When we received the book Interactive Architecture by Michael Fox and Miles Kemp (published by PA Press), I thought it would be just another compilation of interactive installations and responsive façades… but this book is goes beyond that. A wide selection of projects, ranging from small installations, to programable houses, to large scale intelligent buildings, goes in parallel with a series of writings from different fields (architecture, industrial design, computer programming, engineering, physical computing) which not only covers building or technical aspects of interactive, kinetic and dynamic spaces, but also its sociological, psychological and environmental implications.
Under this approach, the book is a good learning tool to those who are starting to learn and experiment with interactive systems, contextualized and understanding current trends and the integration of new technologies. Even if the actual projects or trends shown on the book render obsolete, the concepts, processes and workflows described here will not.
More after the break.
Every year, a bevy of new phones, games, televisions, and electronic reading devices ride into our lives on a tidal wave of interactive hype. These i-products, while handy, primarily confine their interactivity to the surfaces of screens. Not exactly the kind of “world-changing” transformation we’ve been promised. In Interactive Architecture, authors Michael Fox and Miles Kemp introduce us to a brave new world where design pioneers are busy creating environments that not only facilitate interaction between people, but also actively participate in their own right. These spaces—able to reconfigure themselves in response to human stimuli—will literally change our worlds by addressing our ever-evolving individual, social, and environmental needs. In other words, it’s time to stop asking what architecture is and start asking what it can do.
Interactive Architecture is a processes-oriented guide to creating dynamic spaces and objects capable of performing a range of pragmatic and humanistic functions. These complex physical interactions are made possible by the creative fusion of embedded computation (intelligence) with a physical, tangible counterpart (kinetics). A uniquely twenty-first century toolbox and skill set—virtual and physical modeling, sensor technology, CNC fabrication, prototyping, and robotics—necessitates collaboration across many diverse scientific and art-based communities. Interactive Architecture includes contributions from the worlds of architecture, industrial design, computer programming, engineering, and physical computing. These remarkable projects run the gamut in size and complexity. Full-scale built examples include a house in Colorado that programs itself by observing the lifestyle of the inhabitants, and then learns to anticipate and accommodate their needs. Interactive Architecture examines this vanguard movement from all sides, including its sociological and psychological implications as well as its potentially beneficial environmental impact.
- Princeton Architectural Press, New York
Authors: Michael Fox and Miles Kemp Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, New York Editor: Lauren Nelson Packard Designer: Jan Haux
Language: English Cover: Hardcover Pages: 256 Illustrations: 350 color Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 1 inches ISBN: 978-1568988368
Index
Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction
Physical Change Trends in Kinetic Architecture Ways and Means of Kinetic Motion Horizons of Kinetic Architecture
Embedded Computation Trends in Embedded Computation Ways and Means of Embedded Computation Horizons of Embedded Computation in Architecture
Project Landscape Adaptable Space Living Environments Working Environments Entertainment Environments Public Environments
Environmental Impact Energy Efficiency Active Sustainable Solutions Ephemeralization Environmental Cognizance
Enhancing and Extending Activities Mediated Environments Gerontechnology Physically Challenged Active Participation Coexistence
Sociological and Psychological Implications Changing Lifestyle Patterns Behavior Awareness Building Awareness Sense of Place Control of Space Attachment to Space Sense of Sound Sense of Smell Artistic Initiatives
Design and the Profession Designing Interactive Systems Novel Tools and Heuristics A Pedagogical Approach Academic Initiatives Client and User Initiatives Corporate Initiatives Economic Feasibility
New Horizons Technology Transfer Interface Design The End of Mechanics Autonomous Robotics Biomimetics Evolutionary Systems Possibilities and Understandings The End of the Beginning
“A new epoch has begun!”
Bibliography
Buy this book
