Transforming Urban Spaces into Dynamic Digital Experiences Grad Thesis 2024
In the digital age, Extended Reality (XR) is revolutionizing architecture and urban spaces by seamlessly blending digital media with the physical environment, creating personalized, interactive experiences. This transformation redefines the role of architects, who must now integrate technology to enhance urban life while addressing challenges like sensory overload and privacy concerns. To fully realize XR’s potential, society and architects must establish standards that balance innovation with responsible design.
https://xrcity.framer.website/
Gao Sun & Hanyang Yan
XR CITY
Authors: Hanyang Yan, Gao Sun
Design Advisor: Elena Manferdini
HT Advisors: John Cooper, Erik Ghenoiu
Graduate Thesis | M.Arch2
January 2024-September 2024
SCI-Arc | Southern California Institute of Architecture
960 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Statement
Transforming Urban Spaces into Dynamic Digital Experiences
In the digital age, architecture and urban spaces are transforming into dynamic media, dramatically altering how people experience the built environment. Buildings are no longer static structures; they can now display dynamic content that adds vibrancy to cities and enriches their functions. As technology advances, digital media will seamlessly blend with physical spaces, with Extended Reality (XR) accelerating this shift. XR enables architecture to evolve at the speed of technology, transforming everyday environments into personalized, interactive experiences.
XR City envisions buildings and urban spaces as canvases for art, games, and more. By overlaying digital interfaces, XR guides people through the city, making it livelier and encouraging exploration and interaction. This integration not only enhances the city's appeal but also fosters social connections. XR also allows architecture to adapt rapidly, bringing a level of personalization to urban spaces that was previously unimaginable.
The role of architects is being redefined in the XR era. They are now tasked with blending the physical and digital realms, ensuring that these integrations enhance rather than detract from the urban experience. Just as Las Vegas once epitomized the integration of advertising into architecture, today’s architects must adapt to the new discourse, learning from digital media and incorporating these elements into their designs.
However, this technological advancement is a double-edged sword. While XR offers exciting new possibilities, it also presents challenges such as sensory overload, identity and privacy concerns, and growing social and economic disparities. To ensure that these new experiences contribute positively to urban life, it is crucial for society and architects to establish unified standards for XR integration.
Dynamic Media in Architecture: Transforming Urban Spaces
The combination of static building facades with dynamic media is transforming contemporary architecture by blending traditional architectural elements with cutting-edge technology. This fusion not only enhances the visual appeal but also introduces new functionalities, such as interactive experiences and dynamic storytelling.
Times Square, New York
Times Square in New York City is perhaps the most famous example of a media-saturated urban space. The area is characterized by its vast array of digital billboards, LED displays, and interactive screens that cover the facades of buildings. These elements create a constantly changing, vibrant environment that draws millions of visitors each year. The dynamic media transforms the space into a 24/7 visual spectacle, making it a prime example of how static architecture can be revitalized with digital technology.
Sphere, Las Vegas
The MSG Sphere at The Venetian in Las Vegas is an architectural marvel that represents the next generation of immersive experiences. The exterior of the Sphere is a massive, high-resolution LED screen capable of displaying dynamic content that can be seen from miles away. This integration of media with architecture allows the building itself to become a canvas for art, advertising, and interactive experiences, making it a significant landmark in Las Vegas.
Fremont Street, Las Vegas
Fremont Street is another example of how dynamic media can transform an urban space. The Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall in downtown Las Vegas, covered by a massive canopy with over 12 million LED lights. The canopy creates a constantly evolving light show that entertains visitors with vibrant, dynamic visuals and synchronized music. This use of dynamic media on a grand scale turns the static architecture of the street into a living, breathing entity that engages with people in real-time.
These examples showcase how the combination of static architecture and dynamic media can redefine urban spaces, turning them into interactive, immersive environments that engage the public in new and exciting ways.
Photographs. Time Square,New York
Gao Sun 2023
Photographs. Fremont Street, Las Vegas Gao Sun 2024
The Media City: Media, Architecture and Urban Space
“The Media City: Media, Architecture and Urban Space” by Scott McQuire explores the intricate relationships between media, architecture, and urban space. McQuire delves into how contemporary cities are being reshaped by the influence of media technologies, changing not just the physical landscapes but also the ways in which people experience urban environments.
Media and Urban Space:
McQuire discusses how media technologies, such as digital billboards, surveillance systems, and interactive installations, are integrated into the fabric of urban spaces. He examines how these technologies affect the way people interact with their surroundings and with each other.
Architecture and Media:
The book explores the intersection of architecture and media, highlighting how buildings are becoming media surfaces themselves. For instance, façades can display dynamic content, turning architecture into a platform for media communication.
Public and Private Spaces:
McQuire investigates the blurring lines between public and private spaces in the media city. He considers how media technologies can both enhance public interaction and contribute to the privatization of public spaces.
Surveillance and Contro:
The book delves into the implications of ubiquitous surveillance technologies in urban areas. McQuire discusses issues related to privacy, control, and the power dynamics embedded in the surveillance infrastructure.
Digital and Physical Worlds:
McQuire addresses the convergence of digital and physical worlds, examining how virtual and augmented realities are influencing urban design and human experiences in cities.
01. McQuire, Scott. The Media City: Media, Architecture and Urban Space. Theory, Culture & Society. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2008. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446269572.
"How will the widespread adoption of XR (Extended Reality) technology transform the future of the new media city?"
Extend Reality (XR)
Extended Reality (XR) encompasses all immersive technologies that merge the physical and digital worlds, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).
XR enables users to experience environments where digital content overlays, interacts with, or completely replaces the physical world, providing new ways to visualize, explore, and interact with information. As XR technologies continue to advance, they are transforming industries, from entertainment and education to healthcare and urban planning, creating experiences that are both immersive and interactive.
Spacial Computing
Spatial computing is the technology that powers XR by understanding and interacting with the physical environment in three dimensions. It involves the use of sensors, cameras, and AI algorithms to map and interpret real-world spaces, allowing digital content to be accurately placed and manipulated in relation to physical objects. This capability enables devices to recognize gestures, understand surroundings, and interact naturally with users, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. Through spatial computing, XR creates dynamic, context-aware experiences that adapt to the user’s environment, enhancing the way we live, work, and play in increasingly digital landscapes.
XR in the City
Extended Reality (XR) transforms urban environments by overlaying digital information and experiences onto the physical cityscape. This integration enhances how people interact with their surroundings, offering new layers of engagement, entertainment, and utility. Here’s how XR operates within a city context:
Digital Layering of Urban Environments
XR technology uses AR and MR to superimpose digital content—such as navigation guides, historical information, or artistic installations—onto physical structures like buildings, parks, and streets. This layering turns the city into a dynamic, interactive canvas, where users can see contextual information in real-time through devices like smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses.Maecenas a volutpat est. Duis eleifend ornare felis non porttitor. Aliquam eros lectus, dictum molestie neque sit amet, fermentum faucibus est. Sed quis ultrices sapien. Cras eu purus mi. Aenean at enim vitae quam tincidunt facilisis. Ut ut vehicula nulla, in lacinia nulla.
01. Hyper_Reality, Keiichi Matsuda, 2016
02. Pokemon Go in New York City, 2016
03. Games of Deletion, Runze Zhang and Alessio Grancin, 2018
XR City presents a provocative and kaleidoscopic new vision of the future, where physical and virtual realities have merged, and the city is saturated in media.”
Personalized and Contextual Experiences
XR enables cities to provide personalized experiences based on the user’s preferences, location, and time of day. For instance, tourists can use AR to visualize historical events at specific landmarks, while locals might receive customized recommendations for nearby restaurants or shops. This adaptability makes urban exploration more engaging and relevant to the individual’s needs and interests.
Urban Games
Extended Reality (XR) revolutionizes urban gamification by turning cityscapes into interactive playgrounds where digital games and activities are overlaid onto real-world environments. Through XR devices like smartphones and AR glasses, users can engage in location-based games, treasure hunts, or quests that encourage exploration and social interaction within the city. These experiences promote engagement with urban spaces, making daily commutes or casual strolls more entertaining and transforming everyday
environments into dynamic, game-like experiences.
Urban Arts
XR also transforms urban arts by enabling digital artworks to be seamlessly integrated with physical spaces. Artists can use AR to project digital sculptures, murals, or installations onto buildings and public areas, creating an evolving gallery that changes with time and user interaction. This technology allows for a new level of creativity and accessibility, where public art can be constantly updated, interacted with, or even co-created by the community, enriching the cultural landscape of cities and making art more inclusive and interactive.
Architects Bridge the Gap Between Digital Activities and Physical Spaces
As urban activities increasingly shift to digital platforms, many experiences that once required physical presence are now performed through screens, from shopping and socializing to attending events and navigating city streets. This transition can lead to a disconnect between digital activities and the physical spaces where they occur. Architects play a crucial role in bridging this gap by designing environments that seamlessly integrate digital interfaces with the built environment. By doing so, they enhance the functionality and aesthetic appeal of urban spaces, ensuring that digital and physical experiences complement each other and enrich urban life.
01. Joy Cube in Universal Resort Beijing, 2022
02. Nike Retail AR Experience, 2022
Space interaction design takes human behavior as the starting point to design the entire flow of people’s behavior and psychological feelings in the space. These spaces are more complex than ordinary spaces, and require designers to give more consideration to people’s psychological feelings during the planning stage, and to interact with people with the help of more technology and equipment during the practice stage.
— Yuan Jiang
Architects’ Opportunities
The advancement of XR technology expands spatial interactions beyond the confines of interior spaces (especially in the retail industry), where they are predominantly utilized today, and extends them into the broader urban environment. With XR, digital elements can be integrated directly into cityscapes, allowing for a seamless blend of virtual and physical realities. This integration enables buildings, streets, and public areas to become interactive and adaptive, transforming how people experience and engage with their surroundings. By embedding digital information and experiences within the fabric of the city, XR technology not only enhances individual interactions but also helps to create more dynamic, responsive, and immersive urban environments, setting the stage for the cities of the future.
Full Spectrum: Colour in Contemporary Architecture:
Color is a dynamic tool that enhances user experiences by blending physical and digital environments, creating vibrant and interactive urban spaces. By leveraging the full spectrum of color, XR fosters a more inclusive and engaging cityscape, reflecting a multitude of identities and narratives.
Color is one of architecture’s most versatile and potent tools, capable of conveying a wide range of meanings and emotions. Throughout history, color has indexed everything from the feminine, cosmetic, and vulgar to the pure, intrinsic, and embodied. Architectural attitudes towards color are constantly evolving, reflecting broader cultural, social, and technological shifts. From the vibrant polychromy of ancient structures to the stark, white interiors of high modernism, and from the expressive hues of postmodernism to the sophisticated surfaces of contemporary buildings, color has always played a central role in shaping our built environment.
In contemporary architecture, color has gained renewed importance as both a creative strategy and a form of political expression. With the advent of the second digital age, there have been transformative changes in how architects utilize color. Digital tools and XR technologies enable a more dynamic use of color, where virtual and augmented realities allow architects to reimagine and manipulate the built environment in real-time. Color becomes a projection into future possibilities, an anticipatory act that reflects nascent societal shifts and opens up new ways of seeing and interacting with space.
In XR City, color is not just an aesthetic choice but a strategic element that can alter experiences and perceptions of urban spaces. By using the full spectrum of color, XR can democratize visual culture, providing new references and embracing diverse identities. It allows architects to introduce bold and unexpected colors that interact with both physical and digital environments, creating a city that is vibrant, inclusive, and perpetually evolving. This approach helps in reimagining our present world, not by creating idealized utopias but by transforming everyday spaces into dynamic, colorful canvases that reflect the diversity and complexity of urban life.
01. Manferdini, Elena and Benyamin, Jasmine . Full Spectrum: Colour in Contemporary Architecture. RIBA Publishing. 2023.
A Forward-Looking Vision in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, with its sprawling landscape, rich cultural tapestry, and reputation as a global hub for innovation, provides a unique setting for exploring the potential of Extended Reality (XR) in urban environments.
A City of Contrasts and Possibilities
LA is a city of contrasts, where diverse neighborhoods blend seamlessly into one another, and old architectural marvels coexist with modern skyscrapers. This juxtaposition offers a fertile ground for XR to enhance and transform spaces in novel ways. The city’s vast urban sprawl and eclectic mix of residential, commercial, and public areas provide a variety of contexts in which XR can be applied to reimagine how people interact with their surroundings. By overlaying digital experiences onto the physical landscape, we can bridge gaps between different areas and communities, creating a more connected and cohesive urban experience.
Cultural Diversity and Creative Energy
Los Angeles is renowned for its cultural diversity, with communities from all over the world contributing to its vibrant social fabric. This multiculturalism provides a rich context for XR applications that celebrate and highlight different cultural narratives, traditions, and histories. XR City can use augmented reality to create immersive storytelling experiences, guiding users through the city while revealing the unique stories and cultural heritage of each neighborhood. Additionally, LA’s status as a global center for film, music, and art brings a wealth of creative talent, which is crucial for developing compelling XR content that resonates with a diverse audience.
A Thriving Tech and Entertainment Ecosystem
As a global leader in entertainment and technology, Los Angeles is home to a robust ecosystem of innovators, from Hollywood studios to cuttingedge tech startups. This convergence of creativity and technology makes LA an ideal testing ground for XR City. The city’s established industries in film, gaming, and digital media are already exploring the boundaries of XR technology, making it easier to collaborate, experiment, and innovate. By situating XR City in LA, we can leverage this thriving ecosystem to push the limits of what XR can achieve in an urban context, fostering partnerships that drive forward both technology and storytelling.
“Architecture
in the digital age is no longer just about building spaces; it’s about crafting immersive experiences that blend the physical and digital, shaping how we live, interact, and connect in the city of tomorrow.”
