Intangible Narratives; An investigation on immersive architectural visualisation in VR.

<p>Within the current context of digital architectural construction and immersive representation exists a problem of ‘ocularcentrism’ as defined by Pallasmaa. Recent immersive developments such as Google Earth VR, or Realities.io, focus primarily in working within the tangible experience, purely emphasising on geometric forms and physical artefacts. They largely ignore the more experiential and intangible qualities of space, which are crucial elements in a real embodied physical experience of architecture. Phenomenologists such as Pallasmaa, Holl, and Zumthor expand on this, identifying that architecture clearly exists as something beyond just the tangible. Architecture fundamentally is an experiential and spatial art, incorporating not just the geometric sense of space but also aspects of the intangible such as sound, movement, lighting and interaction. As a result of this tangible-bias, virtual-reality’s current use within architecture as an immersive medium is largely limited. Most developments can be described as ‘an immersive virtual photograph’ of architecture rather than an experience of one. This research is a response to studies that directly address the problem of ‘ocularcentrism’ while also exploring the methods and techniques that can translate intangible qualities into virtual architecture. Utilising a Real-Time Virtual Environment (RTVE) and Virtual Reality (VR) tool set, this paper virtually reconstructs the case study of the Kowloon Walled City. It proposes a novel working methodology for immersive architectural visualisation with VR and adds to the on-going research in the field of phenomenology within architecture.</p>

Intangible Narratives; An investigation on immersive architectural visualisation in VR.

<p>Within the current context of digital architectural construction and immersive representation exists a problem of ‘ocularcentrism’ as defined by Pallasmaa. Recent immersive developments such as Google Earth VR, or Realities.io, focus primarily in working within the tangible experience, purely emphasising on geometric forms and physical artefacts. They largely ignore the more experiential and intangible qualities of space, which are crucial elements in a real embodied physical experience of architecture. Phenomenologists such as Pallasmaa, Holl, and Zumthor expand on this, identifying that architecture clearly exists as something beyond just the tangible. Architecture fundamentally is an experiential and spatial art, incorporating not just the geometric sense of space but also aspects of the intangible such as sound, movement, lighting and interaction. As a result of this tangible-bias, virtual-reality’s current use within architecture as an immersive medium is largely limited. Most developments can be described as ‘an immersive virtual photograph’ of architecture rather than an experience of one. This research is a response to studies that directly address the problem of ‘ocularcentrism’ while also exploring the methods and techniques that can translate intangible qualities into virtual architecture. Utilising a Real-Time Virtual Environment (RTVE) and Virtual Reality (VR) tool set, this paper virtually reconstructs the case study of the Kowloon Walled City. It proposes a novel working methodology for immersive architectural visualisation with VR and adds to the on-going research in the field of phenomenology within architecture.</p>

Architecture as a Product of Tourism Consumption

Nevertheless, iconic architecture assists in the identification of a place, city or precinct, so, structural, functional and aesthetic aspects of architecture, particularly those that represent unique features, attract tourists. Architecture, according to Aldo Rossi, "is at the same time a place, an event and a symbol". Apart from the construction in the "traditional" sense that one perceives, it is also the process by which a building is lined up. It is therefore understood that the concept of architecture which is used, depending on the purpose, as a means of representation, use, impression, but also commercialization. In particular, regarding to the relationship between Architecture and Tourism, buildings and spaces are understood as "products", that means as a series of enhancing activities while at the same time are completing the image and identity of a place (place branding). The aim of this study is to explore the value of iconic buildings to tourism, while assessing their economic and social value in tourism using the benefit transfer method. For example, the Sydney Opera House is exemplary in this respect and is estimated to contribute "US $ 640 million in annual expenses to visitors to Sydney", as it attracts visitors, indirectly encouraging them to spend the night and further. Concluding, it is noted that the value of virtual architecture is often attributed to the construction of brick and reinforced concrete, while the wider benefits that a building can offer are often overlooked or underestimated. However, what attracts the most stray visitors is the design of the buildings and the virtual architecture which in turn identify a part (country or city) of these important landmarks. While the goal of architects is not to create tourist attractions with economic benefits, however, many are increasingly aware that successful design and functional buildings become attractions for visitors on their own – which form an external environment that requires appreciation, so in the end to end up like tourist products.

Determination of virtual reality as an architectural tool

The subject of study is the phenomenon of "virtual reality" in architectural industry. The article provides an overview of VR (virtual reality) ideas in the connection with science, philosophy and architecture. The flow of metaphorical content at various levels of the humanitarian approach is examined in detail. The article focuses on the theoretical issues of the emergence of the term, the characteristic features of VR and interaction with architectural foundations, as a new trend, both philosophical and fundamental theories. Also, there is considered a new concept of digital and technical thinking as a modern innovative method of researching shaping within the boundaries of virtual reality. The article presents difference between "3D" architecture, virtual architecture, and augmented reality.

ArchDaily and Representations of Domestic Architecture in the era of Digital Platforms

At present, ArchDaily.com is the most visited virtual architecture platform in the world. Aware of the importance acquired in the architectural practice, the site declares itself to be the main source from which architects feed on tools, information and inspiration to develop their projects. However, it is clear that its importance is not limited to its status as reference bank for professional practice. The accumulation of visual and textual representations contributes to the idea of “good architecture”, in turn transforming this platform into an institution validating and legitimizing the understanding of the discipline, its scope and limitations, its protagonists and predominant methods applied. The following pages propose an analysis of the platform’s content in its residential architecture section, an analysis that supports a critical reflection on its wider cultural effects.

Management of Low-density Sensor-Actuator Network in a Virtual Architecture

International audience Wireless sensor networks (WSN) face many implementation’s problems such as connectivity, security, energy saving, fault tolerance, interference, collision, routing problems, etc. In this paper, we consider a low-density WSN where the distribution of the sensors is poor, and the virtual architecture introduced by Wadaa and al which provides a powerful and fast partitioning of the network into a set of clusters. In order to effectively route the information collected by each sensor node to the base station (sink node, located at the center of the network), we propose a technique based on multiple communication frequencies in order to avoid interferences during the communications. Secondly, we propose an empty clusters detection algorithm, allowing to know the area actually covered by the sensors after the deployment, and therefore, giving the possibility to react accordingly. Finally, we also propose a strategy to allow mobile sensors (actuators) to move in order to: save the WSN’s connectivity, improve the routing of collected data, save the sensors’ energy, improve the coverage of the area of interest, etc. Les réseaux de capteurs sans fil (RCSF) font face à de nombreux problèmes dans leur mise en oeuvre, notamment aux problèmes de connectivité des noeuds, de sécurité, d'économie d'énergie, de tolérance aux pannes, d'interférence, de collision, de routage, etc. Dans ce document, nous considérons un RCSF peu dense, caractérisé par une mauvaise couverture de la zone d'inté-rêt, et l'architecture virtuel introduite par Wadaa et al qui permet de partitionner efficacement ce type de réseau en clusters. Dans l'optique de router optimalement les informations collectés par chaque capteur jusqu'à une station de base (noeud sink, supposé au centre du réseau), nous proposons une technique d'utilisation des fréquences multiples pour limiter les interférences lors des communications. Ensuite, nous proposons un algorithme de détection de clusters vides permettant d'avoir une vue globale de la répartition réelle des capteurs dans la zone d'intérêt, et ainsi donner la possibilité de réagir en conséquence. Nous proposons également une stratégie de déplacement des capteurs mobiles (actuators) afin de: sauvegarder la connectivité du RCSF, optimiser le routage, économiser l'énergie des capteurs, améliorer la couverture de la zone d'intérêt, etc.