Time-based Matter: Suggesting New Formal Variables for Space Design

Abstract

Presently, digitalisation has moved beyond a desktop paradigm to one of ubiquitous computing; by introducing new possibilities and dynamic materials to various design fields, e.g. product design and architecture, it allows future spaces to be envisioned. Prior to being incorporated in the housing of the future, however, the hybrid character of computational materials raises questions with regard to the development of the appropriate design methods to allow them to be used in the production of space. Thus, merging physical and digital attributes in the material design process and expression not only enables a better understanding of materials through design, but also requires a cross-disciplinary methodology to be articulated in order to allow different perspectives on e.g. material, interaction, and architecture to interweave in the design process. Based on a practice-based research methodology, this paper proposes a cross-disciplinary framework where the notion of temporal scalability – enabled by the character of computation as a design material – is discussed in relation to form and material in architecture. The framework is illustrated by two different design examples, Repetition and Tactile Glow, and the methods behind their creation – merging time, material, and sur-face aesthetics – are discussed.