Anke von der Heide and Heinrich Hußmann
Media Façades and Narratives for Public Spaces
In an effort to sustain XXIst century cities, technologies are given a significant role to compose a novel urban environment. Today’s smart city approaches, driven by technology and information, are considered to be the answer for the transformation of a noxious milieu into a habitable ideal environment. Unfortunately, in an attempt to achieve such high-level goals, technologies are often put into the urban environment in an uncontrolled manner (Greenfield and Shepard 2007). In many cases, ad-hoc deployed technological applications are detached from public activities. For instance, apps on mobile devices often do not consider local conditions, information displays with standard proportions (like 16:9) re-format the image of the city outside any architectural concept, and city authorities lack regulations for media content in urban spaces.
To understand such phenomena, researchers of various fields are forming interdisciplinary groups. In Media-Architecture and Urban-Design studies, groups, or events such as UrbanIxD in Aarhus, Denmark, MediaCity in Weimar, Germany, or Media Architecture Biennale, architects mingle with computer scientists, city planners with sociologists or media designers. Out of this interdisciplinary work new domains evolve, and media architecture is one of them. As with many other appearing fields, not much is known about the changes this brings to urban environments and our daily life. These groups have started to go beyond the naïve digital-, intelligent-, or smart-city idea, which is that designers and planners simply have to incorporate technology to provide the best city planning strategies. Thoughts on how to design for the Human City through HCI means will be discussed in more details in the chapter “Media Architecture for Shared Encounters” by Fischer and Hornecker.
Even if enhancing cities with technology, we need to design devices and architecture for the needs of people (Carr 1992). In many ways this is already happening. But at the same time researchers describe the overload of information in public spaces or the deliberate ignoring of displays by passers-by (Memarovic et al. 2015; Huang et al. 2008; Müller et al. 2009). Memarovic et al. found out that not many people look at displays in public spaces, and if they do their time of attention is short. They explain this tendency of ignorance by peoples’ expectation of uninteresting and boring content. Considering this trend, we ultimately need to ask if it is necessary to add more media to the urban space? However, giving up on media in public will not happen in the near future. Instead the current situation should be seen as an opportunity towards creating new narrations for the public environment.
The concept of narrations as part of the public environment is a well-known concept in architecture. Often buildings quote the history of their location or are enhanced with visible indications of their purpose or context. The idea that public places and buildings tell stories can be brought onto a new level with digital enhancements of the city. There exists the term ‘Urban storytelling’, which is well-suited for this idea. However, this term is often used for a planning method directly involving citizens. This term may be redefined or extended (Mager and Matthey 2015) from a “selective retelling of political communication” (Salmon 2007) or “a means of ensuring the collective governmentality of citizens” (Matthey 2014) towards a possibility to design public spaces with meaningful content taking into account interactive media devices and displays. We will use the term “urban storytelling” in this text in this broad sense.
Therefore, when thinking of media for urban spaces, we first need to ask questions such as which stories do we want to tell and how these narratives have to be designed? Classical design, architecture, or urban planning rules can provide a fundament to create urban storytelling. But how can these classical rules be combined with rules covering moving images or software-controlled architectural elements? Which set of rules will provide the best impact for telling stories in an urban environment? In this essay, we would like to explore whether classical design strategies and rules are applicable to media architecture or if we need to adjust them towards a complex integrative design strategy. This article first surveys several sets of rules for designing media, architecture, and urban environment. Afterwards three typical examples of narrative media architecture projects are presented, including one in which the lead author was involved. They provide the base to discuss challenges and strategies for urban storytelling on latest media architecture examples. Starting from these insights, we finally offer an outlook into future research.
However, we are not investigating design methods and tools for concepts or media architecture prototypes like Dalsgaard and Halskov are descripting in their chapter “Designing Media Architecture: Methods and Tools”, but rather emphasize on the composition of architecture with media content towards a holistic design of a narrated story in the urban context.
1Designing Media Architecture and Urban environments
Media and architecture imply two entirely different materialities and complexities. While architecture existed way before Common Era, technological ‘mass’ media as known today appeared in the late 20th century due to the invention of communication technologies like radio, cinema, television etc. Over time architecture implemented comforts like running water, windows, and central heating, later on followed by amenities like electricity, the usage of which already turned into a design element through the design of city and building lighting. Today, we experience another wave of technology being integrated into architecture, with various kinds of controllable and smart additions to private homes and business buildings. This relates also to communication networks, traditionally like telecommunication, and new inventions within the internet of things. Urban planning and design thinking changed in a similar way from industrial- to garden-city and further to car-oriented city approaches. Today’s planning schemes need to cope with this unsustainable heritage and try to implement new “smart” technologies to measure, control, and observe for a livable and human environment.
Media architecture is one of the latest developments in the integration between architecture and technology. Bringing together the different domains “media” and “architecture” provides a very serious challenge, since these two domains do not only differ in their physicality, design language, and use, but they also work with entirely different time dimensions. Media ‘plans’ for the moment, is permanently changing, entertains, or informs with the obsession to keep the audience’s attention through exiting stories. On the other hand, architecture is a very static matter, not meant to change but rather built to last at least the next thirty or fifty years.
The temporal issue of technology is not only in contrast to the goals of architecture. More generally, technological evolution is highly disruptive for the daily life of citizens. Technology is changing very fast, producing a permanent wave of new products and standards. Once the cinematograph entertained a whole society, and then the TV became the families’ evening ritual. The LP-record was invented around 1900, replaced by the CD (1980s) and again replaced by MP3-files (1990s). The latter is again being superseded by web based sharing and streaming platforms like SoundCloud or Spotify. This fast pace adds new standards permanently, sometimes with adaptability and compatibility problems, not only due to novel equipment. Maintaining outdated technology and at the same time transiting successfully to state-of-the-art technology has become a challenge for citizens, in particular in the media sector.
Additionally, each of the fields relevant for this discussion (media, architecture, and urban planning) have their own rules defining the perception of aesthetics, static or moving images, or in large-scale architectures. Norms and standards regulate the best practices of architecture, while research on social and human behavior helps to configure and shape public areas. Questions that need to be asked are: Which of these rules and practices can help or be adapted towards interdisciplinary media architecture approaches? Can the concept of storytelling in an urban environment be a possibility to cope with the desire to combine technology, architecture, and (narrated) content? To respond to these questions, the following chapter is investigating concerns like: To which extent are moving images differently perceived on a large façade than on a smaller screen? Does the urban environment change the perception of a medium that is made for a living room perspective? Which set of design rules is valid or can help in designing media architecture? In the following, we will discuss several design rules and strategies in detail and give suggestions how they can support design and research in the area of media architecture.
1.1Perception and Design Rules in General
Media design experienced a reorientation towards multimedia and intermedia design (Schaub 1989). Rautberg and Schlagenhauf describe that this phenomenon leads to liquidation and revision of traditional design rules in all participating fields: text, image, sound, and film/video. For the design of media architecture, this list needs to be extended towards new media and material products like architecture, urban environment, etc. (Rauterberg and Schlagenhauf 1993).
Perception
The human perception, however, has not changed over centuries. We distinguish different perception senses as visual, acoustic, olfactory, and gustatory, and skin related senses like pain, temperature, pressure, haptics, etc. Moreover, cognitive memory processes increase the observer’s perception (Ware 2008)). Original and image, real and fake need to be logically explained. Figure 1 shows a tree and Figures 2 and 3 a metaphor of the same tree, one extremely pixelated and the other cropped. This illustrates how our cognitive abilities allow us to deal with high levels of abstraction and therefore relate very different images to the original tree, at least to a certain extent.
(Lochers (2006)) showed in eye tracking studies that only 61% of a picture is actually perceived. Wilson and Chatterjee (2005) assume that only specific organizational structures create an aesthetical experience and readability while others do not. Observers of a picture filter the relevant information, based on context and previous knowledge, to form a subjective perception, and in the end an opinion. Different composition rules therefore are a tool for artists and designers to make important information being perceived faster (Wilson and Chatterjee 2005).
1.2Specific Rules
Rules of Composition
Composition rules for pictures describe the role of basic elements like points, lines, and areas. These elements imply characteristics like textures, colors, contrast, forms, and size. Graphic designers apply additional rules to fonts, signs, and symbols. Rules of balance, proportion, and visual hierarchies explain how to order all elements to create a spatial experience. They combine all elements of a picture to one narrative statement and allow the observer to understand the picture (Locher 2006; Tyler 1998).
Symmetry is often experienced as boring due to an excessive similarity of picture elements (McManus, et al. 1985). Instead Euklid von Alexandria’s mathematical formula for a proportional asymmetry, the golden ratio, is used to define the exact relation between two parts, a smaller and a bigger one. During the Renaissance this golden ratio played an important role in philosophy and arts. Later, i.e., in19th century, the golden ratio served Adolf Zeising as a main proportional principle for aesthetic theories applied until today in art, crafts and architecture (Zeising 2015).
The appearance of color is defined as object colour, a reflection of light on an object, and light colour, composed by adding or subtracting coloured light sources of the visible spectrum. (Bendin et al. 2011) Recent research in lighting design introduces questions of different perception of object and light color, e.g., blue in a projected picture is differently or even oppositely perceived than the blue colour of the same picture as a printed photo. (Ruland 2015) Colour is often used to define the main subject. Different intensities are additionally creating an illusion of depth.
Other composing rules are:
–Focal Points: to create attraction
–Lines: to guide the audience’s gaze and connect elements
–Areas: to connect elements in enclosed regions
–Proximity: to combine or separate elements
–Dominance and Subordination: to control the attention each element receives (through size and colors)
–Coherence: to form a significant unity (by color, shape, and size)
–Balance: to establish relations between visual elements through the concept of placement and perceived weight. (Brightness corresponds to low weight)
–Positive and Negative Space: to create shapes and figures by separation of foreground and background
–Rhythm: to construct regular repetitive structures of different patterns, like in music.
Visual Directions
Understanding the reading gravity path of people allows placing important information in the best readable sequence of design elements or to emphasize visually elements placed in weak areas of the layout. Rudolf Arnheim’s structural net describes the natural flow of how our eye moves on a rectangular canvas. (Arnheim1996) He explains that the center and the four corners are like magnets. Besides these focal points, axes are important connectors allowing the eye to move along them and from one focal point to another like in Gutenberg´s diagram developed by Edmund C. Arnold for text-heavy content purposes (Arnold 1981).
Eye-tracking and heat map methods (Nielsen and Pernice 2009) found that while reading the eye follows a Z-pattern or F-pattern. The Z-pattern refers to the reading path in books and additionally to Gutenberg’s diagram, it also concerns the fallow areas. The F-pattern concerns mainly webpages and suggest a rather scanning reading path from left to right edge and further down the side. In general, all reading patterns suggest a layout that follows the natural flow of eye movement, depending on cultural background (in Western context, usually from left to right).
Chronological sequences of consecutive static pictures create moving images through the principles of dynamics, speed, and rhythm. Additionally, they enhance, beyond the visual impression, an inner sensation. This sensation is developed through a differentiated cognitive processing mechanism, the visual impression, and memory.
Rhythm is needed to regulate the speed and flow of composition elements, while intervals in-between form rhythmic patterns and let our eyes follow the structure visually, in a similar way like our ear follows the rhythm of a song. Elements may move in horizontal, vertical, or diagonal directions. Their scale lets them appear on short or long distances and on straight, curved or complex paths. The appearance of the elements can be defined by color hue, saturation and brightness, complexity, contrast, camera focus, zoom, and angle. (Bradley 2015)
Speed is an important factor for moving images which is derived from repetition and therefore related to rhythm. It is composed by repetition (tempo, rate or pace, continuity, interpolation), and variation (acceleration, accent, order, nesting, irregularity), e.g., slow motion adds drama while acceleration requests attention and suggests excitement (Wakefield 2008).
Rules for Interaction Design
Moving images today have the advantage that they can be produced inexpensively for nearly every audience. However, compared with TV or video, interactive systems can enhance the quality of presentation through control mechanisms that let the observer actively intervene. Designing the maximum usability is the main goal of interaction design and implies that the learning period for the systems’ functions should be as short as possible. This can be achieved through a good match of experience and expectation, a sufficient consistency in design, simplicity of design, and by limiting functionality. The system should assist the user in reducing his “thinking work” or cognitive load and keep him engaged. (Rauterberg and Schlangenhauf 1993)
Architectural Rules
The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius state that architecture depends on order, arrangement, symmetry, propriety, and economy. Palladio, a Renaissance architect, later describes three similar rules of arithmetic, geometric, and harmonic, derived from Pythagoras’ mathematical rules. Different to the design rules of a picture he describes three dimensions, width, length, and height. (Suppes 1991) Later, in mid 18th century, Hume, Burke, and others state that a certain beauty and aesthetics can not be mathematically explained and object the traditional thoughts on the relation between proportions of the human body and architecture. However, there is no existing rule of how to achieve such aesthetics in modern architecture. Architect’s Data (1936), also called “the Neufert” became the reference book for every young architect today. Ernst Neufert precisely explains all spatial requirements to form a framework for building projects and site planning. However, this has nothing to do with the aesthetics but rather with the function of elements. (Neufert and Neufert 2000)
1.3Storytelling in Public Spaces
Public Space Strategies
Jan Gehl says, “A good city is like a good party”. “You know it’s working when people stay for much longer than really necessary, because they are enjoying themselves.” (Mitra 2013) Over the years, through observing and researching public lives, Gehl, just like Jane Jacobs, the “grandmother” of humanistic planning, draws attention to the relevance of human scale. (Jacobs 1961) Both Gehl and Jacobs observe that the qualities of public spaces where people like to meet, stay, sit, or play – the “life between buildings” – need to be treated carefully by architects, urban designers, and city planners. (Gehl 2011) Stephen Carr in his book “Public Space” explains the main guidelines for such livable public spaces as follows: Human needs should be met, a right to use should be given, a meaning should be communicated, and maintenance should be provided. (Carr 1992)
Storytelling
Storytelling in the past referred to books and movies, but today it also plays an important role in marketing and public relation and further in all design disciplines. The term “storytelling” labels the optimization of compositional flow by presenting information in the right order or following a readable design hierarchy. Narrative, or story structure, in film theory refers to a temporal global-structure or as Wakefield says: “the highest level of unity and contrast”. The plot of the story is usually composed by an exposition or beginning, conflict and climax or middle, and the resolution or end. The story line is a graph of progression marking exposition, conflict, climax, and resolution in different intensities over time. (Wakefield 2008) In a broader sense a story can be anything that is told through linked true or fictitious events and happenings. Stories allow us to share, assess, and interpret certain events, experiences, and concepts. They are the foundation of memory, learning, and knowledge. (Anon 2005)
Urban Storytelling
The term “urban storytelling” is used in this text as a way of remembering, narrating, and re-connecting urban environments with the communities, or like Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl describe, “urban life is full of stories of the past, the present, and the future”. In 1984 Bernardo Secchi drew the attention to an active planning technique called the ‘urban planning narrative’ (Secchi 1984). Throgmorton, Sandercock and others later describe the efforts to combine this technique with storytelling to establish an illustrative and even obligatory model for planning practices (Throgmorton 2003; Sandercock 2003; van Hulst 2012). As earlier mentioned it is part of the bottom up planning and “democratic communication” approaches (Matthey 2014; Matthey 2014b) and regional renewal actions (Devisme 2005; Laurent Devisme). As stated earlier, we refer to a broader usage of the term, which is also present in the literature. Belinda Redondo for instance puts urban storytelling in the public art context in which the urban project and its artistic implementation build an alliance around a “narrative process” on “the logic of attractiveness and competitiveness of territories” (Redondo 2015). Florence Bétrisey exploits local myth and legends to produce a sense of belonging (Bétrisey 2014). She divides storytelling in four phases: ‘mythification, identification, emotionalisation, personification’. The diversity of urban narrative systems becomes evident in the context of ‘conflict’ for example in ‘humanitarian urban planning’ for improving living conditions.
In this sense the ‘telling’ part is all about the emotional stories literally ‘lying on the streets’. Picking up on this allegory, we can consider the creation of urban stories similar as the creations of movies. So during the creative act of writing a plot it is important to know all elements of the story: the audience, the location, room, street, square, the elements to design with urban furniture, screens, displays, interaction devices, etc.
According to the Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL) at Columbia University School of the Arts, adding digital media as a new element of the urban setting makes it possible to combine and co-create new stories. It will not only change the perception of the audience but also evolve possibilities to incorporate multiple actors and narratives. DSL states that “Digital technologies also create the capacity to bring into view new perceptions, new publics and new assemblages of urban relations. (Anon n.d.)
2Investigation of Three Narrative Media Architecture Examples
The following three media architecture examples depict different challenges and strategies of creating narrations for media architecture. The first is the waste-to-energy power plant in Roskilde, Denmark, by the Dutch architect Erick Van Egeraat. The second is the the St. Pauli Klubhaus in Hamburg, Germany, a concept by akyol kamps:bbp architects and the projection mapping specialists URBAN-SCREEN. The third is an example of castle-sized interfaces, an interactive façade mapping created temporarily for the 100th commemoration of Duke George II, in Meiningen, Germany, by media architecture and media informatics students of Bauhaus-University Weimar.
In this section, we introduce the three examples, with an emphasis on the narrative aspect. In the following section we will proceed with an analysis of challenges in urban storytelling.
2.1Waste-to-Energy Power Plant in Roskilde
The waste-to-energy power plant in Roskilde, designed by the architect Erick van Egeraat and completed in 2014, expresses its combustion function onto the low-res media façade through individually controllable colored lights (RGBW LEDs). The shape and brick color of the building reflect historical factory buildings. A 100 meter high tower without direct function accumulates the metaphorical story of a burning flame that gradually grows from a smoldering ember into a flame relieved with glowing smoke through the spire.
This simple story creates a total work of art by considering and combining the function of the building and the design of the architecture, the chosen material (metal) and colored lighting – it becomes a Gesamtkunstwerk. Thewhole building is covered by one large media façade. (Van Egeraat 2014) The power plant is widely visible, since it is located in an industrial area close to a six-lane highway. So it has the potential to become a permanent landmark for the area. It was conceived as a light sculpture that stands out of the surrounding industrial lighting. Considering the location within a non-accessible industrial area and the dangerous highway separating the power plant from farmland it had to be built widely visible for an audience that arrives from the open countryside into the city Roskilde. Consequently, the story is incomprehensible to a close standing person as only a few pixels are visible when standing right in front of the building.
2.2St. Pauli Klubhaus in Hamburg
After the opening of the St. Pauli Klubhaus in 2015, designed by akyol kamps : bbp architekten and the media artist URBANSCREEN, this media façade reveals certain challenges of using different lighting materials for one large moving image. While the low-resolution media façade of the waste-to-energy power plant tells only one story of a growing energy discharged into the sky, the authors of the Klubhaus wanted to adjust stories accordingly to cultural activities. Abstract stories are the “core visuals” and will reflect the identity of the building; advertisements will be displayed for financial reasons.
A future challenge will be to produce and curate those stories after the first euphoric sentiment has passed. However, due to the novelty of the building and the beginning of the cold seasons not much can be said about the impact and changes of use of the surrounding environment. (Dalsgaard and Halskov 2011) This has to be researched further.
The Klubhaus is situated at Spielbudenplatz, a central place at Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, the main entertainment quarter. Spectators mostly visit the area in the evening and due to the central location eventually pass by on their way from one end to the other. The permanent media façade is totally integrated in the building and unfolds into a 3D sculpture of different rectangular boxes with differing depths. The light material varies from glassed LED panels for a translucent elevator well, to LED mesh, projections, and LED panels. All are controlled by one integrated system that allows playing videos especially arranged for this façade. Additionally, the system allows visitors to upload twitter messages and photos or to play games. (Kirst 2012) This way the building tells the story of being a part of a community of people outside the building. However it will remain a challenge to maintain this system in the long term, especially for changing users.
In an interview with the light designers (Roland Greule and Johan Gielen), they expressed that the main challenge was the combination of different light sources with different levels of resolution and brightness. This became evident when reality had to match the ideas of the architectural renderings, which gave the impression of a façade covered with a homogenous light surface. This is not easy to realize in practice: One can imagine that projectors illuminate every part of the screen with the same brightness, while LED meshes of individual pixels create a different appearance.
2.3Castle-Sized Interface at Elisabethenburg in Meiningen
The narration of this Gesamtkunstwerk, developed by MediaArchitecture and HCI students at Bauhaus University Weimar, tells the fictional story of sketches of a previously unknown theatre machine drawn by Duke Georg II of the city Meiningen that were discovered recently in the cities archive. This machine has been recreated and allows the audience to interact with the façade mapping. The mapping illustrates symbolically the 12 principles of classical theatre, which the Duke developed. So there is the basic story of the creative work on this machine and on theatre theory which has happened at this location, which is probably unknown to most visitors. This is supplemented by more detailed “stories” about the functioning of the machine.
The installation was conceived as a temporary happening in the courtyard of the castle Elisabethenburg and consisting of: a reactive entry installation in the central access archway, a mapping onto a 120 meter long curved façade, a choreography performance by school children, and an interactive “theatre machine” as an architectural interface (Behrens et al. 2014). (Fischer et al. 2015) One of the main challenges in this project was to combine these different elements to one consistent storyline, the exact functioning of the Gesamtkunstwerk during the event and rouse the interested of the possible audience for the event during the one year production time
The horseshoe shape of the façade gave the audience the possibility to step into the projection. The impressive scale of this curved façade then allowed the impression of being almost surrounded by a permanently changing three-dimensional architecture. This feeling increased in the middle of the courtyard where the ‘theatre machine’ was placed around a fountain. Fischer at al. mentioned that this setting created three different spatial atmospheres, one for the distant observer, one that immerses the audience with a surrounding projection, and the last that allows becoming part of the story through interacting with the machine.
3Challenges and Strategies for Narrative Media Architecture and Urban Storytelling
Creating narratives for media architecture and urban storytelling can encompass a variation of challenges assigned by the different disciplines involved. This short list categorizes identified challenges and strategies for design, from own and related work. However, research in this field is still young and needs further investigation and discussed.
3.1Perception of Moving Images on Large-Scale Media Façades
In general, when designing for media façades, the flow of images over 3D objects and large-scale architecture elements requires new compositional thinking, deviating from the “canvas” or 16:9 size to endless format possibilities. How people perceive images on a large-scale media façade needs to be further investigated, but what we can say from our own research are that speed and rhythm of moving images matter a lot, fast or slow speed is seen relatively to the screen size and was differently perceived on a 1:100 model than on the actual façade. (Fischer et al. 2015) The speed perception is additionally dependent on the viewer’s distance to the screen and content size. In this regard, information capacities need to be considered as well when designing for low-resolution or high-resolution façades (Hoggenmüller and Wiethoff 2014).
3.2Composition of Architecture with Media Content
Vitruvius’ statements on architectural order, arrangement, symmetry, and propriety might be used as architectural strategies to reveal different aesthetical content and illusions. The distance and angle of the observer towards media content on a façade can create various perceptions of the same image. Figure 17(a) shows a pixelated tree with black gaps and Figure 17(b) shows the same tree perceived from a different point of few, extruded and showing rather lines than separated pixels. Thus, the surrounding lighting, the size of the content and the size of the pixel allows perceiving some content either as an ornament or an architectural element (Figure 18(a) ornament and 18(b) architectural element).
Another challenge is to identify the right size or color of content elements, which cannot be exactly determined on a computer display or an architectural model. Hence, testing in reality becomes necessary. Chosen colors might change when mixing with the original color of the façade. Sizes of fonts and images might be judged differently due to the different viewpoint and angles that reveal when actually standing in front of the building. However, this can be only examined on existing buildings. (Dalsgaard and Halskov 2010). Consequently, size and color are important for the told story, because designing content only for the model might lead to different intentions and accentuations within the story. So for this aspect, the traditional sets of rules remain valid, but they have to be modified to create adequate subjective perception by the viewers.
Another challenge is when designing with light (façade projection in Meiningen) to also consider shadow. This applies to light design as well as to video mapping. Depending on the accentuation of the shadow, the set light appears to be bright or dark. This allows creating new illusionary dimensions through cognitive perception, physically, when architectural elements create shadows or through the play of shadows in moving images. (Thorsten Bauer, Genius Loci Weimar Symposium (2013)) Additionally, according to recent research and contrary to previous knowledge, light and object colors are perceived differently. This research might reveal new design possibilities in the future. (Ruland 2015) Anyway, the mixture of light and object colours which appears in media architecture makes an extension of the traditional rule sets necessary.
3.3Designing Visual and Spatial Directions
The technique to accentuate light allows creation of focal points, just like in theater situations where a spotlight helps directing the focus of the audience. However, the possibilities for enhancing visual directions on large-scale façades need further research. For instance, in contrast to traditional theater, the audience is moving around in a media architecture setting and therefore may be guided to physically move to a focal point. Controlled movement of the audience with the help of light was shown to be working well in the Meiningen event. During the three event-phases, façade projection, choreography, and interactive machine, different light atmospheres emphasized the different parts in different areas of the courtyard. This is an example for a completely new design element in media architecture for which traditional rule sets can be applied only to a very limited extent.
3.4Adapting Rules for Moving Images for Media Architecture
Keeping the story simple while increasing the complexity through adding diverse means of media, architecture, and technology can be achieved through a consistent design language or story line. For example, the constant image recreation of the “theatre machine” at the event in Meiningen took form in visuals and sound (gear wheals, clattering noises), and physically in the machine interface. So traditional design principles like consistency are useful also in media architecture settings, but need to be generalized to a multitude of media expression options.
Just like in movies, sound manipulates emotions and mood, can also help to interpret the story. During the interactive part of the Meiningen event, a constant gear moving sound helped the audience to understand that they were moving the wheels of the machine. The soundtrack, developed by Markus Rom, used a mix of effects and often gave the impression of a sound moving along the façade, which increased the spatial impression. (Fischer et al. 2015) This is an example of applying traditional design rules from cinematic design.
3.5Spatial Aspects and Urban Elements
Most important for the design of media architecture is to identify viewpoints and obstructions like other buildings, trees, light, etc, and the placing of the media façade on ground or top level. Do the observers stand right in front of the media intervention or do they have a distant position? When standing right in front of a façade the height and width of the building has to be considered.
Design rules to cover this aspect may take the form of a (relatively complex) formula or a program taking into account all relevant parameters: distance and angle between observer and façade in relation with the façade’s scale, to be applied to image, pixel, or font size. The results of such a calculation might give guidance to determine whether a low-resolution picture is understandable from a given viewer distance or not. It would also allow the creation of strategies of cognitive perception to complete missing parts of the image. (Dalsgaard and Halskov 2010) therefore suggest to integrate these interventions into the existing surrounding.
Designing for passers-by, observers, or an interacting audience needs also to consider other distractions like mobile phones, happenings, noise, cafés, playing kids, etc. Being louder and more obtrusive is arguably not a feasible option. Narrative media interventions in public space need to attract by other means. An option could be informative, playful, or participatory elements. Other options are to investigate the missing parts of the urban area, e.g. benches or shadowing elements that allow to stay longer, and add them to the design. This again is an example of new design elements and rules which barely are covered by traditional rule sets.
Designing narrations for media architecture can also mean to consider the history or other identifiers of the building and reflect them in the story. But as (Memarovic et al. 2015) mentions, the main challenge is to tell stories that create interest in order to overcome display blindness in public space. So a well-developed theory on attraction of viewers by media displays has to be incorporated into an adequate design rule set.
In order to overcome display blindness needs for comfort, relaxation, passive and active engagement, and discovery have to be met, according to (Carr 1992). This can be achieved through free access, freedom of action, change, and meaningfulness, among others. However, adding new technology to public spaces can “cause disruption and transform social relations and protocols, and can emerge in “unforeseen use of places and systems”. (Dalsgaard and Halskov 2010) But it can also add new values or enhance social participation, communication among strangers, political and community engagement.
3.6Integration of Interactive Elements
The chosen interaction needs to match the content to develop a consistent storyline on the screen or façade. In order to engage people a public interface should be simple and immediately understandable. This can be achieved through a limitation of functions.
Media architecture can be seen as a highly complex system combining a variety of technological materials. The main challenge, discussed by (Dalsgaard and Halskov 2011), is therefore the high need for ‘robustness’ and stability in open-air settings. A technical setting with drop-outs does not tell a story. The work on the castle-sized interface revealed that prototyping, in particular in 1:1 scale and testing, as well as in-situ work, were elemental for success. (Fischer et al. 2015)
Placement of technology like LEDs, projectors, or sensors might be constrained, not just for health and safety reasons, but also because of structural issues. Maintenance of technology and architectural elements is required. According to (Carr 1992) this can include also a constant change of content.
4Lessons Learned and Outlook for Future Research on Storytelling for Media Architecture
Storytelling through media interventions as a Gesamtkunstwerk combines a multitude of different parts, i.e., audience, location, urban elements, media content, and devices into a coherent ensemble. As described above it can pose a challenge but also a possibility to create attractive places or to enhance communication between strangers. Additionally it can become part of the bottom up planning and “democratic communication” approaches as Matthey describes, or it can lead (Matthey 2014) to regional renewal actions (Devisme 2005) One common element of these stories is the emotional effect, which allows people to relate to them. This manipulative impact is the key of a good story.
How to design those stories is the main challenge. It starts with understanding which story is the right one for each place and does not end with simply putting all elements together. As (Memarovic et al. 2015) describes, the challenge is that display blindness needs to be overcome. This could be either through a good permanent story with a “lighthouse” effect like in the case of the waste-to-energy plant in Roskilde or through a well curated program of different stories as for the Klubhaus at Reeperbahn Hamburg.
An additional challenge is that each of the earlier mentioned rules and strategies are justified only within each of the individual design disciplines. But not much is known about the combination of disciplines, e.g., the perception of moving images on large-scale media façades and the integration of interactive elements. The observations made above are only a first step in this direction.
Furthermore each of the disciplines has its own ballast to cope with. The understanding of how new buildings will be accepted aesthetically and socially is difficult because architects work with models that do not reflect reality. Diagrams like Gutenberg’s, the Z or F pattern are intended for layout on paper or flat interfaces but not to design content for the irregular surface of a façade. Previous research also shows that the perceptional speed of moving images is different between the 1:100 model and the real façade. (Fischer et al. 2015) But does this also apply to the distance of the observer to the media façade? How does form and shape, 16:9 urban screens or large-scale façades, curved or flat, matter in order to design content?
We also need to consider the architecture and the surrounding public space when creating a storyline between the interface and the screen/façade. The chosen interaction needs to match the content and the cultural knowledge of the users. In the end we need to consider for whom the media façade is meant, the passers-by near the building or does it rather serve as a light house image for the city and will be visible from kilometers away?
The observed challenges and strategies reveal many open questions of how media architecture will change our urban surroundings and how they might be designed to add value for people. How can further research help to develop a framework for an interdisciplinary cooperation which can put together “this current helpless mix of elements”, namely architecture, design, lighting, video, sound, informatics, etc. (Schaub 1989)? This article intends to start an intensive discussion within the community, with experts in sociology, psychology, and others. This can not only help creating a framework for the design but also help in formulating strategies or regulations to curate media architecture in the future. Those media architecture curators would have to constantly research the needs of the community and the urban space and negotiate them with different stakeholders.
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