Christian Fröhlich, Martin Kern Technical University Graz, Austria Institute for Architecture and Media, Austria 7
sis. At the institute of archi-
tecture and media we use the
equipment for experiments,
in order to extend architec-
ture beyond its traditional,
physical borders (Augment-
ed Architecture). With the
assistance of these advanced
technical means it is possible
to create a fusion of the space
of mater ial action and the
space of digital data.
“ The architects should
f inally stop thinking only
in materials” - Hans Hollein
demanded 1968 in his mani-
festo “everything is architecture”. A demand which nobody tried to put into practice
- including Hollein. “Thus if one wants to immaterialize static architecture - i.e. trans-
form it into a dynamic system - architecture became a medium, which always changes,
temporal and spatial, a context-steered event world. (...) From the variability of the
architectural elements” - door, window, wall, facade, etc. - “from the virtuality of the
stored information” - warmth, light, sound, gestures, movements - “a building would
arise, which shows life-similar behavior: viability. (...) Architecture, as an intelligent
ambiente, which reacts to the inputs of the users and accomplishes intelligently condi-
tion changes. Interactivity between users and architecture, both as correlating parts of
a dynamic system, which shows life-similar behavior - viable architecture.”^3
The project N’Files follows the intention to use learned cultural behavior when handling
media. Thereby a lot of attention is paid to the senses (seeing, hearing, feeling). At
the centre the touch-less connection of human being – machine - space is located via
genuine sensual perception. By the immaterial interface (the space is the interface!)
and the paradigm of the touch-less a further sense is generated - the non-touch sense.
This unusual sensitive experience is starting point for the research of space communica-
tion via gestures and movement – one option, how we will use our spaces in the future.
Test section for the project N’Files is the media laboratory no_LAb of the institute of
architecture and media at Graz University of Technology, in which the technical facility
is given by the optical trackingsystem. For this project the laboratory is transformed
into an interactive space volume, which reacts to its visitors and adapts its appearance
on these. That means, the space is not steered by computers or classical input devices,
but the space is(!) the machine. A machine, which is able “to feel sensory” and to reflect
these moods to the users. Architecture as a medium and as intelligent environment,
which can react on the inputs of its users - conscious and unconscious - intuitive and
"on demand “...