Global Cities

Global Cities looked at the changing faces of ten dynamic international cities: Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo. Exploring each city through five thematic lenses – speed, size, density, diversity and form – the exhibition drew on data originally assembled for the 10th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale.

As Global Cities takes place in one of the focus cities, the exhibition uses London as a touchstone for comparison. New commissions by a group of six artists and architects, to explore the local context through issues such as sustainability, public space and social inclusion.

Rihl worked on the Mixtacity project collaboration, led by Nigel Coates, which resulted in an installation taking in the area from Canary Wharf, past the Royal Docks, to Dagenham and Rainham. Being concerned with a vision of the future, Mixtacity explored the illusionistic power of the model and in particular the potential of diverse modelling strategies, e.g., from found object through to rapid prototpying techniques.

Whereas most planning models have a political and economic determinism, Mixtacity was driven by an directional creative attitude. The apparently casual juxtapositions were intended to stimulate individual interpretation, designed to suggest the kind of architectural language the Thames Gateway needs for its long-term success.

Fernando Rihl's Current Research:

My current research has been focused on new building technologies and the impact of digital media in the design process of design and architecture. The new building technologies are part of a series of experimental studies usually implemented in real architectural projects. One such is resin coating on raw concrete as a waterproofing membrane in swimming pools and terraces. Digital media is evaluated and tested in real projects. I am evaluating and testing modelling programmes to achieve complex geometries in design and architecture. Flash animations are also tested as a way to illustrate the concept of a project. I am also interested in new ways of prototyping with cutting edge technology such as; 3D printing, Stereolithography, Solid Ground Curing, Selective Laser Sintering. I have used CNC and Laser technology in the past with testing on a series of design projects. This is a new direction of my research where I plan to investigate further alongside the digital media.

• http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibition...
• http://www.chelsea.arts.ac.uk/17241.htm