by Jen Stein
PUCK (Place-based, Ubiquitous, Connected and Kinetic Experiences for Interactive Architecture) investigates changing spatial character and the resulting experience of place in the context of Interactive Architecture. As buildings become dynamic generators of data and information, they have the opportunity to use their embedded technological systems to play a more collaborative role in an inhabitants’ experience of space and place. This presents a unique opportunity to conceptualize and design near future situations and ambient interfaces for interacting with the built environment. These new spaces of possibility are imaginable by connecting people to now-common ubiquitous computing technologies such as sensors, building management systems, and mobile devices, and to the networks that make up the Internet of Things.
What emerges from this complex interconnection of people, technologies and networks is a design challenge for both interaction designers and architects to create meaningful and evocative experiences within hybrid physical/digital spaces of Interactive Architecture.