Essay

As we interact with buildings, we touch them. And by touching them, we usually get the building to respond in a manner that meets our needs. You can touch building features like doorknobs, flooring, handrails, wall switches, doorbells, and windows. Yet, when you touch these building features — you usually touch them in one way, to yield a “one-size-fits-all” type of response.

Well, touch technologies are now evolving, where sensors are being embedded in building features like doorknobs. And as a result, building doorknobs are becoming able to read not just that there is a touch, but that the touch was comprised of certain fingers. (1) You see, with sensors, buildings will be able to read how you touch them — taking behavioral gestures to a whole new level.

In fact, the following video will give you a great overview of just how touching technologies are emerging. As you watch the video, be sure to think of how such innovations can help your architectural designs.

By distinguishing greater detail in touch, a larger touch “vocabulary” and accurate language emerges. As an architect, you can use this language to devise architecture that responds to its occupants in more customized ways. Thus, by creating opportunity for greater variation in the way occupants use their buildings — a building will have more in-between states. This, of course, allows for greater personalization.

So, as you design your architecture, think of the different ways in which your occupant “touches” your building to accomplish or meet a need. Then think of how your architecture can respond in more personalized ways to your occupant’s touch. Really, your architecture is constantly interacting and engaging occupants — and with new advancements in sensing technologies, you can begin to have your building “read” occupant wants in much greater detail.

Hence, we are left with an architecture of nuance — where building features can sense occupant needs from much more subtle gestural cues. As technologies advance to make more of this possible, be sure to capitalize on such advancements, to help make your architecture more responsive and more personalized.

Reference:

1) Nosowitz, Dan. Video: Touch-Sensitive Doorknobs Could Lock or Unlock with the Curl of a Finger. Popsci.com. May, 7, 2012.

Image Credit: © stebulus | Flickr