Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

At the intersection of the urban context and consideration for future (perhaps virtual) “space”—or the absence of architectural space; a studio design project focused on archiving existing realities. With unknown architectural space (metaverse, augmented reality) on the horizon—and the flexibility to propose function and program in design studios—the students looked at relevant objects or “things” (tangible or intangible) that could/should be archived as a way of accounting for historic necessities and preserving memories of the past to serve as reminders for the unforeseeable future. The manifestation was one that prioritized the more intimate human experience and took on various physical scales while still grappling with ideas of “future” space: immersive and illusory. The idea that a building’s physical location (GPS coordinates—or relationship to the sun) takes priority in its responsive design manifestation and contextual analysis is up for debate. Ideas of space and how occupants inhabit space are rapidly evolving and invite new questions into the processes and outcomes of architectural manifestations. If we can occupy virtual or augmented space, how much does the environmental context around us matter? This paper does not focus on the design of virtual space but rather posits how we can address the education of architecture at a moment where space is not always tied to location. In addition to grappling with ideas of future space, this paper and pedagogical study look at a method of inverting a typical architecture studio brief to prioritize interiority and experience over external contextual influences. It challenges the need for such contextual regard as spaces become more technologically based or virtual—all the while embracing such technology to explore imagined outputs.