The exact definition of organicism
may seem ambiguous and multifaceted. The way it is utilized, organicism acts
more like a philosophy in which characteristics of living organisms are
appropriated.¹ Organicist paradigm is biomimetic or; expected to
draw from or imitate nature in some manner. The degree or manner in which
imitation of nature presents itself may vary from the aesthetic, to the
conceptual and to the practical and various gray areas in between. With this in
mind; the application of organicism in architecture can manifest itself through
literal and abstract imitation of natural form or through translations of concepts
or natural processes such as growth or assimilation.

 I’m interested in how the aspect of response
and change have translated themselves to the architectural practice and given birth
to what is referred to as responsive architecture. The field of Responsive Architecture
consists of architecture which measures the surrounding environment in some way,
usually through the use of sensors, in order to alter shape, form or character
in some way.² Responsive architecture is not intrinsically
organicist. I believe both practices may overlap to varying degrees, depending
on the project, and wonder if a clearly defined threshold exists where the organicist
character completely disappears. In addition to that, I want to examine if
there is limit of practical application possible through the marriage of responsive
architecture and organicism.

In order to make this analysis, I
will examine various projects which combine organicism and responsive
architecture in different interpretations. Perhaps one of the earliest examples
of responsive architecture is the US Pavilion at Expo 67 by Buckminster Fuller
and Shoji Sadao. The pavilion consisted of a geodesic dome structure which was
200ft tall and 250ft in diameter. The sheer magnitude of the project made it
reminiscent of a celestial body. The structure was composed of open tetrahedral
cells which supported acrylic panels. Motorized triangular shades were attached
to approximately 1/3 of the interior surface and utilized mechanical sensors to
shade the dome as needed. This system also reduced the use of fossil fuels that
would be needed for cooling the structure. The system takes a conceptual
approach on biomimicry in the sense that it seeked to imitate the process of homeostasis
which our bodies perform in order to maintain a stable core temperature needed
for survival.³ Fuller originally proposed an even more complex and
ambitious enclosure system, “predicting that just some cells are to sense
light, sound, or heat, so future geodesic domes would have markedly
differentiated cells or “pores”.⁴ Fuller envisioned a system which
could “articulate as sensitively as a human’s skin”.⁵ Fuller was
able to devise a system which combined both responsive architecture and
organicist concepts in order to create a dynamic and ecologically friendly
system. Although the full ambitions were not realized and the sensors were
eventually removed, this structure served as breaking point which inspired
others in the practice to strive for other ambitious climate control projects
such as Norman Foster’s tower in London or Adaptive Fritting by J. Norman from
the Adaptive Building Initiative.⁶

Next, let’s take a look at a
project of responsive architecture which takes another approach on organicism.
The Hylozoic Ground series by Phillip Beesly of the University of Waterloo
consists of a series of installations which seek to emulate near-living
architecture. Hylozoicism is the ancient perception of life arising out of
material and this series is a simulation of the
idea that material has life. Difficult to describe with merely the use of
words, Beesly calls it an “immersive sculpture environment organized as a textile
matrix supporting responsive actions, dynamic material changes and living
technologies-“.⁷ It is an artificial living system which allows for human interaction to trigger “breathing,
caressing, swallowing motions”.⁸ A distributed array of motion sensors triggers primitive response
devices composed of thousands of digitally fabricated parts which are combined
to form different various modules which are part of a larger system akin to an
artificial organism. One is immersed in an intricate lattice of small
transpacrent acrylic meshworks covered in an array of mechanical fronds,
filters and whiskers.The latest instalation in the series, Radiant Soil also
incorporates a variety of liquid cells integrated throughout in glass flasks.
These solutions are they contribute to to create a metabolic system
in constant flux which filters the air.⁹ The project seeks to
emphasize on the creation of an atmosphere rather than a spatial arrangement. While
Hylozoic ground is a blatant example in the use of biomimicry for aesthetic
purposes it is also a commendable exemplar of different parts coming together
to form a whole.

The examples above show to very different
takes on organicism in responsive architecture. The US Pavillion took a more
conceptual approach had a more practical and (dare I say it), useful
application. While Hylozoic Ground on the other hand which explicitly resembles
something found in nature is relegated to appearances and has very little
practical application. One might wonder if aesthetic orgnanicist property may
limit function. For example, Domotics; or home automation, can also be
considered responsible architecture. Simple applications include turning lights
on and off as people leave and enter a room while more advanced features
include functions such automatic climate control. Incorporating these
mechanical systems is merely taking a practical approach on the subject of
responsive architecture and completely abandoning any paradigms of organicism. I
hope that the alternative does not consist of having a house that resembles a
living jungle.

The Hyposurface by dECOi Architects,
does a respectable job of combining the aforementioned concepts. The Hyposurface
is a display system composed of small units in which the screen surface
physically moves. As described on the official website, “The surface behaves
like a precisely controlled liquid: waves, patterns, logos, even text emerge
and fade continually within its dynamic surface.”¹⁰  While the Hyposurface is a unique take on
responsive architecture, in its current state, it is limited to being
pre-programmed and does not really employ responsive functions associated with
organicism. Now let’s take a look at the Cosmic Quilt by The Principals. The
installation consists of a 8ft x 16ft x 12ft tall interactive quilt-like structure, capable of responding to the presence of a visitor. The
prototype installation combines technology, sensors, micro controllers and
motors, with traditional craft in the form of quilt making.¹¹ If
these two projects were to unite conceptually, one could imagine a surface that
reacts and transmits media which pertains to each individual the surface reacts
to. Such a product would revolutionize responsive architecture and even
communications.

While responsive architecture is not necessarily organicist,
I do believe that it draws from organicist principles. I believe that there are
many grey areas whenever the fields overlap and that it is not necessary to
have an ultimatum for choosing function or aesthetic. This being said, a cohesive
union of both is a truly difficult task.

References

1: “Organicism,”accessed September 25,2013, http://christianhubert.com/writings/organicism.html

2: Tristan d’Estree Sterk, “Using ActuatedTensegrity Structures to Produce a Responsive Architecture.” Acessed September
26, 2013, http://fishtnk.com/responsivearchitecture/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sterkACADIA_03.pdf

7-8: Beesley, Philip, Hayley Isaacs,and Pernilla Ohrstedt. Hylozoic Ground: Liminal Responsive Architecture.

Riverside Architectural Press, 2010.

9: Beesly, Phillip, “To mimic a living
metabolism: Radiant Soil”, accessed September 26,2013, http://thisisalive.com/the-hylozoic-ground-project/

10: “Hyposurface”, accessed September 25, 2013, http://hyposurface.org/

11: Lidija Grozdanic, “Cosmic Quilt- Reactive
Architectural Environmnt/ The Principals.” Accessed September 26,2013, http://www.evolo.us/architecture/cosmic-quilt-reactive-architectural-environment-the-principals/