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Augmented reality and other virtual digital displays can revolutionize they way we interact within architectural spaces. When sitting in your office, experiencing a museum or simply learning in school, occupants already use digital media to carry out even the most basic of tasks. Just imagine what the evolution of augmented reality can do.

For starters, we can now see the beginning to how buildings can evolve internal “nervous systems”. Designers are beginning to think of “connections” in whole new ways.

Not only can spaces become less “local”, they can gain even greater dimension as real-time information gets processed through the building to provide visitors with a broader sense of where they are and what they can do.

YOU ARE THE BAROMETER

Similar to the glass evolution in architecture, real-time virtual “models” of information are making space less limited. Space is gaining transient abilities. It is becoming less static and more in tune with what its occupants really need and want.

Architects will need to act as the barometer for these augmented reality spaces — so virtual information can integrate and work with architectural form.

The key is to bring all of these emerging technologies back to the essence of human comfort: health, safety, happiness, productivity and so on. Without targeting the most basic of human needs, everything else could fall by the wayside.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Norebbo | Dreamstime

We all know that computer technology has done a lot to advance not only the way the design process can work, but also to improve the constructed outcome of that design process.

That’s why I think it’s important to shed some light on what “aural renderings” can do. (1) You, as an architect, can actually listen to a designed space as built to the parameters of your three dimensional CAD model. Here is a detailed description of the process that goes into creating such an aural rendering:

A 3-D model of the space is built using CAD software, and this model is transferred to an acoustical modeling software package. The acoustical consultant assigns acoustical properties to the modeled room’s surfaces (or potential construction materials) and places sound sources and listener locations. The software then calculates the propagation of sound from the source to the listener using algorithms based on ray-tracing combined with statistical reverberation calculation and other techniques to account for sound scattering and diffraction. The calculated room impulse responses are then convolved with audio material that has been recorded anechoically – in a space free from echoes or reflections – to generate a realistic and listenable result (a piano recital, a busy wedding banquet, or a ceremonial speech as it will sound in the yet-to-be-built space). (1)

EXPERIENCING YOUR BUILDING BEFORE YOUR OCCUPANTS DO

Yes, you can visualize your building’s design and perhaps its final outcome, but so many variables are at play once the building is constructed. Can you be certain that your designed spaces will not only function, but also feel the way you intend?

Simulation technologies can be an extremely helpful tool to you during your design phases. And they can be quite valuable as you must make many decisions during those phases to produce a quality architectural design that realizes your vision.

For instance, the aural qualities to a space may not be so evident in a fly-thru animation; however, an aural rendering may make that space come alive in a way the fly-thru does not. As you know, different modeling techniques can inform you of different things.

As technology develops with new ways to “visualize” your complex architectural designs, wouldn’t it be nice to have a way to fuse them together? Why not visually render a space capturing its light levels at a specific time of day while also aurally rendering how it will sound during a specific function?

Really, the possibilities (and opportunities) become endless. The key is to pull the best of what technology has to offer so you are informed with vital information that helps you make great design decisions.

Don’t use computer technology as a crutch, but strive to push the boundary with them.

(1) Sacks, Jonah & Pieleanu, Ioana. Technology Transforms Architectural Drawings into Aural Renderings. Architechweb.com. September 2009.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Dejanj01 | Dreamstime

This article is the third article in a three part series. To read the first and second article in the series, please click on the links below:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1
• Previous Article: Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2

THE MANY TYPES OF FEAR

There are so many places where just approaching a building can cause fear, simply because of the institution type. Take hospitals, for instance. Patients like to feel safe and that they’re getting the best treatment; however, factors like medical technologies that beep and buzz make sounds that can sometimes cause patients to feel fear during their recovery process.

That is one type of fear, but there are others. What about hotel security? For that matter, what about office buildings located in urban settings where their mere locations can pose a threat to occupants.

A building can be wonderful inside, but the way it meets its surrounding site and interacts with its surrounding neighbors can work wonders when trying to turn fear into feelings of safety for occupants.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR LANDSCAPE

Actually, simple things can make a big difference. For instance, for apartment complexes you might want to pay particular attention to the height of bushes and the location of the garbage dumpster. It is found that persons “up to no-good” can hide behind or within such nooks.

Another simple thing you can do is to pay attention to how you light the exterior of your building. In addition to creating an entry that is visible so others may offer natural surveillance, lighting can often deter your building from becoming a scary experience for your occupants as they approach and enter at night.

Often, simple solutions can be sparked during the design phase of your building project and you can begin to turn an otherwise fearful experience into a secure one.

BRINGING GREEN-SPACE AND COMMUNITY INDOORS

A bit more complex is dealing with the type of fear that can cause anxiety within a space and actually deter your occupant from having a joyful, healthy and productive experience.

Let’s go back to our original hospital example from the beginning of this article. Fostering community can go a long way to not only reduce feelings of fear, but promote feelings of safety. (1) In a hospital this is extremely important, as too much anxiety and stress can actually have a detrimental affect on a patient’s healing process.

Similar to what I explained in my previous article entitled Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2, greenery and community are vital. For our hospital example, these principles can be integrated into the interior. For instance, it has been found that patients with a view of a tree from their hospital room window recover significantly better than those with no view. The same can be said for patients that have a common space within or near their room for their visitors (like family and friends).

Although designing for green areas and shared community spaces might seem simple and somewhat obvious, the trick is to implement these in innovative ways. Once you understand how such simple mind-shifts can improve your designs, your buildings will inherently be able to reduce fear and foster feelings of safety in the right places and at just the right times.

READ THE PREVIOUS ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES

This article is the third article in a three part series. To read the first and second article in the series, please click on the links below:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1
• Previous Article: Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2

(1) Earthbeat – Safety in cities and the architecture of fear. RNW – Radio Netherlands Worldwide. On Air: September 17-19, 2009.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Erdosain | Dreamstime

This article is the second article in a three part series. To read the first article in the series, please click on the link below:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1

SAFETY INSIDE AND OUT

In my previous article entitled Designing Architecture for a Sense of Safety — Part 1, I explained why the “context” surrounding your building is so important. This led to my discussing “The Big Question” that cuts to the heart of what your building is truly promoting — fortress-like protection or a shelter that also provides a sense of safety which spreads into the surrounding community.

It is so important to provide your visitors with a sense of safety through your architectural designs. Of course, the way you go about doing this can take different forms, but there are some overriding principles that can help your building to foster these feelings of safety. This involves building an environment which promotes trust by building community. (1)

IN AN IDEAL WORLD

Many buildings today, depending on their surroundings and context, seek to have a presence which is unique, safe and extends out into the community.

Yet, in some places around the world, crime is rising to a point that is “forcing” designers to turn their built environments inward, to shut their occupants out from their surroundings. Yes, this is a form of protection, but does it really provide occupants with feelings of safety? And is this “gated-type” approach truly helping the overall problem? (1)

In an ideal world, buildings should foster both security and community. So, in a crime-ridden world, this becomes a major first step for architects to contribute to a solution.

HOW CAN BUILDING A COMMUNITY HELP?

The example talked about in the radio broadcast entitled Earthbeat: Safety in Cities and the Architecture of Fear, painted the picture of how the Borneo-Sporenburg Project in Amsterdam dealt with issues of safety.

The most powerful message from this radio discussion is the notion that sometimes it’s beneficial to design outward facing entrances. The beauty of this project’s design is that all of the homes’ doors face outward onto sidewalks which also face a larger green-scape. (1)

The result is that homeowners plant flowers to line the sidewalks and children play within the green-scape. Consequently, neighbors act as natural surveillance while streets gain much needed life full of purposeful interactions. (1)

A lot can be learned from such a project. In particular, the way your building communicates with its context is key. Your building can be designed to feel safe inside as well as outside. Strive to make the immediate surroundings lively, interactive and enjoyable. This sort of designing will build “trust amongst strangers”. (1)

FEELINGS OF FEAR

Too much security can actually cause feelings of fear. The author Anna Milton says it best when she states “The more security they have the more security they want.” (1)

In the next article you will lean more about how to reduce feelings of fear for your occupants when they’re interacting with your building design. It is a delicate balance to build safety while reducing fear. Hospitals, hotels and office buildings are only a few examples that bring home this point.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE SERIES:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1
• Next Article: Buildings that Cause Occupants to Feel Fear — Part 3

(1) Earthbeat – Safety in cities and the architecture of fear. RNW – Radio Netherlands Worldwide. On Air: September 17-19, 2009.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Strategically placed hydraulophones are one way to get your occupants interacting with your design — and with each other.

Often, architecture can resemble a musical instrument. When designed well, both are beautiful, fun to experience and a treat for the senses. The following is an example that shows how a natural element, like water, can be used to change the behavior of people passing by.

Located in parks and some urban settings this hydraulophone gets visitors to interact in some new and refreshing ways. Take a peak at how it works and then think of ways you can get occupants to interact within your design by awakening their senses.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: alefbetac | Flickr

MOVING INFLUENCES “SEEING”

As an occupant travels toward, around and through a building, their perception of that building deepens. Each view challenges and adds to the next, as a complex montage comes together to influence that occupant as they perceive architecture.

Human movement is important for you, as an architect, to understand — not just because of how a person’s body might relate to a design, but also because of how that body influences the rest of that person’s perception. This includes physiological, intellectual and emotional elements.

PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER

Movement by an occupant allows for a type of sequence, where they can capture architectural stillness through a series. (1) As sight, sound, smell, touch and taste senses are activated, movement helps occupants piece together that stimuli.

Even the height and position of an occupant’s head, eyes and ears impact how they perceive your building — influencing not only how they interact within it, but also, how they will remember it and explain it to others.

DESIGN A NARRATIVE

As you design, you need to remember this: Your building should become more than an arrangement of functions that meet programmatic needs. It must be so much more.

Architecture should become a type of narrative, where certain systems overlap or flow to lead occupants on experiential journeys. Just imagine how some of the best films you have seen do this. Then, create your own, in three-dimensional form.

By doing this, you give occupant’s the freedom to project themselves into the space so they can “interpret” your design — allowing for personalized reactions to universal and timely architectural elements.

Each occupant will then be able to capture something truly meaningful.

(1) As, Imadat and Schodek, Daniel. Re-Visions – Recording Architecture I. School of Design. 2004.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: bee721 | Flickr

All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.

— Philip Johnson

WHAT IS GREAT ARCHITECTURE?

Buildings are all over the place, but not all buildings are architecture. In the above quote, Philip Johnson talks about the point where a building becomes great architecture, taking an occupant to another level where a space actually “touches” a person. Through the senses, emotion, cognition and even spiritual moments — a great building has qualities that “move” you.

I think that as architects we should strive to achieve such qualities in our work, going beyond the programmatic to reach a type of language that speaks through our style. Great architecture most usually exhibits this type of quality, conveying to occupants in renewed ways or simply reminding them of something they have felt before.

Either way, great architecture taps into human experience — uncovering and creating that which inspires and often stirs our soul.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What do you think makes great architecture? What great architecture have you experienced? How did it “move” you?

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman