Author(s)

J. Maze

Abstract

This abstract and the resulting paper explore the ideas of narrative and context as generative tools in the digital design process. This is the initial premise of an interdisciplinary graduate seminar taught at the University of Florida between the Schools of Architecture, Fine Arts, and Computer Science and Engineering. The resulting design narratives will be discussed and evaluated. The different types of narrative – conceptual, plot based, etc. – will be examined and new types of interactivity will be proposed and tested. Keywords: digital modelling, narrative, design education, animation, virtual space. 1 Introduction \“Door, window, stair… once upon a time…” The power of storytelling set in stone and steel is one of the most powerful attributes of architecture. Architecture is the ultimate portrayal of a narrative. It is physical, interactive, and permanent. It is a real time immersive experience that can be enjoyed by multiple readers simultaneously. It is a story. Storytelling is not typically thought of as the role of the architect, but truth be told, the ability to guide and shape one’s set of experiences through design is arguably the most impacting of narrative devices. Architecture tells the tale of the values or identity of its patrons and place, knitting together an understanding of its particular situation within a set of contexts and the spatial language of inhabitation. How one is choreographed upon entry of a designed environment and led through as though a character in a carefully scripted plot is the ability of architecture to tell a tale, moreover an interactive tale.

Keywords

digital modelling, narrative, design education, animation, virtual space.