Image Courtesy of: In Square Lab Ltd

There are many times when you are asked as an architect to design a building that harmonizes with its surrounding landscape — and as you make your attempt to not only harmonize, but to also integrate nature into your architectural design, you gain better appreciation for the surrounding context, community and even geography that brings forth the diversity of the native species. But now, with tools like augmented and virtual realities that are entering real world design, it is possible to incorporate nature in entirely new ways, where your architectural design can help to show its occupants nature as never before experienced.

A new project which takes a great step toward realizing this type of relationship between an architectural space and nature was created by the team at In Square Lab where their project called Urban Prairie is located within a relatively small physical space — but what it does with that small space is quite intriguing as it pushes the boundaries that define the relationship between architecture and nature, between inside and outside, and between the real and the virtual.

Image Courtesy of: In Square Lab Ltd

If you were walking down the street and encountered the Urban Prairie project, you would see “fields of grass” — where you, as a passerby, would engage and interact with physical grass that is equipped with sensors so as to create its movement as it sways in the imaginary wind — and this movement occurs in response to on-lookers that walk by or simply create motion with their body, thus activating the sensors and actuators that make up this interactive design installation.

Furthermore, the placement of the “real world” grass in motion in front of the “virtual world” grass (as seen in the monitors) which fades off into the horizon, takes participants into an experiential journey that transcends scale, the dynamics of wind and motion, as well as human perception of what it means for something to be “enclosed” — where the grass’ mechanized systems serve to connect it with its onlookers in a language that makes sense, yet surprises those that engage.

Image Courtesy of: In Square Lab Ltd

The Urban Prairie project, led by Creative Director Jackson Tan of In Square Lab, explains that a main challenge for their team was to “create a system that allows for maintaining or even extending the notion of green spaces through intelligent use of design and technology via 4th dimension (time + space) design.” (1) And as such, I think it is an inspiring project that certainly gives food for thought to future designers to think in more creative terms that bring together seemingly unrelated or opposite worlds, to make them do things they could not do otherwise — as is the case here with architecture, nature and the use of technology that binds their relationship anew.

Now, to see the project in action, take a look at the following video and just imagine how you would respond if you came upon this design installation:

In particular, another aspect that I think you as an architect should not overlook is how kinetics is also at play within this Urban Prairie project. As such, the use of kinetics creates a two-way dialogue between the architectural design installation and the person engaging with it — even through the enclosing glass barrier. Beyond that, kinetics is also presenting nature (the grass) in a way that further invites the occupant to explore the mechanism that creates those movements — almost as if to let one see the “underground” that anchors each grass blade.

When seeing the sensors and actuators in action it informs participants at yet another scale…and that impression they take with them as they look outward into the virtual monitor grass displays that sway in response to participant movement. Furthermore, the distinction between inside and outside, where they become almost inverse, invites participants to reconsider what nature can do when taken out of its element.

As an architect, you can use such pointers as take-aways from this Urban Prairie project. After all, when you begin to integrate the virtual with real world design, entirely new landscapes (both architectural and otherwise) can form to take your building occupants into unexplored perceptual and experiential realms.

Citation

(1) Tan, Jackson. In Square Lab. Interactive Shop Window – Urban Prairie. 2011.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Aka Hige | Flickr

Many major companies and institutions (like Starbucks and some major airports) are now making sure to include free WiFi wireless connection to boost sales through major increases in customer traffic. And in doing so, they are using this incentive for customers to come in and buy their products and services.

But, as more and more people come to these venues with their mobile digitally connected technologies, what does that mean for the design of the buildings which house them? How do you as an architect account for higher volumes of traffic that may congregate, use the space differently, and be technologically connected at just about all times?

Almost gone are the few coffee shops where the space is simply a place to enjoy that warm cup of coffee and perhaps a slice of desert with a friend or with a good book. Instead, being added to that picture, is the rapidly increasing popularity of free WiFi connection — which, with it, is bringing about some new occupant interaction behaviors within such established institutions like cafés and airports.

In fact, I went into a café recently and saw their new renovation which “updated” their previous standalone tables and chairs to now be replaced by one elongated cafeteria-style table where cyber café customers now sit with their laptops, androids, ipads, and other mobile devices. What I find interesting is that in a world where so many people are “on the go”, it seems that mobile devices are simultaneously better connecting them to information, while also disconnecting them from various social or “sensorial” interactions. Being interpreted loosely, being “on the go” time-wise does not necessarily mean moving between only physical spaces, but it can now mean moving between virtual ones as well.

A Place Where Bits Merge with Bites

Thus, I think it is the new challenge for architects to straddle both areas — providing building occupants with both greater digital world connectivity to social and informational networks while also providing them with a way to “disconnect”, or better “bridge” with the physical world so they can sensorially experience what is happening around them in real time. After all, I think that the two can work together very well for people, as they feed in and out of each other. For example, your design could bring sensorial and social interactions to impact building occupants’ way of thinking, which, in turn, will impact what they do with their virtual connections…and visa versa.

I was recently reading an excerpt from the book Me++: The Cyborg Self and the Networked City (affiliate link) where William J. Mitchell makes a point about just how interconnected virtual bits are to their physical body counterparts. That is to say that actions that occur in the physical world, are almost timelessly linked to the actions that are now occurring in virtual space. With that in mind, it should be your job as an architect to design physical spaces that impact not only the building occupants within them, but also the stream of bit-like interactions that will result because of them.

So begin simply by taking a second look at those cafés and airports which are often taken for granted. For when you think of a café and its customers, think of the physical and sensorial interactions that occur there — and then think of the parallel effects of those interactions in the digital world of virtual space. How will the two merge within your design? How can you play off of one to make the other better? And is there a place within which you would ever try to separate them? Today, architects must often design for not only the physical, not only the ethereal, but also the digital world of bits.

So, perhaps the reason customers go to these places are changing. And as what they do there changes, will you be adjusting your architectural designs to their change in behavior after the fact? Or will your architectural designs lead the way?

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

Before we go on to talk further about the application technology, I think it best to show you a glimpse of what such multi-touch devices can do:

As you can see, 3-D visualizations are developing past solely working with still renderings or even scripted and locked in place animations — which today mostly run as “replays” of camera movements that serve to walk someone through a space along a predesignated path. But what makes these new multi touch virtual reality environments even more helpful is that they give architects the ability to interact with their construction documents in new ways, that are a bit more interactive and intuitive as they are tools that can be used to answer possible questions that may arise or to spot potential problems that may need to be solved in real time during meetings or client presentations.

By making construction documents link to more comprehensive building “models”, they become a bit more of an immersive experience that not only helps architects “see” their designs better, but also helps them to “explain” them better as other members of their design team, consulting team and client teams seek to more fully understand the implications of certain design decisions…thus, preventing future problems that may arise.

Image: campuspartycolombia | Flickr

When presenting, such an interactive table or screen application might help clients or other reviewers to feel more “in control” as they travel through a space — being able to question it in the places where they think it needs questioning. In turn, this helps by making them feel more confident if they like what they see and experience, all because this interface helps architects to better communicate their most complex of architectural visions.

Essentially, such new and interactive tools that can be used within both architectural working environments as well as architectural presentation environments are quite important to keep developing. For when designing a building, it helps when tools are optimized so that they help bridge the gap between architects, the unrealized building, and their clients — helping them to make smarter decisions more quickly, prevent future problems from arising during construction, and ensuring that the client sees and is confident that they are getting what they want and need. Needless to say, I do think that there will be a bright future for such multi touch architectural design and presentation interactive tools. So what you think? How could such an interactive tool help you with your architectural design process?

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

Image: shadows44 | Flickr

It is undeniable that mobile phones with operating systems that get updated frequently are becoming more widespread globally. In fact, phones like the iPhone are helping people with a variety of tasks ranging from keeping track of their health and finances, all the way to realizing new types of face-to-face communication, social media and now 3-D video — see the new Samsung W960 phone here.

The introduction of 3-D into the world of mobile gadgets makes me think of what might happen when these “gadgets” are being carried around by occupants within architectural designs which include office buildings, museums, schools and even hospitals. Is there any reason why you as an architect should ignore such devices and what they can do to help your architectural designs? Think mobile augmented reality here.

Such mobile devices can be not only a great way to pool information about your occupant(s) “status” within your building, but can also serve to help you design new adaptive systems within your building in entirely new ways. Just imagine the more personalized experience and better collective effect your architecture can give them.

Here’s a quick example:

In much the same way as you might design a large architectural design element in one place, and then indirectly refer to it through your design within a smaller element somewhere else, you could design a 3-D video or hologram visible to occupants that might carry their mobile device to certain parts of your building to augment what they experience there. Yes, this can bring signage and wayfinding to a whole new level.

Beyond Typical Building Signage and Wayfinding

When I think of this, I think of more than just creating a 3-D map that your occupants might carry around to help give them a sense of where they are, or they are going, within your designed space. Instead, I think of an augmented reality type experience where the 3-D virtual meets 3-D real-world space. It’s as if your occupant were carrying around a 3-D flashlight, but instead of simply illuminating light to see where they are walking — it would act as a 3-D fully colored “model” that changed dynamically with each experience they had, helping them along the way.

With this, might you create a new kind of architectural narrative for your occupant? Giving them hints of what is just around the corner through their personalized and mobile handheld 3-D virtual world? Or might you let them take home a personalized montage of different “elements” that made up their experience within your architecture — not to be too cliche, but kind of like a transient “souvenir”? Or better yet, a 3-D “memory” derived from a real-life experience from within your architectural space.

This is just some food for thought to get you thinking about emerging technologies in a new way. Think about how you might be able to use them to your advantage as you develop experiences for your occupants within your building spaces. If you have not seen it yet, here is a look at the new Samsung W960 mobile 3-D technology by Dynamic Digital Depth:

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 “tweeting” and “sharing” it using the buttons at the beginning of this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: courtneyBolton | Flickr

When designing, do you begin with a preconceived idea of what your final design will look and feel like? Do you gain inspiration and insight from things that surround you, like nature or someone else’s design? Or do you start a design not knowing what your own creative process will give birth to? In other words ——

As you design do you work toward an “end vision” or do you take on a more “experimental” design approach where you test design outcomes? Do you predominantly do one of these, or both?

These are interesting and important questions to ask yourself, whether you are a seasoned architect or are just beginning your journey as an architectural designer — particularly because as new technologies and design paradigm shifts present themselves, you should want to be well equipped to engage in both at the right times and in the right ways during your design efforts.

New Design Technology Tools Can Enhance Your Design Process

Yes, you can crunch through various design schemes and options at speeds limited by the quickness of your design abilities and your computer technologies, but as an architect it is your responsibility to become the best critic of your own work, especially as new digital design tools emerge.

As computing technologies allow for faster design processes, you will be able to create 3D visualization and algorithmic outputs of your design based on variables which you input into your building design. And as more of these variables can be entered during the early stages of your design process, you will subsequently need to increase your ability to critique your work in a much more detailed manner. Hence, new computer technologies are giving you greater ability to design in greater detail earlier on.

New digital media tools will empower you to be your own best critique. Your design process can be refined using such tools, and your design iterations can accomplish more at each step — and if you capitalize upon this, your design process will be optimized to give you the most leverage.

With ability to be a more thorough and faster self-critic, you should be able to reach a greater level of refinement and sophistication with your design work — all while saving time, effort and money. What you put in, you will get out — you just need to know what questions and explorations to ask of your design so that you use new computer technologies to optimize your process (and not create unnecessary steps).

Correcting design errors should, in theory, be easier as future digital design tools emerge. One thing is for sure through, there will be a better chance for those errors to surface with greater visualization, algorithmic and BIM design techniques. The key will be for you to know where to look for them and to know how to solve them.

Hence, your design process revisits an already well-practiced design technique. Both an “end-vision” and “experimental” mindset will help you to integrate those powerful and new computer technologies to reap the greatest benefits.

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 followers by “tweeting” it using the re-tweet button on this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: jericho1ne | Flickr

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

COMPUTER VISUALIZATION FOR DESIGN

3D visualization has become such a part of the architectural design process in many firms. Architects use virtual model-making for many reasons.

For instance, 3D computer visualizations help teams to make design decisions by testing different solutions as they create. Also, 3D visualizations help to communicate architectural design schemes to consultants and clients.

All in all, visualizations have made their way into not just helping to produce construction drawings, but also, as a way to communicate design ideas to an array of other involved parties.

VISUALIZATIONS AFTER A DESIGN IS BUILT?

A team of computer scientists at the University of Washington’s Graphics and Imaging Laboratory have developed algorithms to be used with Microsoft’s Photosynth. The big idea behind their work is to create a “collective” visualization where a 3D model is constructed from a repository of Flickr photos of an urban space. So far, they have reconstructed the small city of Dubrovnik and several famous Italian landmarks.

By using a puzzle-like approach to stitching together photos taken by random tourists, the resulting visualizations make me realize the significance to a “collective” approach to perception — especially with the increasing social and dynamic nature of the internet.

As social media becomes more popular and increasing amounts of data are collected, visualization techniques will really be able to place our architectural treasures (and non-treasures) within a dynamic and virtual “time-capsule”.

I wonder what these sort of “collective-visualizations” will look and feel like in the future? Will they be somewhat true to the original or will they take on an architectural spirit of their own? Will architecture move on to a new sort of virtual after-life once it is demolished?

What will be the ultimate purpose of such collective visualizations? Will they exist as a truer collective memory of our real-world buildings, or could they augment present-day architecture that is still in use? Will we have a sort of architectural “Second Life”?

THE NEXT GENERATION OF A MAP

Sameer Agarwal, an assistant professor at UW who worked on the project said this about potential uses for the technology they’ve developed…

Agarwal said the technology could be used for everything from video games, to next-generation GPS, to preservation for the sake of posterity.

Venice is slowly sinking into the lagoon that surrounds it, for instance, and a 3-D tour could digitally preserve the city for future generations. Earthquake-prone cities could be catalogued, both for history and for municipal planning efforts.

“If you have a digital representation of something, then you can study it. Maps only offer you a limited view,” Agarwal said. “There are a number of very different kinds of uses for something like this. And there’s just the pure science aspect of it, which is advancing how you can do large scale 3-D construction.” (1)

SEE FOR YOURSELF…

Here is the video of “The Old City of Dubrovnik” compiled from 4,600 Flickr photos (as mentioned above):

Here is the video of “St. Peter’s Basililca” (as mentioned above):

(1) Boyle, Rebecca. Algorithm Generates a Virtual Rome in 3D from 150,000 Flickr Users’ Photos. Popsci.com. September 17,2009.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Chernetskiy | Dreamstime

Architecture is getting better at connecting — linking you to more environments, information and people all over the world. Augmented reality is a big reason why.

You see, technologies that cater to augmented reality will act as ‘portals’ that link you to information, communities and destinations in real-time. Such advances are changing the way you experience architecture, both aesthetically and functionally.

Now, here’s what I’ve been thinking…

Augmented reality is likely to have a major impact on buildings as more and more technologies surface. Virtual reality can help us do things better and help us enjoy the act of getting them done. Here are the top five reasons why I think augmented reality will really be able to help buildings (and, thus, the people that inhabit them):

1) EXPLORE:
As virtual reality technologies are able to bridge the gap by getting rid of distance, building occupants will be able to virtually travel to far-away lands. Just imagine seeing, hearing, smelling (and, yes, tasting and touching) some of the wonders that make a culture what it is.

For example, technologies found within our buildings will be able to transport us back in time to re-creations that help us learn more about history. Architectural environments may not be limited to a real set of geographical coordinates – virtual traveling within buildings will turn them into a sort of augmented reality “transportation vessel”.

2) RELAX:
Offices or any other place where you may want to de-stress will be able to treat your senses with stimuli that are relaxing to you. It’s like your “nature sounds” alarm clock; but, in its ultimate form.

Suddenly, your office has “relaxation’ settings –- augmenting your workday by relaxing you and making you more efficient. Augmented reality will be able to bring you the best from both “worlds”.

Eventually, homes will have virtual reality technologies embedded within them too. These will be able to help you; for example, by assisting with your healthcare, exercise regiment, or even your diet — all of which will help you de-stress and live healthier.

3) LEARN:
Think of a surgeon performing a complex procedure. Already, technologies exist to augment the surgeon’s tasks. For instance, a three-dimensional display of an identical and virtual model procedure can assist the surgeon as he or she performs. Thus, buildings become more efficient for those performing complex tasks as virtual models can help guide performance in real-time.

Similarly, museums can make use of such augmented reality technologies. As museum visitors explore an exhibit, technologies can teach via augmented reality to help them learn the exhibit’s core messages.

4) SOCIALIZE:
Augmented reality will be a great way to visit with your family and friends, or attend a business meeting. Already we use telephones, video-conferencing and other forms of communication to do some of this. But, imagine what will happen when buildings get more virtual reality capabilities. It might be possible to share a taste, a scent or even a virtual handshake or hug.

5) PLAY:
Yes, video games today really do make use of virtual reality. Role play games, like Second Life, are prime examples of what can be done in virtual worlds.

However, I imagine that a new breed of architectural “rooms” will be designed as augmented reality becomes more mainstream. Just think, a new sort of “game room” or an interactive “movie room”. Playing will be seamlessly more physically interactive.

Really, the possibilities are endless …

HAVE YOU HEARD OF “HETERARCHITECTURE”?

To continue exploring this topic, I suggest that you read the book Disappearing Architecture. It is fascinating because it discusses the coined term: ‘heterarchitecture’; where real space and virtual space are “literally superimposed” — so much that architecture will “obey rules of quantum mechanics rather than classical physics. I find this notion to be quite interesting (especially when you read about all of the implications.)

Disappearing Architecture contains great writings by authors William J. Mitchell, Georg Flachbart, Peter Weibel, Kas Oosterhuis and many more. This is definitely worth a read.

Here is the link: Disappearing Architecture: From Real to Virtual to Quantum

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Icefields | Dreamstime

When traveling through space you use certain cues to help you navigate. Your senses help determine things like orientation, distance and direction. During navigation, many moments arise for decision-making and your brain is a key player during this process. Within a building, architectural features send signals during the navigation process. The brain uses sensorial cues to help you travel within an environment – providing you with enough information to find your way.

In the interesting article entitled Getting Lost for Better Architecture, occupants are said to navigate, interact and then form “cognitive maps” in order to understand location within space. This article describes how researchers tested human subjects by having them travel through a virtual building while recording their brain function. Ties were made between what the subject saw and their brain response to those signals.(1)

Such research is fascinating because findings reveal how humans experience space. For instance, this research uncovered that humans use the “angle of incoming sunlight” as a primary cue for navigation. Of course, within architecture this cue is often eliminated.(1)

You might wonder how occupants interact within their environment to find such navigational cues. For this, it is important to understand what goes into the mental mapping of an architectural space – forming a mental image of that space as it is experienced. Of course, a mental map is also a consequence of occupant decision-making during that experience. For this, we can also use virtual reality – to uncover how the decision-making process works within architecture in real-time.

Although the applications may seem endless, such research will definitely give architects greater understanding into how the human perceives architectural features. Findings are sure to be quite enlightening.

(1) Nelson, Bryn. Getting Lost for Better Architecture. MSNBC Dec. 15. 2008.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: Nejron | Dreamstime

Museums are great places for learning. In a museum children and adults alike can immerse themselves in distant places or learn how scientific discoveries are made. Museums can also reveal a cultural past, present or future. All in all, museums are great places to learn – especially as new technology helps designers to improve museum exhibit design.

Museum exhibits are getting evermore technologically advanced and virtual reality is one of the latest trends. Of course, virtual reality can be immersive, interactive or both. In the paper Immersive Interactive Virtual Reality in the Museum by Maria Roussou, “computer generated interactive experiences” are said to be able to “transcend physical locations”.(1) Museum visitors are able to make choices during their virtual travel enabling them to feel a sense of exploration – triggering curiosity and the desire to learn.

Most virtual reality exhibits cater to both the visual and aural senses. Such exhibits can be quite awe inspiring as visualizations are getting increasingly detailed. By using both head-worn and hand-held devices, visitors are able to interact with the simulation in a variety of new ways. However, the problem arises when designers try to meet the varied needs of a multitude of visitors.

Unfortunately, because museums attract a large number of diverse visitors, the technological components are not “one-size-fits-all”. Thus, stereoglasses are often clunky – especially for children to use. Another common issue with virtual reality exhibits is that many visitors tend to develop motion sickness. To prevent this, “good sight lines, ample seating, comfortable viewing for extended periods, good field of view and ergonomics” all contribute to positive immersive learning experiences.(1)

Museum exhibits that incorporate virtual reality really can better a visitor’s experience. The ability to simulate experiences opens exhibit design up to so many creative solutions – it remains up to designers to comfortably and innovatively apply virtual reality.

(1) Roussou, Maria. Interactive Virtual Reality in the Museum. Foundation of the Hellenic World. Greece.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman