The role of context in media architecture

In this paper, we investigate the contextual characteristics of media architecture -- parameters that impact its integration in the existing social fabric -- from a socio-demographic (environment), technical (content) and architectural (carrier) perspective. Our analysis draws upon four real-world examples of media architecture, which have been specifically chosen to demonstrate a prototypical range of context-related symptoms, including a deliberate case of vandalism, the disconnection of a building-wide lighting installation, or the inappropriate integration of a screen on an existing architectural facade. In spite of its intrinsic 'dynamic' character, we conclude that media architecture seems not well prepared to adequately respond to changes in its context over time. As a result, we propose a set of guidelines that target all relevant stakeholders, ranging from architectural designers to content managers and public authorities, in an aim to improve media architecture's acceptance and credibility, towards its long-term sustainability in our urban fabric.status: publishe

Investigating the Role of Situated Public Displays and Hyperlocal Content on Place-Making

Our urban environments are increasingly being outfitted with various forms of digital media, such as electronic billboards, public displays and interactive lighting. While their deployment is commonly motivated by commercial and functional objectives, the impact on the urban fabric is often neglected. However, as public displays become situated in their environment and content becomes hyperlocal, they contribute to the place-making process and become a medium for local communication and information. In this article, we build upon an analysis of two recent case studies to propose four sets of design considerations for situated public displays in urban space. We argue that public displays should provide mechanisms to (1) warrant hyperlocal relevance of the messages that are communicated, (2) build a sense of trust from the surrounding community, (3) allow citizens to reflect on the meaning and functionality, and (4) elicit enriched experiences of the environment they are situated in

Urban interfaces

This chapter discusses the notion of urban interfaces and how it relates to key concepts of human-computer interaction (HCI) in urban environments. More specifically, it highlights the relational nature of urban interfaces, and their increasingly relevant role in framing and supporting efforts to imagine, design, and analyse novel forms of urban living enabled by digital technologies. To that end, it proposes a typological model mapped four different scales of the city (personal, interpersonal, community, and metropolis) to four dimensions of concern to inform the design and implementation of urban interfaces, two of them related to culture (people and place) and the other two to technology (systems and data). This chapter then presents examples of existing uses of urban interfaces to illustrate the dimensions of the typological model, articulating challenges and opportunities related to governance, digital placemaking, data gathering and visualisation, and digital infrastructure. This chapter concludes by pointing out to three pressing concerns of particular relevance to urban interfaces (sustainability, hybridity, and artificial intelligence) and outlines emerging developments in HCI aimed at addressing them

LocaLudo: Card-based workshop for interactive architecture

In this paper, we describe the design and outcomes of LocaLudo, a playful and card-based workshop that aims to involve families in the design of interactive architecture. Family members, both children and adults, were invited to build upon local experiences for informing the design of concepts that allow interaction between the house, its residents, and the neighborhood. While the creation of such co ncepts proved challenging, we found that an open and playful approach, and suggesting the possible use of technologies aided participants in this process. Several recurring themes were identified in the generated concepts: stimulating social contact, spreading information, reacting to negative events, and solving practical problems

The Design Value of the Relationship Between Personal and Urban Data

Everyday life is characterized by the interaction with an ever-increasing flow of digital data; the exponential diffusion of even more miniaturized and inexpensive sensors and the ease of connection to the Internet produce a vast amount of data, originating what is called “datization” of reality. Data belong to different typologies, but a great deal concerns the personal sphere where, in a more and more broad context of Quantified Self, people voluntarily records and tracks such data, archiving events and daily facts in a meticulous way. However, when we talk about personal data, we have to consider the perception and the interaction between subject and three different but interconnected components: device, interface and data. In this context, design becomes a fundamental discipline, first of all trying to make the user active in the management of own data and helping him to understand them through information design tools. Secondly, data and information themselves become tools and materials for design, being a fundamental component of the project and not just its objective. New design perspectives are opened up; starting from the tools of information design, it is possible to make immediately visible and understandable behavioural patterns of individuals, but also of a community, thinking on different scales that can range from small buildings to large cities. In this way, data can become a tool to preserve and improve individual well-being and of the society, acting with a bottom-up approach that starts with true citizen and inhabitant needs