NoRA photo by Bo Stjerne Thomsen

I stumbled across some interesting examples of performative architecture that use digital media to encourage community connectivity and sustainability. The first is a Pavilion Project called NoRA built for the 10 International Architecture Biennale in Venice.

photo by Bo Stjerne Thomsen

The non-representational design is a temporary structure that reacts to the flow of people around the space. Infrared cameras monitor movement and feed information to a software program (Eyesweb) that controls colored LED lights and sound patterns coming from NoRA.

The lights and sounds allow NoRA to become an active part of the landscape – encouraging community interaction around the structure. Five webcams are also positioned around NoRA to build a relationship between digital communities and the local built environment.

Habitat Hotel by James Clar and Associates

While NoRA uses lights and cameras to interact with pedestrian flow and online communities, Habitat Hotel reacts to sun exposure and educates viewers about environmental conditions. The hotel is surrounded by a mesh envelope that is dotted with nodes of small solar cells, batteries, and LED lights. The solar collectors store energy and monitor the level of sun exposure at each node.

At night, microprocessors control tri-colored LED lights that create a soft glow around the building. The LEDs create an energy map of the building with different colors corresponding to the level of sun exposure at each node. The multi-color glow changes each day and educates viewers about solar energy collection. In addition, the soft glow of small LED lights cuts down on light pollution from other harsh exterior lighting or bright floodlights.

Rayna Gordon-Hellman
rayna@medized.com
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