Image: nate steiner | Flickr

Samsung has come out with a transparent smart window, and I think it will be interesting to see how this impacts architectural design. You see, such a smart window provides much added functionality — particularly if certain apps get created for this particular “window-type” smart use.

Now, before I go on, I’d like to show you what these transparent smart windows look like. Here’s the video:

So, will such a smart window do much to improve architectural design? Or could it destroy an architectural design if not integrated correctly? Well, I think it can do both, depending on how it’s used.

I think the placement of such smart windows will be paramount, as will attention to making sure technology isn’t getting in the way. You see, such a smart window is really all about what is going on inside of a room. But I question — what will happen if the window begins to use apps that also take into account what is going on in the nearby exterior? What if the window becomes more truly interactive?

Suddenly, this transparent smart window will act as a communication portal that connects the interior with the exterior in new ways. Already, checking your Twitter account is an “exterior”, but what about your immediate surrounding context?

In order for the smart window to be truly innovative (where it is more than just a computer slapped onto a window), it needs to go-between what a window does and what a computer does. In other words, I think with appropriate app development, some pretty amazing things can be achieved with such a transparent smart window.

For instance, the window succeeds in tying “window” with “computer” as it provides weather information. While simple in theory, looking out of this window will give you more weather information than looking out of a non-smart window. Suddenly, you can not only see the sunshine outside through the window, but you can also see the forecast which calls for rain later in the day. Thus, looking out of this window provides “bigger eyes” — allowing you to delve deeper.

The main point with all of this is to make sure that if you use such a window in your design, it is not fragmenting functionalities for occupants. In other words, make sure that it is uniting functionalities, where associations are more streamlined and congruent. Thus, this smart window can really serve to improve your architectural design if you are conscientious about where and how it will be used. Placement within a home, office, or school could make or break its success.

Place it in the wrong location and this smart window could be a wasted opportunity where it gets in the way. I am also curious as to how finger-prints are dealt with which may obstruct any views.

The key here is to not see this window as simply a boundary between interior and exterior, but as a portal which could also connect two interior spaces. The notion of a “transparent smart surface” will likely manifest into better architectural design uses, as that opens up the potential for more creativity in getting this “window” used in new and more truly innovative ways.

So, all in all, I’d say this is a great step forward — but now it’s up to designers to figure out how best to incorporate such a technology so it’s not in the way, but instead shows the way. Perhaps the magic will reside in the apps that get uploaded to this window; thus, its functionality will provide for better architectural experiences where not only eyes become “bigger”, but the other senses do as well.

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© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image Credit: Wolfgang Staudt | Flickr

A recent study was done, mentioned in The Economist article entitled Pricing and the Brain: Hitting the Spot, where actual changes within the brain occur that substantiate this: If told something is more valuable, then a person actually enjoys it more. As the article explains, there may be something to this involving expectation. So how does this relate to architectural design?

Well, what if upon entering a building, someone told you that it was designed by a very famous and prestigious architect? Do you think you would enjoy your experience within that building more than if you didn’t know this fact? Perhaps you would pay more attention to the building, its details, and engage with it more than if you had never known about its renowned creator. Would you take extra time while within the building to savor it? My guess is that the average person probably would.

But the implication of this notion of heightened perceived value affecting architectural enjoyment doesn’t end there.

What about the exterior of your building? Do you think this might have an effect upon how well-received and enjoyable your architecture is for occupants? Just as when proper marketing can boost product enjoyment, as explained in The Economist article, perhaps the way you “guide” your occupants into your building plays a role in their enjoyment of it once inside.

Within this way of thinking, your building exterior becomes ever more important as it sets the stage — and your occupants’ expectations about their impending experience. An exterior that is well designed will automatically send triggers to your occupant which let them know that what awaits them on the inside will be of equal or higher value for them. And since you would be setting this high expectation, it is important to get the design of the interior right — so as to not fall short of reaching their expectations.

So, the important thing for you to remember here is that you are always setting or meeting expectations for your occupants as they travel about your building. You’re setting them up for value, and your goal is to reach that value for them with your design. Thus, as you design, you should always think about what you are showing your occupants about the perceived value of your building. And I’m not talking just about the actual cost of the building, but also the design attention given to details that indicate it is a building design of high quality: a one-of-a-kind and valuable architectural experience.

Additionally, your clients will like this way of thinking as well, since they often want to promote some sort of experiential enjoyment within their buildings. The key is to understand how to design your work so that it communicates value to occupants early-on in their experience. This will help to ensure that their experience will be one of enjoyment, if their expectations are met by your design.

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© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: jurvetson | Flickr

Lately, many technologies are surfacing that help with the tracking of a person’s physiological signals for health. Such a technology is sleep tracking technology which monitors heart rate, movement, and breathing. So, when a person lies in bed sleeping, data is being collected about the quality of that person’s sleep. (1)

Yet, what can you, as an architect, do with such data to help your occupants? And can architecture be the go-between that pulls from data which tracks health, to emitting environmental stimuli which promotes health? Well, I say the answer to the latter question is yes, and for the answer to the first question: read on.

Just imagine if the two could work together: tracking health and promoting health. With tracking, you would find health problems, and with promoting you would treat and prevent health problems. Thus, to make this work, the tracking device and the architecture would need to communicate.

As the device detects shifts in the health algorythms of an occupant, the architecture could pull from this data to release just-in-time environmental stimuli to cater to the particular occupant need.

For example, a sleep monitoring device might detect an occupant tossing and turning in bed while trying to sleep at night. If the architecture could pull from that data (communicating with the device), sensory design could really help the architecture to interactively emit stimuli to prevent further sleep disturbances. Some architectural aspects which could be tailored might include the adjustment of temperature, lighting, sound, and even scent.

So I now ask you to think about how your architecture could be improved if it could communicate with a device within it. What would that communication need to be like in order to make for a successful architectural design response? And how would your architecture be better as a result of that communication?

(1) Simonite, Tom. Sleep Sensor Hides Beneath the Mattress. Technology Review. November 9, 2011.

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© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

There is a point where architecture works hand-in-hand with the objects within it: such as in a museum which houses artifacts in exhibits or in a home which makes way for different technological installations like phones, televisions, and computers. That is where we are today, but what about tomorrow?

What will happen to architecture when the objects within it gain these mega-functions? How will that architecture change from where we are today?

For starters, buildings will gain a more advanced “nervous system”. They will be better connected, and because of that — they will be better communicators. Buildings will pull information from objects to help occupants live better, healthier lives. And interactivity between architecture and its occupants will be more meaningful and personalized.

After all, just think about what architecture could do if the objects which its occupants use everyday could tell it more about how to help its occupants. Interactions would be better between buildings and people, and between person-to-person interfaces.

In the end, a better communication between architecture and its objects, assuming those objects gained mega-functionality, would lead to buildings that could lead the way toward prevention, quick treatment response, and highly tailored in-progress assistance for occupants.

So, keep an eye on those everyday objects which your building occupants use. There is a wealth of information in them that can make your building better.

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© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

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There is a principle when it comes to systems optimization which says that if one part of the system is broken, you should look at the part just before it — because it is likely that that is where the problem really originates from. And to me, this principle can be carried through into architecture as you begin to look at how an occupant travels through built forms, from space to space, or from room to room. I think of course that the design of the grand featured and climactic gesture within an architecture is of paramount importance, but I also think that the transition which leads occupants into and from that featured space is of extremely high importance as well. With a transitional space within architecture, you have the power to “set up” an occupant impression. You can give them hints about what is to come, or you can minimize what awaits them to ultimately give them a grand surprise. Similarly, as an occupant exits a main and grand featured architectural space, a transition can help them to synthesize what they have experienced, as they form their last memories and impressions that they will carry with them once exited. Transitions can occur in the exterior and the interior, and within what is between the two. The key is to think about transition as a means of preparation for what is next, or synthesis of what has come. Because your occupants will always be taking next steps as they experience your building, those transitions will help them to synthesize what they are experiencing, while also preparing them for the desirable reaction which you as a designer hope for.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

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Boundary within building design involves factors like layering, filtering, and opening or closing. It is a way for you as an architect to communicate to your occupants about where they were, where they are, and where they are going. While boundaries do define, they also reveal — by allowing different entities or spaces to communicate with each other through your buildings occupants’ perceptions. The way your boundary is handled during building design will likely determine how your occupant travels through it, their ability to create a mental map to form memories of the place, and their ability to communicate with their environment, each other, and the exterior world around them. So think of boundary as more than a line which separates two entities — also think of it as a bridge by which those two entities can interrelate. And the way you design your boundaries determine exactly how those two entities interrelate — ultimately impacting how your occupants think, feel, and behave.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Featured Image Takeaway Design Strategy:

There are many aspects within architecture that designers currently take for granted simply because they have been done the same way for so long. While there is reason and need to meet proper building codes and other regulations, I still do think it is good for a design to question even those aspects which seem to not need questioning. Take for instance Carlo Scarpa’s stair, where his design redefines how one might think of and use a stair — where each step, left and right, moves you upward along its path. When encountering such an innovation in design, just imagine what your occupants might think and feel as they travel through. For instance, is such a Scarpa stair preparing them as an entrance would? Or could it be an exit from a memorable building experience? The main idea is to challenge the assumptions which you take for granted, to not always let yourself settle into that “default” way of thinking, and to open up opportunities for you to explore ways in which to enrich your occupants’ experiences as they journey through your building.

To Apply This Strategy, Ask Yourself:

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

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Variation in building design can contribute a lot toward achieving a harmonic design balance. Unified designs often celebrate differences as much as they celebrate sameness, and it is the interaction between the two that may yield a simple complexity. Be aware that your variation does not turn into complication — but instead celebrates needed and essential differences that contribute to the strength of your building design works. Additionally, variation gives way to hierarchy and structure, both of which help in stripping away its unnecessary complications. The key is to tap into the core of your design, where you remove the unessential to reveal what is most meaningful, simply and beautifully. So use the notion of variation to determine, if within your work, what is complex has given way to what is complicated. If it has, delve into reaching into the essence and core of your design by studying its variations— for I think that they will reveal the essential differences and samenesses that will make your work something meaningful to experience.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Thus, each photograph within the slideshow below represents an answer to the following question:

When Do You Experience Innovation in Architecture?

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I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter and Facebook followers by clicking on the “re-tweet” and “like” button at the beginning of this page.

Image Credits (in order of appearance): Flickr —
Sven Lindner, inspiration_seeker, jglsongs, Jakob Montrasio, George Lu, CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK, sergis blog.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Patrick Haney | Flickr

I invite you to think about how you can use dynamic installations within your built form designs to enhance effects for your occupants as they travel and experience your buildings. For example, with video installations you may make a statement, create a new kind of beauty or even “reframe” something that has been in existence without changing for a long time.

The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, Chicago, presents quite a unique experience. Through video that is integrated into its built form, this design brings forth activity, meaning and engagement for its users. As you can see in the image above, the video (of the face) has been set to synchronize with natural elements that are also in motion — and as water springs forward, human curiosity to engage is triggered.

By giving built form a way to reframe its context in real time — where LED lights light the front face of each tower as water streams outward — the combination between nature (in this case water), built form, and video create such a unique dialogue that those experiencing it will likely not forget it anytime soon.

The use of video within built form can take on other approaches as well.

With video installation you also have the power to personalize in a new way, to transform with changing times very easily, and to play with scale and timing anew. Additionally, video can serve to instruct building occupants, to motivate or inspire them, or to comfort them if they are suffering.

So as you design architecture, think strategically about the installations which will inhabit your built form once constructed. Realize that more than just placement of a video installation is important, and that what is played on the video installation can contribute to or detract from your design.

For example, think of how video could be used in a hospital room for patients recovering from surgery. Yes, in many hospitals today you see televisions which allow patients to distract themselves by watching television shows on various channels, but what if you could convey more to the patient through a video installation that is designed to work with their environment to help them through the various stages of healing?

So my reminder is simply this — create your installations as integrated into your design. You will find that your design will become less dependent upon such installations, or conversely, that your design will benefit greatly from having a well thought out and strategic installation embedded.

So, as you experience different buildings today while going about your daily life, pay attention to the various built form video installations. Look at what they are doing for the space and for the people within, and think about how they could be made better to improve the quality of life for those that experience them.

Please Tell Me What You Think

I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter and Facebook followers by clicking on the “re-tweet” and “like” button at the beginning of this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman