_Digital Decay

G/:tch Arch:Tecture

Blaire Haslop - 2016

We now live in a world where architecture is produced through arrays of pixels and this remains as the representation rather than the reality of buildings inevitably ageing their physical forms. So if architecture is kept in this digitally frozen state, then how does architectural form age over time? It glitches. A glitch is defined as a sudden malfunction or fault caused by the harsh reality of digital decay. Currently, glitches as a result of digital decay are solely explored as forms of 2d art therefore this thesis looks to reconnect the underlying data to its digital architectural spatial form and interpret digital decay in 3d. Our methodology follows a systematic iterative process of transformational change to explore design emergence on the base of computational glitches. A numerical data-driven process is explored using decayed files which are turned into 3d formal expressions. In this context, stereoscopic techniques are experimented, helping understand further how a glitch can be performed within a 3d virtual environment. Ultimately we explore digital architectural form existing solely in the digital realm that confidently expresses glitch in both its design process and aesthetic outcome. This thesis does not aim to answer the research question through a resolved building, we instead define architecture as a three-dimensional digital form and space. This thesis uses glitch as a methodology to design three-dimensional spaces within the digital realm. The architecture exists in the digital therefore the spatial perception of architecture created through this research is in the eye of the beholder and their previous spatial experiences. Employing a methodology of transformational change to explore design emergence on the base of glitches or decayed files, the aim is to generate a contemporary architectural interpretation of decayed data.

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Architectural designs are visualised on computer screens through arrays of pixels and vectors. These representations differ from the reality of buildings, which over time will unavoidably age and decay. How, then, do digital designs age over time? Do we interpret glitching as a sudden malfunction or fault in the computation of the design’s underlying data, or as digital decay resulting not from the wear and tear of tangible materials but from the decomposition of the binary code, or from system changes that cannot appropriately interpret the data? Advancing from 2D glitch art techniques into 3D interpretations, the research employs a methodology of systematic, iterative processes to explore design emergence based on glitches. G/:tch Arch:tecture existing solely in the digital realm, as an architectural interpretation of computational glitches through both its design process and aesthetic outcome. https://dara.digital
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