The Fold in Organisations
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The new trends in architecture are attempting to affiliate with new types of corporate restructuring today. Fordism was primarily concerned in mass production with'hierarchy as its` motto.This kind of a hierarchial manner of functioning resulted in decrease of productivity gains as a result of the social and technical limits of Fordism. The sixties saw that new demands could not be met by standardisation and mass production methods. With the arrival of Post-Fordism in the late sixties flexible and decentralised forms of labour processes and work organisations came into being.The most crucial entry was that of information technologies and more flexible global policies that engendered deterritorialization of information and media trnsfers across nations.At the same time infotech industries brought about changes to fields like architecture. Here new spatialtrends like folds and smoothness emerged in order to cater to the high degree of flexibility and mutations that work organisations undergo in order to strengthen their presence in the global corporate territory.
This is thus the aim of this essay to establish parallels between post-fordism and new spatial trends like folding with specific fo 13213h717n cus on the qualities and implications of the fold within the realms of architecture.
Fordism and Post-Fordism
'Fordist capitalism ie.the hegemonic structure which had imposed itself as internationally dominant after the second world war under the leadership of the U.S.A.,regardless of national differen ces and a lack of simultaneity.' Fordism is based on the concept of assembly line production characterised by large scale,long term fixed capital investment into a single purpose production. The Fordist methodology of structuring is strictly hierarchial and a centralised organisation which treated human beings as interchangeable components of a machine and a fragmented set of tasks which had to be repeatedly performed were assigned.
In 1968 the Fordist system was challenged in Europe and the U.S.A. Its` bueracratic mode of operation was attacked thus weakening the foundation on which Fordism was based.This lead to the emergence of the post-fordist era whose features were flexible production processes and a work force appropriately flexible.The arrival of new technologies such as microelectronics, biotechnology etc. played a key role in overcoming some of the problems fac ed under fordist control.Post-Fordism gives emphasis to quality rather than quantity and growing productivity based on economies of scope locally and globally.
Post-Modernism,Matrix Organisation-Folding
The flexible characteristic of the post-fordist structuring calls for the need to have an organisation that can withstand the changes and modifications that a system will incur in an information age as of today and tomorrow.Matrix type of an organisation is one which can be classified under the new ideas of organisation and management theory.It is that organisation wherein the functional units represent the columns of the matrix and its` rows comprise the teams of the organisation.This type of an organisation fuses members from different groups to achieve a common task and thus makes the functioning flexible.'The current epoch unfolds the importance of flexibility as a basic coping mechanism.'
We can relate post-fordists` flexibility to post-modernisms` acceptance of the fragmented and ephemeral in architecture. Post-Modernism over the last three decades has raised speculation and remains a core issue of debate ie.questioning its` theories and doctrines to this day.Focaults` thoughts on post-modernism convey to us 'to develop action,thought and desires by proliferation, juxtaposition and disjunction, to prefer what is positive and multiple,difference over uniformity,flows over unities.' Focault means to say here that post-modernism is imbibed in change and its` affinity to the discontinuous,fragmented and the chaotic. This should propel our minds towards movement and not the static. De-Constuctivism,a movement initiated by Derridas` reading of Martin Heidegger in the late sixties here enters the picture with a powerful stimulus of thought that created space bearing qualities such as fragmentation,chaos and disorder. We can identify these qualities in some of the neo avant-garde architects of today.'Derrida considers collage and montage as the primary form of post-modern discourse.' The terms collage and montage relates to the heterogenity of a theme,be it in painting,writing or architecture. This kind of heterogenity stimulates the receiver to interpret the discourse in a non-linear manner without a singularity in its` meaning.
This leads us to explore new spatial trends like folding and to examine its` compatibility with new types of organisations as that mentioned earlier in this essay.We will first look at some of the formal aspects of the fold as stated by Leibniz and De leuze and then analyse some programmatic aspects mentioned by architects like Eisenman,Bernard Tschumi and Greg Lynn. 'In all its` iterations the fold appears as two constitutive items:the fold as self similarity which implies recursion;the fold within the fold and in turn the fold as continuous discontinuity.' Leibniz questioned the validity of cartesian rationalism and argued that in the issue of the continuous the smallest element is not the point but the fold.From Leibnizs` study on folds we can infer that he considered any two parts of a distinct matter cannot be separated due to the active presence of forces around a body that determine its` hardness or the inseparability of its` parts.Thus it can be said that a body is essentially elastic besides having a degree of hardness and fluidity,it is the elastic forces being the expression of an active compressive force exerted on matter.His study also describes that any elastic body is made of cohering parts that form a fold are not separated into parts but are rather divided to infinity in smaller folds that always retain a degree of cohesion.This cohesive property gives a continuous surface divided into infinite folds each of which is determined by the consistency of its` surroundings.These properties support Leibnizs` explanation that a fold is always wi thin a fold and the smallest element of the continuous is not the point which is never a part but is the fold.
Considering Leibnizs` criticism on Cartesian space he opposes Descarates obsession with the same.For Descarates the whole world can be mapped with a two-dimensional grid system. On the contrary for Leibniz the world cannot be so schematic.Leibniz says that the curvature of the universe is prolonged due to the el sticity of bodies,fluidity of matter and motivating spirit as a mechanism.
According to Deleuze fold and unfold are the constants today in the idea of an object event.Deleuze argues that in mathematical studies of variation the notion of the object is no longer defined by a form and he calls this new object an object-event,an objectile.'This new object for Deleuze is not concerned with framing space but rather with a time based alteration that implies a continuous change of matter,unfolding through the agency of the fold.' Leibnizs` study tells us that when a fluctuation occurs in a fold the permanence of constancy is replaced when the object assumes its` place in a continuum of variation. The object acquires a new status when it refers no longer to a spatial conception of form-matter but a time based change or a continuous variation of matter.This object with a new status of variance is called the objectile.The objectile now no longer refers to a relation of form-matter but to a temporal modulation which implies as much to the continuous variance of matter in the beginning as a continuous development of its` form. Here Leibniz is defining form-matter as a perpetual and continuous variance wherein the object is not considered as only a time based conception but also as a qualitative one.Therefore the object becomes an event.
Eisenmans` views on folds
'Thus,as we near the end of one era and are about to enter a new one,there is an opportunity to reassess the entire idea of a static urbanism that deals only with objects, not with events. The fold is not merely a formal device,but a way of unfolding new social organisations from existing urban environments.' The fold acts as an interface for social,cultural,economic and physical forces to engender interactivity with the structure containing it and its` surroundings.The smooth continuous topology of the fold reflects a subtle impact of its` form and a strong influence on its` operativity. Considering the rapid advancement of technology in this age,static objects are no longer as meaningful as timely events in which the time based dimension of the present merges the past and the future.Foldings` potentaial in creating space can be used as a generative strategy for catering to the new trends of corporate organisation structuring.
Kipniss` views on folding
'It is in the context of the development of architectural technique rather than as applied philosophy that the issue of the Fold in 'DeFormation'is best understood.' DeFormation can be defined as that which highlights new aesthetic forms like folding,smoothing and their role in the engenderment to new spatial typolog ies.In other words this term can be associated with projects that reflect in a shift away from a concern for semiotics towards a concern for geometry,topology and events.The concept of 'fold' in DeFormation is explicitly described by Leibniz and Deleuze in their writings at is from here that we can see its` gradual integration into architecture.In Deleuze and Leibnizs` writings on folds its` concepts are explained by comparing philosiphical aspects,art etc. but does not convey architectural relationships and their implications.Relations between built form and site conditions,contextual influences of the fold can be best understood by using architectural techniques,be it through scaled modelling or advanced computer techniques.
'DeFormation refers to tentative formal links with contingent influences as affiliations and engendering affiliations is the foremost mechanism by which DeFormation attempts to point.' Affiliations are the links that exist within the extended context or the site wherein they bring out the minor activities that operate within the site thereby reconfiguring the context coherently.The affiliations are not relationships existing in the design but are the effects that flow from the inherent formal or spatial character of the design.The effects could be social,cultural,spatial etc.
Greg Lynns` views on folds
According to Lynn 'if there is a single effect produced in architecture by folding it will be the ability to integrate unrelated elements within a single mixture.' 'A folded mixture is not homogenous like whipped cream but smooth and hetrogenous.' Lynn uses the culinary theory to define these mixtures by using terms such as beating,blending,chopping,shredding,mixing etc.He says that smooth mixtures are essentially different elements which maintain their integrity while being blended within a continuous fold of other free elements.He uses the term 'blending' in relation to the culinary theory wherein multiple ingredients are mixed smoothly by blending in such a way that their individual characteristics are maintained. Sanford Kwinter remarks that smoothness does not eradicate differences but incorporates free intensities through fluid tactics of mixing and blending.These fluid tactics bring about a smooth transformation involving the intensive integration of differences within a continuous yet heterogenous system.
Folding was integrated into architecture through a mathematical theory namely Rene Thoms` Catastrophe Theory. The theory describes the origin of forces in nature.It is essentially a topological theory that describes the behaviour of forc es in space over time.The dynamical theory of morphogenesis characterises all forms as the irruption of a discontinuity in it or of it.For a form to emerge the entire system must be transformed along with it. This type of transformation is called a catastrophe and it describes the manner in which a system mutates as a result of even the smallest disturbance.When the 'cusp' or the locus of the fold unfolds as a catastrophe on the event surface above it a fold is formed.
We can see how the concept of folding is applied and what is achieved through its` use in the following projects.
Rebstock Park Project
The siedlung that existed in this project can be referred to as the 'old' and it is that which assumed the ground datum as neutral and could be infinitely extendable and repeatable with no sp ecific context.For a fold to be realised it cannot assume a neutral datum but will need to occupy a moment in time wherein the need for an 'event' becomes crucial.We can relate this event to what Deleuze calls a heterogenous series having inherent qualities of potential energy.This potential energy is the energy of the event and it is that which is previous to the present and also remains after.These events cannot realise the old linear time of a statis that inhabited the place,in this case that being the siedlung.The 'new' is that in which a mediated time of repetition exists.The blurring of the old and the new requires a condition of singularity for which the ground figure is not valid, as singularity is the quality of unfolding in time.This is where the fold comes into play and which contains qualities of both a frame and a figure as ground but is not either of them.
Thus it is the ground of the Rebstock that which already contains the condition of singularity and no longer a datum. Therefore we can say that the fold was called for in this project to merge the distinction between the old and the new and th ereby produces a smooth transition from old to new using the siedlung. The context of the fold in the project is the siedlung which as sumed a ground datum.In other words we can say that the context of the fold was the topology of the Rebstock site. The fold attempts to produce conditions of a singularity of place and time using the siedlung.The fold extends an existing context into time producing in this extension the possibility of singularity.The fold also attempts not to negate time and place as they were formerly but to bring them into the fold. We can relate the design process of this project to Derridas` views where he says that collage/montage is the primary form of Post-modern discourse.In the Rebstock project Eisenman uses the term 'graft' that is similar to but different from collage ie. Collage draws things from unrelated contexts together into a new context whereas graft is more like montage which involves time and in this project the graft attempts to make a smooth connection between the old and new contexts.
Yokohama Port Terminal
The fold was called for in this project to generate a consistent level of urban activity along the waterfront and to project the urban intensity into Yokohama Bay in order to achieve undivided space for citizens and visitors. In other words it is the urban condition of people movement that called for creating an urban warp.'Urban warp' refers to the flow of citizen and visitor traffic through the structure thereby linking Yokohama city with the cruise ships or folding back to the city without literally turning back.This programmatic imbalance was created by the designers by interchanging the locations of the terminal facilities and civic facilities. The fold has a global context and a local context in this project.The global context refers to the urban warp and the local con text can be related to the folds used to create the structural system of the terminal building. In the project the folding of the surfaces to form a structural network created a link to the various programmes.Moreover the folds enabled elimination of columns,walls and floors as structural devices and as a result created a material continuity whi ch also did away with the traditional separation between the envelope and the load bearing structure.
Stranded Sears Tower
Here we can see some folding which is not explicitly represented. It is the external urban influences that prompted Lynn to formulte a network of strands or a bundled tube.He calls the relation between the external influences and the organisations as a two fold deterritorialization wherein he means that 'intensive organisations continually invite external influences within their in ternal limits so that they might extend their influences through the affiliations they make.' Here intensive refers to the dynamic internalization and incorporation of external influences into a pliant system wherein the external influences are contextual and social.
The context of the fold which takes the form of strands in this project can be related to the urban context as well as to the immediate context of the Sears Tower.
The urban context relates to the urbanism which Lynn refers to as 'stranded' wherein urbanism comprises of social,economic,cultural aspects and events which Lynn is attempting to draw paralle ls with the strands in the project.As an immediate context Lynn is attempting to reformulate the nine-square tubes which are the essential aspect of structure in the Sears Tower and which under goes a two-fold deterritorialization in the Stranded Sears Tower.
Theoretically the pliancy of the tubes enable an affiliation with the urban scape ie.sidewalks,bridges,adjacent buildings,land forms which otherwise would not have been established through a rigid geometric structure.'The bundled tube is a possible paradigm for a multiplicitous monument.' Here Lynn refers to multiplicity since he attempts through this project to generate several aspects that internalizes influences by external forces.
Inferences from the projects
In the Rebstock project,with the process exercised in a matrix such as an urban site,folding gives the possibility of generating field organisations that compromise between the infinite ho mogenity of the grid and the heterogenity of the geometric patterns.
The fold is driven more by a process than by any particular fold as a diagram or spatial organisation in the project.The fold has a strong contextual relation to the site in terms of its` topology but the process of the fold does not consider programm atic or functional aspects.The idea of the fold is neither a radical intervention into the Rebstock area nor is it a reference to the previous context.
The designers have succeeded to a large extent in the integration of the project with the public spaces of Yokohomas` water front by creating an urban warp.The use of the folds as a structural device has well achieved the elimination of columns,walls and floors as structural parameters.The flows through and into the building have been well articulated by the use of folds on the surface and the programs link the flows to give a degree of coherence to the overall scheme.The low ratio between the height of the building and its`area is well articulated so as not to interfere with the landscape of the bay.
In the Stranded Sears Tower project my response is that the folds which are attained through the twisting,bending and plaiting of the strands bears no relation with local conditions.The two-fold detrrritorialization that claims to internalize particularities and extend its` influence into the city is only theoretical. The reformulation of the nine square tubes which is supposed to emphasize the immediate context with the Sears Tower looses the meaning of context when it undergoes a two-fold deterritorialization.The context here is merely to strengthen the process of the design rather than to be able to realise the context in the built form.This project cannot be called a 'monument', primarily owing to its` entangled mass.There is no evidence of structural and programmatic configurations,materiality even to the slightest extent though even experiments such as this project can address some degree of practicality.
Conclusion
The above mentioned projects tells us that 'folds' possess certain characteristics that recontextualise the physical form.If we analyse the typical aspects in these projects such as event,smoothness,multiplicity and affiliations they all happen to be assoc iated with the 'fold'.Whether the use of the fold is with relation to site and urban conditions or the interior of a corporate setup the properties will not alter.In other words we can explore the possibility of incorporating the fold within the boundaries of the corporate sphere.
The latest trends in corporate restructuring are those which will engender hybridizations,nonhierarchial company structuring, active variation and expansion of workgroups as seen in the matrix type of organisation and finally the companys` ability to oft en mutate its` identity.'We needed an organisation soft enough between the organisational disciplines,so that people could run freely across functional barriers or organisational barriers with the common goal of getting the job done.'
The design briefs of corporate bodies comprise of terms such as smoothness,continuious space,mutiple affiliations,absence of columns,stairways ie.surfaces become structural devices. Such a design brief has great potential to test the tectonics of folding so as to transform the spatial vocabulary and identity of any corporate organisation.
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