The Third Skin: A Medium or a Mess(age)?
Symposium:
Session Title:
- The Media Space: Evolving Media Architecture and Its Legend
Presentation Title:
- The Third Skin: A Medium or a Mess(age)?
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
Panel: The Media Space: Evolving Media Architecture and Its Legend
Starting with samples derived from the history of architecture illustrating the key topics of buildings as ‘the third skin’ of mankind the presentation then jumps into main several questions for building envelopes such as protection, function, energy and meaning, facing several different contexts of today. Opening a second stream of arguments, the statement dives into the wide field of ‘architecture parlante’ elaborating on sense or non-sense of narrative elements in architecture by balancing out their pros and cons. Ever since buildings have been experienced by passers-by through their façades which are physically defining public space , their genuine expression has been an important issue, though it has not always been treated carefully enough. After bare Modernism and exuberant Postmodernism new tools and materials were entering the domain of building expression.
Leaving aside the glittering world of commercial advertisement as well as the ‘night-beauties’ illuminated by artificial light when electricity entered the cities in the last century new forms of building-related, adoptive media communication get illustrated. Looking at the exciting allures of present media-façades the inevitable question of content is introduced and exploited. Are we able yet to talk about new and reliable models of social interaction defining a media space or do we only face a variety of electronic attractions blurring the meaning of public space? Pointing out durability and beauty as key issues for the longevity and life-span of building solutions the glittering media appearance in architecture is reflected upon critically. In this context the wide range of moveable functional parts in building envelopes researched on and gathered into the ‘Move’-book at Prof. Michael Schumacher’s department at the Leibniz University in Hannover (D) is illustrated as genuine means of today’s architecture.