Essential Machines: Kinetic Architecture and the Human Experience

Abstract

When thinking about contemporary machinic architecture, often one imagines the sort of buildings that might be described as high-tech: full of ductwork, hydraulic struts, pistons, and sleek, metallic, shiny carapaces. Yet there are other ways to invoke the machine in more human-friendly manifestations. Tom Kundig and his design practice Olson Kundig have spent much of their time exploring age-old technologies – the hinge, the wheel and the pulley, for example – to create architecture that does not alienate people, but instead engages and facilitates them in transformational, spatial activities.