Reciprocal Media

In Chapter 6, the four case studies each look at architecture as a material medium by using different materials and processes to do so. Based off of each material, the results were all different, and if any of the four materials were substituted for one another, the results that each case study received would obviously be completely different. In class we have discussed different materials like glass and plastic, and have studied their properties and characteristics. I found the first case study the most interesting. In this particular case study, what I found neat was the way that depending on the placement of the light going through the fiber-optic strands , it affected where the fiber-optic strand seemed to be emitting from. The uniqueness of the material, and all of it’s properties reflecting light all the way through the material was interesting, and would be different if using just plain glass, plastic, or even metal for this study. The second case study used light and a different kind of curved glass to try and produce wave patterns based on the properties of the glass, cuts, and light being sent through it. The third uses light and plastic sheets cut and formed into different shapes, and based on the material used the results of them rotating were different. The last case study was different because it had no element of light added into the study, but instead it looked more at compression and rotation of the material and how it reacted. These case studies relate to our projects as well. From researching the Beijing National Aquatics center, I learned about how light can work with plastic and be used as a reflector, or as a transmitter and this was also looked at in the Wind Screen case study.