ali rahim_potential performative effects

this article confused me at first. the vocabulary was not familiar, the language was abstract and ambiguous, there just seemed to be no clarity. after a second read, it started to come together and is beginning to give me an understanding of the algorithmic design culture of architects such as zaha hadid, particularly how site is conceptualized.

rahim conceptualizes technology as being immersed in its cultural context and having qualitative effects that proliferate culture. “contemporary techniques” are new effects of previous techniques that result in further cultural transformation through a complex system of feedback and evolution. they are temporal, process-driven methods that provide new transformative effects in culture, social and political production. rahim’s work seeks to harness the potential of contemporary techniques to produce new architectural effects.

“lineages” produce effects. “memes” disseminate ideas that cross lineages. these memes are copied behaviors transmitted either by coping everything, erroneously copying, and/or copying some behaviors. memes are “perfomative”, meaning they react to stimuli, and produce or transform a situation through influence and effect. contemporary techniques are organized and guided by “probabilities”. these probabilities are unlimited and allow for the production of perfomative effects in architecture. the idea is that these contemporary processes allow for infinite possibilities; therefore they cannot be static, because this would define something specific. actualizing this process, temporal organizations conditioned by our ideas and concepts can be produced, and concepts are shaped.

rahim’s intention in architecture is to actualize “virtualities” contained within the matrices of the software that fully exploit its potential to produce new effects. [what software does he mean? did he make his own software?] here’s my understanding of this process as illustrated by the author's design for a residence in islamabad, pakistan:
_form emerges from spatial considerations. spatial considerations were developed through the study of the site and schedule of "events" (field/ site conditions).
_animation techniques were used to study the relationship of the scale and intensity of these events and their correspondences with the temporal cycles of the site.
_elements of the site were coded with specific forces that acted on the field condition and reacted to forces. through iteration, the “system” grew to form associations between site and event. tendencies emerged.
[now, for the actualization process]
_tendencies were applied to multiplicities in event intensity and duration. for example: water flow.
_habitation was implemented as being continuous with the landscape. there are no bounded limits of figure/ ground, building/ landscape, inside/ outside, public/ private, rather a blurring of specificities creates ambiguities in spatial differentiation and functional uses.
_spaces are then arranged by behavioral characteristics, how people use space (gathering, accumulating, entertaining, etc).
_structure and materials are organized simultaneously. the two are affiliated with varying levels of porosity. densities are gathered at load bearing pressures. at the same time, interior light conditions emerge.