Communicating Through Architecture febrero 23, 2010

Communicating Through Architecture: Media Facades and the Digital Infrastructure

s.a.johnson

In Times Square, 1996, the first media facade is erected. At 1,000 square feet the screen now pales in comparison to the likes of those found in Seoul, Tokyo and even newer construction in Times Square. This technology, once limited to the United States, can now be found in nearly every metropolitan area worldwide and has become a symbol of a country’s power or a company’s position in their industry. While media facades are the billboards of the digital infrastructure, the layer extends so much deeper reaching into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. The proliferation of media facades, similar to that of cellular phones, PDAs, Bluetooth technology, laptop computers, and GPS technology is often dismissed or simply goes unnoticed, yet these devices allow instantaneous connection and relay of information with other people almost anywhere in the world. This is a feat found only in science fiction just 25 years ago. As the world becomes more and more connected, questions about sense of place and “here” are raised. Issues of this nature add additional challenges to the architect’s burden of creating powerful, place-specific architecture.

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