An early fruit of this collaboration is the RMIT Learning and Teaching Investment Fund that we just recently won. The grant will be used to conduct a new multidisciplinary studio in RMIT Melbourne, Australia.

Augmented Spatiality: Retrofitting the Social City is the new design studio that will run in Semester 2, 2011. This will based on the past RAD-P elective that we run last year, but it will be more ambitious, designerly focused, with great design and technical support from PhD candidates in RMIT, who are doing research in various topics including kinetic architecture, elastic transformable skins, vision-based systems, mechatronics, new materials in architecture, and algorithmic design for parametric modelling.

We invite students from different programs, architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, industrial design, public arts, and textile design, to join the class. They will work in groups, drawing inspirations from utopian-future city ideas of the past (e.g. Smithsonian’s House of the Future, Cedric Price’s Fun Palace, etc) towards the design and a prototypical model of an urban intervention on a street or site in Melbourne.

It will be an intensive 9-weeks studio starting in a week time! I can’t wait!

The students used various modelling techniques and technology including parametric modelling (with Grasshopper), scripting (with Processing), hands-on modelling, digital fabrication, and Arduino.

Nearly all the students joined the class without any experience in parametric modelling, scripting, and Arduino. Within the 12-weeks elective (which has less contact hours than a studio), they produced an interesting array of responsive architectural models and prototypes:

The Transafe project was published in the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society 2011 (ISTAS 2011) and the paper can be found here.

The features of the iPhone app and some scenarios that demonstrate how the app can be used can be seen in the following video (note that the development of the iPhone app is still work-in-progress):

Transafe iPhone app from Flora Salim on Vimeo.

Two Cities as a Living Lab is a novel research and teaching curriculum with the goal to probe two cities, investigate cities’ wicked problems, and generate design propositions for Melbourne, Australia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where two RMIT campuses are located.

We were recently awarded the IBM Smarter Planet Innovation Award 2010 for the project, check the global press release in IBM site. The following is the video of selected award winners, including me from RMIT.

The members of the transdisciplinary team are Dr. Flora Salim (Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL), RMIT, with Computer Science background), Dr. Susu Nousala (SIAL, with background in knowledge management and engineering), Dr. Margaret Hamilton (Computer Science and Information Technology, RMIT), Dr. Marsha Berry (Media and Communication, RMIT), and A/Prof Jane Burry (SIAL, RMIT, an architect).

We plan to run an intensive summer course that will run in both Melbourne and Vietnam campuses, opened for Architecture, Design, Computer Science, IT, and Media and Communication students. Students will work in cross-disciplinary teams to:

Each team will consist of students from different disciplines, who will collaborate and apply design, social, and technical methodology on a specific problem area in the two cities, such as public transport, crime and safety, rubbish and recycling. The outcomes

It’s definitely going to be hard, but it’s an awesome way for me to raise money and awareness for the 1.4 billion people who have to live like this every day – and who have to make $2 cover a lot more than food! For more info, go to my Living Below the Line Profile page.

This picture was taken in one of my life-changing trips to Cambodia. In 2008, my husband and I, with some friends from Melbourne Praise Centre and Water Missions International, had a chance to visit a poor village who had to drink contaminated water from the river, stayed in an orphanage for a week, tasted and saw poverty firsthand. I learnt that those kids, who have very little to live with, often are more happy and content than us. Unfortunately, they often are the victims of their own family or society. I also learnt that every dollar counts! Let’s do something for kids like them around the world.

I’ve just finished cooking our lunch/dinnertime meals for the next 2 days: Vegetable fried rice!
Rudy, my husband, and I are teaming up, so it’s good that we have $20 for the two of us for 5 days.

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice (1/4 kg of rice) – cooked and cooled
4 carrots (peeled, sliced thinly)
3 eggs
5 fresh chili (as many as you like, finely chopped)
a few stalks of spring onion (finely chopped)
a few fresh basil leaves
One tablespoon of butter
Fish sauce, Chicken stock powder, salt, sugar

Directions:
Melt butter in a hot wok, fry the eggs, then add carrots, chili, spring onion, fish sauce, chicken stock powder, and sugar. After 2 minutes or the carrot is half cooked, then add the cooked rice. Use a fork to separate the grains. Add salt if necessary. Once the flavor is evenly distributed, add basil leaves, stir for a few seconds then turn off the fire.

You can expect: 4 containers of fried rice (approximately 6 servings).

Can’t wait to enjoy my first day living below the line tomorrow (a box of fried rice for lunch/dinner, and a butter and jam sandwich for brunch).

Sadly, there will be no coffee and tea for me in the next 5 days (badly needed for cold winter week in Melbourne).

I’m taking part in the challenge to get a better understanding of the challenges faced by the 1.4 billion people who live below the Extreme Poverty Line every day, and to raise funds for crucial anti-poverty initiatives.

If you would like to support my efforts, you can make a secure online donation by clicking the link below.

http://www.livebelowtheline.org.au/FloraSalim?SID=404644&Lang=en-CA

Hugh Jackman, in his own words, promoted the same cause:

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The cluster is led by Przemek Jaworski, Martin Kaftan, and I (Flora Salim). We are joined by brilliant participants from academia and practice: David Gillespie, Davide Madeddu, Eva Friedrich, Jacob Østergaard, Jakob Bak, Joao Albuquerque, John Fihn, Jose Luis Perez Galaso, Rafael Roa, Rafael Urquiza, Raul Kalvo, Stefan DiLeo, and Suhee Oh, who spent four intensive days to develop these prototypes from scratch as shown in this video:

Hands on Ofelia Beach uses real-time wind and weather data to generate visualise simulation on the map of Ofelia Beach as shown on the table. Architects and designers can use 3D building blocks to model new constructions on the table and experience the impact of the wind flow generated from the new buildings on the site. Kinect is used to scan the 3D building blocks.

Project 1: Hands on Ofelia Beach

iUbi uses Kinect to scan 3D freeform model on the table, sends the point cloud for analysis and normalisation in Processing and GC (GenerativeComponents).  Human and thermal comfort analysis is projected back to the model, and the digital model reverse engineered from the physical model is geotagged and sent periodically to an iPhone server, thus the model can be viewed in augmented reality using an iPhone.

Project 2: iUbi

Social.Construct (agents of mass construction) is an agent simulation system that is based on real-world data from Google Maps and Twitter, simulating agents movement across the city based on attractors (hot spots) and visibility analysis. The agent is building a public structure over the city space over a period of time, which reflects the most traversed path.

Project 3: Social.Constructs

uPlanSim (Interactive table as a tool for planning and simulation) is a multi-touch table with an agent simulation system running on a Copenhagen city map. The agents are rebuilding the city and pathways across the city based on visibility. Streets that are more visible have the higher buildings over the street lines. New attractor points can be dropped by a touch on the table. Multitouch on the table will enable panning and zooming of the 3D maps.

Project 4: uPlanSim

There is also an augmented environment project where a kinetic physical canopy is installed over a walkway, with Kinect scanning the space and Google Street View of Copenhagen Central Station projected on the wall. Whenever someone walks over the space and is recognised by Kinect, the programmatic code will send user position from Kinect to the physical installation, and hence triggers movement on the canopy, and updates the Street View at the same time.

Project 5: Augmented Environment

For more information, check our blog.

Przemek Jaworski and I are going to lead the workshop cluster “Interacting with the City” in SmartGeometry 2011 following the success of last year’s workshop cluster, Parametrics and Physical Interactions in SmartGeometry 2010, which produced interesting prototypes including: Bioclimactic skin,  TweetForm, Urban simulation table, Occupant motion tracker, Rapid Coordination Table, Space Scanner, andResponsive Media Facade.

This year we will still do interactivity with physical and digital models, but mainly using tangible tables and Microsoft Kinect (a new controller for Xbox 360 which is not a controller at all, as everything is based on gestural interactions). Our cluster is one of the 10 clusters selected from 46 submissions (less than 25% acceptance rate).

Interacting with the City cluster in SmartGeometry 2011 aims to create tangible models of the city ‘in action’, using historical or real-time data. Using Web 2.0 technology, Processing, tangible interactions, projections, and digital modeling and fabrication, physical and digital models will be set up to enable visualisation and tangible interaction with the data. The use of data from Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, and various data sources from cities and public websites will be investigated. The goal of the cluster is to explore a new kind of design collaboration informed by real world data.

The cluster will create a generic visual environment for interactive and collaborative design in which tangible and gestural interactions play an important role. The use of tangible tables, Microsoft Kinect sensor and projections in the workshop environment and out at the city streets will be explored. Outcomes may include graphical, digital and physical representations of data, models on tangible tables, 3D model of a building in a city informed by public data, and interactive installations.

UbiMash code library will also be utilized to plug into online data sources and manage data transfer between the interactive installations and 3D modelling.

Don’t miss out! Apply now! Applications to attend SmartGeometry 2011 Workshop will close on 31st January 2011.

As a reminder of the fun we had in 2010, watch this:

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This is my first post in 2011, and it’s not going to be technical at all. I’m writing this while watching streams of news about QLD floods in TV and from Twitter #qldfloods #qldflood and Facebook, fire in West Australia, and storm and rock falls in Lorne, Great Ocean Road.

For those who are away from the news of the world, 75% of Queensland already is declared as a natural disaster zone. For those of you who live outside Australia, it is twice the size of Texas and four times the size of UK. The magnitude of this disaster makes Australians stand aghast given that the third biggest city in Australia, Brisbane CBD, is threatened by 5.2 meter flood! Toowoomba, another town in QLD, experienced an inland tsunami yesterday.

What makes me so proud to be Australian is that we are shoulder to shoulder in this! I’m impressed with the impact of social networks in facilitating information to get around quickly about helping, donating, and praying for Australia. I guess this is what happens when a natural disaster takes place at a developed nation that still have Internet connections up and running on 3G mobile (although powers in many parts of the CBD have been shut down).

Some great examples:

• I can give shelter to flood victims in QLD Facebook page is up for people who live on the higher sides of QLD to offer their homes for the affected ones.
• Queensland Police Service uses Facebook for reliable status of the flood at almost real-time (every 10-15 mins)
• people worldwide uses #qldflood and #qldfloods Twitter tags to send texts of support, messages, and donation links. Interestingly, you can also see pictures and videos being tweeted by residents and locals for up-to-date happenings.
• #prayforAustralia is currently on the top of the global Twitter trending topics.

And I really pray that Australia will get better soon, from the flood in the east, the fire in the west, and from the droughts and tears in the hearts of many.

A story about a young hero, Jordan Rice, has touched many hearts. The 13-years-old Toowomba boy said “saved my brother first” as he told his rescuer to put the ropes around his younger brother before him. Then the water washed him and his mother away! What a great inspiration.

Brace up and look up! The best is yet to come.

Sometime in the middle of November, I receive two awards which are quite a nice surprise!

In short these were my activities in the past few months:

• 20-24 October 2010: Conference attendance and paper presentation at ACADIA 2010 held in the Great Hall, Cooper Union, New York. Hugo Mulder and I presented a paper written by the two of us and Przemek Jaworski about the outcomes of the Parametrics and Physical Interactions cluster we run earlier this year in SmartGeometry 2010. The paper is one of the 36 papers selected from 300 submissions.

• 28-31 October 2010: Giving invited talks at the Digital Fabrication workshop and conference in University of Malaga, Spain.

• 2-5 November 2010: Software development workshops at Brisbane for an ongoing ARC Linkage.

• 12-22 November 2010: Annual leave in Jakarta! Staying @ my parents’ while having a restful break.

• end of November – December: writing research papers and 3 weeks of summer teaching of FIT3128 at Monash in the evenings. Managed to be lead/co- authors of six full conference papers, three abstracts, and one journal article submitted during this period. My journal article submitted for ITCON a while ago was accepted for publication in January 2011. Yay!

Sometime in the middle of November, I was selected as a recipient of these awards (thank God!):

• IBM Smarter Planet Industry Skills Innovation Awards 2010 for the transdisciplinary project I’m leading:  ”Two Cities as a Living Lab: Project-based and research-led teaching of socio-technical pedagogical approaches in designing for the cities’ wicked problems”, with team members: Susu Nousala, Margaret Hamilton, Marsha Berry, and Jane Burry.
• RMIT Ian Permezel Award 2010 for an Early Career Researcher to travel and present at an international conference.

I was receiving my award in RMIT Teaching and Research Awards Event 2010.

2010 has been a great year. Lots of writing, coding, publishing, travelling, failing, debugging, testing, and definitely lots of learning! It has been a year with a great learning curve and amazing experiences and I’m really grateful about it.

I’ll get back on full steam of posting to the blogs after Christmas!

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<plan>write papers and 2011 grants</plan>
<plan>coding</plan>
<plan>read my books by Zig Ziglar, Donald Knuth</plan>
<plan>evaluate 2010</plan>
<plan>plan for 2011</plan>
<plan>sleep A LOT</plan>
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