brittle systems: anticipating failure The brittle system operates in a linear time perspective – first is its primary state, and then, when affected by external forces, undergoes a non-reversible process of deterioration. Each component is rated based upon its worth within a system that takes advantage of a lower value component to protect more important parts and to control inevitable damage, providing short-term loss in return for greater power gain . Examples of these types of components in systems are sacrificial anodes, plinth renders, electrical fuses, sprinkler fuses and seismic design. The speed of the process varies from years to an instant depending on the specific system, but once deterioration is set in motion it can not be reversed – an addition of energy is required, replacing damaged parts, to get back to its initial state. A example is the sacrificial anode placed on the hull, which constitutes a weak part of a boat. It is usually made of zinc or a metal alloy with a more negative electrochemical potential than the metal hull it protects. The anode is electrolytically decomposed over time, protecting other parts more difficult and expensive to replace if they rust. Over a summer one can observe the anode slowly degenerating. Another anticipation of failure is seen in seismic design where forces are lead to certain spots on a horizontal beam which is designed to break, dissipating some of the quake’s energy and thereby saving the vertical columns and keeping the building up. The anode works over a period of months, while in seismic design the change occurs within minutes or seconds.
elastic system: the architecture of Venice In elastic systems components are connected by weak linkages that respond to continuous external processes and transmit the impulses between components in order to maintain equilibrium. The system is in a constant dialogue between force and adaption, operating within a cyclic time perspective. ‘Venice itself looms like a mirage, a dream city in the ether. And this impression of unreality persists even to the very threshold. The coloured phantoms of the buildings, floating on a watery surface, seem to be lighter than all other houses one has ever seen.’ 1 Much mystery and allure is associated with Venice, the city established on water as protection from enemies. Most stories concern its sinking due to geological and human activities, and that it is frequently flooded; others claim that the city is inhabited merely by tourists, with almost no local residents actually living there. Foremost however, Venice constitutes a fascinating example of a weak system with an adaptable ability. The dramatic variability of environmental conditions, its unique geographical location and interaction with the surrounding bodies of water has had an immense impact on the development of the architecture in response to these contingencies.
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