Architectural Projections: Changing The Perception Of Architecture With Light

Abstract

In the recent years, using buildings and building façades as projection surfaces has become a widespread practice of the live visuals community. However, while projections on a building are typically called ”˜architectural,’ they often ignore the interaction of the projection with the architecture and use the building surface merely as a projection screen. In this paper, we reflect on the potential of using projections within the architectural context, and we will discuss early or famous architectural projections as a starting point. Among architectural education aspects, the urban and sociological impacts of projections are examined as well as the use of knowledge about computer animation and simulation for architectural design. The relation of a positive perception of architecture and ephemeral activities like festivals is implicitly being shown with many examples. The paper is complemented with a case study, a large-scale architectural projection at a city festival, realized by architecture students. Based on the study, we provide insights in the technical setup and show how the architectural education aspects can be included in practical work.