Author(s)

F. Klassen

Abstract

The relationship between buildings and image, both static and moving, has occupied a significant role throughout architectural history. Current innovations in materials research, digital technology and lighting are strengthening this connection as a vital idea permeating image arts and built spaces. The objective of this paper is to expand the intersection of architecture and image within the context of climate change. As the recent kinetic art and media facades as well as the author’s own prototypes highlight, this emergent practice promotes climate conscious interactive systems and sustainable illumination that are integrated into building surfaces. While responding to changes in environmental variables and illuminating the building with renewable energy sources, this alternative approach also emphasizes developing a social and environmental narrative for the use of media facades, challenging the current application for mainly commercial advertising. The author’s own climate responsive prototypes reveal the methodological experimentation with weather elements of snow, rain, light and wind. The three-tiered display of collected climactic information lead to integration of various technologies to make the elements visible, harvest and generate energy from their kinetic movement. This paper will present conclusions drawn from the previous experimentation, as well as a new direction to eliminate additional light pollution while integrating architectural and climate visualization with the sustainable media façade technology in built environments.

Keywords

architecture, climate, media facades, materials’ research