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SCI-Arc Gallery: Go Figure from Ryan Tyler Martinez on Vimeo.

SCI-Arc is pleased to announce the exhibition Go Figure by Los Angeles-based architect Ramiro Diaz-Granados (B.Arch '96) of Amorphis, on view in the SCI-Arc Gallery from January 13 through February 26, 2012. Seeking to shift the role of the figure from a metaphorical device to a subliminal one, Go Figure promotes simultaneity in the evolution of the delineated figure by distributing cartoon and visceral features across a three-dimensional, spline based form.

A delineated figure is repeated four times into two symmetrical pairs. Each pair is situated in the gallery according to different transversal regulating lines stemming from the relationship between the ground and the ceiling. One pair is centered within the space, the other is centered under one of the structural bays. Together they fill the space in a composition that confounds the legibility of each figure in favor of more sensate qualities with allusions to calligraphy and graffiti. The figures are made out of powder-coated aluminum sheet, laser cut, and friction-fit. An assembly method has been devised so as to evade the conventional reliance on hardware. This pushes the project into further allusive territory, conjuring up the botanical (sprouting) and hvac ducting (crimping). The color palette consists of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Each figure is a unique combination of three of the four colors with a progression from one to the next allowing each color to be used three times and producing secondary and tertiary chromas which shift as one moves around and through the installation. The drawings represent a series of part-to-whole relationships with references to various painting/drawing genres. From one configuration to four elements to twelve strips to forty-eight segments to one-hundred-forty-four pieces.

Go Figure is supported in part by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

About Ramiro Diaz-Granados
Ramiro Diaz-Granados is Principal of Amorphis, and is a full-time design faculty member and the graduate portfolio coordinator at SCI-Arc. A full service architectural design studio located in Los Angeles, Amorphis is engaged in speculative and building practices with an emphasis on a hands-on approach to experimentation. With services ranging from the design of objects and furniture to interiors, buildings, and landscapes, the studio limits the number of projects at a given time in order to produce deeply idiosyncratic works. As an advocate for a vitalist-materialist ethos in the production of architecture, Amorphis pursues a design agenda that oscillates within a matter/geometry complex. Prior to founding Amorphis in 2009, Diaz-Granados was co-principal of F-Lab with Heather Flood, where they won and placed in several competitions, including the SCI-Arc "Conference Room Table" (built), L.A. Forum "Liner Competition," and Mercedes-Benz "National Trade Show Pavilion." He also worked for and collaborated with the award-winning firm Gnuform. From 1997 to 2002, he was co-principal of Arxis, a Los Angeles architectural practice, where he designed and built several projects in Southern California and Mexico. Diaz-Granados received his Bachelor of Architecture from SCI-Arc in 1996 and a Master of Architecture from UCLA in 2003, during which he was awarded the Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill Traveling Fellowship in Architecture. www.amorphis.com

SCI-Arc, Caltech, global solar panel manufacturer Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Solar) and California Science Center are pleased to announce the unveiling of the SCI-Arc/Caltech Hanwha CHIP Solar House at the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles.

A ribbon-cutting celebration with Los Angeles Councilwoman and Mayoral Candidate Jan Perry, Director Eric Owen Moss of SCI-Arc, Caltech Resnick Institute Director Harry Atwater, California Science Center Deputy Director of Education Ron Rohovit, and Justin Lee, Chief Commercial Officer of Hanwha Solar, will be held Tuesday, January 17, at 2pm at the California Science Center at Exposition Park.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says of CHIP: “Congratulations to the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for their contribution to the utilization of solar power by designing the next generation of clean energy residential properties. SCI-Arc is the education and innovation anchor of the CleanTech Corridor and it is my distinct pleasure to recognize its contribution in making Los Angeles the leading city in sustainable design and architecture."

Through a partnership with the California Science Center, the house will be open to the public for free tours through May 31, 2012, giving Science Center visitors the opportunity to explore CHIP both inside and out. Tours will be available weekdays from 10am to 1:30pm, and weekends from 10am to 4pm.

"The Science Center’s Ecosystems gallery gives our guests an appreciation for how the living world and physical world are interconnected. We believe the experience provides guests with the knowledge to become better stewards of the environment," said Ron Rohovit, Deputy Director of Education at the California Science Center. "The CHIP House extends that knowledge with an innovative example of sustainable housing."

Praised for its unique look, the 750-square-foot, net-zero home features a quilted exterior—fittingly compared to a giant pillow or spacesuit—where insulation is stretched around the frame rather than stuffed inside it. CHIP took two years, more than 100 students and $1 million to build. It would cost $300,000 to replicate the structure, including materials and labor.

"As a global solar manufacturer committed to building a clean energy economy, we are gratified to see Hanwha Solar’s photovoltaic technology used in such an innovative way," said Hee Cheol Kim, president of Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. "Through cutting-edge deployments like the CHIP House, we are providing an inspiring vision for a sustainable future. Hanwha Solar is proud to accelerate the path to a clean energy future by providing reliable, high quality solar modules that are being deployed at massive commercial scale today."

CHIP’s progressive design was made possible through a transformative gift from Hanwha Solar—who was principal sponsor and exclusive solar module supplier for the SCI-Arc/Caltech team during the Decathlon. The house was equipped with 45 solar panels to power it through the entire duration of the competition and won first place in the Energy Balance contest. In temperate Los Angeles, CHIP’s panels generate three times more electricity than what the home uses—enough to power two electric cars along with the lighting, appliances, and heating and cooling systems. Most notably, the solar panels power an Xbox Kinect motion-sensitive video game system that has been turned into a master command center, allowing residents to turn lights and appliances on and off simply by pointing at them. A 3-D camera also sees occupants of the house and can automatically turn lights on and off as they move from space to space. This motion-sensitive technology allows residents to interface with their home in a more fluid, intuitive way.

The exhibition of the SCI-Arc/Caltech Hanwha Solar CHIP House at the California Science Center is made possible through generous support from Hanwha Solar and The Vinyl Institute. Additional sponsors of CHIP include NREL, Southern California Edison, U.S. Department of Energy, Dow Chemical, Resnick Institute, Peter Cross, Bosch, Tim and Neda Disney, among others. For more information and a video walkthrough of the house, visit www.chip2011.com.

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