Image: Nanotube | Ynse | Dreamstime

We live in an age where scientific progress continues to transform human lifestyle. This is evermore true when it comes to the progress being made in the field of nanotechnology. This science stands to change and advance the practice of design in a multitude of ways – where architectural progress is being made at the molecular level.

The paper NanoBioBuilding: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, and the Future of Building by Dr. George Elvin states that “architects and other designers will become increasingly ignorant of the composition and consequences of the materials they use.” He explains that some designers are familiar with “self-cleaning windows” and “smog-eating concrete”, but only a handful of designers could state that titanium dioxide nanoparticles are responsible for these behavioral materials.(1) This is why it is so important for designers to keep informed of scientific developments.

A design area that will be influenced by nanotechnology is the smart environment. Here, tiny embedded nanosensors will make architectural features responsive. Communication will occur between object and object, between occupant and object, between object and environment and between occupant and environment. As new materials gain more transient properties, objects and architectural features will impact the process of design by making “fields of interaction” a major focus.(1)

By working on “fields of interaction” architecture professionals will have some framework by which to design for dynamic environments. Since smart architecture will be changing states and communicating heavily, architects will likely focus on relationships as much as they focus on designed forms during the design stage.(1) It is likely that both forms and their relationships will make up rule-based systems by which smart architectural spaces can function.

The science of nanotechnology continues to progress and the design field stands to benefit. As nanotechnology develops, new architectural techniques will surface. It is my belief that design creativity will reach new heights as innovative nanomaterials and nanosensors come together to give designers a renewed palette.

(1) Elvin, Dr. George. NanoBioBuilding: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, and the Future of Building. Green Technology Forum. 2006

Image: Carbon Nanotube | ghutchis | Flickr

NANOTECHNOLOGY IS HERE…

Nanotechnology will have profound effects on the way we live. Already, developments are underway for newfound uses. For the architecture profession, nanotechnology will greatly impact construction materials and their properties. Materials will behave in many different ways as we are able to more precisely control their properties at the nano-scale.

WHY CARBON NANOTUBES?

Carbon nanotubes are a great example of how useful materials are being developed. This material is said to be one hundred times stronger than steel because of its “molecular perfection” as explained in the paper Year 2050: Cities in the Age of Nanotechnology by Peter Yeadon. In addition, because carbon atoms can bond with other matter; such material can be an “insulator, semi-conductor or conductor of electricity”. As a result, carbon nanotubes will have significant influence on the architecture industry as such materials can act as “a switchable conduit, a light source, a generator of energy and even a conveyor of matter”. (1)

Image: Aligned Carbon Nanotube | CORE-Materials | Flickr

IMPACTING BOTH DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

As materials gain such transient features, architectural design and construction will evolve. By transforming the essential properties of matter, nanotechnology will be able to change the way we build. For instance, structures will be constructed from the bottom-up because materials like carbon nanotubes can self-assemble. (1)

Nanotechnology will profoundly affect the industry of architecture at all scales; and, interior design, building design and city design will all benefit. Architecture will have the ability to function at more optimum levels – revolutionizing the way inhabitants live.

NANO-ARCHITECTURE UNLEASHED

Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance is a great book that explains how nanotechnology will impact environments. For example, nanotechnology will give architecture superior interactive functions — allowing occupants to better “communicate” with their surroundings. Windows and walls with variable transparency and mood/context sensitive clothing are just a few ways this will become possible.(2)

As new materials and construction methods emerge, “nano-architecture” will definitely unleash the designer’s imagination. For this reason, Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance is worth reading.

Here is the link: Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance

(1) Yeadon, Peter. Year 2050: Cities in the Age of Nanotechnology
(2) Crandall, BC. Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance. MIT Press. 2000.

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Human awareness is not as perfect as you might think. We humans are easily distracted and our attention can be fleeting. So, this notion of an “extended mind” seems to make sense. The idea as described in the Discover article entitled The Brain: How Google Is Making Us Smarter explains that the human mind is really a system made up by the human brain extending into “parts of the environment”. Ultimately, the mind comes to depend on its environment for cues and information.(1)

With the computer revolution, humans are relying more and more on machines to make up a piece of their “extended mind”. As such tools permeate human environments; I can’t help but think of how the notion of an “extended mind” may influence architecture. 

Architectural design, due to its incorporation of aesthetic and function, can almost immediately be considered as part of this “extended mind”. Buildings surround their occupants and provide for many of their needs. Such needs include sensorial stimulation, community relationship building and functional processes. Architecture may also be said to help the human mind by helping it to adapt as, it too, evolves.

First, we cannot deny that computers and other tools are continuously finding their way into architectural environments. Buildings are becoming smarter and more interactive. As architects learn new ways to cater to their building’s occupants, architectural features will become more meaningful as they strive to help occupants live better lives.

With ongoing innovations, architecture will be able to tailor its interactions to occupant styles, tastes and needs in real-time. Architecture itself may become “hub-like” in that it provides a new kind of place for idea-sharing and experience enhancement. As interactive design installations gain popularity, occupants will be able to experience themselves and others in new ways. Information will take on different interactive qualities and architecture will relate more personably to its occupants.

The notion of an “extended mind” will continue to evolve as interactive architecture becomes increasingly main-stream. In addition, these advanced environments may help our minds to evolve as well. Consequently, more interaction with our environments may mean that greater resources will be readily available to us in real-time. Just as Google has placed an abundance of information at our fingertips (literally)(1), interactive architecture will have the power to improve our experiences via augmented realities. Thus, our “extended minds” may connect to architectural design in whole new ways.

(1) Zimmer, Carl. The Brain: How Google Is Making Us Smarter. Discover. January 15, 2009.

Image: Ptoone | Dreamstime

Have you ever toyed with the notion of designing a space strictly based on sound quality? Perhaps acoustics have played a major role in certain projects where sound formulas served to construct space. But — what about “aural architecture”? It becomes interesting to understand what happens to architecture beyond physics. When experienced via our auditory senses, architecture gains another dimension that significantly influences occupants. In the book Spaces Speak, Are You Listening, the authors describe how aural spaces evoke feelings and emotions as occupants listen.

Interestingly, the authors describe how sound serves to connect or even isolate humans dependant upon there proximity to noise levels, a specific sound source or other people. Humans use their sense of hearing to understand space. Sound works together with the other senses to help people navigate and construct understanding of forms, objects and distances.(1) Thus, the auditory quality of an architectural space is quite important.

There is no doubt that when architecture tailors itself to the human senses its effects have great impact. The interplay between aural and visual architecture, for instance, can create powerful spatial experiences. In an interview with the authors of Spaces Speak, it was said that “extensive observations of ancient sites support the notion that wall art and acoustics were deliberately related rather than accidents.” Thus, the caves of Lascaux are prime examples of how bison images reflect the strong echoes found in the chambers. It is thought that the echoes were reminiscent of the “hoof beats” made by bison when passing.(1)

Yes, aural characteristics found within architecture often stir emotions. Accordingly, we use our sense of hearing to bond with other people as well as to enjoy space. Just imagine religious buildings, office buildings, music halls, restaurants or even residential spaces. For occupants to share a space they, frequently, must share their experiences – and sound is often a primary feature which unites them. Simply stated, if an event is out of earshot, then an occupant may not even be aware that they need to pay attention.

As architecture evolves, auditory designs will likely become more elaborate. Beyond music halls and religious institutions, sound design should do more than help occupants reconstruct space; sound design should help occupants truly interact with their surroundings. Designing with sound can bring about just as many spatial arrangements as designing with visual ques. The trick is to know how to synthesize such stimuli into a composition for multiple senses. Occupants will then have the richest of architectural experiences.

(1) Blesser, Barry & Salter, Linda-Ruth. Spaces Speak, Are you Listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture. MIT Press. 2006.

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Have you ever felt time speed up or slow down? Estimating the passage of time is not exactly a precise endeavor for us humans. Sitting through a long and boring film, for instance, can seem to take an eternity, while having fun at a party could make time fly. In the Discover article entitled How Your Brain Can Control Time, our brains are thought to manage time like a tool. Even down to split milliseconds, the brain utilizes time to understand things like distance. Timing is important for such functions as determining how far away someone is when speaking.(1)

The interesting factor explained in the Discover article is that humans become less precise in their estimate of time, the longer the time period. Thus, timing how to say the word “banana” is far more precise than estimating how long a lecture lasted — without using a watch, of course. Also, timing is something a human can, to some extent, be trained to do. A person can become quite good at determining how long 10 minutes actually is, if they repeatedly do the same thing in 10 minute intervals.(1)

Given all of this, it is fair to say that timing can be relative. Architecturally, timing within a space can be stretched or shortened. How is it that waiting for the doctor in the waiting room makes time go by slowly while sitting in you favorite café ambience makes time move quickly? Of course, a journey through architectural space can expand or contract time dependent upon the experiences encountered. Still, architects can and should use time as a tool to communicate and guide occupant journeys. Mental timing is an important factor to how architecture is perceived.

Certain focal points, alignments, materials and other features can all contribute to how occupants experience, and subsequently remember a built environment. Architecture can utilize time in many instances. Such instances are reverberation time, travel time, textural rhythm and visual timing. Buildings are largely experienced through mental time – and the senses are key.

Thinking of architecture as a timed composition may help to unleash its aesthetic and function. The architectural narrative weaves events toward more meaningful experiences and mental time can be said to be at its heart.

(1) How Your Brain Can Control Time.Discover Magazine. 2009.

Image: Anton9 | Dreamstime

Can we define what makes a beautiful space? Well, the study of neuroaesthetics is trying to uncover qualities that come together to yield beauty. In the magazine SEED, the article entitled Beauty and the Brain explains that “An object’s beauty may not be universal, but the neural basis for appreciating beauty probably is.” The article goes on to describe how neuroscience findings regarding direction, location and dimensions of space will have profound implications for architecture.(1)

As architects engage in their design process, will the discoveries of neuroaesthetics impact their project outcomes? In other words, will knowing what triggers more neurons to fire rapidly impact design decisions at the drawing board? Yes, beauty is dependent to some extent on culture and experience; but can beauty be universally understood at some level?

Aesthetic, in architecture, is often linked with order and balance. Rhythm, for instance, is frequently desired within striking architectural compositions. So, is architecture nothing more than the manipulation of space to follow certain rules of beauty? Can architecture break or challenge such rules that are directly connected to the human senses?

When the human nervous system experiences beauty, certain parts of the brain consistently light up. It seems that, to some extent, humans can be taught what beauty means. Again, culture and experience may have a significant role. Yet, there are thought to be certain qualities that are constantly found regardless of culture or experience. These qualities, according to Beauty and Brain are grids, zigzags, spirals and curves. Such findings indicate that on some level, beauty may be universal.(1)

As architects, we strive to create beautiful forms and spaces that inspire humans within. It is often said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”; however, there are a collection of architectural spaces that never fail to stir occupants deeply. Like many designers, architects must follow rules and consciously bend them. To advance as a profession, it is important to learn from the discoveries of neuroaesthetics; but it is equally important to challenge them. Architects should not feel limited by such findings, but rather they should feel freed to learn why occupants respond the way they do — to certain arrangements of space.

Currently, we are increasing understanding of how the human brain works. Isn’t it appealing to unleash what makes good architecture according to our senses? Yes, it may be difficult to conclusively define “beauty” once and for all. For instance, as architects don’t we usually link function to aesthetic? I wonder…Is function inherent to beauty?

It seems to me that the experience of beauty is fundamental to what makes us all human. We may find beauty in different things at different times; however, the joy found in surrounding architectural space and form is universal. As spatial compositions continue to evolve, so too will our understanding of the meaning behind beauty.

(1) Costandi, Motheb. Beauty and the Brain. SEED Magazine. September 16, 2008.

Image: A Perspective of 3-D Visual Illusions | Scientific American Mind

The way humans perceive the world is through their senses that use certain rules by which they navigate. For instance, the use of perspective, stereopsis, occlusion, shading and sfumato are all listed in Scientific American Mind’s article A Perspective on 3-D Visual Illusions as rules that “create a 3D formation about our world”. The human brain and nervous system sees this 3-dimensional world on 2-dimensional eye retinas. Thus, rules are used to constantly interpret between the 2-D world and the 3-D world.(1)

One example proving this inference between the 3-dimensional and the 2-dimensional is the visual illusion of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When two images of the receding tower are placed next to one another, the tower to the right seems to lean at a greater angle than the image to the left. This is because the human eyes want to see the tower image to the right as parallel to the tower image to the left. This cannot happen because both images are receding; the brain reconfigures the images to diverge. In other words, the brain reconstructs a third dimension.(1)

Illusions like the Tower of Pisa illusion give us proof that our brains use rules to navigate the world. When 3-D is placed on 2-D this often tricks the mind into “seeing” differently. So, what does this mean for architecture? How is the 2-D within architectural design evolving? Why is the use of surface so important? What new illusions might we uncover in the future as the use of surface in architecture continues to advance?

Since early times, 2-D surface has been used to create illusions and representations of our 3-D world. At times, our eyes navigate 2-D surface using 3-D navigation rules. This is most evident when we see perspective drawings on a canvas or building surface. Artists and architects alike make the most of our visual sensory system to use surface to create space. Within architecture, for example, the use of perspective on actual building surface can greatly modify spatial character.

Now, with the digital revolution, architectural space can be manipulated evermore by using surface. Architects are going beyond merely painting or applying a surface coating or facing. Architectural surface can literally become space that our eyes move through. With digital media, motion can also be applied to such surfaces, giving space more depths and varying dynamic movements. On very thin screens, humans are now able to navigate 3-D virtual space. At the same time, since this is virtual space – designers may challenge the rules that we humans have come to understand in the real world. (Rules of physics like gravity, friction and inertia can be altered to create certain environmental constructs.)

Nanotechnology is also changing the way architects and designers think of surface. As materials are constructed at the atomic and molecular level, nanotechnology has the power to alter material behavior. Such materials may be used to construct architecture and may transform the way occupants expect materials to perform. As materials become stronger, lighter and cleaner, surface applications will fundamentally change. Just imagine a surface that is perceived as strong and durable as opposed to vulnerable and delicate. The possibilities are immense.

Surfaces are becoming increasingly transient. As we advance further into the future, smart materials will continue to advance and alter the way building materials function. Now, we have glass that can change transparencies and sensors that can actuate LED surface lighting. In effect, the notion of “surface” is changing, and our perception of what we think 2-D space can do is expanding. We have come a long way from discovering the rules of perspective; yet, we are just beginning to understand the brain, its systems and the illusions that define them. Still, it is with the advancement of “surface” that 3-dimensional space continues to evolve – a direct influence from the human sensory system and how it navigates the world.

(1) Macknik, Stephen L. & Martinez-Conde, Susana. A Perspective on 3-D Visual Illusions. Scientific American Mind Magazine. October/November 2008.

Victor Zastol | Dreamstime

You enter a store. It is probably not on your mind that its design layout was put together to optimize purchases made by you. You shop, you browse and; hopefully, you buy. Yet still, stores are doing whatever they can to market for what they call “the moment of truth” – that moment you decide to reach for your item. As a designer, does the collection of these moments ultimately yield the success of your design?

In the Economist magazine, an article entitled The Science of Shopping – The Way the Brain Buys dissects grocery store shopping. It takes a look at both current and future designs for shopping experience. Of course, such designs go beyond simple product placement on shelves where the aim is often to increase “dwell time”. As we progress into the future, shopping experiences will have as much to do with marketing to our subconscious as they have to do with new shopping “analysis” technologies.

It strikes me that the Science of Shopping article delves into how stores plan to influence shoppers using surveillance technologies. From devices that automatically scan product prices in your cart (using RFID tags) to technology that detects and calculates facial expression with purchase history; stores will seem to do whatever they can to make those sales. But, what will happen to shopping experience?

The article states that retail design will market by tapping evermore into shopper emotion and memory. It seems that targeting the senses is a priority. For example, the article describes a supermarket that makes use of the olfactory sense where aromas of fresh linens help to sell items in the laundry section. Also, cameras that do real-time analysis of a shopper in action may provide streaming data of how a shopper moves through a store. Where the shopper stops, what the shopper picks up and sets back down, what the shopper has placed in his or her cart all are dynamic pieces of information to be used for (or against) the shopper. (It depends on how you see it.)

Already, there are privacy groups against such types of surveillance. Would you want your shopping history or practices revealed? Also, can stores really and truly influence your shopping to the extent that they predict? I wonder how many people go into a store, get what they need and then get out. I know for sure that good design plays a major role in the success or failure of a retail marketing tactic.

Integrated marketing within retail environments makes for good interaction design. The key is to provide helpful services that truly make shopping and buying better. I have to question the importance of bombarding a shopper with needless and often wasteful “suggestions”. Even if surveillance technologies could read the brain, as they say they will in the future, will the suggestion of what is perceived as a “pleasurable” product be a helpful contribution or a waste of energy while shopping?

In the end, it is always important to be a smart shopper. As architects and designers, it makes sense to selectively target the enhancements for shopper experience. As the article stipulates — “The notion of shoppers wearing brain scanning hats would be ridiculous”. Design for shopping experience in the future by doing more than pushing a product simply because a shopper’s brain lit up when shown that product. Find valuable meaning to make those sales for designs that keep shoppers coming back.

Dusipuffi | Dreamstime

You may have heard of it — Visualizing Information, a field that represents information, living or static, to uncover, highlight or focus on meaning often made elusive by data. Needless to say, such ways of seeing information are often persuasive, as data re-presents itself in more tangible form.

What if we could tell what is happening inside a building simply by looking at its exterior facade? With such techniques architects could embed new ways of seeing information into the architecture itself. What about residential architecture? Here we may see our diet information fused with our exercise routine in daily graphic forms. In this new light, we might just get the kick in the pants we need to continue to lose weight or maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Visualizing information is an emerging field where selected information is presented anew, often in graphic or sculptural appearance. Such information may also take on more of a living presence where it is updated in real-time making information come to life. In the end, such data may result in behavior that leaves a one dimensional world to perpetually evolve before our eyes.

Some may say that creating visual displays of information is both an art and a science. It takes that special ability to interpret, align and focus just the right segments of data. Visual information may take on emotional, political, health or even humorous angles and causes. This type of designer conveys informational meaning that may otherwise be taken for granted or misunderstood.

How might visualizing information help occupant’s lives within architecture? As the world moves ever-closer to ubiquitous computing might architecture everywhere start to embed such displays for occupant use? Visualizing information is important as we enter the age of “sensemaking”. We are currently becoming more and more inundated by data. The goal as we progress forward will be to decipher information, finding meaning in the heap, in order to influence our lives in helpful ways.

How might visualizing information impact the process of architectural design? As architects and design professionals, the ability to see data in different lights will also help with the design process of buildings. Just imagine if you could visualize and forecast certain complex programmatic issues on the fly. Also, architects may find new ways to visualize information for ongoing projects either during design or construction. Such information techniques may also make abstract or rapidly changing information more tangible for clients.

In the end, newfound ways to visualize information are most important and useful. When executed correctly, such displays can be quite powerful and even persuasive. Within architecture, buildings can reach even higher functionality as carefully selected data displays communicate with occupants, assisting them in their daily lives. Visualizing information is becoming an everyday occurrence; yet still, there are some displays that leave you speechless.

Ken Cole | Dreamstime

So, how steep is it? In the latest issue of SciAm Mind magazine an article describes how humans have trouble accurately determining height and slope of vertical inclines. To make matters more interesting, the article goes on to discuss how our perceptions are affected. It seems that if you are accompanied by friends (or supportive people) an incline will appear less steep. Conversely, if one is carrying a heavy load then the incline will appear steeper. Thus, the way inclines are interpreted is subjective.

Therefore, what does this mean for architectural design? Does it affect the way architects should design stairs, ADA ramps or escalators? What about atrium heights or even building heights? Also, are all architectural feature heights affected by the context which surrounds them? It is important to remember that extreme height and slope can often inspire a sense of awe. Sometimes designers want this, other times it can be too intimidating.

Let’s discuss ADA ramps. Understanding vertical illusion might help us understand how to design better inclines for easier and more inspired accessibility. Although such slopes are controlled by code, sometimes these sloped elevations seem to go on and on to match the neighboring stair grades. Such ADA accessible grades should be inviting –a positive occupant experience contributing the overall architectural design – not intimidating zig-zags that make one feel as if going through a sloped maze.

The vertical illusions perceived by all incline types should influence how architects design. Steep escalators, for instance, may need to stem from a platform that can house more people; thus, making the incline appear less steep and less intimidating. Conversely, to create a great feeling of awe, architects may want to embed a vertical element that stems from a more confined space so as to squeeze one’s eye upward – perhaps this is a vertical solely meant for observation instead of travel.

All in all, vertical illusions in architecture are important features. Occupants experience space and transitions through them. Considerate attention should be given to how people might perceive verticals by not only focusing on the vertical itself, but by also designing the spatial functions from which they stem. After all, even vertical sloped transitions are anticipatory – needing designed space that prepares one for their experience.