This interview was given to Scott Johnson and Ashlen Williams, graduate students from the University of Kansas currently developing a research project on “Communicative Architecture: An Analysis of How Digital Infrastructure Shapes Human Interaction in the Built Environment.”

1. How does the interactive, animated nature of the newest forms of
media facades redefine public space?

Well, I think we all must admit that we simply don’t know. Always when a new technology emerges there are some prophets that predict salvation and the dawn of a new era of communication and there are others that warn against negative effects like light pollution or excessive advertising. In a sense both sides are true but one has to develop more differentiated points of view. In other words: an emotional but also rational discourse is needed in order to tame the chances and risks of this new field. The discussion has to be as public as possible and is to involve different stakeholders. - That’s a main reason for organising the Media Facades Festival in Berlin (http://www.mediaarchitecture.org/mediafacades2008/)

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This is my presentation at the Media Architecture Conference in London in Sept. 2007. with voice and better image quality.
If you want to see the presentation full screen go here and press icon “full”.
The text version is available here.

Keywords:
MediaArchitecture definition (first try), challenges, tag cloud, media facade typologies, facade structure, display structure, building automation, led

LEDs integrated in a Steel Mesh. This technology has been tried out at Expomedia Light Cube.  More about the Mediamesh.

Some years ago Christian Möller, Joachim Sauter from ART+COM have published some interesting ideas for the EXPO in Hannover. They can be found at netzspannung.org. There’s a paper Das vierte Format: Die Fassade als mediale Haut der Architektur [PDF | 669 KB ] published in 2004.