Over the past few months, we’ve been collaborating with Local Projects on the schematic design for Design Lab, a new exhibition space for the New York Hall of Science scheduled to open in Spring 2014. As part of the research for this project,  we’ve been exploring the Maker Movement and how it’s transforming education. We’ve discovered a robust and dynamic culture of making, experimenting and innovation that has spread in myriad ways around the country. The manifestations of the Maker Movement are both informal (DIY blogs and makeshift workshops) to formal as we are seeing many institutions begin to codify, integrate and celebrate its lessons.

For example, shop classes are making a comeback in schools, fully equipped with laser cutters, 3D printers and lathes, and students are working on some pretty exciting projects! At Castilleja School in Palo Alto, high school girls are building a cancer screening box in their fab lab. A class of seventh graders recreated Leonardo daVinci’s complex machines using laser cutters and basic engineering. The lab is part of a larger FabLab@School initiative created by Paulo Blikstein, a Stanford University Professor and advocate of the Maker Movement, to bring cutting edge technology and learning to young people.

Seniors building a prototype for their cancer screening box

daVinci machine recreated by a group seventh graders

Paulo Blikstein introducing the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic (a 3D printer now available for around $1200)

Design Lab at the New York Hall of Science will be drawing upon the lessons, examples and energy of the Maker Movement to bring its ethos  to science learning. Over the coming months as we develop the Design Lab project, we will be blogging about more of the exciting precedents and material we come across….stay tuned!

In developing the Maker Space and now Design Lab projects for the NY Hall of Science, we’ve tuned into the worldwide Maker Movement.

On a recent trip to Milan, it was no surprised to find a couple Maker celebrations during the annual design fair.  The first discovery was Hacked – “100 hours of rebellious creativity” within la Rinascente, in central Milan. The weeklong program included lectures, workshops and performances which took place in the middle of a high-end retail store.  At the time of our visit there was a competition between man and machine to make a model of the Duomo.

A second Maker finding was at Cascina Cuccagna, an 18^th century farmstead in southern Milan which has been recently restored for public use.  During design week the site hosted a Maker Lab workshop and a Public Design Festival planning seminar. 

At the core of Cascina Cuccagna is Un Posto A Milano, a restaurant and bar which is a site for food culture experimentation while also preserving agricultural heritage.  During design week guests were invited to dine at a number of tables which played with dining table conventions.  Dinning sets included a laptop tabletop, screened enclosure with holes for hands and face, and conjoined rocking chairs.

Last night Situ Studio and Professor Adam Maloof presented their collaboration on digital fossil reconstruction at the Cooper Union TEDx event in a talk titled: Reassembling Early Life.  The evening was host to a diverse range of presentations from artists, scientists and musicians. One highlight of the evening was Akshay Anantapadmanabhan’s presentation titled, Language Beyond Rhythm.

Situ Studio is working with Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani of the  Center for Research Architecture on a report titled Forensic  Oceanography that will be released this week. The report focuses on a  reconstruction of the chain of events that led to the death of 63 boat  migrants in the Mediterranean one year ago. This work is being done as  part of The European Research Council Project, Forensic Architecture,  Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths, University of London.

Figures from this report have been included in a call for NATO to  provide information regarding this event featured on Human Rights Watch‘s website as well as in a report released by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) headed by Senator Tineke Strik.  This work was also featured in the March 29th issue of The Guardian.

We are pleased to announce the completion of fabrication on the Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Exhibition for Audemars Piguet.  For the exhibition Situ Fabrication engineered and built the six Fragments designed by Sebastien Leon Agneessens & MA3.  The Fragments house a number of historic Audemars Piguet watches and a watchmaking workshop.  After New York, the project will travel to Milan, Paris, Beijing, Singapore and Dubai.

The exhibition is currently open at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC from 10am – 4pm Friday and 10am – 10pm on Saturday.  More information is available at the exhibition website.

We are pleased to announce the launch of two new websites which further articulate the two sides of our practice.

SITU FABRICATION will now feature our fabrication services.
SITU STUDIO will now solely feature our design and research work.

Centripetal, a film by Nicholas Reiter, explores centripetal motion across the Williamsburg Bridge. To produce the dynamic imagery Reiter developed a device for spinning a video camera while mounted to the inside of subway car windows, using CNC cut plywood and repurposed bicycle parts. The project grew out of the Motion Picture course at the Columbia University GSAPP, taught by Situ partner, Wes Rozen. More information can be found at the 2a_em blog and CC Notes.

The video is currently competing in the architecture video competition Videotect presented by Architecture Minnesota. Please take a moment to view the entries and cast your vote before February 10th. Centripetal is video #15…

Construction on Maker Space is underway! Over the past week the plywood arches and first set of storage modules were installed. Phase 2 of construction will include the installation of additional storage and display units, furniture and electrical fixtures. The project will be completed and open to the public in early March.

Sketch model

Situ Studio has been commissioned by the New York Hall of Science to create a Maker Space within the iconic Central Pavilion designed by Wallace Harrison for the 1964-65 World’s Fair. The new workshop space will serve as a place for visitors to learn about scientific concepts through hands-on making. The installation will consist of a plywood 3-pin arch structure which will enclose 1,200sf of the Central Pavilion. A modular system of acoustical panels, display cases and storage units will freely tie into the structure through an array of threaded perforations. Moveable furniture elements will tuck into the plywood structure to free up the floor space as necessary.

The primary structure will be built and open to the public in mid-January, 2012.

Section

Full-scale mock-up

At the beginning of November it was announced that the Trustees of the The Cooper Union were exploring introducing tuition at the school for the first time in over 100 years. For the past two months an intense debate involving many stake holders has ensued regarding how to solve Cooper’s financial predicament, and perhaps more importantly, how to protect the principles upon which the school was founded.

We feel that what is special about Cooper, its character, culture and education, depends entirely upon the school remaining tuition free for all admitted students. To charge tuition to any portion of the student body would completely undermine the education that Cooper provides, it would no longer truly be merit based.

Of the many ideas that have been proposed to address the deficit the school is facing, we would like to bring your attention to one that we feel is working particularly well. A website has been created that allows students, alumni, faculty and the general public to pledge a donation to The Cooper Union that is contingent upon the administration stating publicly and unequivocally that “Cooper Union’s undergraduate schools of architecture, art and engineering will remain completely tuition free.” While the money raised through this effort certainly will not be able to solve Cooper’s financial situation on its own it will help and it will, most importantly, send a strong message to the administration that, despite the dire situation, the only way to support Cooper Union is to continue to honor and fight for the principles that make is such a special and unique place.

If you would like to join us in supporting Cooper in these difficult times please visit the freecooperunion site and show your support: http://freecooperunion.com/

Throughout its long history, and through multiple financial crises and recessions, the institution has managed to maintain its tuition free status. We believe that the ingenuity and intelligence that is so abundant at Cooper can be leveraged to find viable revenue streams other than tuition. We are hopeful that the Revenue Task Force established by the new President of Cooper Union, Jamshed Bharucha, will be able to do just this.

Thank you,
Situ Studio

Some links for additional information:
Why Cooper Union Matters
Alumni Declaration
Alumni Pioneer
Cooper Union Task Force
Free As Air and Water