Week 7

Antoine Picon’s “Architecture and the Virtual: Toward a New Materiality” discusses how digital design is a threat to materiality. At the time of publication (2004), digital design was still in its infancy. Picon was concerned that digital technologies would separate designers from materials and reshape the human experience. He can see that computers can enhance our perception of a design and knows that technology will continue to develop at a rapid rate. In a similar way, Michael Weinstock discusses how “the boundary between the natural and the manufactured will no longer exist”. However, Weinstock’s view is more positive, where he considers the interaction between form, material and structure will revolutionise architecture. Stan Allen discusses how “theory needs a project” and the conflict that this evokes. He explores the idea that human interaction is a necessary factor in architecture; unlike any other form of art or design. I believe that Picon’s idea of technology altering our perception of the world, but not diminishing it, is accurate. Today, we have a better understanding of the capabilities of digital technology and how it affects our experience of the world. I can also see how Weinstock’s view was accurate, as I recently used the oculus rift virtual reality headset and was immediately transported into another world. However, it was still not accurate enough to mirror a real world experience.