Why Architecture Doesn't Just Sit Still

Chicago Mobile Makers: www.chicagomobilemakers.org/
All buildings move - of course, some more than others. There are a host of design considerations that architects keep in mind that allow for, or even promote movement in almost every building. But some architects fall back on their training as broad-based thinkers and problem solvers to devise solutions that literally roam the earth. From tiny homes on wheels, to train-based educational institutions, to design programs in a truck, sometimes buildings and architecture need to travel to the people it serves or other environments. This video features a few examples on this spectrum, beginning with how architects typically deal with movement in structures and foundations, to Cedric Price’s Potteries Thinkbelt, and finally Chicago Mobile Makers, a traveling maker workshop for children founded by Maya Bird Murphy.
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_About the Channel_
Architecture with Stewart is a KZbin journey exploring architecture’s deep and enduring stories in all their bewildering glory. Weekly videos and occasional live events breakdown a wide range of topics related to the built environment in order to increase their general understanding and advocate their importance in shaping the world we inhabit.
_About Me_
Stewart Hicks is an architectural design educator that leads studios and lecture courses as an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also serves as an Associate Dean in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts and is the co-founder of the practice Design With Company. His work has earned awards such as the Architecture Record Design Vanguard Award or the Young Architect’s Forum Award and has been featured in exhibitions such as the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Design Miami, as well as at the V&A Museum and Tate Modern in London. His writings can be found in the co-authored book Misguided Tactics for Propriety Calibration, published with the Graham Foundation, as well as essays in MONU magazine, the AIA Journal Manifest, Log, bracket, and the guest-edited issue of MAS Context on the topic of character architecture.
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FOLLOW me on instagram: @stewart_hicks & @designwithco
Design With Company: designwith.co
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture: arch.uic.edu/

[@ychongong4680]

Another great topic, I am amazed you managed to come up with interesting topic weeks after weeks. And every topic is well put together with obvious research behind every topic. And this is your side gig 😝🤗👍🏻👏🏻

[@damian9103]

I'm an architecture student from berlin and your videos always make my day! Thank you and keep going!

[@MK-nl6po]

Your videos keep provide food for discussion in & out of my studio at UT San Antonio. I share these with my friends, spouse, & classmates. They have spurred on curiosity + energy for seeking more knowledge. Salud Stewart! Btw Hedjuk is a total badass & is influencing my design-build studio these days. Thanks for the introduction. You & Dami Lee are my heroes!

[@aes53]

Great video Stewart, makes my morning. Of course, for better or for worse, when I think of architecture moving I end up thinking of the Hancock Tower in Boston as it flung its copper colored windows to the street below (ok, I’m being dramatic).

[@paxundpeace9970]

I feel sometimes the tiny or mobile home movement is just a revamp of the older trailer homes but just a little more up to date. They have many advantages for people that move around quite often and young people in America do this quite frequently. Still on the long term any trailer home is a depreciating asset sitting often on land you don't own. You have both the burden of the asset and the burden of rent.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Van conversions don’t pay rent

[@paxundpeace9970]

@@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath Yeah you still need a place were you are able to keep it and that allows to sleep inside.

[@woltews]

Most people can live in a mobile home comfortably for a few years but as time goes on it gets less and less desirable and I have not met any people personally who have dun 10 years in a mobile home or van that did it out of any reason other then poverty

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

@@woltews Interesting. I don’t know a single mobile home dweller but you seem to be intimate friends with lots of them, all poor

[@woltews]

@@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath I know a few but they all aspire to having an apartment or house . I also know some people that love there campers for going on 4 week vacations ( I have an apartment but its small )

[@urbancolab]

Great showcase of mobile makers' work. Love their work! The tie in to prices's remarks shows the slowness to adapt.

[@MAXPAYNE485]

Wonderful to see the effort that mobilmaker is putting into helping youth get interested in design and creativity! Love your stuff Stewart

[@MUrules2014]

It’s so funny that you’re covering the topic of structures moving just as I’m starting the new semester and a course on structural analysis! As always, a great video! These most recent videos engaging with practitioners of architecture around Chicago have been fantastic and make me want to jump on the Hiawatha for a visit once the weather isn’t quite so chilly! Also, is the logo new? It’s adorable! I love how it looks like a long, wiggling creature!

[@kevinn1158]

Thanks Prof Stewart! I love your videos!

[@christophermoody1448]

3:36 ; was this a precursor for the use of infrastructure as architecture? Perhaps, to a degree, this is what inspired the High Line in NYC by DS+R(by the way, now and in the fall are the best times to visit. Spring and summer it becomes a bottlenecked tourist trap). Anyhow, great video! Thanks for sharing.

[@IOUaUsername]

As an engineer I found that description of strength vs toughness a bit teeth gritting. Strength does not correlate with brittleness, and toughness doesn't help a tower withstand swaying. Toughness only matters in the final hours of a building's life, during an emergency situation that destroys it. If the material is undergoing plastic deformation (as opposed to elastic), the whole building is a write-off and needs to come down. But we want buildings that bend and buckle rather than cracking in half, so that evacuation can occur, so we want tough materials. The transition from elastic deformation to plastic deformation is at the yield strength of the material. So yield strength is the only thing that matters for the everyday flexing of a tower in the wind. There's also fatigue strength, which is the maximum reversing stress the material can withstand indefinitely without breaking. So for a tower swaying, this is the real limiting factor. Aluminium had no fatigue strength at all, which is why you'll likely never see an aluminium tower. On an airplane you have to inspect the airframe frequently to look for signs of fatigue, because every wing has a finite number of bends it can do before it cracks off.

[@robertrusso877]

Thanks for another thing to worry about when flying! 😕

[@MartinThmpsn]

Also as an engineer I was perfectly fine with the description. The point was to communicate the basic concept to non-engineers, not to repeat an entire course in material science. And to that point, it was totally adequate and accurate.

[@JanneWolterbeek]

Thanks, learned a few things from this comment.

[@robertrusso877]

@Fremen lol. I’m not petrified. It was more of a joke. Just saying that next time I get on a plane I’m sure I’ll look at a wing and wonder how stressed it is. It’s not going to stop me from flying, but thanks for your concern.

[@A.Mere.Creator]

0:57 this also applies to people

[@Gigios2]

Best video so far! There are great projects out there. Thank you

[@battlexman4741]

Ive literly been watching all your vids, love the content 11-10

[@JudgeFredd]

Really great information and initiative

[@danielpirone8028]

Thank you!

[@Dannil1]

Your videos are very informative and aesthetic, I hope you move on to better endeavors.

[@brunodesrosiers266]

Another great (alternative) perspective on architecture!

[@VictorSneller]

I may gripe, but thanks for these quality videos.

[@anaduarte9451]

Amazing projects!

[@johnhastings1874]

I use to work on the 48 floor of Sears tower and the metal hangers in the closet would clang together on windy days. It was very odd.

[@davidfrisoniv1835]

I live in the Aqua towers, sometimes hanging plants sway and you can see water in the toilet sway a little bit too. It also sounds like a pirate ship creaking from side to side. It freaks a lot of people out but I think its cool.

[@jedrzeju2]

Great vid, as usual :)

[@Kitastroboy]

That group that has done workshops and training for the 200+ girls is amazing! And then they go on to help local communities and women's shelters? Ah. Soooooo good.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

My boss at SOM structural engineering department in Denver worked very closely with the structural engineer that designed Sears Tower,

[@paxundpeace9970]

The monadnock building strikes me the most such an icon.

[@TK-_-GZ]

Algorithmic punch! (Thank you for sharing)

[@Josh_Quillan]

I used to live on the 16th floor and I could feel the building moving on windy days. It was a little weird but it hadn't fallen down so far, so I decided to trust it. I'd like to see some discussion of how Japanese buildings conform to earthquake resistance requirements; I do know they use wooden frames extensively because they have the sort of flexibility that will leave the thing standing where more rigid constructions just break, and that larger buildings often use building-sized shock absorber systems. The new town hall in my city seems to be entirely contained inside massive rubber expansion joints and seated in a pit that goes a couple of storeys underground, with flexible linkages for things like water pipes. It's like the whole building is a ship in a dry dock.

[@NYBornAndRazed]

Mom, shush, Stewart dropped a new episode! 👏🏾

[@jamesepicmamba]

Moving sanatorium during the tb pandemic were crazy too...

[@jamesepicmamba]

It was by jean saidman I think

[@simonbowden8408]

Your best video yet Stewart but is this really about mobility or about getting young people involved in designing their built environments? "The Democratisation of Architecture"?

[@ababababaababbba]

Glass is actually quite flexible and can easily be bent when thin enough

[@tombaker674]

Does anyone have a link to the Berkeley CA group mentioned by Stewert?

[@Hamstray]

what about the Technodrome?

[@jonwatte4293]

"instruction" and "play" need not be opposed -- it's best when they are the same!

[@elluisito000]

I have said this once, and i will say it again: Chicago is so awesome 😞

[@YZOBEL5000]

is the thinkbelt metabolist architecture ?

[@johnl5316]

there are naval architects, too. Those things move

[@thiagobnla]

its great how she's one of the few who says "elitists" and puts capitalism in the talks. I love this. also, I haven't noticed the new logo!

[@laurencefraser]

@Fremen It's generally used as a catch all for a whole variety of tangentially related concepts and systems, some of which are actually beneficial, others are absolutely detrimental. In practice, though, what is usually meant (with varying degrees of vagueness and/or awareness) is over-accommodation of plutocrats (who may or may not also be the political or landowning classes, and may be foreign or domestic) to the detriment of the general public, the various, often perverse, incentives that come from that, and by extension various concepts that have become attached to those in people's minds via propaganda (both pro and anti capitalism) by various people and groups. It was never really given a particularly useful Real definition, as capitalism has pretty much always been defined primarily by what it opposes, and secondarily by being mainly concerned with the interests of those who already have, and control, the capital needed to start or expand any significant venture. Frequently, though not Necessarily, at the expense of other classes.

[@andersolson3006]

When she used the word “elitist” I understood it as criticism of the current profession of architecture and how disconnected it is. Currently there seems to be a major discontent between what average people want in their buildings vs what they get. Architecture, at least how it seems has more in common with high end modern art. If you don’t understand why it’s amazing than your opinion is irrelevant. I appreciate her work at trying to liberalize architecture, because really anyone could do it.

[@colinmeneghini1390]

@Anders Olson I believe there are many architects designing for the common folk and working class, though they are not highlighted or glamorized as much. Samuel Mockbee and his rural studio is a name that comes to mind. He designed architecture for lower income citizens in the southern states reusing materials commonly found in vehicle junkyards and utilizing materials commonly labeled as trash. Functional & Beautiful work too. Rip Samuel Mockbee.

[@lindsaywebb1904]

When did Sears Tower become Willis? I wasn't in Chicago for 25 years LoL

[@trashcan4065]

I swear I just watched a couple of Phil Edwards’ videos and was wondering, why the architecture guy has so many other weird side interests. Turns out you’re not the same guy.

[@dansheppard2965]

6:34 I wanna know what makes a great youth space too.

[@christophercasey7388]

Joseph Eichler built his homes on a slab so that the whole house can. move in earthquake prone California. Btw, Eichler would be an interesting part of an episode about architecture as social change.

[@grundewa]

Does anyone know which castle that is at 5:42?

[@oblakevychd]

It's Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Chernivtsi, Ukraine

[@grundewa]

@@oblakevychd thank you!!

[@ekolekol4389]

Ever watch Jonathan Meades?

[@Aphelion969]

I am interacting with the content at a median speed of 15 miles per hour

[@TireSpare]

what an 0amazing post. assuming that tiny house on wheels becomes pretty popular as housing ownership gaps go larger, there shall be a drone based autmated and flying tiny house fueled by electricity and helium gas that enables it to fly. Yachts are a lttle house with a living room and a bathroom. so it has possibility and many archiects should join building the flying drone based homes too. i am interested in it and going to build it later days once drone technic is common here in korea thank you for the post. professor. Stewart Hicks

[@RealJohnnyDingo]

I thought this was going to be about designing RVs 😂😂😂

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

This mobile makers should not be about architecture. it should be about problem-solving. Architecture is one type of problem solving. Convincing children who may not be capable of becoming architects that’s what they want for a career is just setting them up for failure but teaching them problem-solving is a skill that can be used for any career or even just for your own ends or for learning skills.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

187 sf is huge, try 64

[@JamieJobb]

You previously connected architecture and fashion ... so we're now wondering if you see a connection between architecture and dance? Certainly "dance" does not sit still. Dancers are elastic too!

[@savagebeastking8703]

Architecture is interesting just from a Technical standpoint

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

A video about moving architecture and accessibility of architecture and you basically omit RV van conversions, probably the hottest business in the world right now! Year-long waits or more to get new vans and another six months to a year or more to get the best professional builders. Thor industries has $18 billion in back orders for RVs of all kinds. The cottage industry of KZbin channels just doing tours of Van conversions is probably over $100 million

[@alexfrom6234]

9:15

[@georgejamesducas9602]

Architecture is truely elitist, and knowing it's secrets is almost like being an alchemist. There's music's like a lullaby, and then there's a symphony, there's the theatrical arts and then there's tv or bubblegum for the mind, there's finger paint and then there's salvidor Dali, one thing is true, architecture as known and experienced is bubblegum for the mind, got a long way to go for people to understand it

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Math and geometry are elitist? Aren’t they the roadblocks that defeat most wannabe architects?

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Diverse community with no straight or gay men allowed. How woke!

[@Ivanfpcs]

Achitecture is elitist af

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

f i r s t

[@luks303]

Wow so cool

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

@@luks303 t h a n k s

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

Architecture is elitist?? And doesn't welcome everybody?? When started my degree in architecture, It never said "black or Brown people will not be accepted".... It seems like the only barriers are in people's minds.... Or they want everything for free, Including a degree

[@marktyler2068]

I think she meant that Architecture's focus is money. Materials, land and skilled labor are not cheap. Those paying tend to be more conservative and looking for a return. However, those who most need the potential benefits that architecture could offer are not involved or considered very much. That was how i took it. I like that she is taking it to the street.

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

@@marktyler2068 because some people want everything for free....on a silver plate... I'm Mexican and I completed my architecture degree in California, I studied like everyone else pass the tears like everyone else and work hard too! But some other people want everything easy or they're "discriminating"....

[@alexfrom6234]

@@LuisMendoza-pp9qi "i suffered, so everyone else should suffer too"

[@RAREFORMDESIGNS]

Chicago needs mobile jails........Lot's of them.