Leslie Son

The University of Auckland

Today we are excited to share our conversation with Leslie Son (He/Him); who is the first to share his work with us through our submission link!

Leslie is a 4th-year student at the University of Auckland and shares how his exchange to Seoul, Korea reinvigorated his passion for design and how this has shaped the direction of his projects moving forward.

SANNZ: Hi Leslie! Thanks for sharing your portfolio - it looks incredible and we’re excited to be able to discuss it. First, what is your architectural inspiration?

Leslie: I’m inspired by how data-based thinking can start to build a more human-centric urban landscape. ETH Zurich and MIT Media lab have been big inspirations to me through the research they pursue, and the open-source tools they provide for any student around the world to utilize.

More specifically, Carson Smut's research into hardware and software user interfaces leveraging the unique abilities of both man and machine. His Escape Pod project illustrates an interesting example of space becoming an interface. He is also the developer of the machine learning plugin of octopus and other tools.

SANNZ: That’s awesome! What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio and how does the data influence it?

Leslie: My favourite body of work is Automata. With the theme of pleasure in the city, this D6 project investigates the ways large digital corporations (Facebook, Twitter, Google and etc) utilize data to manipulate consumers to keep them on the hedonistic treadmill.

The project best showcases the sheer potential of data-based thinking and how it can be architecturally translated. It utilizes pedestrian simulation and Twitter's API in order to extract people's data to create a breathing organism where the forms evolved according to the occupants within it. It utilizes dynamic cloth ceilings to manipulate the boundaries of space to utilize the social data of each user in the building and keep them in the digestive system of consumption.

I created an interface where there are no distinct walls, but through the use of dynamic fabrics, it is possible to manipulate the scale of space. Everything is automated from the manufacturing to the delivery of the products that are sold within the building.

It is a dystopic approach to what can potentially be realized with the way corporations utilize data in the context of architecture.

SANNZ: Why did you pursue this theory and the relationship between architecture and data?

Leslie: The decentralization of information and power that occurs within the bounds of the internet always keeps me interested in creating works that seem out of this world initially, but upon deeper investigation shows that it already exists in the digital world.

Lebbeus Woods is also a big inspiration! Specifically, in his book OneFiveFour where he explores architecture beyond the bounds of conventional architecture. This is what I resonate with.

SANNZ: Given Lebbeus rarely saw his work explored in the physical world, how do you personally balance the unconventional with the conventional?

Leslie: While the theory of my project may seem dystopic, the design process grounds the project as it utilizes real-life data from people's internet footprints and integrates what comes from an unconventional theory into a realistic interface.

Overall, my projects come from a place of dystopic theory and utilize digital tools to integrate those ideas into possible solutions.

SANNZ: Given the complexities of this project, what is your favourite medium to use when you’re designing?

Leslie: My preferred method of designing is digital / scripting. I first got exposed to it during my exchange in Korea.

In Korea, they tend to look at the cutting edge of architecture and how technology can influence design which was quite reinvigorating compared to the more artistic approach that I feel New Zealand has. That kind of problem-solving approach was something I really resonated with and wanted to continue investigating even after I got back from my exchange.

This method of design showed me how powerful one person can be with these easily accessible digital tools, and how they can come up with solutions for complex issues ranging from optimizing structural members to minimize their mass and save weight, to visualizing the political positions of Auckland's citizens in relation to their geo-location.

SANNZ: Not many people have the opportunity to go on an exchange, how did your exchange to Seoul influence you as a designer?

I felt lost and unsure of what I wanted to do in my first two years of architecture school in New Zealand. The exchange sits as a turning point as my motivation to pursue the field of design in a way that I never knew was an option during my time in New Zealand.

I've met extremely brilliant students and professors who were investigating the cutting-edge technologies of architecture and integrate those processes as an integral part of their curriculum. I felt excited and intrigued in a way I was never before.

SANNZ: That sounds like an incredible experience! What are other methods of data manipulation you’ve used, and what is something that you would like to do next?

Leslie: I've done structural and shading optimization with machine learning, analyzing the social media profiles of Auckland's citizens and for my next research I'd love to investigate more cutting edge design processes like topological optimization and incorporating additive manufacturing to create forms that were otherwise impossible before.

SANNZ: As you're currently in your 4th year, there is an opportunity for you to do this in your thesis next year! Is there anything else you’d like to do?

Leslie: I'm really interested in further pursuing how to integrate digital tools to create an interface between people and the space they occupy. I'm unsure of how I'll approach that at the moment but I am extremely interested in working collaboratively with other departments to create something cool!

SANNZ: Thank you for sharing your work! I have no doubt that we will be seeing your thesis showcased here too! In the meantime, where can we keep up to date with your work?

Leslie: You can see more images and videos on my portfolio website!

Interview by Cameron Rossouw

Photographs and work supplied by Leslie Son