MINE THE GAP: Designing in the Digital Age

STATUS

Ongoing Research

Presented at CCA Thesis Talks 2011

Published in PLAT 1.5: Mind the Gap (Fall 2011)

Published in Construct No.1: Control Structure (Winter 2012)

KEY PERSONNEL

Digo Lima

As architecture has become increasingly complex, so too has its collaborative model for design. In the information age the linear, singular model of learning has been replaced by a complex network of limited pockets of knowledge which is greater than the sum of its parts. Architects have utilized new technologies to explore the boundaries of architectural form and space. This model has not yet reached the architectural design process however. The current model promotes hieratic silos of expertise and authorship, shunning potential miscommunications and unexpected results.

Games are interactive social systems capable of orchestrating multi-point relationships without pre-determined outcomes. Technology in games has only accelerated their ability to connect players and authors within these complex networks. As such, this research uses an internet-based, multiplayer, virtual game of architectural design to explore new models of thought in the design process. The game seeks to mine the gaps in communication inherent in any collaborative process. The game becomes a tool to scrutinize our understanding of authorship, artistic autonomy, and collective intelligence by observing players and their tolerance for control and authorship.