Stephanie G. Mathis The urban policy must keep pace with the new opportunities in architecture.
Buildings are used to express cultural values, norms, and psyche. In ancient Greece, the sculptures that encircled facades told stories of heroics. In Gothic religious architecture, delicate decorations carried a theological meaning. The grandiosity and splendor of the Baroque architectural style were meant to represent power, wealth, and triumph.
Digital media facades are now lighting up the city and allowing buildings to become dynamic landmarks. A well-designed, luminous building envelope that shows abstract digital visualizations is also a way to contribute culturally to the city.
The Melbourne Planning Scheme and the Sydney Guidelines for Public Art permit media architecture to be a cultural contribution to new developments. Buildings coloring the city provide us with new perspectives on urban life. Dynamic lighting can create a feeling of safety, provide an outlet for creativity, and even create a platform where people can play together.
Building “good” media is, therefore, a complex challenge. This requires expertise in urban design, architectural design, and interaction design. It also involves user experience, lighting design, and community engagement.
The planning policy must be flexible.
Urban policy assesses new developments in terms of their environmental, social, and economic merits. It is designed to make sure that architecture creates a public realm of high quality for both current and future generations.
The policy is updated regularly to reflect new needs and opportunities. Cities are proposing more and more approaches for media architecture as part of urban planning schemes. This shows a growing consensus about its contribution to urban areas.
When done right, media architecture can help bring communities closer together, for example, by allowing community members to be involved in the design and completion process. It can also highlight cultural and social issues. This can lead to disinterest, disapproval, and even vandalism.
In Times Square in New York, bright lights are not to be missed. Songquan Deng/Shutterstock
A good design process will protect media architecture from technical evolution, repurposing, and obsolescence. This design requirement should be better reflected in the policy and decision-making processes.
In order to achieve this, councils would be encouraged to adopt media architecture in order for the public space they manage and maintain to be activated. It is possible to align digital media policy with public open space policy.
Media facade of Kunstmuseum, Basel. Jean-Pierre Dalbera/flickr, CC BY
The digital media policy focuses on protecting vistas and avoiding visual clutter. The approach to public open spaces is qualitative and experiential. It outlines the need for public open spaces to enhance liveability and engagement.
Both policies must be maintained. It is important. Councils must recognize that media architecture is a powerful tool to engage the public and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the public space.
What are the main policy issues?
To promote sustainability and acceptance, councils should set specific guidelines for design and criteria of decision-making. They include:
- Types and levels of engagement. What are the different ways people can interact with media architecture? Are they residents, or are they everyone? Are there any specific age groups? Has the public been involved in the design? Does media architecture align with one particular cultural program, such as White Night and Vivid
- Universal comprehension displays text, symbols, or images across cultural norms. Should this information be moderated? How does this process work? Who is involved in the moderating process?
- Preventing architectural and urban conflicts: How can light intrusion into people’s personal spaces be mitigated? How does digital media influence the architectural experience in a city? How do text, symbols, or images align with the architecture of the town?
- Media architecture’s response to obsolescence, refurbishing, or vacancy. What is the impact of architectural lifespan on it, and vice-versa?
- What measures have been taken to ensure technical flexibility? How will the media architecture be maintained? How often are updates made?
- Disagreement Procedures. What are the procedures for resolving disputes? Can residents and occupants voice their concerns about information displayed or technical features before and after a project’s completion?
The councils should develop a policy that has specific goals in certain areas. In tourist areas, for example, the regulation of light intrusion is more lax than in residential areas.
The city’s future
A concern about architecture is the reason for the need for a policy. When we change the exterior appearance of a structure, we must obtain a permit.
The aim is to ensure that the building has a minimal impact on the appearance and character of the area. It is important that any structure, regardless of its purpose, size, or location, fits in well.
Media architecture should be able to integrate well and maximize its social potential, just like a home. Media architecture should not be mere window-dressing or decorated sheds.
It is important to have a policy that addresses both the social and functional aspects of media architecture. For this policy to be successful, it is essential to provide more comprehensive guidance on how to engage people with digital media in the public space.
