Intermediate Technical Report

(2 October 2002 – 2 October 2003)

 

 

 

 

Contract reference N. ASI/B7-301/98/679-10 (Asia-Link Programme)

Project Title: Euro-China Exchange: Technology and Culture of Generative Design Approach

Name of Beneficiary: Politecnico di Milano, Coordinator Prof. Celestino Soddu

Period covered by this Interim Report: 2 October 2002 – 2 October 2003.

Due date of this Interim Report:  2 October 2003

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Summary

 

The Asia-link program “Euro-China exchange, Technology and Culture of Generative Design Approach was started the 2nd of October 2002 and was implemented, following the accepted schedule, until the spring of 2003 when, because of Sars emergence, all the meetings between European and Chinese people was interrupted, also for the strong will of involved European Universities that has forbid to held meeting with Chinese together with European Students inside the Universities.

This caused the stop of the most of program activities until the summer 2003. The establishment of the remote activities, with videoconferences and internet forums, was not enough to realize the requested results. In particular we need to postpone the meetings in China planned for May related to establish applied projects and case studies for workshops and the summer courses in Europe planned for July.

Starting with September 2003, with the end of this sanitary emergence, all the activities were strongly implemented. The September workshops planned in China was realized, also if only the first part because of the lack of previous meetings in China and the summer course was rescheduled for the next November/December. The second part of workshops in China was rescheduled for March 2003.

In this way the entire program will be implemented following the original schedule only with the rescheduling of postponed activities in the first part of the 2nd year.

All the postponed activities will take place until next March 2003.

In advance, an interesting grow of this program was established involving Macau and its University of Macau in a PhD level Master course, coordinated by the coordinator of this program, that will enhance the success of this program following the same aims. This jointed activity is self sustainable, as requested by the program.

 

According to the original project proposal, the activities were implemented:

Activity 1: Generative Design Labs.

GDLabs were established and are fully working with different projects and identified participants.

Activity 2: Thesis supervision. The exchange supervision among all the partners was established and is working with meetings and remote interchanges.

Activity 3: Summer courses. The 1st seminars (July 2002) was postponed cause Sars to 29 November 2003

Activity 4: Workshops. The 1st workshop was held the 15 September in Shanghai and 22 September in Tianjin. Together with meetings activity with Tsingua University in Beijing too. Because of previous sanitary problems involving the preparation, the workshop was extended to a second part, in March 2004, for better pursue the aims.

Activity 5: Joint Research programs for PhD and Master. The implementation phase is going ahead with videoconferencing exchange and direct meetings in China, done in September 2003.  A Master (PhD level) course is planned by Milan GDLab in Macau, for all Chinese postgraduates, concerning the generative approach to Town Identity management.

Activity 6: Applied projects in China. Proposals by Shanghai and Tianjin for applied projects of Architecture and Town planning. The meetings in Shanghai and Tianjin in September identified some projects. The first one, a project for a new town in the north of China, was discussed together with government officers and it is the final step of agreement.

Activity 7: The next International Conference Generative Art GA2003 made by the Milan Generative Design Lab is prepared and it will be held in Milan next 10-13 December, with a full participation of each Generative Design Labs, European and Chinese. There is also a strong participation of other people from Asian Universities.

Activity 8: the Website of Asia-link program was established and upgraded. http://www.generativedesign.com/asialink/asialink.htm.  New exhibitions on Generative Design are planned. The proceedings of Generative Art Conference, with the contribution of the partners, was published. Some articles in important Chinese newspapers and magazines are prepared and will be published in the next weeks.

The participation, November 2002, of the coordinator of the program, Prof. Celestino Soddu, to the Asian City Summit in Singapore as invited speaker, was important to communicate the aims and the interest of this Asia-link program.

 

I. Introduction and description of activities

 

The program started up the October 2nd 2002 with the preparation of the meeting of December and the participation of all the partners to the international conference "Generative Art 2002" organized by the coordinator of the project Prof. Celestino Soddu.

 

First activity has been the presentation of our Asia-Link program to the meeting among the persons responsible of the Italy-China exchange activities, among which the coordinator of the program Celestino Soddu, with the rector of the Polytechnic in Milan, with Jun Han, Scientific Adviser of the embassy of the Chinese Popular Republic in Italy, with Mario Zanone Poma, President of the Chamber of Commerce Italian-Chinese and with Mr. Rosso, delegated of the foreign office of Italy, where the opportunities of implementation of the program are been identified. 

Subsequently (October-November 2002) the region Lombardia has proposed its participation to the program, through its formative activities office, supporting the amplification of the laboratory of generative design. This proposal is in discussion.

 

All the partners have participated in the meeting of December 10th 2002. The treated items have been: 

1. Finality and structure of the program and definition of the schedule of the activities and of their times of activation and implementation. 

2. Activation of the Laboratories of Generative Design in the centres of Kassel, Eindhoven, Shanghai and Tianjin. Laboratories have been activated in the following months, according to the program. 

3. Times and ways of realization of the first session of seminars in Europe that has been programmed for July 2002 to Eindhoven, Kassel and Milan following the program of the activity 3 and the results of the previous meetings. (seminars were postponed to November/December 2003 because of Sars emergence, following the request of involved European universities)

4. Times and modes of realization of the workshops in China, programmed for September 2002 following the program of the activity 4 (the workshop was implemented the 15-28 September 2003)

5. Times and modes of the creation of the website of the program that will be active within April 2002. (the website was realized and it is actually working http://www.generativedesign.com/asialink/asialink.htm ) 

6. Convocation of the next operational meeting, to activate the operational projects foreseen by the activity 6. 

 

All the delegations, with the exception of Eindhoven’s partner (cause arrived unexpectedly problems), have participated to the international Generative Art conference the days 11, 12 and December 13th 2002, contributing with papers, published in the conference proceedings (the electronic version is in the website www.generativeart.com and the paper version was published by the GDLab of Milan Polytechnic University) and speeches in the round tables.  

On December 12 the program Asia-Link was introduced to the participants to the Generative Art Conference and the themes and their operational potentialities have been discussed.  

 

II. Description of implementation of Activities

 

The activity of each partner was developed, subsequently to the 1st  meeting in Milan and the Generative Art International Conference, following the established program.

The generative design Labs were established in Kassel, Eindhoven, Shanghai (Tongji Univ) and Tianjin and the activities started up.

In April, following the need to re-schedule in fall/winter the meetings in China with the leader of the program and the summer courses in Italy, Germany and Holland, planned for July 2003, we fixed the planned September workshops in China and rescheduled the seminars from July to November, before the scheduled participation to the Generative Art International Conference, GA2003, fixed to 10-13 December 2004. In the meantime the coordinator asked to the EC to enlarge the duration of the project from 24 to 30 months with the same cost.

In the meantime, using videoconferences and remote meetings:

A.     Following the suggestions of the meeting with the monitoring team, we worked to implement the activity 6, that was not enough implemented. In particular the Chinese partners have found out some interesting applied projects in the field of architecture and town design. These projects will be implemented jointing the Generative Design Labs teams, European and Chinese together.

B.     The Generative Design Lab of Politecnico di Milano planned to implement, in the next 5 months, the development of a structured study for the promotion and management of operative projects based on generative design approach. The study programme cover from a business plan related to generative design opportunities in China until the implementation ad a workshop-meeting to discuss and use the study results. This study is implemented by GFG (see attached document) and it is useful to pursue the aims of the program.

C.     We planned the workshops and the meetings in China of September 2003.

D.     We designed a PhD level Master in Macau, opened to Asian graduated students, in particular Chinese. The coordinator is Prof. Celestino Soddu, Generative Design Lab of Politecnico di Milano (the coordinator of this Asia-link program), it is supported by the city of Macau and it has European teachers. The topic is the Generative Approach in the management of Town Identity.

E.     The next 6th generative Art Conference GA2003. We made and sent the call for papers and all GDLabs worked to prepare and present their papers in Milan in December 2003.

F.       In the meantime, because of Sars, we implemented the videoconferencing activity and internet forums to enhance suggestions and discussion among partners.

G.     The website http://www.generativedesign.com/asialink/asialink.htm was implemented and upgraded.

H.     A meeting with all partners was planned in China to be held in September 2003.

In September the problems linked to the Sars emergence was completely ended and the program has been full implemented realizing the activities that was impossible to implement last months.

In particular, we used September for

1.      a sequence of  meetings (7-14 September) in Macau with local Government, Universtity of Macau, Arcasia architects association and IEEM that established the starting up of a PHD level Master (Master IDEAS) on the topics of Generative Approach, opened to post graduated people of China and other Asian countries. This activity will be self sustainable because it will be supported by Macau administration.

2.      Meetings, lectures and the first part of the planned workshops in Shanghai, Tongji University, and in Tianjin University (14 September – 2 October)

3.      A sequence of meetings with Government and University people in Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing for establishing applied projects regarding the restoring of old buildings using generative advanced approaches, new architectures, the rebuilding of historical quarters and, before all, the project of new towns. We have identified some applied projects and we are working for defining the contracts.

4.      Meetings with other Chinese Universities (Tsinghua University) to enlarge and establish new research activities jointing European and Chinese partners.

5.      Following the aim of workshops activities, we have identified and approved some study cases in Town design, architecture and Industrial design to be used in the 2nd part of Workshop that we planned for March/April 2004.

6.      We had some workshops with post graduate students to discuss their master and doctorate thesis and the shared supervision with Chinese and European supervisors.

7.      We identified some fields of research to develop together with the European and Chinese GDLabs.

8.      We identified and discussed the presentation of the researches running in the involved GDLabs to the incoming GA2003 international conference. The participation of all the Labs involved in the Asia-link projects will be really good and will represent the work done together with European and Chinese involved universities.

9.      We planned the next November Seminar that will take the place of the Summer Seminar that was postponed because of Sars.

 

Identifying, Activity by activity, the state of the program implementation according to the original schedule:

Activity 1: Generative Design Center/Lab, Planning/Preparing.

GDLabs are fully working with different projects and identified participants.

Activity 2: Thesis supervision. The exchange supervision among all the partners was established and are fully working.  The exchanges are supported with direct discussion and with internet means.

Thesis with shared supervisors:

- Li Yan, Ph.D. candidate, “Generative Design and Grids” (Tianjin, Milan, Kassel)

- Rong Lin, Master candidate, “Generative design and Codes of Roofs and Doors”, (Tianjin, Milan, Kassel)

- XinXin Chen, Ph.D. candidate, “Generative Approach in architecture restoring”, (Tianjin, Milan)

- Zhang Yijie, Ph.D. candidate, “Generative design of Chinese Pagodas”, (Tongji, Milan)

- Sun Chengui, Master candidate, “Higher or Denser?”, (Tongji, Milan)

- Dai Ming, Ph.D. candidate, “Urban Generative design”, (Tongji, Milan)

- Liu Zhao Xi, Xu Xi, “Forniture generative design”, (Tongji, Milan, Kassel)

 

Activity 3: Summer courses implementation. The 1st seminar (postponed from last summer cause Sars) is planned and it will start up the 29 November 2003 and will continue for 2 weeks, until 13 December. It will organized with lectures by Milan, Kassel and Eindhoven professors, with Chinese professors presentation of their research in progress and with session in which postgraduate students from China and from Europe will present their works and will discuss about advanced design approaches.

SCHEDULE

-          The seminar will be held at Department of Architecture and Planning, Milan Polytechnic

-          The workshops in the computer rooms of Milan Polytecnic University

29 Nov. arrival in Milan of Chinese people.

30 Dec. Sunday. Free day to visit Milan

1 Dec. Meeting with European postgraduate students. Exhibition and discussion.

2 Dec. Milan, Kassel and Eindhoven GDLabs presentation

3 Dec. Workshop, Master and Doctorate Thesis Discussion

4 Dec. Workshop together with European and Chinese post-graduated students.

5 Dec. Seminar and round table about Generative Approach

6 Dec. Workshop

7 Dec. Sunday. Free day.

8 Dec. Workshop

9 Dec. Meeting at the GA exhibition in Milan Polytechnic University

10-13 Dec. Participation to GA2003 conference.

14 Dec. Chinese people go back to China

Participants:

From Milan Polytechnic University:

2 professors:

Celestino Soddu

Enrica Colabella

1 tutor:

Marco Longatti

1 intern professor at GDLab:

Daniele Gugelmo

1 intern researcher of GDLab:

Andrea Zipoli

26 Master PostGraduated Students of VI Faculty of Engineering/Architecture of Milan:

Mirko Massimiliano Paglia

Chiara Gimagalli

Michael Zamblera

Anna Ragni

Cesare Balossi

Sabrina Pesendorfer

Arianna Scalise

Davide Ghisleni

Paolo Carrara

Monica Tengattini

Alessandro Salvagni

Luca Viola

Mimosa Zoppetti

Pierina Martinelli

Gabriele Paglia

Elena Proserpio

Gianluca Pesenti

Melissa Motta

Anna Salvi

Massimo Bordoli

Federica Guerra

Francesco Rigamonti

Marco Tosarini

Marco Gallii

Barbara Cassan

Paolo Albo

From Kassel:

1 professor:

Hans Dehlinger

4 tutors:

Oliver Endemann

Markus Schein (PhD cand.)

Ole Werner

Guenther Doerner

From Eindhoven Tech. University

2 professors:

Bouke de Vries

Aant van der Zee

1 doctorate:

Daan Willems

From Tongji University, Shanghai

3 professors:

Wang Bowei

Tang Zhong

Zhang Kun

6 postgraduated students:

Liu Zhaoxi     

Sun Chengyu

ZHAO Qi

Wang Xiang

Wang Yisui

Zhang Leyan

From Tianjin University

3 professors:

Changming Yang

ZHANG Wei

Yukun Zhang

3-6 postgraduated students:

Xi-Xin Chen

Li Yan

Rong Lin

 

Activity 4: Workshops. The planned workshop in Shanghai, Tongji University the 15 of September 2003 and in Tianjin University the 22 of September was done. Owing to the difficulties of preparation due to the impossibility to meet together before, the workshop was realized only with some meetings, some lectures and workshops regarding open discussions on the research implementation and on the master and doctorate thesis. The second part of the 1st year workshops is planned in the last weeks of March 2004. The study cases for these workshops are real applied occasion of Town design, architecture and industrial design:

    1. The design, with generative approach, of the Austro-Ungarian consulate and related quarter in Tianjin.
    2. The generative design of furniture using Ming Codes
    3. The Reconstruction of Haihe Lou (a traditional Chinese style multi-storied building near the Haihe River in Tianjin which was a famous scene and a temporary palace of the emperors in the Qing Dynasty);
    4. The design of restoration of Italian Quarter in Tianjin with the identification of Chinese / Italian identity codes of this environment.

 

Activity 5: Joint Research programs for PhD and Master.

Ø       A Master (high level) course is planned by Milan GDLab in Macau, for all Chinese postgraduates, concerning the generative approach to Town Identity management. This Master is named Master I.D.E.A.S. Identity and Dynamic Evolutions of Artificial Systems.  This activity is self sustainable because is supported by the Macau Government through the IEEM. (see related document)

Ø       Identification of research activity to joint:

-          Generative Design of Roofs (Tongji, Tianjin, Kassel, Milan)

-          Generative Design: Ming Paradigm of Design as a design starting point for the generation of contemporary furniture and other contemporary design objects (Kassel, Tongji, Milan)

-          Generative new Town Design (Tianjin, Milan)

-          Generative approach to Historical Chines places representation (Tianjin, Beijing and Milan)

-          The Ph.D. and Master level graduate research program in generative design “The Generative Mechanism of Chinese Nomads Architecture and Its Interpretation in Cultural Anthropology” (Tianjin, Eindhoven, Milan).

-          research and analyze typical patterns in Chinese and European tradition. Based on the extraction and isolation of archetypes, generative programs will be implemented as “pattern – generators”. The patterns derived from Chinese sources will be restructured to fit the European market and vice versa, the patterns of European origin will be restructured to fit the Chinese market. (Kassel, Milan, Tianjin)

-          Analysis of typical elements of Chinese and European “formal languages” as displayed by specific ranges of products (e.g.: kitchen, bathroom). Identification of basic formal building blocks and characteristics. Development of Generators (programs), which allow a mix of elements. (Kassel, Milan, Tongji)

 

Activity 6: Applied projects in China. The meetings in Shanghai and in Tianjin were able to identify problems and opportunities. In particular a first applied project was established: a new town of 400.000 inhabitants near Tianjin, to be designed using the identity codes of Chinese tradition together with Italian tradition. The delegation of Tianjin University, Milan Polytecnic University and Kassel University visited the identified site with the Government delegation and the first approach to designing the town was established. This activity is self-sustainable because is supported by the Chinese Government.

A second project was identified with Government Officier in Shanghai for an applied research on the Shanghai identity, working with generative approach in a particular block of Shanghai city. The letter of interest is not yet received from Shanghai Government.

In the field of Industrial Intelligent production, an operative research “Approach for the realization of a business plan related to Generative Design opportunities in China” was established to verify the real opportunities of implementing this activity. This research is implemented for the GDLab of Milan by GFG consulting.

 

Activity 7: The next International Conference Generative Art GA2003 will be organized by the Milan Generative Design Lab. All the GDLabs are going to present papers / posters / installations in the conference in December 2003.

The participation of Asian people is very important, together with European people.

List of Participants:

 

From Europe 69 people:

Celestino Soddu, Politecnico di Milano University

Letizia Bollini, Giuseppe Palma, "Computer Science Dep. , Università di Bologna, Politecnico di Milano"

Ava Fatah gen.Schieck, Chiron Mottram, Alan Penn, "VR Centre for the Built Environment

The Bartlett, University College London"

Mahnaz Shah, Architectural Association, School of Architecture, London   

Alberto Frigo, Smart Studio, Interactive Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Thomas Modeen, Royal College of Art (London)

Stefano Milani, Arek Seredyn, Rotterdam The Netherlands

Ilze Volonte, Maris Cacka, JolantaSavvina, Aleksandra Slahova, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia

Tatjana Mihailova, Michail Kopeikin, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia

Benoit Pereira Da Silva, TOULOUSE FRANCE

Bogdan Soban,Slovenia     

Caterina Davinio, Italia

Chun Lee, School of arts, Middlesex University, London     

Daniel Bisig, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, University of Zurich, Switzerland

James Coupe & Hedley Roberts, Thames Valley University, Ealing, London

Hans E. Dehlinger, University of Kassel, Germany

Domenico Olivero, Ornella Calvetti, Italy     

Anna Furse, UK

Liviu Alexandru Sofonea, UNIVERSITATEA “TRANSILVANIA” DIN BRASOV

Martin Dupras, Paul Verity Smith, Jeremy Hattosh-Nemeth, University of the West of England, Bristol (UK)

Ole Werner, University of Kassel

Markus Schein, University of Kassel

Elisa Simonetti, UK

Enrica Colabella, Politecnico di Milano University

Fabian Scheurer, ETH Zurich

Geert-Jan Hobijn, Staalplaat Soundsystem, Berlin, Germany

Gilles Aubry, Amsterdam, NL

Graham Holden, 20three, Brighton, UK

Malgorzata Dancewicz, Modjeska Theater in Legnica, Poland

Jacqueline Otten, University of applied Sciences - Hamburg

Ken Byers, UK

Massimo Fontana, Firenze Italy

Michael Szpakowski, UK

K. Moraes Zarzar, Delft University of Technology

Luigi Centola, Italy

Nicoletta Sala, Gabriele Cappellato,Universita' della Svizzera Italiana (Mendrisio, Switzerland)

Maria Goga and Nicolae Goga, School of Music Nr. 5, Bucharest, Romania; Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Oliver Endemann, Guenther Doerner, Genestics, Kassel, Augsburg. Members of Generative Design Lab of Kassel University  

Paul Coates, Christian Derix, Robert Thum, University of East London

Peter Beyls, Gent Belgium

Penousal Machado, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra,

Juan Romero, Penousal Machado   "University of La Coruña, Spain

Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra, Portugal"

Philip Van Loocke, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

Rachel Collinson, University of Westminster, UK

Laura Morelli, Riccardo Cassinis, Universita' di Brescia

Skaidrite Erliha, Daugavpils University, Latvia

Bauke de Vries,  A. van der Zee, technical Eindhoven University

Vladan Zdravkovic, University of Kalmar, Sweeden

 

From Asia 23 people:

Mohd Izani,Multimedia University, Selangor, Malaysia  

Akemi Ishijima, Yoshiyuki Abe, Tokyo, Japan"

Wang Bowei, Zhang Leyan, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Dai Ming, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Weidong Fang, Ming Xi Tang, Xiyu Liu, Hong Kong Polytecnic University

Hanafizan Hussain, Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University,

Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Gu Zhenyu, HongKong Polytechnic University

Hong-Sheng CHEN, National Taiwan University

Jong Sze Joon, Soon Eu Hui, LimKokWing, Multimedia University, Malaysia -

University College of Creative Technology, Malaysia

Liu Zhaxi, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Wang Bowei, Zhang Kun , Tongji Univ. Shanghai

Somruedee Kandee, Bangkok University,Thailand

SUN Chengyu, Tongji University, Shanghai

Zhang Yijie, Tang Zhong, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Thomas Fischer, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Christiane M. Herr, Hong Kong University

 

Other countries 30 people:

Anat David-Artman, Hebrew University, Kfar saba

Andrea J. Stein, Brooklyn, NY; USA

Andrea Wollensak, Associate Director, Ammerman Center for Art and Technology Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut     

Antony Viscardi, Department of Art and Architecture, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,USA

Artemis Moroni, Computer Vision and Robotics Group, CenPRA, Campinas, Brazil

Daniela Sirbu    "Department of New Media, Faculty of Fine Arts

University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada"  

David Birchfield, Institute for Studies in the Arts, Arizona State University

Eileen Matis-Wong, Henry Cogswell College, Everett, Washington

Jason Freeman , Columbia University

Jeffrey Krause, Oakland,CA

Jody Zellen, Santa Monica, CA

Joesér Alvarez, Carlos Mettal, Universidade Federal de Rondônia/Centro de Hermenêutica do Presente - Porto Velho/Brasil

Philip Galanter, New York University

Robert J. Krawczyk, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

Michael Eugene Brown, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Sandra Bsat, Dept. of Architecture & Design,

Beirut, Lebanon

Semi Ryu, Virginia Commonwealth University

Alison Walker, Silvia Rigon, UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

Shirin Kouladjie, Canada

Shirley Shor, San Francisco, CA

Scott Draves, USA

Steven Noll, USA

Tim Barrass     Melbourne University

Tomás García-Salgado, Autonomous National University of México

Umberto Roncoroni, Lima, Peru'

Vera Sylvia Bighetti, são paulo- brasil

Yehuda Safran, Columbia University, New York City

 

Activity 8: the Website of Asia-link program is working well: http://www.generativedesign.com/asialink/asialink.htm.

Some articles about the activity of this Asia-link program are planned in some large diffusion newspaper and magazine in China like Guangming Ribao, newspaper of Beijing.