Where the sidewalk ends : architecture in the age of semi-autonomous machines

Abstract

At the heart of the "American" psyche is an engrained urge to roam. From the original colonial settlers to manifest destiny and from highways to the moon landing, the great American future has always existed somewhere just beyond the horizon. As the 21st century closes its first tenth, the proliferation of semi-autonomous and autonomous machines -funded by the Department of Defense via the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) -indicates the potential for larger structures to move semi-autonomously in the near future. (That is architectural typologies will emerge as semi-autonomous, mobile entities. As there is an estimated U.S. population of 3 million people who live primarily in mobile recreational vehicles, it is not absurd to imagine a transition from houses on wheels to houses on legs.) Because architecture currently faces the overwhelming burdens of energy reliance, infrastructural sprawl, and cultural differences it is perhaps time to introduce a radical solution and postulate to its theoretical limits in order to catalyze impetus for meaningful change. If only there were a gizmo to help get us out of here... It is the uniquely American obsession with technology, which Reyner Banham details in The Great Gizmo, that has fueled the most critical transitions through history and it is technology that informs the premise of this thesis. According to the DARPA website, "throughout history technical challenges have inspired generations". Through a combination of research, creative work, reality, and philosophical projection Where the Sidewalk Ends provides insight and possible solutions for a tumultuous era. This thesis contains a creative composition and selection of coursework from ARCH 402 with Michael Silver as well as additional narrative and reflection. Narrative, images, processes, and end products are combined into a book to capture the topic and selected activities from ARCH 402 for the benefit of future Ball State students.