The Digital Drift to Defining Space
Though I have not studied architecture much in depth, I can say that it is a field that was considered a meritorious profession for its design of physical space, the natural world, and converting the space into what we know as the built environment. Architects are given the mission to create and design these built environments in such a way that accommodates to the basic human needs (provides shelter for the user) and also comes off as an aesthetic piece of work.
Architecture alone is an inevitable component to civilization. People have a basic need of shelter and this is where architecture comes back in. Therefore, the project focuses on a different essential need in modern day society with the utilization of a need essential throughout time.
In order to accomplish this, much like any other designer, an architect must go through a series of test runs before any design can be finalized. Designers in the architectural field are required to focus on user-designed tasks, reason being the true success of an architectural work is that it accomplishes all of the needs and wants of the user, including what the user finds to be aesthetic, as aestheticism is a very subjective term.
Of course, these test runs can be tedious and require a lot of effort if the right materials aren’t used. Long ago, architects used to do everything strictly on paper and create blueprints for their designs. The finalized product would be produced after several drafts of the same project, until one finally satisfied the user. In this day and age, architecture has shifted into designing on a digital interface. AutoCAD has become a phenomenal program that has completely transformed architecture and engineering from using the classic pencil and paper to computers and software. The design of buildings and architectural projects have become much more successful because in software the project can be modified since the program is so easy to operate with.
The issue with translating all aspects of architecture into a digital environment takes away from the true immersion in the physical space. When people looked at the models of architecture, the design felt more real because it represented a real space. Architects would create miniature models that also had representations of humans who interacted with this physical space. With the real life physical model, the architecture becomes tangible and people can imagine themselves actually stepping into the environment. In the digital world, however, the construction of the design is strictly a visual; people see how beauty resonates in the piece strictly visually and cannot be actually immersed in the physical space. This takes away from the design, and ultimately can lead to less satisfaction with the project because the end result turns out to be completely different from what the user had imagined.
My project will be centered on comparing and contrasting the physical design and virtual design of the built environment. This will be done through the utilization of both AutoCAD and the construction of models through cardboard (this is subject to change). The comparison and contrast will be done through testing subjects and having them look at both mediums, and then improvising on them based off their feedback of the designs. Then, I’ll produce the same model both in AutoCAD and also the miniature model that displays the final result. The user than describes their experience seeing the transformation between the actual model and the AutoCAD design, which one they see as better, and how the difference between the physical model and the AutoCAD model has changed their perception of the space.
In addition, some testers will only get the experience of one of the two; some will receive the AutoCAD experience, the other will receive the model. They will explain their experiences and elaborate on what could be done. They will also discuss whether the experience would’ve been different had they received the other type of medium and describe how.
My end goal in this project is to show that the shift into the digital design of architecture, but not only the shift in one field but how society as a whole has transformed to create both an augmented and a physical reality. As stated before, architecture is an inevitable component of society and is the most ideal for my capstone because A.) It is a general field of interest but more importantly B.) The fact that it serves as a tool to prove the existence of one necessity by using another necessity (shelter).
The skills that this requires is obviously some experience in AutoCAD, which I fortunately was able to touch a little on in the previous summer where I took a course strictly on AutoCAD. Of course, one summer has not made me a master at it, but with a little practice with the project, the skills will be able to suffice. I will also need several construction materials and the skills to be able to draw and design; which won’t be a problem considering I was a previous architecture major!
The project will take the format of a presentation on slideshow, having both the AutoCAD designs and model designs on display for everyone to see and create their own interpretations of the differences. In addition, there will be videos of interviews with people on how their experience has changed; if this becomes excessive, then the concise summarization of how these people reacted will be presented in the slideshow.
In conclusion, as I’ve mentioned before, the idea of this project is to establish a ground between the physical and digital world. In our previous courses in Digital Cultures and Creativity, we have learned how a very thin line divides the space between the virtual and the physical world, and how they have become an inevitable part to our everyday lives. The goal of this project is to take this application and convert it into something essential to every human’s needs; the built environment. Thus, my project hopes to elicit not only a message for designers, but a general message to every person out there; we live in a day and age where both the digital and physical world are prominent, and one cannot survive without the other.
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