Rapid Cities - Responsive Architectures: A conference examining design, planning & construction in the modern world AMPS | American University of Dubai Page 46 RESPONSIVE MEGASTRUCTURES: GROWING FUTURE CITIES FOR GLOBAL CHALLENGES Author: ADAM BLANEY, NICK DUNN Institution: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY, UK INTRODUCTION In an era of rapid transformation and global uncertainties it is evident we need to forge new pathways for the design, delivery and sustainability of future cities. 1 In this paper, we propose a novel approach that aims to tackle such issues through our speculative design for a ‘responsive megastructure’, based on principles highlighted from our ongoing future visioning and prototyping research. We discuss the important role developing visions for future cities plays in seeking to address global challenges alongside how the development of a novel vision reveals and reframes key challenges in our prototyping research. By doing so, we define what a responsive megastructure might be and how it could be designed and fabricated to maximise its performative capacities and capabilities. The paper is structured into five sections. First, we provide a brief survey of past visions of megastructures to identify relevant key characteristics. Second, we then provide a definition of the criteria for our responsive megastructure. Third, we explain our design and fabrication approach for programming granular matter. Fourth, we present our vision for a responsive megastructure. Finally, we discuss the various benefits and challenges of this approach, prior to outlining several future research trajectories for this work. In doing so, we present a new vision for megastructures, where matter can be aggregated and scaled to grow future cities, that can embody the complexities of urban life in contexts around the world and respond to their situation and future challenges. PAST FUTURES OF MEGASTRUCTURES Future cities have long been dreamt up by a wide range of artists, architects, and designers. 2 As the impacts of industrialisation began to increasingly characterise urban landscapes around the world, these were reflected in visions of fast-paced future cities in the twentieth century and the technological thrust that drove many of these. Furthermore, as the complexity of urban life became apparent, the need and desire for architects and urban designers to respond to this situation led to a variety of attempts to envision future cities in spectacular ways. 3 Through this impulse, the mid-twentieth century gave rise to the megastructure as physical embodiment of technological prowess to address the problems of urban populations. 4 For example, Kenzo Tange’s 1960 vision for the Plan of Tokyo included a network of transport infrastructures, floating residential islands, and concentrated urban centres to alleviate development pressures within the existing city. It took growth processes of biological organisms as a metaphor for future cities to illustrate how they