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Articles
ARCHITECTURE IN CYBERSPACE OR
CYBERSPACE IN ARCHITECTURE?
A Study into Cyber Technology, Cyber Culture and the Impacts on Man
at the Turn of the Millennium
Paper by
Yang Li
National University of Singapore
Section 3
5.0
TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT FOR CYBER ARCHITECTURE
With the different scenarios illustrated in Chapter 4, there are
two kinds of interpretation or two schools of thought with regard
to the search for the meaning of cyber architecture: one being cyber
architecture in cyberspace and the other justifying it in physical
space.
Cyber architecture in cyberspace intends to go through the evolution
of architecture leading to the de-materialisation of architecture.
In contrast, cyber architecture in physical space defines what is
architecture, giving a limitation or boundary to this definition that
justifies its presence in physical space.
5.1 Cyber Architecture in Cyberspace
From the 1920s to 60s, the whole notion that architecture is
about the experimental modulation of space and time - that is the
"fourth dimensional" - captivated architectural theory.
Architecture seen for its symbolic content or "message system"
has taken on a life of its own. Not only have architecture drawings
generated art markets in their own right - as illustrated conceptual
art, buildings have begun to become arguments in architectural discourse
about architecture, as propositions, narratives, and inquiries that
happen also to be inhabitable.
In the avant-garde guise, the movement goes by the name of Deconstructivism,
or Post-Structuralism. Its interest is neither a building as an object
of beauty nor inhabitation, Architecture becomes an object of information,
a collection of ciphers and "moves", junctions and disjunctions,
reversals and iterations, metaphorical woundings and healings, and
so on, all to be "read".
Architecture, in its physical form, is no longer an important issue,
the meaning or what can be read reigns supreme. Would the next step
of cyber architecture in cyberspace be a logical approach. Furthermore,
cyberspace can provide and do what architects have been dreaming of
all the time, e.g. build a castle in the air without being constrained
by gravity.
Architecture in cyberspace provides an opportunity for architects
to explore and test out and idea before actually building it. It allows
the user to do walkthroughs and provides a more realistic view of
what it would be like in real life. It allows different professionals
to interact and simulate an idea before actually building. It allows
theories and concepts to be realised and explained even with a physical
body and thus generates newer ideas never though possible. It is like
paper architecture, except that it is much more.
Fundamentally, the idea of architecture per se as a ground for discourse
and theorising works fine. But the question remains whether there
is architecture in cyberspace.
Cyberspace architecture can be easily related to a physical parallel.
It is like the museum in real life and a model in cyberspace. But
buildings in cyberspace are constructed from programming language
and not bricks and mortar.
Although there is so much hype about cyberspace in the media, how
cyber can architecture be? An article recently posted in the newsgroup,
alt.architecture, stated that “After all, Internet is just an
electronic billboard!”, the author said that users were becoming
irritated by animations which took up considerable time when downloading
web pages…he wrote, “Just get to the point!”. This
applies to cyber architecture too, if the design remains in bits and
bytes, architects often face a difficult question of “So what?”.
5.2 Cyber Architecture in Physical Space
In relating to cyberspace, architects like Steven Holl instead of
proposing a scheme in cyberspace chose to use it as a metaphor in
physical space. Using work performed in cyberspace and translating
it to the elements of his architecture as a metaphor, Holl endowed
meanings into physical parts of his architectural work, simply because
one cannot live in cyberspace.
Although cyberspace can try to imitate the physical space, it can
never be real. Comparing a cybercafe in physical space and a cybercafe@cyberspace,
one cannot taste a cup of cappuccino in cyberspace. Even in "The
machine stops" by E.M. Foster, one purchases a cup of cappuccino
by a simple click on the computer - it is the physical component of
the "machine" that is churning out the drink.
Architecture can be defined fundamentally as the art of science
of a building; style of building
Cyberspace, as defined in the introduction, is a parallel in computer
and communication forms, that which is made up of electronic bits.
Although the limits of a cyberspace are constantly expanding, and
the capabilities of cyberspace are improving, it can be switched off
in a split second. Although one can use virtual goggles, virtual gloves
and so on, it is the physical components that make cyberspace present.
The fundamental justification for cyberspace in physical space, as
far as architecture is concerned, is defined by the limits of what
cannot be done in cyberspace. As long as one cannot step through the
computer screen, architecture must still be in a physical environment.
6.0
CONCLUSION
To be truthful to cyber architecture, one has to look into what
can be done, in architecture, in cyberspace and in physical space.
Thus focusing into that direction.
Because of the virtual reality, our perception has changed such that
there could be a change in the physical world. It is not as simple
as putting ten monitors or an electronic information kiosk at the
entrance to a building but one which has impact on the whole relationship
of spaces.
6.1 Perception of a Cyberian and the effects
Imagine the effects of advertising and propaganda. A good advertisement
will make people buy a poor product. On the contrary, a simple rumour
can crash the stock market and lead even to suicides. For a building,
the effects are similar. After a virtual walkthrough or even reading
articles about the building may make a user either go all the way
to search for the building or decide not to go at all. Without the
existence of the virtual space, on the Internet with video, sounds,
graphics and text, will knowledge of the building be as what it is
now?
If one can check out the availability of a book through a computer
at home, why would one bother to go all the way to the library and
that particular shelf to search for it? Think of it as a multiple
of the number of person using the library. What about insurance agents
and property agents who practically spend most of their time outdoors
and just need to update the main office? The time and money saved
by using video conferencing facilities would be considerable. Think
of how much fuel and how many trees that have been saved since the
implementation of the electronic mail.
Virtual reality could lead to reduction in waste. But that is not
enough. With the expansion of cyberspace, virtual reality games centre,
video arcades, cybercafes, neighbourhood computer shops etc. With
the changing expectations of users, it is not wise to use post-modernist
vocabulary for cyberspace.
6.2 Analysis and Criticism for Architecture in Cyberspace
Although architecture has dematerialised, there is a limit. We still
need to live in real architecture even as notions of dematerialisation
and abstraction can help to produce useful and interesting real architecture.
Thus, the strategy is not to design assuming an enclosed,
independent virtual world. Instead we should ask how virtual reality
might be created within the context of the real world. Instead of
asking how cyberspace can be realised in a physical world, it should
be how ordinary practices and objects of reality might be cyberised.
It should be a distributed and augmented reality rather than an enclosed,
simulated reality, a reality in which integrates cyberisation with
activities of the real world. It is to bring cyberspace to people
and not people to cyberspace.
Thus, it is now not to look into question of architecture in cyberspace
but how cyberspace has been realised in a physical space.
6.3 Revitalising and Rejuvenating Architecture
Since the evolution of mankind, there is a tendency towards
'beauty'. The so called 'beauty' is an image that shows the
status of a person, for a Chinese, this term could be called
"face." The picture shown on the right is an example
of a primitive tribal man from Pupua New Guinea. It is to illustrate
the natural behaviour of man.
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The failure of modernism in architecture at present is perhaps due
to the lack of ornament or decoration. There is no relationship with
the activity inside despite the success of modernism during the post
war period. When society becomes more stable, and richer in some sense,
what people look for is not just a place to live in. Icons and symbolic
deities are sought after. That explains the success of post modernism
all around the world. Although post modernism is a success in terms
of mass popularity, it is a failure in architecture due to the fact
that there is no progress.
One soon realises that Corinthian columns and pediments have in the
end no relationship to the user. It is like the African man in the
movie, "The Gods Must be Crazy", wearing a cowboy hat with
his half naked body covered by a tiny piece of animal skin and holding
a wooden spear and slinging a primitive bow across his shoulders.
As the realm of cyberspace expands rapidly, the number of people
joining this cyberworld is constantly increasing. Cyber architecture
in a physical space may be an alternative to post modernist architecture.
By proving that it is human nature not to be minimalist, it therefore
implies that the idea of the death of architecture is no longer valid.
It is a revitalisation of architecture, a rejuvenation of architecture
a new celebration.
In searching for meaning for cyberspace and architecture, it is found
in the physical space and not cyberspace itself. But that does not
deny that fact that much could also be done in cyberspace. Cyberspace
provides a ground for testing and visualising, the physical space
provides a ground for realisation. Thus instead of looking for an
architecture in cyberspace, one should look for cyberspace as a tool
for architecture. In cyberspace, wonders could be done to architecture.
Virtual walkthroughs, animation, calculation, project programming
and monitoring, simulated co-ordination, real time working through
Internet, electronic mail and etc. are only some examples of what
could be done.
The actualisation of which relies on the physical built form.
The problem that most architects face is to look for architecture
in cyberspace. Many find no significance or relevance in cyberspace.
A virtual museum on the Net does not affect the viewing of pictures
in a gallery in cyberspace. Whether there is a cyber museum designed
by an architect or not does not affect the end user. After all, we
are all living in physical reality.
Cyberspace has a complementary role to architecture. Cyberspace,
in trying to create realism refers back to the physical world. Architecture,
with the evolution of cyber technology, thus begins to reflect images
and meanings from cyberspace.
Therefore, instead of looking for architecture in cyberspace, one
should be looking for cyberspace in architecture.
Selected Bibliography
Benedikt, Michael. Cyberspace: First Steps. MIT Press.
1991
Blowers, Andrew and Hamnett, Chris and Sarre, Philip (Editors).
The Future Cities. Hutchinson Educational in association with
the open university press. 1974.
Coupland, Douglas. Microserf. Harper Collins Publisher,
Inc. 1995
Daly, Steven and Wice, Nathaniel. alt.culture: an a-to z guide
to the ‘90s - underground, online, and over the counter.
Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1995
Meyrowitz, Joshua. No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic
Media on Social Behaviour. New York: Oxford University Press.
1985
Mitchell, William J. City of Bits: space, place, and the infobahn.
MIT Press. 1995 http://www-mitpress.mit.edu/City_of_Bits/
Negroponte, Nicholas. Being Digital. Hodder & Stoughton.
1995
Riley, Terence. Light construction. The Museum of Modern
Art, New York. 1995
Tan, Yu-Jin, Patrick. Realism in Architectural Representation:
The Challenges of Virtual Reality in Enhancing Design Perception.
National University of Singapore. School of Architecture Dissertation.
1995/96
Winner, Langdon. The Whale and the Reactor: A search for limits
in an age of high technology. University of Chicago Press. 1986
Noever, Peter. Architecture in Transitions. Prestel, Munich.
1991
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