Image Credit: seier+seier | Flickr

Image Credit: seier+seier | Flickr

Building skin has the power to hide and protect while also serving to display and reveal. And in particular, building skin that is transient takes on the ability to do all of these things. For example, the Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen maintains a skin that uses screens which change their display dependent upon time of day and seasons. Such a versatile building skin makes for a building that is more adaptive — able to brighten dark days, and able to further “broadcast” inner productions.

Building skin must often accomplish so much, from energy efficiency to aesthetic appeal. And there is more that can be done. For instance, what happens when a building skin can appear and disappear in time? Suddenly, the interior becomes public as the building skin makes itself invisible. The building becomes chameleon-like, able to …[Read Full Article]…

Image: rox sm | Flickr

The experience of mobile architecture can be quite a powerful thing. Take for instance the BMW Guggenheim Laboratory that was constructed in New York — there, on a rather small lot, this lab was assembled to serve as think-tank and community center. And the beauty of this is that such architecture does a lot to uplift an area.

To explain further as to why this is the case, the following are seven reasons why mobile architecture can be a good thing for a local community: …[Read Full Article]…

Image Credit: rox sm | Flickr

Architecture surrounds occupants, it engages them, and it guides them. A well designed work can make an experience brighter, livelier, happier, and more meaningful. So, why are so many buildings today designed at the status quo, where they are there to meet the bare essentials? Perhaps it is because many architects today do not think in terms of holistic design thinking.

You see, holistic design is a work that considers all of the senses. It is a place where aspects like attention, focus, learning, and memory have been addressed. Holistically designed places can be soothing, comfortable, inspirational, and even beautiful.

The main idea is to not get rid of …[Read Full Article]…

Image Credit: szeke | Flickr

Did you know that there is memory bias? That is, memory can be changed, boosted, or impaired. So, if this is the case: What makes building occupants form stronger architectural memories than others?

Well, according to a Memory Bias article in Science Daily, there are many ways that memory bias can occur – but there are three main aspects. They are humor, positivity, and self-generated memories. Each of these latter aspects can boost memory in people. So, with this, I wonder how these play a role in architectural design.

After all, there are times where a design can be funny (or fun). There are times when a design can accentuate the positive over the negative. And there are times when a design can help an occupant self-generate information to …[Read Full Article]…

Image: MAZZALIARMADI.IT |Flickr

Working memory is a part of everyone’s life. That is, it is the combination of the processes that go on during focused attention. Until now, it has been thought that such working memory is really limited to only one focused task, but now there is a theory that working memory is really a sum total of different processes that go on to accomplish tasks. (1)

For instance, say you’re involved in focused attention to get ready for a presentation. Well, the tasks that you are involved with to finish your presentation may be numerous, and may vary widely in terms of the type of work that needs to be done. Reading is a different task from building a design model, for instance. And when you engage with the task of …[Read Full Article]…

Image: Jeremy Levine Design | Flickr

Comfort in architecture can relate to many aspects of how a building gets designed. It’s not always just about temperature control — the issue that gets so much attention anytime building comfort gets mentioned. In fact, building comfort has a lot to do with how an architectural built form engages an occupant through all of their senses, particularly when considering the harmonization between them…like with factors of lighting, materiality, sound, and so on.

Ideally, building comfort also includes your architectural ability to foresee occupant need before they even know they need it. This boost in performance will likely have your occupants’ say to themselves… “I didn’t realize I needed this. But now that I have it, I do not want to be without it.” Through this lens, building comfort transcends the senses as it evolves to trigger aspects like …[Read Full Article]…

Image: tegioz | Flickr

Building structure, at face value, is about the framework that holds up the building. But what does a commercial steel building structure reveal about the building perceptually? Does the rhythm of its components add to the excitement of experiencing an architectural work? And when do structural elements that are further detailed (as when a column is uniquely articulated), take on their own behavioral fabric?

Well, there are times when building structure contributes to a magnificent positive tension between building elements and their composition. And this “tension”, if executed well, can make for quite an exciting place to experience.

If you take into account much of Santiago Calatrava’s architectural designs, you cannot help but be inspired by the type of tension his works radiate. As the structures embrace the rhythm that becomes …[Read Full Article]…

Image: Averain | Flickr

Have you ever thought about how crowd mentality factors into architectural design? Well, as you can see in the photo of the Spanish Steps, there is a prime example of crowd mentality, showing what happens when a simple factor like sunlight enters the picture. Do you notice how most of the people are sitting in the shade? And have you ever thought about analyzing your building design and its site in these terms?

The exterior areas of your building design are not just “blank” masses of area that are used the same throughout. Instead you may like to think of them as exterior “rooms” where factors like light, temperature, noise, smell, texture or even wind can have a significant effect. So for instance, you may design and exterior plaza, but it may not be used in the same way throughout. Additionally, it may be used much differently from the way you originally intended.

And of course, there are those times where exterior elements just outside of buildings are used by skateboarders to perform a trick or even simply by a person trying to …[Read Full Article]…

Image: telmo32 | Flickr

There is something to be said about a design when it simply presents the user with only what is needed, when it is needed. Simple design does not mean that it is simplistic, but rather that it has stripped away the extraneous and unnecessary that would only confuse or belittle the power of the true underlying design core. This is often a strength of minimal architecture.

In fact, the image to the right depicts how a simple line can be manipulated to express such vast space and dimension — all by expressing form, color and a simple vision that brings the viewer in. Some may say that the success of the iPhone is built upon a similar type of minimalism that makes the user experience an intuitive and joyful one. And much like the line image above, just because it is based on the power of the simple, does not mean that it does not have an inherent complexity.

In applying what a simpler design can do within architecture, I invite you to take a look at the following Electrolux Design Concept, entitled Heart of the Home. As you watch the animation, notice how a simple surface can morph into exactly what a user needs, at precisely the time they need it. Additionally, what is presented in simple form, is made to adjust according to user controls to help a person reach their goal — in this case to prepare a great meal with ease.

On this Sensing Architecture site, I often talk about …[Read Full Article]…

Image: brendan skinner | Flickr

You can work with your building’s surroundings by repressing them, hiding from them, celebrating them, juxtaposing them, making fun of them, uplifting them, supporting them, replacing them, improving them, or even changing them. Look beyond your building’s immediate site, to analyze that which surrounds it. Look at what is permanent and semi-permanent, and at that which is intangible – like the surrounding culture. These issues can inform your architectural site analysis too.

So the next time you are trying to get to the core of your design problem for a particular project, take a moment (or better yet, a physical trip) out to explore what surrounds your building’s site. After all, your building may have a physical site boundary, but it can visually be seen from much further — and thus, experienced from vantage points which you may not consider if you do not extend your own perspective beyond your own site’s boundary.

I mention this because there are times when an architect is asked to design a building within a context that may be challenging because of its unique peculiarities. For instance, during an extensive site analysis you may discover that there are noise issues coming from afar during certain times of day or night that will affect functionality within your building design. Another example is that there may be advertisements or cultural artwork within the surrounding area — it will be up to you, whether to …[Read Full Article]…