architectural-theory.pdf

The fellows at Archfarm have added to their series of architectural PDFs – unfortunately referred to as "fascicles" – with Peter Yeadon's recent thoughts on nanotechnology.
In that paper (download the fascicle), Yeadon introduces us to structures in "an age of molecular manipulation," in which we'll see "the dawn of nanofactories, robust molecular machine shops that harvest atoms from a reservoir of molecules to make sophisticated materials, devices, and systems one atom at a time."

What could such minuscule inventions possibly have to do with the making of architecture and cities? A nanometer is about a million times smaller than the diameter of a pinhead, and a thousand times smaller than the length of a typical bacterium... How could these tiny achievements possibly have any bearing on the work of an architect?

Read his fascicle and find out.

Archfarm has also published an interview with Sonia Cillari (download the PDF), about emotion and interactivity in architectural design, as well as Usman Haque's rough guide to "open source architecture" (PDF), published last summer.

The series veers a tiny bit too close to the world of Deleuzian eyeglasses and trendy jargon, I have to say, but it's a great format and I'll be interested to see where they go next. For instance, might I humbly recommend they publish The Pruned Guide to Futurist Geo-Hydrology... That, or BLDGBLOG will start its own series of PDFs – and then everyone can stare in awe at my fascicles.