing it to be a breathing unity with its own integrity. Its close related to its surrounding its specifically bodily and tactile by nature and its portable, mobile, and playful.  
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-====Aim==== 
  
  
-=====Research topics===== 
-   ***A Visual Collection of -Alive Inflatables-** 
-In looking for structures for inflatables as a visual survey; I became very tired quickly. 
-Maybe because I came across a lot of dead stuff. So I decided to intuitively look for inflatables I just liked. And then after looking at them I found out what the quality of these inflatables was and that was that they were alive. In such a way that it are inflatable spaces you want to be emerged with, play with, be involved with  
-And some of these inflatables are to simple to be true, but have an amazing opening effect on people. 
-So I look for inflatable architectural structures which are alive in one way or another, where something is happening. 
-the collection of Living Inflatables one can see at: ……. 
  
-  ***A pattern language for -living inflatables** 
-Chistopher Alexander has unraveled in 1977a pattern language to create 'living architecture’. Its a tool for anyone willing to surpass the general problem domains in our contemporary architecture as stated above, which often leaves us with a feeling of being alienated and detachment. This pattern language is based on the actions which takes place in space and time which makes one feel “alive”. I have summarized his patterns which can be used by anyone interested in building stuff. 
-And I have made a specific pattern language for -inflatable architectural structures-, based on Architects of Air’s inflatable -Luminarium-. Everybody can use these patterns as a guideline to create one’s own ‘living inflatables’  
  
-   ***Design considerations for inflatable structures** + 
-After Coming across some problematic patterns in creating inflatables myself, and the inflatable structures of the architects of Airs’s Luminarium and some more colleagues,  I thought its worthwhile to acknowledge the most common obstacles one comes across in inflatable structures anyhow. When we are able to surpass these obstacles, these structures will be more stable and alive. It considers issues like; dominant odors, choosing the right materials, energy sources, climate control etc. In this part no solutions will be given to any design problem, but some suggestions will be given so now and then…\\+ 
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   * People inside became very sleepy after a while; it´s a passive space aswell the ongoing ambient music makes you murf and maybe it was as well the dose or flow of oxygen which slows you down.\\   * People inside became very sleepy after a while; it´s a passive space aswell the ongoing ambient music makes you murf and maybe it was as well the dose or flow of oxygen which slows you down.\\
 +
  
  
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 A single skin inflatable can become instant hot when the sun shines, or freezing cold when not. A single skin inflatable can become instant hot when the sun shines, or freezing cold when not.
 For temperature regulation one can think of a double skin; where walls of air will have an isolation function and at the same time an acoustics isolation function. In this way the walls can as well become a part of the construction. The climate in these zones can be influenced artificially. For temperature regulation one can think of a double skin; where walls of air will have an isolation function and at the same time an acoustics isolation function. In this way the walls can as well become a part of the construction. The climate in these zones can be influenced artificially.
-Heat- There is always a temperature differential - it will generally be warmer inside an inflatable than outside.  A temperature of 27oC/ 80oF outside could mean that inside may be uncomfortable.  When it is this warm one can use water misters to spray the air. Additional strategies to deal with heat is to place the inflatable near shade if possible or cooling by air-conditioning. Or making use of materials which reflects the sunlight.+Heat- There is always a temperature differential - it will generally be warmer inside an inflatable than outside.  A temperature of 27oC/ 80oF outside could mean that inside may be uncomfortable.  When it is this warm one can use water misters to spray the air. Additional strategies to deal with heat is to place the inflatable near shade if possible or cooling by air-conditioning. Or making use  of materials which reflects the sunlight.
  
 Cold – One can use portable heaters and a layer of polyurethane foam beneath the structure.  Cold – One can use portable heaters and a layer of polyurethane foam beneath the structure. 
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 One can look into microfibers, non-wovens, woven vecram (used in the space industry), coated fabrics etc. One can look into microfibers, non-wovens, woven vecram (used in the space industry), coated fabrics etc.
  
- **Local manufactors**: Preferable look for local materials in a circle of 100 meter, or 1km around you. What kind of materials can you find in your own area, instead of directly looking for chinese markets where they have the cool stuff…and has to travel from afar.\\ + **Local manufactors**:  
-[[material_library]]'s**: nowadays there are many material libraries like Materio in Enschede; the Design Academy in Eindhoven, Materialsense, Materialconnexion or Materia. Althought you can visit them online a physical visit is worthwhile when it comes down to materials because you simply want to touch them.\\ + 
-**Fairs**: The composite fair in France (for composite sticks), TechnoTextile, every 2 years in Frankfurt, Macropak te Utrecht, [[cradle_to_cradle]] fair in Frankfurt 12-18 november 2008, with only products which are nutrients for the bio or technical cycle. Cradle to Cradle is aswell connected to materialconnexion]+  *Preferable look for local materials in a circle of 100 meter, or 1km around you. What kind of materials can you find in your own area, instead of directly looking for chinese markets where they have the cool stuff…and has to travel from afar.\\ 
 + 
 +  *[[material_library]]'s**: nowadays there are many material libraries like  
 +  *Materio in Enschede;  
 +  *the Design Academy in Eindhoven,  
 +  *Materialsense,  
 +  *Materialconnexion  
 +  *Materia  
 +  *[[http://www.ecolect.net/|Ecolect]]  
 +Althought you can visit them online a physical visit is worthwhile when it comes down to materials because you simply want to touch them.\\ 
 + 
 +**Fairs**:   * The composite fair in France (for composite sticks),  
 +  *TechnoTextile, every 2 years in Frankfurt,    
 +  * Macropak te Utrecht,  
 +  *[[cradle_to_cradle]] fair in Frankfurt 12-18 november 2008, with only products which are nutrients for the bio or technical cycle. Cradle to Cradle is aswell connected to materialconnexion] 
  
  
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-==== results ==== 
-As I've  mentioned in the context I have scanned via the inflatables three design principles;  
-  * //sustainability//   I wonder if sustainability is a word that empower us... 
-The word itself is putting a heavy load on our shoulders, and conventionaly it focusses on what not to do. It can paralyze us, or pushes our guild buttons; we must shrink our presence, our systems, our activities. So it stops our creativity. But we are part of nature to! Something sustains itself, when its made with real care and when its patterns are deeply connected to ones own experiences then we like to look after it. Sustainability also recalls the idea of preserving, but one has to keep in perspective that all stuff is build to die. So maybe what empowers us more is to think in biolife cycles. And we don’t have to be perfect right now and all these biodegradable materials are not all available now, but as long there is a direction and you can set your goal for 20 years,  
  
  
-\\ 
-  * The second design principle //playfullness//, which reminds me most of a documentary  I've seen about otters; in one scene; an otter is swimming in a river, and that day a thick layer of snow was fallen. One moment the otter is passing a hilly bank covered with snow. he goes out of the water and ran up the hill, and slides down into the water, he repeates it 5 more times and then continues swimming in the river. There was no purpose for the otter for gliding down this hill, no other then that he enjoyed doing do. Maybe I selected the pictures for the Inflatable Inspirations with this quality of playfullness in the back of my mind. Its there where rigidity stops and "flow" accurs.\\ 
  
-  * The thirth principle was //modularity//   
-Always ask our self how does it feel, to have a modular surrounding. 
-The character arises of the old buildings  they were made by a process which allowed  each part to be entirely one with its surroundings,                                      
- Nature is never modular.  
-Nature is full of almost similar units (waves, raindrops, blades of grass-) but though the units of one kind are all alike in their broad structure, no two are ever alike in detail. 
-  1. the same broad features keep recurring over and over again. 
-  2. in their detail appearance these broad features are never twice the same.  
-for instance: On the one hand all oak trees have the same overall shape, the same thickened twisted trunk, the same crinkled bark, the same shaped leaves, the proportions of limbs to branches of twigs. On the other hand, no two trees are quite the same. The exact combination of height and width and curvature never repeats itself; we cannot even find two leaves which are the same. 
-modularity is just a concept.\\ 
  
-//The quality of places is never twice the same, because it always takes its shape from the particular  place in which it occurs. Each part is slightly different, according to its position in the whole.  Each branch of a tree has a slightly different shape, according to its position in the tree.  Each leaf  on the branch is given its detailed form by its position on the branch.//\\ 
  
-So an alternative is to thibk of differentiating spaces: + 
-It is not a process of addition, in which pre-formed parts are combined to create a whole: but a process of unfolding, like the evolution of an embryo, in which the whole precedes in parts, and actually gives birth to them, by splitting (so becoming different in the process of growth or development). Only a process of differentiation, can generate a natural thing;  because this kind of process can shape parts individually, according to their position in the whole.//+ 
 + 
 + 
 +==== Discussion==== 
 +- As I've  mentioned in the context I have scanned via the inflatables three design principles and I like to come back to them a bit 
 + 
 +  * //sustainability//   We all now that this is quite complex matter and I wonder if sustainability is really a word that can empower us... The word itself is putting a heavy load on our shoulders. It can paralyze us, or pushes our guild buttons; we must shrink our presence, our systems, our activities ans so on. So it blocks our creativity. But we are part of nature to!  So maybe what empowers us more is for instance to think in bio-life-cycles. And we don’t have to be perfect right now, for instance the biodegradable materials we want are not all available now, but we can set our goals for 20 years from now in which we define where we wanna go. Another thing I like to mention is that something sustains itself, when its made with real care and when its patterns are deeply connected to our own experiences, then we automatically like to look after it. 
 + 
 +    * The second design principle playfullness, reminds me most of a documentary I've seen about otters; in one scene; an otter is swimming in a river, and that day a thick layer of snow was fallen. One moment the otter is passing a hilly bank covered with snow. he goes out of the water and ran up the hill, and slides down into the water, he repeats it about 5 more times and then continues swimming in the river. There was no purpose for the otter for gliding down this hill, no other then that he enjoyed doing do. Maybe I selected the pictures for the Inflatable Inspirations with this quality of playfullness in the back of my mind. Its there where rigidity stops and “flow” occurs. 
 + 
 +    * The thirth principle was modularity. One can always ask yourself how does it feel, to have a modular surrounding. Nature is never modular. Nature is full of almost similar units (waves, raindrops, blades of grass-) but though the units of one kind are all alike in their broad structure, no two are ever alike in detail. - the same broad features keep recurring over and over again. - in their detail appearance these broad features are never twice the same. - The quality of places is never twice the same, because it always takes its shape from the particular place in which it occurs. Each part is slightly different, according to its position in the whole. Each branch of a tree has a slightly different shape, according to its position in the tree. Each leaf on the branch is given its detailed form by its position on the branch. So an alternative is to think of differentiating spaces: It is not a process of addition, in which pre-formed parts are combined to create a whole: but a process of unfolding, like the evolution of an embryo, in which the whole precedes in parts, and actually gives birth to them, by splitting (so becoming different in the process of growth or development). Only a process of differentiation, can generate a natural thing; because this kind of process can shape parts individually, according to their position in the whole. 
 + 
 +- Up to now I noticed people (no matter what their background is) react very strongly on the visual collection of the research, and yes it was  the part I enjoyed doing the most. 
 + 
 +- As a follow up from this research I have like do realize two events where I will develop inflatable spaces solely inflated by wind. 
 + 
 +- I l like to continue on three parts of the research; the collections of the visual survey, the collection of inflatable materials for the library and the list of interesting inflatable producers, labs, experts etc.
  
  
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   * Nature Culture Fusion-Louis, G. Le Roy, 2002 ISBN 90-5662-278-1.   * Nature Culture Fusion-Louis, G. Le Roy, 2002 ISBN 90-5662-278-1.
   * Leven op ’t hof, Gerard smallegange, ISBN 90-72138-00-7   * Leven op ’t hof, Gerard smallegange, ISBN 90-72138-00-7
-  * Form Defining Strategies, Markus Hudert+
  
  
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