Archive for December, 2005
Start your night off floating in the clouds of heaven and end up in the fires of hell, the XL Bar is a dramatic space but its the 2 banks of projectors changing in real-time that make this one of the most visually interesting Bars in NY.
Formerly a garage this project took 14 months and $2 million to create, the XL Bar changes from a cool blue to a hedonistic red after midnight. Even the tables change color while atmospheric projections add effects such as fluffy clouds to decorate the ceiling but as the night turns to the saucier side this transforms into crazed graphics and occasionally pornography, from a sophisticated cocktail bar into a nightclub of excess.
December 30th, 2005
More interactive architecture from the club scene.
Tripping the light fantastic has gone disco crazy. Designers accross the globe are rekindling the halycon days of Saturday Night Fever through the futuristic application of LEDs, fibre optics and Neon Lighting.
The Sequel to D-Edge in Campo Grande, this Venue in Sao Paulo features a grid of perspex and metal boxes, containing RGB Neon Bulbs, in an all-black 600 Capacity interior. ‘I chose black for all the material elements in order to make them disappear, letting the virtual, dynamic light architecture prevail’ says Randolph the Architect of the project. ‘In the dance area the light strips are sunken into a concrete floor which is coated in black resin an into black painted timber walls which are suspended from the ceiling.
Randolph describes his lightbox as a 3D matrix that generates its flashing from beat recognition and color from the other audio elements in real-time. Affects include a giant Audio Spectrum Analyzer.
Also see Kabaret Club - London where UVA built a wall out of RGB LEDs
December 28th, 2005
Ferrofluid is a very interesting material originally developed by NASA it has now found itself been used for a whole range of devices including dampers for controlling and stabilizing large building that move around in the wind. Whats also amazing is that they have such lovely visual qualities when magnetized. 
The term liquid architecture is used a lot in interactive architecture based on the ideas of how architecture becomes animated by adding the 4th Dimension of Time. Sachiko has taken this idea of liquid architecture more literally with these stunning sculpture made from Ferrofluid which changes its state by the introduction of electro-magnetic waves into the fuid turning it solid. 
Words can't describe so just enjoy this beautiful video from wmmna
December 27th, 2005
Ho Ho Ho
Merry Christmas
Just a thought. Is your Christmas Architecturally Compliant with all building regs?
Check out the full Specs
Also check out this hilarious revision of the specs from Gravestmor
December 25th, 2005
This Years Europrix Jury has awarded 20 Europrix Top Talent Award Quality Seals to student projects from all over Europe. Heres the full list.
I’m very pleased to say that my own kinetic interactive architecture research called Reciprocal Space was one of the projects awarded. Look out for the publication of the Europrix ‘Top Talent Book & DVD of Innovation in Multimedia’ coming soon.
December 24th, 2005
Comment Wall by Kinecity (Marek Walczak, Jakub Segen and Michael McAllister) is a wall where people can write their thoughts directly onto a wall using their fingers. The camera-recognition system remembers their text and displays it over time. The further away you stand from the wall; the most distant texts are displayed. As you come forward, more and more recent texts are uncovered until, when you are in front of the wall itself, a blank area is created for you to write your own.
from Tom Carden of Computing for Emergent Architecture
December 23rd, 2005
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