Stephen Renard

Project Brief

Story RePresentation

In collaboration with the Game Set Match 3, this project will fall under the category of Robotic Building Technologies. This MSc3 project proposal is the design of a Public Library that shifts the emphasis from the physical to the digital and eventually represents stories and history in the form of virtual reality. This allows an individual to experience a book in three different forms: physical, digital and virtual.

In essence, our world is going through a paradigm shift from the physical to the digital. One of the most compelling ways to transfer information is through a story, yet in a fast paced world, people do not slow down to actually relax, read or hear a story. The art of storytelling and reading a book can adapt to our worlds ever shifting, fast paced and data driven environment.

The modern Story is told through a film or cinematic interpretation. This is still produced, written and designed by another human being, thus taking away the individual’s creativity who experiences the film. When one reads a book or hears a story, the imagination takes over and creates that environment that the story is told in and changes the experience as a whole. As we progress in society, we should not forget about the art of storytelling, rather re present it in the form of a virtual world where one can experience the story the way the teller intended it to be told.

In the large scale, this project will be a library that houses three separate modes of the story: Physical, Digital and Virtual. The physical will be an archive of every book printed. Each physical book will be digitized and then archived. The process of the transfer and digital translation of a physical book will be displayed for people to watch and see how the art of storytelling has evolved. Once the physical has become the digital, an area will be set for people to experience the digital or physical books. Within this process, the books will then be run through certain algorithms that create a virtual environment based on the author’s intentions. The user can then experience this book in the re presented form of storytelling. The environment will immerse the individual in the story and leave a new and firm impression on the person. This technology will allow individuals to experience historical events, written books, or even oral stories in a new light as if they were physically there.

The overall design and form would be derived from swarm logic/programmed space or other form finding solutions that are in the same vein as the Next Generation Building Technologies (NGBT). This could be through the use of data driven and quantum computational design. The environment and other factors would be taken in to account in order to create a low impact building that concentrates on performance driven aspects.

In the small scale, the buildings skin and construction components will be explored to derive a new way to use Carbon Fiber (or composites) in the construction field. This part will fall under the category of NGBT and Robotic Building. The goal for this portion is to explore and create a self supported or minimally supported carbon fiber woven structure (or composite woven structure) that would integrate the systems, structure and aesthetics into the building pieces. Through the use of programming and biomimicry, the carbon fiber strands would be woven together in a way that is structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing and performance oriented. The design of the building will incorporate Robotic Building technologies, as the whole building would be designed and built on site using robots to weave the carbon fiber and apply other materials that are necessary to waterproof and/or incorporate the systems. Nature will be examined and researched in order to replicate and strengthen a naturally occurring woven pattern.

The objective from the research and design is to create a 1:1 prototype piece that fully functions and is performance oriented by minimizing the amount of carbon fiber and maximizing strength. The porous design naturally created by woven carbon fiber will allow the building to breathe and accommodate the comfortable climate desired. Techniques to waterproof the woven carbon fiber will be researched and integrated with areas of the project that need to breathe. Systems will be integrated in the design piece in order to replicate the real life situation of a building that fully integrates the systems, structures and aesthetics.

Virtual Reality will be a tool used in this exploration, but the limitations of the contemporary VR Equipment are not up to par with the idea that is preferred to be implemented. The desired affect is an area or pod that an individual enters into a virtual world; a place that is not limited to a device placed on the head with no physical or haptic feedback. Rather an environment that adapts to the virtual world and is ever changing to the individual’s physical world in order to give a true virtual experience. Virtual Reality will be explored to strengthen the project proposal and create the representation of the library. It will be used to showcase the final form and certain short stories within the library.