Final Project / Master's in Theory & History of Architecture

This abstract was submitted for the final or project for the "tesina" during my time at the ETSAB. The project, as described in this excerpt, investigated the capacity for semiotic / symbolic communication in virtual examples of architectural space:

2.0 / abstract

    The representation of virtual space is an issue inherent to the architectural practices of contemporary times. As such, virtual space’s capacity for the simulation and/or representation of physical space has been an essential tool in the process of architectural design. However, virtual space is a phenomenon that clearly exists outside architectural representation. In fact, virtual space finds its normal function within most pictorial media, including art, cinema, and video games. 

    Within pictorial mediums, few spaces are as detailed and interactive as those provided by video games. In video games the spectator becomes a player in the spatial narrative and is subjected to the sensorial affectations of virtual space. From the categories of virtual self, scale, proportion, and spatial scripting, several video games were analyzed: Mirror’s Edge, Assassin’s Creed 2: Brotherhood, Grand Theft Auto and Half-Life 2. Through the management of first & third person perspectives; lineal & open three dimensional spaces; architectural referencing (historical, contemporary & fictional), video game spaces often achieve spatially immersive experiences that compensate for the lack of sensorial inputs. 

    Their spatial nature, when combined with player interaction, is preceded by the use of architectural design techniques for designing space. As such, they offer the architect’s discipline a new and fertile ground for experimenting with space’s capacity to communicate content.

 

The spaces depicted below both share a common strategy when it comes to the player's navigation of the space. They communicate direction, hierarchy, and an ultimate objective for the game's principal challenges. Is this an explicit narrative structure for navigable space? How does it differ from architectural 'semiotic constructions' in physical space?

Screenshot. Traceur Training Arena. Mirror's Edge (EA Games, 2008)

Screenshot. Traceur Training Arena. Mirror's Edge (EA Games, 2008)

Screenshot. City 17 square. Half-Life 2 (Valve, 2004)

Screenshot. City 17 square. Half-Life 2 (Valve, 2004)

Here's a link to the document: Spatial Communication Models in Virtual Environments: A Study of Architecture in Video Games.

 I coursed the Master's in Theory and History of Architecture which Polytechnic University of Catalunya from 2011-2013.

Polimorfo Review / [Con]textos

In 2013, I was asked to review a recent publication from puertorrican architect Andrés Mignucci FAIA. [Con]textos builds a comprehensive history of the Luis Muñoz Rivera park and its architectural elements. The book, which takes readers from colonial times and on to our contemporary context, was reviewed from the standpoint of an architect in an architecture school; meaning special focus was given to internal, as well as external perception of the work. Although it is written in spanish, the following excerpt concludes the review:

Mignucci, Andrés. [Con]textos, 2013.

[Con] textos nos lleva a través de un relato histórico y coloca al lector dentro de la historiografía de la isleta de San Juan, donde una cronología “completa” sienta las bases para el caso de estudio. La inserción de referentes políticos, económicos y sociales enriquecen la lectura. Las imágenes que describen el proyecto se ubican de modo agradable en la página y con regularidad para invitar a la exploración del espacio.

             Admito que es inicialmente difícil, como arquitecto, pasar por alto el papel del autor en la realización del espacio que luego analiza. Sin embargo, la participación del arquitecto con los proyectos, en los alrededores del parque Muñoz Rivera, parece otorgarle una posición única en su estudio. He aquí un análisis desde el interior, y de un objeto solo parcialmente conocido, que nos brinda una mirada privilegiada hacia el origen, crecimiento y desarrollo de del sitio.

The full document has not yet been uploaded to Polimorfo's official site. It will soon be placed in the official page HERE.

Polimorfo Article / Condensing Scripts

Polimorfo is a publication made possible by the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico's School of Architecture, or ARQPOLI for short.  Polimorfo's 2nd volume was published in 2010 and it featured a summary for my Capstone Design Study. It was an attempt to condense the ideas that my Capstone Design Course's investigation focused on, into a more accesible version. A link to the magazine can be found here: Polimorfo Vol. 2, within it you can find the Scripted Space/Scripted World essay, along with other fine written works.

Capstone Design Investigation / The influence of Scripted Spaces.

For the Capstone Design series investigation in Arqpoli (Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture), I further investigated the use of special effects and illusion in architecture. Working off of Norman M. Klein's concept of the scripted space, the design project for ARCH-5010 set the conceptual basis for the design of an airport expansion project for McCarran International Airport's domestic check-in, retail, and baggage claim areas.

3d model. View from atop the Scala Regia, Vatican City.

3d model. View from below the Scala Regia, Vatican City.

Plan and section of the Scala Regia, Vatican City.

The link for the whole document can be found here: ARCH-5010 Scripted Space, Scripted World. This is the written investigation that led to the design projects of ARCH-5020 and ARCH-5030, which can be seen in the ARCHITECTURE page of this website under Capstone Design.

Mid-Career Project / What is Tropicality?

The final project for my third year (2005) design course in Arqpoli (Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture) questioned the nature of how we construct the concept of "tropicality" in architecture. The Mid-Career research project argued that "tropicality" in architecture was built not by typological efforts, but by the conscious manipulation of architectural elements that provoking sensorial associations with what is "tropical".

Cover image for the Mid-Career Investigation project.

Since, then, my interests have developed into further questioning how we categorize and perceive certain typologies, but this Mid-Career project proved to be an invaluable step in the development of current and ongoing subjects of investigation. A link to the full document can be found here: ARCH-3030 Architecture of the Senses: Tropicality or Phenomenology?