ADS9: ℵ0

On the back part of the step, toward the right, I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought it was revolving; then I realised that this movement was an illusion created by the dizzying world it bounded. The Aleph’s diameter was probably little more than an inch, but all space was there, actual and undiminished. Each thing (a mirror’s face, let us say) was infinite things, since I distinctly saw it from every angle of the universe. I saw the teeming sea; I saw daybreak and nightfall; I saw the multitudes of America; I saw a silvery cobweb in the centre of a black pyramid; I saw a splintered labyrinth (it was London); I saw, close up, unending eyes watching themselves in me as in a mirror; I saw all the mirrors on earth and none of them reflected me . . . I saw bunches of grapes, snow, tobacco, lodes of metal, steam; I saw convex equatorial deserts and each one of their grains of sand . . .

From ‘The Aleph’, Jorge Luis Borges

How do we count beyond infinity? In Borges' short story, the protagonist encounters an unimaginable space, which can only be experienced. The eponymous ‘Aleph’ is a point in space containing all other points. As he looked upon it, he saw the earth encompassed within, and everything and everywhere in the universe from every point and angle. At that single moment, it is possible to experience everything simultaneously with clarity. A seamless continuum. A space with the capability to contain a plurality of things, scale and presence. Can we imagine what extremes such an architecture might take? ℵ0, or ‘Aleph Nought’, is a mathematical symbol that describes the possible sets of all possible natural numbers. It is measurable. ℵ0 is not a word. Perhaps there is no word capable of encompassing such a space. Our challenge is to provide an architectonic and spatial language that speaks of this multitude. And offers a new kind of beauty.

Open plan. Out in the open. Open air. Open sky. Open water. Stood open. Open 24 Hrs. Open sesame. Open door policy. Open society. Open relationship. Nope. Open system. Open file. Opera Aperta. Openwork. Open arm. Open-heart. Keep your eyes wide open.

Keeping an open-mind.

ADS9 investigates the architecture of openness. The studio imagines a boundless architecture, which has no separation and distinction between walls and space, building and site, bodies and environment, earth and sky. An architecture of openness that exists as a single continuum of everything, everyone and everywhere.  

ADS9 envisions architectures of openness that can empower emerging forms of living. The studio questions our fundamental dependence on walls to construct spaces. Such a dependence has led to insular rooms, each of which is dedicated to a single function and prescribed social structure. In the absence of conventional walls, doors, windows, ground and roof, the studio proposes an architecture that cannot be broken down into discrete parts, but, like the Aleph in Borges’ story, has to be experienced all at once.

It is an architecture that does not seek clarity, but instead searches for richness of meaning, ambiguity and generosity. What is the architectonic and spatial language for an architecture of openness? How do you work in an open way to construct a project? How do we entwine open relationships between forms of living and space? What are the relevance and shortcomings of an architecture of openness now?

In 2022/23, ADS9’s investigation into the architecture of openness will focus on context and an architectonic language of openness that is seamlessly continuous with its surroundings. Architecture does not end where context begins. The project of Architecture as Context is a form of openness in which one is indistinguishable from the other.

In Term 1, we will each select and delve into a deep reading of a site, establishing our individual fields of interests and the raw ingredients for our spatial experimentation. The dossiers we will compile are not simply summaries of interests, curiosities and methodologies, but also the result of the unpacking of knowledge through studio discussions and seminar readings.

Each student will focus on one of the following paths to develop an architecture of openness: Emerging Forms of Living as Context, Typology as Context, Material as Context, or Environment as Context. What form of openness and continuum might each of these paths elicit? How might emerging forms of living redefine lifestyles and value systems in new spaces of co-existence? How can we evolve a site’s typologies to give them new relevance? What if a building’s form is solely defined by materials and labour within a 100km distance? Or, can we imagine an architecture that is subject to unpredictable fluctuations like the environment itself? A point in space that contains all other points. Perhaps we each need a different language to describe space. ℵ0

ADS9 has a deep commitment to space and creating architecture that is imbued with an urgent beauty. Space does not simply frame – it is inseparable in how we express, embody, and enable knowledge, ideas, and life. Spatial experimentation is at the forefront of the studio’s methodology. To experiment is to embrace the desire and beauty in the act of creating itself, regardless of where it may take you.

ADS9 experiments with large-scale media, tools, and prototypes, which are spatial constructs in their own right. It is a highly iterative process that critically questions design. It is a way of design that goes beyond a representation of the subject, but to have a hands-on direct engagement with your topic of spatial experimentation. As part of your personal development of spatial experimentation, ADS9 encourages students to reach out to the full arsenal of knowledge, expertise, and tools at your disposal across different departments at the RCA.   

For YR1 students, the design project will focus on a multi-storey urban block. The spatial experimentation will be accompanied by technical investigation. In ADS9, YR2 students have always pursued deeply personal subjects and obsessions in their work. The design project is open to the ambitions of our students. In response, YR2 students will develop their own personal critical framework and design methodology to achieve a high level of architectural resolution.