HYPERDISASTROPIAS: THE HAPTIC ORIGINS AND OPTIC IMAGINARIES OF BIOLOGICAL DISASTER

HIBA SALIH | UTSAV RATHI | LILIAN JUMA

STUDIO ZUROWESTE | ARCH 403 | IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

PROGRAMS USED: GRASSHOPPER, RHINO 7, ADOBE INDESIGN

NOT YOUR DISASTER

NOT MY DISASTER

NOT YOUR DISASTER NOT MY DISASTER

The studio brief discusses a survey of natural disasters from prehistory to the present, categorized by geological, meteorological, hydrological, climatological, extraterrestrial and biological phenomena through Deleuzian terms . It explores the traditional elements of earth, air, fire, and water, and how they define pre-modern systems of knowledge. We are questioning the notions of utopia and suggesting more progressive possibilities of social and environmental justice post or even during disaster. The objectives of the brief are to analyze disaster as a critique of disaster relief and recovery, invent representation systems for visualizing natural disasters as thermodynamic phenomena (as organisms/structures), rediscover passive design intelligence in indigenous pre-carbon architecture, and articulate methods for deploying emerging architecture in disaster recovery or to “dance with disaster”. At the end of the semester each of the six disaster groups completed a chapter for the book about Hyperdisastropias.

Biological Disaster chapter pages

Click on each image to view our database

VIRAL

BACTERIAL

PARASITIC

PRION

FUNGAL

ANIMAL EPIDEMICS

INSECT INFESTATION

PLANT EPIDEMICS

ANIMAL ACCIDENTS

This project reframes the spread of biological disasters which is often optically invisible but
haptically inevitable. We called the moment where disease is sensed but not yet seen Haptic; and seen in its entirety, optic.

By studying the spread of microscopic organisms such as spores, viruses and locusts we have used an architectural lens to understand the different scales and scope of disease. In order to accommodate the unavoidable presence of organisms like fungus we proposed a zoned city that is pro and antifungal; promoting growth and cultivation of fungus within some spaces and avoiding fungus in the others.

Biological disasters are unique in that the body is both the victim, host and a weapon of our own
disasters. During 2020, humanity faced an uncontrollable pandemic which has resulted in facing our positionality in the world. We were reminded of the power of individual decisions and the impact that the built environment and other factors like privilege have on the spread of disease. For instance, over a million lives have been lost and many more have been risked in the US alone from epidemics like coronavirus.

We found case studies of three typologies: epidemics, insect infestations, and animal accidents. We experimented with different methods of drawings to make the invisible, visible and visible
more conscious. We went back and forth between microscopic and urban scales in our investigation.

Click on each case study to view grasshopper simulations of each biological disaster at different scales.

LOCUST SWARMS

HISTOPLASMOSIS

COVID-19

FUNGAL DISASTERS

HISTOPLASMOSIS

Fungal Diseases refer to diseases caused by infected or toxic spores that are spread through the direct or indirect contact. “The others” have exploited our bodies now, they have exploited our roads our buildings. But they are just trying to survive. “They have relations with the farmers of the sedentary communities and with the celestial functionaries of the empire who over code those communities; in fact they need them to survive they depend on an imperial agricultural stockpile for their very sustenance”

Histoplasmosis. A disease that causes fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing. In severe cases, it can cause death. The symptoms are akin to those of pneumonia or tuberculosis and most people wouldn’t know they had it until the disease had progressed to a more serious stage

Our project embraces biological disaster by attempting to design a campus of anti and pro fungal zones. Also known as Haptic and optic zones based on advanced computational environmental simulations. Haptic being portions that do not support the spread of spores and optic using the natural elements on site to safely encourage their growth

EARTH

AIR

FIRE

WATER

The boundary of the site was based on geologic soil surveys and how abundant the growth of histoplasma would be on the site. The earth strata map shows the changes in topography and radiation. The fire strata map shows central points and contour lines of high radiation and low radiation behaving like electromagentic fields. The water strata map shows the annual rainfall and where the rainfall collects on the site according to the bumpy topography of the land. The air strata map shows the constant air flow which is largely uninterrupted due to the flatness of the land This is a collage of all the different strata maps earth, fire, water and air as well as the 1:10000 map showcasing the movement of the spores across the site.

EARTH

AIR

FIRE

WATER

Our approach to an anti-fungal and pro-fungal zoned city was designed using codes based on strata maps and thermodynamic computation. The “organisms”, or architectures, are placed on the site using existing contour lines, radiation maps, and rainfall collection areas. The earth organisms become superstructures that foster both pro and anti-fungal zones, while the fire organisms are placed in areas with higher radiation to create an urban fabric. The water organisms are designed to collect rainfall, with space underneath for pro-fungal and space inside for anti-fungal. The legs of the organisms promote circulation of spores or humans depending on their height, and air organisms are placed based on the direction of the wind to promote air circulation and spread spores.

click here to view each code

The earth organism is made up of two meshes and serves as canopies and public spaces on the site that are these fungalscapes. It is liken to a microclimate that allows people and fungus to engage side by side.

The air organisms are wind tunnels whereas the ones in the air work as bridges and skywalks around the campus and into the other organisms.

The fire organism functions as pro-fungal spaces that contain fungus that are stored in the dark and cool clay interior then cultivated as needed.

The water organisms function as both offices and labs to research fungus and alternatively housing for the site. The boxes also create overhangs that form dark and wet spaces for spores to grow. The stilts become areas for vertical growth.

Within the site we chose to emphasize spaces like the earth and water organisms where people would collaborate and research and experience the fungal spores alongside while through work and leisure. The haptic spaces like the fire organisms were less abundant in size. While the overarching monumentality of the earth organisms provides a space for all organisms to co exist.

DANCING WITH DISASTER

AXONOMETRIC ANIMATION SEQUENCE

The spread of spores on site is one that is haptic, not optical; however if they were optical in long distance, we would see them maintaining their journey towards their absolute position. as nomads they are in a continuous passage of becoming. Transforming the site's smooth organisms (each along their own grid and pathology) to a space that is both haptic and optical in close vision. Their pursuit of the horizon line is the same pursuit we who both create and occupy space question as we try and design for bodies that are constantly weathering and channeling disaster.