Redesigning architecture through photography

Abstract – This paper focuses on the possibility of (re)designing architecture virtually with the help of one of the most important representation tools: Photography. Various digital processes like stitching multiple photos together and mirroring images in image editing software like Photoshop, allow this virtual architecture to take place in virtual environments. Photography can be utilized in the process of ‘constructing’ a new space --that we can call ‘narrative space’-- from an existing spatial body. This narrative space can also be defined as a ‘manufactured metaspace’ which is a space beyond reality and representation: A constructed reality that exists solely in digital realms like Second Life

Using 2D photography as a 3D constructional tool within the metaverse

Photography is a powerful two dimensional representation tool to document three dimensional volumes like architecture. It is possible to manipulate photos with two dimensional tools like Photoshop in order to suggest new three dimensional re/formations and re/interpret architecture. One can alternatively use two dimensional textures as mappings to create realistic three dimensional model renderings. This project is a combination of these two approaches: photographing architecture, turning the resulting photos into transparent image files, and then mapping these photos onto three dimensional volumes in order to create a ‘new’ architecture from an ‘existing’ architecture. One of the advantages of using photographs to create architecture is that the photo pool can easily be composed of visuals from various cultures and you may end up using an amalgam of visuals from, say, so-called opposite cultures. This possibility reminds the peaceful collaboration of musicians from different cultures to create a unique music. In addition, this act can also be taken as a migration of media through appropriation of photography for three dimensional volume creation and re/presentation. At this point, we are talking about a double representation, since photography is a representation tool already and it gains another representational dimension when it is remapped onto three dimensional volumes for the construction of an alternative reality. This article concentrates on using a representation tool (photography) to construct a three dimensional space (architecture) within a virtual three dimensional environment (Second Life®). During the process the concepts of perception, reality, cultural context, re/presentation and appropriation will be examined

Remotely-sensed imagery vs. eye-level photography: Evaluating associations among measurements of tree cover density

AbstractThe easy availability and widespread use of remotely-sensed imagery, especially Google Earth satellite imagery, makes it simple for urban forestry professionals to assess a site and measure tree cover density without visiting the site. Remotely-sensed tree cover density has become the dominant criterion for urban forestry regulations in many countries, but it is unclear how much such measures match the eye-level tree cover density that people experience; or the information gained through site visits, eye-level photography, or from consulting with citizens. To address this uncertainty, we assessed associations among two remotely-sensed and three eye-level tree cover density measures for 140 community street sites across the Midwestern United States with low, medium, or high tree cover coverage by using linear regression analysis. We found significant associations among the two remotely-sensed measures and the three eye-level measures across the three levels of tree cover. The associations between any pair of remotely-sensed and eye-level measures, however, diminish dramatically as canopy cover increased. At high levels of canopy cover, all associations between the remotely-sensed measures and the eye-level measures became statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that measures from remotely-sensed imagery fail to represent the amount of tree cover people perceive at eye-level when canopy cover is medium or high at the site scale. Therefore, the current urban forestry planning regulations, which rely heavily on remotely-sensed tree cover density measurements, need to be revised. We suggest strategic spots where eye-level measures of tree cover density should be emphasized

Constructing Melchior Lorichs's 'Panorama of Constantinople'

In Constructing Melchior Lorichs's Panorama of Constantinople, Nigel Westbrook, Kenneth Rainsbury Dark, and Rene Van Meeuwen propose that Melchior Lorichs's 1559 Panorama of Constantinople was created by using a viewing grid. The panorama is thus a reliable graphic source for the lost or since-altered Ottoman and Byzantine buildings of the city. The panorama appears to lie outside the conventional symbolic mode of topographical depiction common for its period and constitutes a rare "scientific" record of an encounter of a perspicacious observer with a vast subject. The drawing combines elements of allegory with extensive empirical observation. Several unknown structures, shown on the drawing, have been located in relation to the present-day topography of Istanbul, as a test-case for further research

Exposure to high-rise buildings negatively influences affect: evidence from real world and 360-degree video

Cities are densifying at a rapid rate, and accordingly, are constructing high-rise buildings to accommodate more people. The aim of this study was to quantify the physiological and psychological impacts of being in the presence of high-rise buildings in Central London, in a real and virtual 360-degree video environment. Using a within-subjects design, participants were exposed to a low-rise and high-rise building. While exposed, participants were monitored for electrodermal activity. They were also administered the Self-Assessment Manikin measure and a cognitive appraisal questionnaire. Participants rated the high-rise building environment to be less open, less friendly and rated themselves to feel less happy and have less sense of control, as compared to low-rise buildings. We found these effects in both the real world (n = 16) and a 360-degree video setting (n = 121). These findings suggest that city environments populated with high-rise buildings can have negative impacts on urban dwellers. Furthermore, this study provides a methodology to examine how individuals respond to the built environment and stand to inform urban design and architectural practices