You Can Touch This: Temporality Through Multisensory Architectural Representation

Architects typically consider time to be a threat to buildings.This outlook stems from a lack of control over theeffects of use, the elements, and changes in a building’sphysical and sociocultural context. As a result, standardmodes of architectural representation lack theconventions and tools to address the dynamic effectsof time, whether in the past or future. The limitationis particularly critical when dealing with a heritage sitewhose physical layers manifest its complex and layeredhistories. This paper proposes that the emergingtechnologies of Virtual Environments—endowed withnot only visual but also tactile input—are well suitedto enable the expression of buildings in flux. Takingadvantage of this new medium’s ability to enhancevisual representation with dynamic and multisensoryinformation, architects will be better able to convey,study, and synthesize the temporal scale in both thedocumentation and design of buildings.

Volume Editors
Luis Francisco Rico-Gutierrez & Martha Thorne

ISBN
978-1-944214-08-1