Overlooking Melbourne’s skyline at night, I can see at least four high-rise buildings with digital media. They become vibrant and almost flash like diamonds. We see this on a global scale: buildings now seem to be the most incredible look. Buildings have unprecedented opportunities, and urban policies need to keep up with these developments. Buildings have always been used to show cultural psychology, norms and values. In ancient Greece, the sculpture surrounding the outer wall conveyed the story of heroism. In Gothic religious architecture, refined decoration conveys theological information. The grandeur of Baroque architecture is designed to reflect strength, victory and wealth. Over time, the facade is separated from the load-bearing structure. They began to behave like independent skin, influenced by materials, forms and technical experiments. Today, buildings often have dynamic lighting that can change the physical appearance. This phenomenon is known as the media architecture. Some architects turned it into an interactive canvas for creative expression. Exterior walls made by others display environmental data such as weather forecasts, internal activities or energy consumption.
Media architecture as a selling point
Miniaturization, increased energy efficiency and increasing lighting technology have expanded the scope of architectural design. As a result, the exterior wall becomes an infinitely adaptable and responsive interface. Now, the architecture can better respond to sudden demands and become a platform for creativity. In fast-growing real estate markets such as China, South Korea and Australia, real estate developers recognize the value of media architecture. They embrace abstract lighting and make development stand out in appearance. Digital media facades now illuminate the entire city, making buildings a dynamic landmark. A well-conceived illuminated building envelope that displays abstract digital visualizations and can also contribute culturally to the city. The Melbourne Planning Program and the Sydney Public Art Guide allow media architecture to contribute as a cultural development to new developments. As the buildings color the city, we gain a new urban perspective. Dynamic lighting can provide a sense of security, provide creative outlets, or create a shared gaming platform. Therefore, building a “good” media architecture is a complex design challenge. It requires expertise in architectural design, urban design, interaction design, lighting design, user experience and community involvement.
Planning policies must be adapted
Urban policies assess the environmental, social and economic value of new developments. It aims to ensure that the architecture provides high quality public areas for both contemporary and future generations. Policies are regularly updated to take into account urgent needs and opportunities. Cities are increasingly proposing media architecture policies in urban planning programs. This shows that it is contributing more and more to urban areas. If done well, the media architecture can bring together the communities, such as allowing participation in the design process and after completion. If done badly, it can highlight the disconnection of the building or social and cultural issues. This may lead to no interest, disapproval or even vandalism. A good design process can demonstrate that the media architecture is unaffected by the evolution, reuse, and elimination of technology. These design requirements should be better reflected in the policy and decision making process. This approach will involve the Council stimulating the adoption of media architecture to activate public spaces. The initial opportunity was to combine digital media policies with public open space policies. Digital media policy is currently focused on protecting the vision and avoiding visual chaos. Public open space policy is inherently more quality and experience. It shows the need for open space to improve livability, engagement and attractiveness. Both policies should be retained. This is very important. However, the Board should recognize that media architecture can appeal to people and at the same time improve the appeal of public spaces.
What are the key policy issues?
The Council should develop specific guidelines on design and decision criteria to promote long-term sustainability and acceptance. These include: The type of participation. How do people interact with the media architecture? Who are these people – local citizens or everyone? Is it targeted at a specific age group? Is the public involved in the design process? Is there a cultural program that the media architecture should align with, such as White Night or Vivid? Cross-cultural norms and values show the general comprehensibility of text, images or symbols. Should this information be moderate? How to install, maintain and review this process? Who participated in moderate activities? Prevent building and urban conflicts. How to reduce the light intrusion in people’s private space? How does digital media contribute to the urban architectural experience? How do you design text, images or symbols to align with the structure?
Respond to reuse and outdated.
How does the media architecture handle occupancy changes, refurbishment and vacancy? How is it affected by the life cycle of the building and vice versa? Prevent technology from rot. What optimizations are available to ensure technical flexibility? How to maintain the media architecture? How regular is the information update? Disagreement procedure. How do occupants and residents express concerns about the information or technical features displayed before and after the project is completed? The Council should also provide specific targets for policies in specific areas. For example, regulation of light intrusions in tourist areas may be more lenient than inhabited areas. The place where the city left here The demand for policy is driven by architectural concerns. In most cases, we must obtain permission when we add or change the appearance of a building. This ensures that the modification has minimal adverse effects on the features and appearance of the area. The goal is that the building – regardless of purpose, size or location – is well adapted. Like homes, media architecture needs to adapt and maximize its social capabilities. We should prevent the media architecture from causing decorative sheds or just decorating the facade. Policies that better address the functional and social quality of media architecture are critical. In order to implement this policy, more and more comprehensive guidance is needed to ensure that people use digital media in public spaces.
reference:
https://theconversation.com/digital-media-are-changing-the-face-of-buildings-and-urban-policy-needs-to-change-with-them-84779