November 16, 2007

Architecture, Virtuality, User Manipulated Spaces

When thinking about virtuality and architecture, virtuality or virtual objects in architectural case should be questioned. Because if virtuality is only kept as an idea in imagination, it describes a potential that is actually impossible to come true. Virtuality in architecture however, has the opportunity to go beyond these boundaries, as it starts to describe “existence” in virtuality, as we can see examples like “Liquid Architecture” and “Trans Architecture”.

With the effect of information technologies, today’s architecture isn’t only described by form-function relationship. Interaction, interface and the idea of creating living surfaces forces architecture to change constantly. Now, form and function don’t have to stable. Information isn’t only replying the “how” question of materials anymore, it is an indispensable part.

The combination of architecture and virtuality takes materials beyond their physical properties, giving them except from “touch” also changeability and fluidity.

Interactive architecture can be changed by the user. One of the example is “Hyper surfaces” which are liquid architecture applications (media layers) that are attached to architectural object’s topographic surfaces. Ron Arad designed the borders of a space by screens at his “lo-rez-dolores-tabula-rasa” design. Borders aren’t only working as limits, describers, surroundings, they are also moving structures, getting closer, going far away, giving reactions, enriching experiences as information surfaces like Decoi’s hypersurface application “Aegis Hypersurface”.

Another example can be Oosterhuis’s “Muscle Body” project. At this project, the object is designed as a whole architectural body. It reacts in different ways depending on the user’s body movements (the user is placed inside the design) with the help of vir-tool software. This introduces users to a constant movement experience.

Material property isn’t the only thing that is changing. All these developments effect the design time and tools used by the designer: digital design technologies, parametric design tools, productive systems that are based on structural grammar, diagram based information collection systems, evolutionist systems that are annotating genetic algorithms, animation techniques combining design and production and personally developed mass production integrated systems are commonly used.

New technologies let users experience multiple dimensions of artifacts whose objectivity can be changed. This situation makes the aim more important than the result; is the aim idea a temporary or variable representation or the design of a consistent object that has rules and laws? Remembering Goethe’s words: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it”.

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