Victor Horta

>>
Lecture at institute for architecture ' Victor Horta' _ 29.09.2003 at 14:00

...LAB[au] invited by:
...the institute for architecture

..' Victor Horta' ...>
...Accès 5 Boulevard du Triomphe
...CP 248 1050 Bruxelles

...for a lecture about:

..'programmatic landscapes _ data.scapes'

...29.10.2003 _ 14:00

...LAB[au]

...1_Datascapes ...>

...2_Gamevillage ...>

...3_Lightscapes ...>

...4_Related projects by other architects ...>

LAB[au]
laboratory for architecture + urbanism

Manuel Abendroth
Jérôme Decock
Pieter Heremans
Alexandre Plennevaux
Els Vermang

http://www.lab-au.com

go.to lab.files

0/1_DATASCAPES

Projects by Lab[au] dealing with the concept of dataScapes:

Urbanism:

Lightscape(s)– tridimensional display of light – the grid
...>

Transit(e) – tridimensional display of activities and infrastructural flows - the grid .The programming of activities and their temporal 'extrusion' on the urban printed plate ( > hypertrace ).

Liquid axis – dynamic simulation of urban activities throughout the axis
- ' urban scenario' ...>

Architecture:

Gamevillage ( Infogram ) – programmatic layering of space and activities
cartography of videogames

World Wide Web:

Worldebt ( Jk ) : global statistics and data displays – user behaviors ...>

Statement:

Data_scapes are data-driven simulation displays based on dynamic interrelations of statistical, spatial, temporal…information processes with graphical or spatial visualization devices. The programming of such simulations initiates and feeds the conception process with dynamic space-time parameters allowing not only a dynamic and statistical grasp of fluctuating systems, such as infrastructural, activities, communication…flows, but also to understand complex interaction processes, such as congestion, growth, global exchanges…

The programming of time in space constitutes a new method of analysis and simulation of complex phenomena and establishes a pragmatic and operational position of the architect who refuses to fix a structure in one given state. These data-driven environments therefore provide the architect with a tool that anticipates the complex decisional and supervising process (conception, realization and communication) in order to extend the traditional methods of planification to new accelerated space-time parameters such as communication and computation flows.

Yet, besides the operational tool, these data driven constructs can even become new space constructs by themselves - a dynamic architecture according to material and immaterial processes in the construct of space. The introduction of computational technologies transforms the role of the architect in the design process. The architect thus becomes a trigger, a catalyst and a designer of a generated and initiated architecture, an architecture of inFORMation – a hyperdesign.

Related texts about datascapes:

SuperNOva exhibition text ...> +
Article ' InfoArchitects ' for the Belgian Review A + ..>

0/2 _ GAMEVILLAGE

...Title of the study: Gamevillage
...Completion date ( if applicable) : unrealised
...Site location (if applicable) : Lyon, France
...Project cost : 3.000.000€
...Project brief and program : scenography for a 6000m² exhibition
...on 30 years of video game culture

Project text:

The scenography was elaborated for a video game exhibition in Lyon, commissioned by the French producer Infogrames. With this event the firm wanted to inaugurate its new headquarters and initiate a large project: the development of a vast complex, a 'gamevillage', dedicated to the culture of video gaming, including cultural, educational, scientific and industrial programs. The exhibition was therefore planned as a pilot project involving multiple domains of research and cultural productions. The project explores video gaming as a mass culture, with a two-fold approach: on the one hand a pop culture, an interdisciplinary domain, and an applied research, and one the other hand a specific space construct (hyperspace) projecting the public into play and exploration.

The mapping of videogames:
The scenography is based on the creation of a map covering the ground, organising video games displayed in time (from 1971 to 2001) and in action (kill, win, drive, control,...). This time-action index of video games is spatialized thanks to extruded transparent fabrics shaped along the timelines dilated or contracted according to the presence and the amount of video games produced at a given year. This video game mapping establishes a chronological and statistical lecture of the development of video games throughout the exhibition space.

Intertextuality:
The map forms an information surface printed onto the floor, which is crossed by 5 transversal thematic circuits dedicated to the topics of: avatar, interface, generation x, artificial intelligent and networks. Each circuit is constituted by artistic, scientific….works displayed in independant spaces, boxes, throughout the map. Hence, the folded plastic fabrics structure the space in a liquid manner combining a linear and chronological space devices, the action corridors and the time shapes, with transversal - intertextual - flows, the thematic circuits.

Hypertextu(r)al environments:
This spatial organisation transposes the traditional linear organisation of exhibition spaces into a hypertextu(r)al environment of playful exploration and interaction. The exploration of the space, such as in a hypertext, turns into a form of interaction between a structured and programmed space of interconnections and a user who negotiate at any moment his own progression through this structure. By integrating the user as an active part of the visit, combinatory of possible reading path, each visitor can follow either a guided or a free non structured lecture by using its constructive, subjective or affective potential. The visit of the exhibition therefor turns into an experience combining the personal understanding of a visitor with a structured reading of complex topics related to the culture of video games.

Hypersurfaces:
The exhibition space furthermore plunges the visitor into a space of progressive immersion and interaction shifting from a transparent and multilayered space to a specular one such as the technological development of video games shifted from a bi-dimensional medium, ‘bitmap’, to a hyperspace medium, ‘procedural mapping’.
In the first section of the exhibition the different videogames are exposed on flat screens, getting progressively fold to the point where they become spaces themselves, the 'play-.stations'. The superposition of the time layers, the membranes and the 'playstations' produces a space of exploration and acted perception, fusing together simulated realities and the concrete space – a mixed reality construct.

Metatags: mapping, intertextuality, hypertextu(r)al environments, hypersurfaces, mixed reality

0/3 _ LIGHTSCAPES

...Title of the study: Light_scape(s), displacement maps
...Year of the study: 1999
...Author(s) : LAB[au] + Naziha Mestaoui + Kim Pecheur + Pieter Desmedt Jans
...Commissioned by: Electrabel/Sibelgaz, producteur et distributeur
...d'électricité belge
...Location: Heizel plateau, Brussels / Belgium
...Completion of the study: 1999
...Prizes: 'Tech-art prize', Vlaams Ingenieurs Kamer 2000

...Website: http://www.lab-au.com/lightsc

The 'light_scape(s), displacement maps' project is a lightplan study for the 'Heizel plateau' in Brussels (1999), covering such a research for operative tools in order to conceive light as a dynamic and polysemic vector in the urban matrix. The data-processed light plan creates changing ‘light scapes’ throughout the temporal programming of light in space according to structural (static) as well as programmatic (dynamic) and individual (interactive) devices. Light is mapped as a fluid and immaterial scape over the existing space opening up to a new experience of the public realm.

Project text:

'light, color, rythme, image, sound; ‘ the basis, the datas for a new performance; we can call it electronic play’
Le Corbusier, in Le poème électronique, ed. les Editions de Minuit, 1958

Light_Scape(s) is the title of an urban enlightening study for the Heizel plateau in Brussels, commissioned by the Belgian electricity company, Electrabel-Sibelgaz. The LAB[au] architects visualize light interventions in urban space: they investigate the potential of light as a structural and spatial but also as a temporal and interactive device and use this immaterial and variable phenomenon to develop urban space.

The location: Series of happenings

Heizel plateau
The Heizel plateau in Brussels is equipped with building facilities for all kinds of large event. World exhibitions took place here in the years 1935 and 1958 and, today, it accommodates trade fairs, football games or congresses. Unfortunately, the urban qualities of the site utterly fail to do justice to its size and the number of visitors. The Atomium is the sole construction, which stands out as a landmark among the conglomeration of individual buildings, large-scale sites such as the stadium and trade-fair halls and the infrastructure with its roads, interconnected pathways and parking lots. The light study was intended as an investigation of how the exceptional character of the Heizel site could be emphasized and integrated in the scope of the city by the application of light interventions structural forms.

Tasks: An investigation of the potential of light within the urban context

Light study
Light_Scape(s) is the title of a light study which combines a structural urban-planning approach (light_topography) with a concept of time and action (light_urbanism) by means of a tool for light visualisation and planning (displacement maps).

The potential of light as a structural and spatial as well as temporal and interactive device is investigated. The relationship of specific light parameters (intensity, colour) to the relative aspects of urban planning (topography, flux, infrastructure) and to temporal aspects (programmes, activities) is determined by the various light configurations, i.e. by the light-scape(s).

The possibilities of light as a generator of urbanism were investigated specifically with regard to the Heizel plateau but can also be applied to any other areas.

1st stage: Development of a software tool and light plan

Displacement maps
The lack of working tools to visualise and verify the hypotheses regarding lighting on an urban scale led to an exploration of computer software such as that used by the film industry. The modification of modelling software to include the possibility of representing dynamic functions opens up the possibility of working with light as an immaterial and variable matter which, like a process, evolves in place and time in relation to the location in which it is embedded. The function, or rather the tool, for the visualisation and planning of light is designated by the term "displacement maps". In contrast to classic computer tools, displacement maps are active, integrating components of the design process itself and can be used to work with light as an urban vector.

Light plan
In the superordinate light plan, the basic principles are defined for organising the Heizel site spatially within the urban matrix. Light scenarios with contrasting colours and of diverse intensity are to be applied to the various programmatic entities of the Heizel site. The potential of light is exploited to generate powerful images, thus highlighting specific areas, or to actually erase whole parts of the urban landscape. The overall effect aimed at is to strengthen the identity of the site.

Parameters
Light as a dynamic substance can be varied in terms of intensity, colour and time. The computer-generated visualisations of light use variations in luminous intensity and colour to develop light scenarios which change in relation to time. These are intended to correspond to the spatial configurations, to the given structures, activities, events, individual uses and interactions.

2nd stage: Spatial structuring through the devices of point, line, surface and interface

Light_topography:
Light is employed as a means of structuring space in order to create a light topography. The means of organisation in the light plan - variations in the intensity and colour of light - are used for the specific illumination of points, lines, surfaces and interfaces, thus generating a particular structure.

The specific enlightening of points act as settings for single constructions, which can also be lined up to form sequences. Linear light installations make the infrastructure readable and represent flux and movement. Surface-like light scenarios characterise different programmatic entities. Light scenarios for interfaces mark out areas which connect the Heizel plateau to the surrounding area or which are to be assigned to the Heizel site or the surroundings.

Urban layout

With an urban lighting layout achieved through the graphic organising devices of point, line, surface and interface, independent programmatic entities are subjected to fine differences in illumination in accordance with their own temporal and spatial logic, thus resulting - in their totality - in a continuously contrasting environment. The variations of the light scenarios emphasize or blot out the different architectural entities. The interplay of the different entities, in combination with the temporal factors, results in dynamic light_scape(s).

3rd stage: Temporal concept with fixed, variable and reactive components

Light_urbanism
Light_urbanism articulates light as a temporal device and combines fixed lighting installations with variable and reactive interventions. The fixed installations include the static options of 'light on' and 'light off'. Variable scenarios relate to activity cycles; the inputs on the site which correspond to individual interrelationships are transformed into reactive light interventions.

In line with their corresponding topographical counterparts, fixed light installations relate to intermittent structures (light_topography). Variable installations, in contrast, are used for activating surfaces and reactive installations correspond to the interface status; the variable inputs of the locations are converted into light processes.

At the minimum level of activity, for example, the Heizel stadium is surrounded by a medium-intensive luminous scrolling ribbon. At the maximum level of activity, in contrast, it is enclosed within a scenario of white light of high intensity. Because white light is a synthesis of all the colours, it is used on the urban scale in connection with density, event and activity.

Result:

Light_scape(s)
Light_scape(s) are individual spatial and temporal configurations generated from dynamic simulations. These simulations are based on a combination of three-dimensional space with time as the fourth dimension and open up the possibility of new planning and design methods. The simulations make it possible to work with immaterial substances and to visualise them in their complex relation to the urban context, such as light or infrastructural flux.

By means of this light analysis and method of simulation, light in public areas can be deployed not just as a simple security device but as a polysemic medium which adds a cultural dimension to the urban context.

LAB[au], laboratory for architecture and urbanism was established in 1995 and links theoretical research LAB[a+u] to architectural practice LA.BAU. LAB[au] architects elaborate a "Metadesign", by investigating the implications of new communication and computer technologies within spatio-temporal structures as well as their forms of representation such as architecture and urbanism.

www-site:

The concept of the interface exploits the possibilities of simultaneous display and access to information offered by the electronic media . The Internet site ...> is conceived like an interactive card, an interface bringing together four navigators in one screen, each one proposing a specific thematic approach of the project. At every moment of the consultation, the visitor can switch from one browser to another, the interface centering itself on the corresponding subject. The information displayed depends thus directly on the position and the navigation of the reader in the site. Independently of their consultation role, the navigator windows display information relating to the chosen subject, while evolving with each action of the reader. The user can permanently supplement the card by opening the various windows, so as to obtain images, texts or diagrams relating to the consulted information. This process leads successively to a comprehension of inter-connection between the method of design (displacement maps), the structural and spatial approach of light (light_topography) and the dynamic or temporal design of space through luminous configurations (light_urbanism). The combination of four systems of navigation with the consultation and visualization into only one display/interface exploits the potential of the electronic medium to create dynamic and simultaneous forms of reading, to develop an intertextual comprehension of the project and implication of new tools of design in the study process.

http://www.lab-au.com/lightsc

0/4 _ RELATED PROJECTS

Legend:

_01: ASYMPTOTE _ NYse 3D Trading Floor …>
_02: UN-STUDIO _ IFFCA Competition Penn Station, NY …>
_03: GREG LYNN _ Triple Bridge Gateway to 9th Avenue…>
_04: FOA _ Yokohama International Port Terminal.…>
_05: FOA _ Yokohama International Port Terminal …>
_06: UN-STUDIO _ Arnhem Central …>
_07: MVRDV _ Datacity ...>
_08: UN-STUDIO _ Möbius House Het Gooi ...>
_09: UN-STUDIO _ Arnhem Central …>
_10: MVRDV _ Datacity ...>
_11: ASYMPTOTE _ NYse 3D Trading Floor …>
_12: FRANKEN<> ARCHITECTEN _ Dynaform …>
_13: FRANKEN<> ARCHITECTEN _ Dynaform …>
_14: GREG LYNN _ Triple Bridge Gateway to 9th Avenue …>
_15: UN-STUDIO _ Möbius House Het Gooi ...>
_16: UN-STUDIO _ IFFCA Competition Penn station, NY …>

... amoung many others

© LAB[au] 2003

	...LAB[au] invited by: ...the institute for architecture ..' Victor Horta' ...> ...Accès 5 Boulevard du Triomphe ...CP 248 1050 Bruxelles ...for a lecture about: ..'programmatic landscapes _ data.scapes' ...29.10.2003 _ 14:00 ...LAB[au] ...1_Datascapes ...> ...2_Gamevillage ...> ...3_Lightscapes ...> ...4_Related projects by other architects ...>
LAB[au] laboratory for architecture + urbanism Manuel Abendroth Jérôme Decock Pieter Heremans Alexandre Plennevaux Els Vermang http://www.lab-au.com go.to lab.files
0/1_DATASCAPES

	Projects by Lab[au] dealing with the concept of dataScapes: Urbanism: Lightscape(s)– tridimensional display of light – the grid ...> Transit(e) – tridimensional display of activities and infrastructural flows - the grid .The programming of activities and their temporal 'extrusion' on the urban printed plate ( > hypertrace ). Liquid axis – dynamic simulation of urban activities throughout the axis - ' urban scenario' ...> Architecture: Gamevillage ( Infogram ) – programmatic layering of space and activities cartography of videogames World Wide Web: Worldebt ( Jk ) : global statistics and data displays – user behaviors ...> Statement: Data_scapes are data-driven simulation displays based on dynamic interrelations of statistical, spatial, temporal…information processes with graphical or spatial visualization devices. The programming of such simulations initiates and feeds the conception process with dynamic space-time parameters allowing not only a dynamic and statistical grasp of fluctuating systems, such as infrastructural, activities, communication…flows, but also to understand complex interaction processes, such as congestion, growth, global exchanges… The programming of time in space constitutes a new method of analysis and simulation of complex phenomena and establishes a pragmatic and operational position of the architect who refuses to fix a structure in one given state. These data-driven environments therefore provide the architect with a tool that anticipates the complex decisional and supervising process (conception, realization and communication) in order to extend the traditional methods of planification to new accelerated space-time parameters such as communication and computation flows. Yet, besides the operational tool, these data driven constructs can even become new space constructs by themselves - a dynamic architecture according to material and immaterial processes in the construct of space. The introduction of computational technologies transforms the role of the architect in the design process. The architect thus becomes a trigger, a catalyst and a designer of a generated and initiated architecture, an architecture of inFORMation – a hyperdesign. Related texts about datascapes: SuperNOva exhibition text ...> + Article ' InfoArchitects ' for the Belgian Review A + ..>
0/2 _ GAMEVILLAGE

		...Title of the study: Gamevillage ...Completion date ( if applicable) : unrealised ...Site location (if applicable) : Lyon, France ...Project cost : 3.000.000€ ...Project brief and program : scenography for a 6000m² exhibition ...on 30 years of video game culture Project text: The scenography was elaborated for a video game exhibition in Lyon, commissioned by the French producer Infogrames. With this event the firm wanted to inaugurate its new headquarters and initiate a large project: the development of a vast complex, a 'gamevillage', dedicated to the culture of video gaming, including cultural, educational, scientific and industrial programs. The exhibition was therefore planned as a pilot project involving multiple domains of research and cultural productions. The project explores video gaming as a mass culture, with a two-fold approach: on the one hand a pop culture, an interdisciplinary domain, and an applied research, and one the other hand a specific space construct (hyperspace) projecting the public into play and exploration. The mapping of videogames: The scenography is based on the creation of a map covering the ground, organising video games displayed in time (from 1971 to 2001) and in action (kill, win, drive, control,...). This time-action index of video games is spatialized thanks to extruded transparent fabrics shaped along the timelines dilated or contracted according to the presence and the amount of video games produced at a given year. This video game mapping establishes a chronological and statistical lecture of the development of video games throughout the exhibition space. Intertextuality: The map forms an information surface printed onto the floor, which is crossed by 5 transversal thematic circuits dedicated to the topics of: avatar, interface, generation x, artificial intelligent and networks. Each circuit is constituted by artistic, scientific….works displayed in independant spaces, boxes, throughout the map. Hence, the folded plastic fabrics structure the space in a liquid manner combining a linear and chronological space devices, the action corridors and the time shapes, with transversal - intertextual - flows, the thematic circuits. Hypertextu(r)al environments: This spatial organisation transposes the traditional linear organisation of exhibition spaces into a hypertextu(r)al environment of playful exploration and interaction. The exploration of the space, such as in a hypertext, turns into a form of interaction between a structured and programmed space of interconnections and a user who negotiate at any moment his own progression through this structure. By integrating the user as an active part of the visit, combinatory of possible reading path, each visitor can follow either a guided or a free non structured lecture by using its constructive, subjective or affective potential. The visit of the exhibition therefor turns into an experience combining the personal understanding of a visitor with a structured reading of complex topics related to the culture of video games. Hypersurfaces: The exhibition space furthermore plunges the visitor into a space of progressive immersion and interaction shifting from a transparent and multilayered space to a specular one such as the technological development of video games shifted from a bi-dimensional medium, ‘bitmap’, to a hyperspace medium, ‘procedural mapping’. In the first section of the exhibition the different videogames are exposed on flat screens, getting progressively fold to the point where they become spaces themselves, the 'play-.stations'. The superposition of the time layers, the membranes and the 'playstations' produces a space of exploration and acted perception, fusing together simulated realities and the concrete space – a mixed reality construct. Metatags: mapping, intertextuality, hypertextu(r)al environments, hypersurfaces, mixed reality
0/3 _ LIGHTSCAPES

	...Title of the study: Light_scape(s), displacement maps ...Year of the study: 1999 ...Author(s) : LAB[au] + Naziha Mestaoui + Kim Pecheur + Pieter Desmedt Jans ...Commissioned by: Electrabel/Sibelgaz, producteur et distributeur ...d'électricité belge ...Location: Heizel plateau, Brussels / Belgium ...Completion of the study: 1999 ...Prizes: 'Tech-art prize', Vlaams Ingenieurs Kamer 2000 ...Website: http://www.lab-au.com/lightsc The 'light_scape(s), displacement maps' project is a lightplan study for the 'Heizel plateau' in Brussels (1999), covering such a research for operative tools in order to conceive light as a dynamic and polysemic vector in the urban matrix. The data-processed light plan creates changing ‘light scapes’ throughout the temporal programming of light in space according to structural (static) as well as programmatic (dynamic) and individual (interactive) devices. Light is mapped as a fluid and immaterial scape over the existing space opening up to a new experience of the public realm. Project text: 'light, color, rythme, image, sound; ‘ the basis, the datas for a new performance; we can call it electronic play’ Le Corbusier, in Le poème électronique, ed. les Editions de Minuit, 1958 Light_Scape(s) is the title of an urban enlightening study for the Heizel plateau in Brussels, commissioned by the Belgian electricity company, Electrabel-Sibelgaz. The LAB[au] architects visualize light interventions in urban space: they investigate the potential of light as a structural and spatial but also as a temporal and interactive device and use this immaterial and variable phenomenon to develop urban space. The location: Series of happenings Heizel plateau The Heizel plateau in Brussels is equipped with building facilities for all kinds of large event. World exhibitions took place here in the years 1935 and 1958 and, today, it accommodates trade fairs, football games or congresses. Unfortunately, the urban qualities of the site utterly fail to do justice to its size and the number of visitors. The Atomium is the sole construction, which stands out as a landmark among the conglomeration of individual buildings, large-scale sites such as the stadium and trade-fair halls and the infrastructure with its roads, interconnected pathways and parking lots. The light study was intended as an investigation of how the exceptional character of the Heizel site could be emphasized and integrated in the scope of the city by the application of light interventions structural forms. Tasks: An investigation of the potential of light within the urban context Light study Light_Scape(s) is the title of a light study which combines a structural urban-planning approach (light_topography) with a concept of time and action (light_urbanism) by means of a tool for light visualisation and planning (displacement maps). The potential of light as a structural and spatial as well as temporal and interactive device is investigated. The relationship of specific light parameters (intensity, colour) to the relative aspects of urban planning (topography, flux, infrastructure) and to temporal aspects (programmes, activities) is determined by the various light configurations, i.e. by the light-scape(s). The possibilities of light as a generator of urbanism were investigated specifically with regard to the Heizel plateau but can also be applied to any other areas. 1st stage: Development of a software tool and light plan Displacement maps The lack of working tools to visualise and verify the hypotheses regarding lighting on an urban scale led to an exploration of computer software such as that used by the film industry. The modification of modelling software to include the possibility of representing dynamic functions opens up the possibility of working with light as an immaterial and variable matter which, like a process, evolves in place and time in relation to the location in which it is embedded. The function, or rather the tool, for the visualisation and planning of light is designated by the term "displacement maps". In contrast to classic computer tools, displacement maps are active, integrating components of the design process itself and can be used to work with light as an urban vector. Light plan In the superordinate light plan, the basic principles are defined for organising the Heizel site spatially within the urban matrix. Light scenarios with contrasting colours and of diverse intensity are to be applied to the various programmatic entities of the Heizel site. The potential of light is exploited to generate powerful images, thus highlighting specific areas, or to actually erase whole parts of the urban landscape. The overall effect aimed at is to strengthen the identity of the site. Parameters Light as a dynamic substance can be varied in terms of intensity, colour and time. The computer-generated visualisations of light use variations in luminous intensity and colour to develop light scenarios which change in relation to time. These are intended to correspond to the spatial configurations, to the given structures, activities, events, individual uses and interactions. 2nd stage: Spatial structuring through the devices of point, line, surface and interface Light_topography: Light is employed as a means of structuring space in order to create a light topography. The means of organisation in the light plan - variations in the intensity and colour of light - are used for the specific illumination of points, lines, surfaces and interfaces, thus generating a particular structure. The specific enlightening of points act as settings for single constructions, which can also be lined up to form sequences. Linear light installations make the infrastructure readable and represent flux and movement. Surface-like light scenarios characterise different programmatic entities. Light scenarios for interfaces mark out areas which connect the Heizel plateau to the surrounding area or which are to be assigned to the Heizel site or the surroundings. Urban layout With an urban lighting layout achieved through the graphic organising devices of point, line, surface and interface, independent programmatic entities are subjected to fine differences in illumination in accordance with their own temporal and spatial logic, thus resulting - in their totality - in a continuously contrasting environment. The variations of the light scenarios emphasize or blot out the different architectural entities. The interplay of the different entities, in combination with the temporal factors, results in dynamic light_scape(s). 3rd stage: Temporal concept with fixed, variable and reactive components Light_urbanism Light_urbanism articulates light as a temporal device and combines fixed lighting installations with variable and reactive interventions. The fixed installations include the static options of 'light on' and 'light off'. Variable scenarios relate to activity cycles; the inputs on the site which correspond to individual interrelationships are transformed into reactive light interventions. In line with their corresponding topographical counterparts, fixed light installations relate to intermittent structures (light_topography). Variable installations, in contrast, are used for activating surfaces and reactive installations correspond to the interface status; the variable inputs of the locations are converted into light processes. At the minimum level of activity, for example, the Heizel stadium is surrounded by a medium-intensive luminous scrolling ribbon. At the maximum level of activity, in contrast, it is enclosed within a scenario of white light of high intensity. Because white light is a synthesis of all the colours, it is used on the urban scale in connection with density, event and activity. Result: Light_scape(s) Light_scape(s) are individual spatial and temporal configurations generated from dynamic simulations. These simulations are based on a combination of three-dimensional space with time as the fourth dimension and open up the possibility of new planning and design methods. The simulations make it possible to work with immaterial substances and to visualise them in their complex relation to the urban context, such as light or infrastructural flux. By means of this light analysis and method of simulation, light in public areas can be deployed not just as a simple security device but as a polysemic medium which adds a cultural dimension to the urban context. LAB[au], laboratory for architecture and urbanism was established in 1995 and links theoretical research LAB[a+u] to architectural practice LA.BAU. LAB[au] architects elaborate a "Metadesign", by investigating the implications of new communication and computer technologies within spatio-temporal structures as well as their forms of representation such as architecture and urbanism. www-site: The concept of the interface exploits the possibilities of simultaneous display and access to information offered by the electronic media . The Internet site ...> is conceived like an interactive card, an interface bringing together four navigators in one screen, each one proposing a specific thematic approach of the project. At every moment of the consultation, the visitor can switch from one browser to another, the interface centering itself on the corresponding subject. The information displayed depends thus directly on the position and the navigation of the reader in the site. Independently of their consultation role, the navigator windows display information relating to the chosen subject, while evolving with each action of the reader. The user can permanently supplement the card by opening the various windows, so as to obtain images, texts or diagrams relating to the consulted information. This process leads successively to a comprehension of inter-connection between the method of design (displacement maps), the structural and spatial approach of light (light_topography) and the dynamic or temporal design of space through luminous configurations (light_urbanism). The combination of four systems of navigation with the consultation and visualization into only one display/interface exploits the potential of the electronic medium to create dynamic and simultaneous forms of reading, to develop an intertextual comprehension of the project and implication of new tools of design in the study process. http://www.lab-au.com/lightsc
0/4 _ RELATED PROJECTS

	Legend: _01: ASYMPTOTE _ NYse 3D Trading Floor …> _02: UN-STUDIO _ IFFCA Competition Penn Station, NY …> _03: GREG LYNN _ Triple Bridge Gateway to 9th Avenue…> _04: FOA _ Yokohama International Port Terminal.…> _05: FOA _ Yokohama International Port Terminal …> _06: UN-STUDIO _ Arnhem Central …> _07: MVRDV _ Datacity ...> _08: UN-STUDIO _ Möbius House Het Gooi ...> _09: UN-STUDIO _ Arnhem Central …> _10: MVRDV _ Datacity ...> _11: ASYMPTOTE _ NYse 3D Trading Floor …> _12: FRANKEN<> ARCHITECTEN _ Dynaform …> _13: FRANKEN<> ARCHITECTEN _ Dynaform …> _14: GREG LYNN _ Triple Bridge Gateway to 9th Avenue …> _15: UN-STUDIO _ Möbius House Het Gooi ...> _16: UN-STUDIO _ IFFCA Competition Penn station, NY …> ... amoung many others
© LAB[au] 2003