Coexistant combinations : architectural relevance in the digital age

Abstract

If architecture fails to match the acceleration of adaption inherent in networked structures, in regards to basic individual and societal needs, it risks losing relevance as a facilitator of the human existential experience. To lose such relevance would result in buildings as containers, and not architecture informing the human condition. Physical places will be replaced by online spaces. This relevance can be reclaimed by striking a balance between these coexistent realities. To be more specific a balance achieved with physical architecture acting as a counterbalance to the shifting virtual domain. The final result sought after is not one of static equilibrium, but one similar to the process of homeostasis, where a system responds to environmental conditions in order to maintain an optimal internal state. This state can be explored through a process of digital simulation and analysis combined with intuitive architectural translation, and mathematical analysis. The results of this thesis help to define more specifically the problems and challenges involved in balancing these two realities through successive exploratory iterations and hypotheses. The concluding findings pointing to a new understanding and approach to architectural space and the value of integrating interactive digital technology.