Atmosphere In Digital Platforms
I really loved Zumthor's lecture / reading. I think most of us are huge fans of his work and I appreciated being able to read his thoughts on designing and architecture. As we enter into the third week of online learning, I've been thinking a lot about atmospheres and how, or rather if, it can be applicable in the digital realm. I think it's worth restating his nine sensitivities from his lecture:
- Body of Architecture
- Material compatibility
- Sound of a space
- Temperature of a space
- Surrounding objects
- Between composure and seduction
- tension between interior and exterior
- levels of intimacy
- the light of things
In many of these digital platforms, you can design what people will understand about your end of the line. For example, making it look like you're in Lee Hall or a bunker or, one of my favorites, on a hike with Phil and Dom. You can also script what people see around you - are you in your home office with a plant on the bookshelf behind you, on couch in the living room, outside? What are you wearing - is it warm where you are? Cold? These platforms allow you to design with audio as well, turning it on and off when needed and hiding or accepting background noises. All of these can give you a sense of that persons atmosphere, what they're experiencing. The platforms try to make as real of a connection as they can, giving users flexibility and control to enhance the connection. However despite these measures, I think there is still a disconnect and it's hard to really feel this other space.
Although, as we talk about breakout rooms, main rooms, playing virtual games, etc, it really seems like this virtual space is a space. I imagine those cheesy Microsoft commercials in which all the smiling people are spread across the screen and are connected via online meetings at various times. What would happen if we all had VR headsets and could "inhabit" these breakout/meeting spaces. How is this different than how we experience the atmosphere of a real building?
Zumthor says atmosphere is a non-material quality and that we perceive it through emotional sensibility. Is it possible to have such an emotional response in a virtual space the same way we would have in a real space? According to the nine points Zumthor's presented, there is so much we are missing in the digital world - smell, . In his lens, this digital architecture (even before COVID-19) is shameful to our profession because it lacks the real atmosphere in which architecture can so beautifully create. So why have we been pushing VR so much? Oh right, business and capitalism, the politics of architecture.
I agree with you Libby. If creating architecture is an art form, experiencing architecture is too. For me, intangibles are crucial to truly understanding and experiencing space. I’ve never gotten a ‘chill’ through a virtual experience... As far as virtual reality goes, I think it is gaining traction because it ‘s easy for clients, who are usually not well versed in architectural representation, to understand a project. I feel like this is yet another example of architects making a sacrifice to satisfy clients.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure its not possible. I immediately think of video games and the draw of the "atmosphere" of those. I think it is a different kind of atmosphere and I see video game VR as much more advanced than what architects use VR for. I think looking at virtual video game worlds, that people gladly occupy, could definitely be and already is a segment of the architecture profession.
ReplyDeleteI also think architecture renderings would be considered part of the virtual world.
DeleteLast spring, as Peter Laurence and I talked about my interests in campus-building, he suggested that I consider online learning platforms as part of my research. At the time, I was a little skeptical. A year ago, I was thinking of online learning as an optional alternative to the physical campus. I did not consider the idea that students might experience belonging or isolation because of the "architecture" of the virtual classroom--just as they might in a brick and mortar space. What a difference a year (and an additional architecture course) makes! Applying Zumthor's "Atmospheres" to the virtual classroom was brilliant. Because of your post, I have had an "ah-ha" moment that might my steer my dissertation work into new and unexpected territory. You have definitely given me more to think about. Thank you, Libby!
ReplyDeleteVR is a good tool for architects to design and for clients to better get a grasp of a design. You put the glasses on and they help your imagination get a sense of what the atmosphere in that space could be like, but they cannot replace the real experience as you use your conscious to imagine not to perceive. I doubt we will ever get to the point where VR can get you the same feeling that the real experience, but who knows, what if we are in a simulation right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Roberto, it is a good tool to give you an idea of what the atmosphere will be but it will never replace the real atmosphere because you can't feel through VR, you can't smell, touch, feel the temperature and materiality etc... If you are cooking chicken in your kitchen and are in Zumthor's baths in VR, it will smell like chicken in the baths.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen some of the buildings that zoom owns? I saw a commercial the other day and they have spaces you can rent out, like telephone booths, but to conduct zoom calls. I think this is a new horizon that will continue to expand, not only in response to this virus, but to the discovery through zoom that yes classes and businesses can still be conducted in virtual settings. However, not everyone has access to enough bandwidth to support zoom calls, or has the privacy, so what if our new frontier involves designing spaces that people use for virtual meetings?
ReplyDeleteAlthough VR has been gaining traction in recent years, I don’t think it well ever replace the feel of being able to experience a space in person. Just imagine visiting the Pantheon or La Sagrada Familia for the first time through VR, the experience would not be as enriching as it is in person since it is just a virtual simulation. You simply cannot appreciate all the fine details, the quality of light, the texture and feeling of warmth the materials emit, or the impact that the sounds and echoes of voices of the many others visitors with whom you are sharing the space have on your overall experience. I agree with many of the comments made above that it is simply a tool used for architectural representation, similar to the way we use renderings to convey ideas to a client in order to give them a sense of what the space might feel and look like.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of what you said Libby, there's a point to be made in people changing their zoom background to places like Lee. I think that this sheltering at home has sort of emphasized the longing for being in a place where we feel connected. Honestly, I don't think anyone has ever said how much they have missed studio until now. It's probably because of the atmosphere the space creates among the students and faculty. It comes to show how differently people feel when they are not allowed to be in a place where they feel so connected to.
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