Archinect - Features

The People’s Place in the City of Bits and Atoms

2024-03-06T07:34:00-05:00

The city of the 21st century represents a confluence of bits and atoms; an organism in its own right that relentlessly spawns information and data about itself, its people, and the invisible flows that support them. What is the relationship between humans and the city in this new condition? What is its future? To explore these questions, we speak with architect, TED founder, and father of information architecture Richard Saul Wurman, 2025 Venice Biennale curator Carlo Ratti, and MIT Media Lab researchers Naroa Coretti and Ainhoa Genua.

This article is part of the Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence series.

Investigating the Emerging Field of XR and Its Applications in Architecture, With Popular YouTuber and Software Developer Matthew Hallberg

2021-02-04T14:26:00-05:00

In this second installment of our 4-part series Designers in Tech, Alessio Grancini, Prototyper Engineer at Magic Leap and ex-Morphosis XR developer, speaks with Matthew Hallberg about his work and research into Extended Reality (XR) and its potential in architecture and urban design.

With 50k+ subscribers, Third Aurora Software Developer and YouTuber Matthew Hallberg is well known for speculative cutting edge prototypes and demos that feature the most recent technologies available in the field of XR.

Designers in Tech: How Architecture Is Unlocking the Potential of New Emerging Technologies

2021-02-03T14:01:00-05:00

As 2021 starts, there is growing evidence that technologies connecting us together are scaling up the game. The COVID-19 lockdown has introduced a wider community to more new emerging technologies, like VR and AR, and we find ourselves integrating more smart devices into our daily lives. As the digital environment grows and the meaning of space starts shifting, the field of design and architecture is preparing to explore new media and expand its domain. In this miniseries, we are taking a closer look at a number of emerging technologies and software applications that are building the foundation of the future understanding of space. We are doing it, with the expertise of 4 guests that deal with the future of technologies in their everyday life in a series of four installments.

DATA-AND-MORTAR; Will the Technological Revolution Render Architects Obsolete?

2018-11-10T11:43:00-05:00

Globally, multinational tech companies are moving beyond the digital realm to enter the physical domains of where, when, and how we will produce our cities in the future. Grounded in the interdependency between us (citizens) as “users” and tech corporations as “providers,” we have no other choice than to open the doors to the core of our cities if we wish to remain “connected.” However, rather than simply accepting the imposition often dictated by tech companies and political policy-making, how can architecture’s response move beyond the current trends of uncritically adapting technology and, instead, begin to reclaim agency over architectural and urban development? What role can architects play in this seemingly-inevitable technical evolution, with their knowledge and sensitivity to the relationship between the body and space? It is undeniable that architecture will have to run much faster to catch up (with Silicon Valley) or the design of our cities will remain in the territory of...

An alternative, smart "Homestead" for Kansas City

2016-06-06T13:43:00-04:00

What makes a truly smart city? Just as importantly, how do designers help revitalize older urban cores without repeating past mistakes that led to displacement and inequitable urbanism? These are some of the questions raised in Andrew Bruno's master's thesis project for the New Jersey Institute of Technology, submitted to May's open-call for equitable architecture proposals.