The Hylomorphic Project by Open Source Architecture addresses the formation of an assemblage constituted of intricate, yet generalized, components that manage n-dimensional parametric differentiations such as structural forces, geometrical triangulations, and material properties. Based on an evolutionary stochastic algorithm, the project stems from a computational procedure that acts as a searching device while reacting to multiple constraints in the iterated formation of an optimized solution.

Although the project reflects a topological condition of form finding, its physical assemblage implies the fabrication of manifold connectors that negotiate multidirectional movements defined by the algorithmic procedure. The noteworthy attribute of these connectors rests on their individual specificity to execute localized requirements while at the same time following typological principles of generalization.

The Hylomorphic Project suggests a topologization of typology; that is, movement from an idealistic typology (the Schindler House’s structural grid) to a standardized language of adaptive topology (an n-dimensional grid). Yet, while the idealistic model of the Schindler House reflects a philosophy of architecture in which it serves as an interface between the human body and nature, the Hylomorphic Project reconsiders this dialectic. It looks in to the condition of domesticity as an ecology of information that no longer distinguishes natural mechanisms form artificially modified organisms.

The algorithm is based on computational environments as a methodology for form finding and material expression that goes beyond the formal articulation of the computational procedure. This procedure simulates a topological condition of natural form evolution that can be consolidated according to innumerable trajectories. The emergence of form is a function of a diachronic reiterative process in which a trajectory of the scripted process is determined while the form is conceived.

Thus, the hylomorphic procedure is based on an adaptable software that accommodates to changing modalities of performance-driven structural topology. As such, it suggests a dialectical approach in between science and culture. On the one hand, the information that determines the formal consolidation of the architectural entity is scripted to negotiate between form and matter, structure and surface, as well as function and program.

The architectural entity appears as a pseudo-random articulation, not one determined by human agency. Some parts of the procedure as scripted are indeed dependent on human action, but at the same time, the inherent stochasticism frees the computer to explore endless potential morphologies. The discrepancies between the computational and human determined results are negotiated in the interrelations between setting the design process and the computational procedure independently. The application of the hylomorphic procedure to the Schindler House allows us to reconsider the mediating condition between exteriority and interiority as typically defined by the ideal modern typology. Whereas the Schindler House blurs exterior-interior relations to achieve climatic and visual continuities, the Hylomorphic Project refers to form, morphology, and program to enhance the modulation between natural elements and the architectural device. The formal strategy of the project was determined from the grid of the house while the program itself is determined according to potential streams of movements.

Client: Millenium Co.
Location: West Hollywood, California
Planning: 2006-2008
Construction: xxx

Design Team: Open Source Architecture with R_are Architects
Consultants: Jean-Marc Weil Engineering

Size: 15000 sqf residential, 800 sqf retail 
Budget: $ 4.6 million