I/O WALL: INTERACTION DESIGN THROUGH ASSOCIATIVE PARAMETRIC MODELING

摘要: While the ‘disappearing computer’offers a compelling vision for the future of human-computer interaction, its reality depends very much on design decisions made at the level of the architectural detail. This case study outlines a series of design proposals developed to explore the formal and tectonic implications of embedding computer hardware and functionality in building interiors. Students in two studios at the Southern California Institute of Technology were asked to design a wall of shelves capable of detecting and displaying patterns in the use of the shelves and surrounding spaces over time. The goal in both studios was to imagine new forms for the building interior based on the dimensions, range, optimal spacing, and other characteristics of the embedded computer hardware (sensors, microprocessors, and LED’s), as well as on the interactive potential of the wall. Each student project resulted in a prototype interactive system which is parametrically defined for fabrication and for future reconfiguration. The design proposals were evaluated according to a set of criteria that we established to assess the effectiveness of the parametric system and the success of the form as a mapping of the interactive capabilities of the building interface.