Traditionally, conditioning exposes our detachment from the built environment. Highly-conditioned occupants are characterized by having a predictable or consistent pattern of behavior as a result of having been subjected to certain circumstances over time, which in turn prevents the user from experiencing architecture in a visually and a physically stimulating manner; autopilot engages. Users robotically pass through architecture, as if it is simply a way to get from point A to point B, forgetting that the majority of one’s life is spent confined within these conditioned walls.

Architecture needs to become more than just a static structure linking two points. It needs to become an unpredictable, ever-distorting, transforming, interactive, stimulating environment which allows the user to become consciously aware of oneself again. Once acknowledging the unlimited possibilities of spatial experience with indefinite distortion, architecture may paradoxically re-condition the occupant to become hyper-conditioned, overly stimulated in a semi-predictable manner. This hyper-conditioning will re-invigorate the physical and visual relationship between the user and the architecture. By linking these elements (the user and the continually distorting space) the occupant assumes perpetual dexterity within a conjunctive spatial system, thus cultivating an actively (mentally and physically) aware occupant. In order to rethink the future of architecture we must allow architecture to change continually, literally.

FOPods (Future Office Pods) revamp the office building typology. As we continually advance technologically, the office needs transform from physical space to virtual (paperless) space. The office becomes hand-held, thus decreasing the office footprint. FOPods capitalize on this concept to create a unique, open air, minimal footprint, public, and hourly rentable office spaces. The jury for the AIA San Francisco Design Awards noted that this “aspirational” plan is reminiscent of a 1960’s hyper-future in its forward thinking approach.

Albuquerque, NM : 2012

Design by OTA+ (Kory Bieg and Alexa Getting)

For our Off/Grid House project in New Mexico, our office worked cooperatively to produce an extensive catalog of formal versions; each offering different spatial opportunities. Like the Surrealist game, everyone in the office took turns building and/or modifying a digital model. Every move and its formal consequence was documented and represented in its totality, which allowed us to evaluate and compare the differences between each form at any stage of development. The process continued until we reached a critical threshold, past which the form lost all spatial potential. Additionally, if the tools we used began to hinder rather than promote versioning, we reverted back to a point in the process that was still formally productive.

By extracting the sequence of parameters that produced a form, or even a specific part of a form, we could recreate particular moments that were selected for the house. Variation of the parameters within the limits defined by the selected version allowed us to fine-tune the form and accommodate the functional requirements of the house. The specificity of each selected part afforded by versioning allowed us to solve issues unique to a particular condition of the project. In the event that a part was formally incompatible with its neighbor, we varied the appropriate parameters to alleviate geometric conflicts. Variation can facilitate transposition, but only after versioning has produced a set of differentiated forms.

The seams not only provided dimensional tolerance between adjacent parts, but they also became opportunities in and of themselves.  Seams were activated as either enclosed space to be shared by adjacent programs and foster new associations of use, or left as branching voids to help circulate light and air. Though unexpected, the result was one of greater programmatic coordination and connection to the site and natural resources, a necessity when building an off-grid house. Had we not approached the project through versioning (going beyond the limits) and only through variation (staying within the limits), this would not have emerged from the process. Walter Murch makes a similar observation about the advantages of this approach for editing a film: “discontinuity allows us to choose the best camera angle for each emotion and story point, which we can edit together for a cumulatively greater impact. If we were limited to a continuous stream of images, this would be difficult.”

Though the process was non-linear and the cataloguing of form was restarted when necessary, we reached a point, a function of time and project scale, at which we began to evaluate the formal versions according to their potential for architecture. Of course, the basis for evaluation and selection of versions requires considerable attention. When designing an off-grid house, as our project required, the programmatic and spatial requirements have an additional layer of complexity. To graphically represent these requirements, we developed a program index: a diagrammatic description of information that predicates the organization of the program and its relationship to the context, including views, circulation, use, adjacency and the application of environmental control systems. This information was embedded through a set of illustrated codes. By changing the shape, scale, color, line type and line weight of each code, we could identify the type and amount of impact it had on a particular space. Ultimately, the program index became a map for how we began to evaluate and test the extensive catalog of forms that we produced at the start of the process. The forms that were both spatially provocative and best matched the needs identified in the codified index were actuated in the final house design. Requirements that were seemingly incompatible were matched with equally complex models, capable of handling multiple needs simultaneously. What started as a willful exploration of formal and spatial models subsisting in a state of limbo, became a realized set of integrated units indispensable to the project.

San Francisco, CA : 2011

Design Lead: Kory Bieg, Andre Caradec

Project Team: Kory Bieg, Andre Caradec, CCA Rapid Studio

Fabrication: Kory Bieg, Andre Caradec, CCA Rapid Studio

After months of research into why prefabrication has not been the glowing success everyone claimed it would be, we developed our answer: mix prefabrication with the current trend of mobile food trucks. We built the first prototype, Rapid Type: A Mobile Coffee platform, in the Fall of 2010 as part of a studio I offered with Andre Caradec (S/tudio U/nder M/anufacture) at California College of the Arts.

We were given a generous donation of Alpolic, a unique aluminum composite material manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc. To explore the full potential of the material, we decided to co-teach an experimental design studio with one goal: push the material as far as possible within the limits of currently available CNC fabrication technology.

Though Rapid Type targets the slow drip coffee movement, the larger agenda of the studio was to explore the gap between highly-designed prefabricated buildings and under-designed food trucks. Prefabrication remains a buzz word in the field of architecture, but has failed to deliver a reliable and cost-saving economic model for building construction. In fact, the only prefabricated structures that have performed consistently well are not buildings at all. The appearance of food trucks has exploded in the past few years and their visibility is only continuing to grow. The studio decided to latch on to this growing trend by offering a new and unique design using proven methods of mass manufacturing. Rapid Type is a full-service mobile sales platform that offers high-design, ease of assembly, and full mobility. The project combines the best of prefabricated building construction mixed with the financial vitality of the food truck movement. The prototype is designed to accommodate a variety of consumer markets.

San Francisco, CA : 2010

Design: Kory Bieg, Alexa Getting, Mona El Khafif, Lauren Tichy

Fabrication: Kory Bieg, Mona El Khafif, CCA OP Studio

OP Space was a pilot project conducted by students and faculty at the CCA URBANlab, an advanced research and design studio supporting project-based initiatives in architecture at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. The goal of the project is to demonstrate how flexible architecture and a “Zipcar” style short-term rental model can contribute to the cultural and economic development of a neighborhood by giving communities the tools to reclaim unoccupied storefront spaces on a temporary basis.

Downtown San Jose’s SoFA District was selected as a testing ground for this project because the neighborhood currently suffers from a 40% vacancy rate of street-level storefronts in its commercial core. Working with ZER01, students researched demographics, met with local community members, and proposed a series of flexible architectural prototypes. The installation is defined by hinging hexagonal sections that operate similarly to the leaves of an expandable table. By shifting the orientation of the sections a wall becomes a table, or a chair becomes a shelf.

(OP)space was installed inside the storefront space of WORKS/San José where the architectural design was tested through a series of programs created with the local community ranging from bike kitchen to fashion show to DJ lounge.

Adjunct Professor Kory Bieg

Client: Albert and Stephanie Chen

Potrero Hill,  San Francisco, CA : 2007

Design by OTA+

The project is a renovation to an existing loft in potrero hill. The client asked K Bieg Design to divide the lower level of their loft into a master bedroom and office. Dividing the room in two would block all natural light to the new office, so we designed a scheme that would provide privacy and separation between the two programs, while maintaining passage of natural light to the office.

We used computer software to accurately test the bouncing of light through the space and reduced the solidity of the internal cabinet to increase the overall illumination. The final design has no opaque vertical surfaces parallel to the existing window.

Yerevan, Armenia : 2010

Design by OTA+

The building design takes cues from the storied history of Armenia, the diverse and unique cultural heritage of the Armenian people, the dominant presence of the site, the multiplicity of program needs and opportunities, and the beauty of the surrounding and distant landscape. The vertical mass of the building is located at the southern end of the site, making it the dominant focal point when traveling toward the site on Teryan Street. This location maximizes the views from the hotel suites, serviced apartments and the residential living spaces toward the city center and Mount Ararat in the distance. The horizontal mass of the building is spread across the site, promoting the overlap of interior and exterior spaces and the mixture of public and private programs. The larger form of the building is the product of delaminated volumes that peel open in response to programmatic adjacencies, the circulation of people through the building, and to capture views framed through perforations in the building envelope. Prominent views from the building are highlighted to heighten the occupant’s awareness of what lies beyond their immediate space. By opening voids through the project in both plan and section, the building acts as a filter, allowing light to penetrate deep into the center of the building. Visual access between the programs sponsors the active and passive participation of the occupants and promotes a sense of community.

Given the prominent location of the project, the program must address an additional layer of issues and support the opportunities that come with them. For this reason, the building accommodates more programs than typically required for a hotel. In addition to the residential tower, hotel and guest services, serviced apartments, the business center and a gym for health and fitness, our project includes a large conference and exhibition wing, dining, high-end shopping and multiple public and semi-private terraces, including areas from which to view the city and surrounding landscape. The building addresses the functional needs of the hotel, but also acts as an attraction for international tourists, thus promoting positive growth and progress for the region. The building provides a range of experience, from monumental ballrooms and exhibition halls to small areas that can be enjoyed by individuals or groups. By splitting the mass into multiple bands, we expose a number of these spaces throughout the building; on the interior, as well as the exterior. The design takes advantage of these openings by mixing the circulation of people with the activities in which they participate.

The surface of the building repeats vernacular motifs common to the region. The exterior envelope includes an assemblage of steel frames with transparent and fritted glass. The frames are sized to increase visibility from the interior while also providing shade on the southern facade during the summer. In addition, the modulated depth of each surface component can be tuned to filter sunlight into the rooms during the cold winter months.  This pattern is manifest in the traditional coursing of large stone panels that clad a monolithic reinforced concrete core to which the floor slabs attach. The surface motif is repeated in a steel and glass band between each floor level. The mesh is perforated where large expanses of windows are required for views, light and access. The frequency of the perforation is determined by the amount of direct and indirect light that best suits the program behind the surface. Additionally, the component size can vary to produce a denser surface that mimics the monolithic coursing of the stone work. This use of surface pattern reinforces our intent to dissolve boundaries; between multiple programs, and the interior and exterior. From certain views, the proposed building appears to be massive, while from other vantage points, it dissolves and the inner life pours out.

This building will be a great resource for the city and people of Yerevan. It combines multiple programs that will service both occupants and visitors. The program, site and form will draw people to the building and provide a new attraction for local constituents. As a dominant form, the building will play a role in the future development of the city. At the same time, the location of the site and orientation of the building will continue to attract attention from both local and international travelers.

The Omphalos Pavilion proposes to capitalize on the already successful flow, circulation, and social interaction within Trafalgar Square and utilizes this example to enhance and inform the programmatic and formal function of the proposed pavilion.  Formally, the pavilion is one continuous surface that has been folded, twisted, and skewed, allowing visitors to flow seamlessly through the square, into the pavilion, and out again with minimal interruption.  The geometry frames and maximizes desired external views while maintaining a compact programmatic footprint.  The square, a center for site seeing and socializing, is hyper-activated by the pavilions design and the new amenities offered to the public.

Advanced real-time technology is used to connect the pavilion to the larger city and special events taking place during the 2012 Olympic Games.  Sixty percent of the vertical walls within the pavilion project live digital feed of Olympic events, trials, results, and news, allowing Omphalos Pavilion – meaning ‘center point’ – to connect people at one place to numerous locations  around the city.

The Pavilion is designed to be temporary and easily removed.  It is made of light-weight, recyclable materials that pack flat and can be delivered via truck.  The roof has a slot which uses gravitational force to collect gray water into a bladder located below the souvenir shop, which can be stored and used on site.

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