An issue facing architecture today

Throughout history architects main purpose has been to create physical environments of form and function, their balance dependant on its designer. However as a society, we are quickly developing into an age that is dictated through digital means. Our time in the digital world is increasing; we are absorbed into hand held illuminated screens and unlimited entertainment.

How are the architects of the future going to incorporate this new lifestyle into their schemes? It is no longer adequate to suggest flat monitors parasitically attached to a clean form. Technology in this sector is moving faster than many architects understand, with many start-up companies developing creative ways to communicate three dimensionally. Architects develop structures that reflect societies needs, and so our thirst for more digitally intuitive design needs to be addressed.

An area of particular interest is that of illuminated advertisement squares such as Piccadilly Circus, Times Square and many more in the Far East. Often culturally symbolising economic success, these exterior spaces have become immersive interior worlds, full of screens packed full of light emitting diodes. Having a strong impact on the visual appearance of a city, these signs are dominated by multinational companies, advertising products and services that are knitted into our social fabric.

With high brand competition in these spaces, leading companies are encouraged to use the latest technologies and techniques to gain public attention. However due to the falling cost of the older technology; they are also becoming more common, making these environments richer and more diverse. This opens up large opportunities for the architects and master planners of today.

New urban architecture is starting to incorporate these advertisement requirements into media façades, allowing whole buildings to become illuminated screens. This is beginning to dramatically change the aesthetics of our cities. Multi-touch-point technologies, such as the augmented reality app Aurasma, are also beginning to have an impact on our experiences. With these environments classically disconnected from the public, this new technology is creating an interaction with the screens, making the spaces more personalised and integral to life.

Advertisement billboards have grown to become a dominant part of Piccadilly Circus. A unique place in London’s history, culture and heritage, they are considered one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Piccadilly attracts 2 million weekly visitors, at all hours of the day; who spend £7.6BN each year.

The advertisements are becoming digitally interactive. Reminiscent of the physical Guinness Swiss cuckoo clock in the sixties, these screens have an instant impact as well as connecting people on multiple touch points. Successful campaigns from MacDonald’s, Burberry and Samsung interact with the crowds, making it not just a visual experience but also a personal one.

Piccadilly Circus succeeds in its balance of the existing architectural values of the junction, with commercial advertisement boards. Attention is fixed to one elevation, the public has space to reflect, and not be overpowered by the advertisements. Nevertheless the structure is still not embedded into the architecture; rather it is layered on top of it, temporary and aggressive rather than immersive and purposeful. 

Times Square’s electric screens and striking billboards are also one of the most sought after advertising locations in the world. On its busier days the junction can see pedestrian counts of over 460,000 with over 100,000 people entering the square later on at night between 7pm and 1am. The signage can expect nearly 1.5 million views each day. In times of festivities, such as New Years Eve, the television coverage distributes the screens to over one billion people worldwide. What it lacks in its simplicity of digital communication, it makes up with its physical illuminated billboards. The creative LED ribbons of the ABC “SuperSign” breaks the normality of rectangular advertisement and the unrivalled scale of the Walgreens sign impresses, at 17,000 square feet.

In the future, prices for LED screens will become cheaper, and so become more accessible to smaller firms. It will also open up more non-commercial content, with the price to the council being less. It is inevitable that new technology will be released that betters the current screens and is more desirable to large advertisement agencies. Movements into interactive advertising, across multiple touch points, will create environments of immersive opportunities. Augmented reality, Wi-Fi capabilities and smarter phones will enable the public to interact more with the illuminated screens. This new playful and public orientated style will create better atmospheres than the ones we see today, although potentially even more intrusive.

With these spaces increasing in frequency, opportunities could also be created for artists. Using the display resources to generate works of environmental art, reclaiming public space as cultural space.

In the future it is possible that advertisers will be liberated from the rectangular TV like shape and will be able to connect it to the physical space in meaningful and aesthetic ways. With advancements in 3D technology and bending flexible screens, this dream does not seem far away. For the existing architecture in the space it will allow for more considered positioning and care. It is now up to the architectural community to understand the importance and popularity of these areas. In the coming years they need to be implicated and updated in a more digitally literate way that can develop with new technology.