Designing Digital Space: An Architects Guide to Virtual Reality

The Complete Guide to Virtual Reality in Architecture and Design

The first in–depth book on virtual reality (VR) aimedspecifically at architecture and design professionals, DesigningDigital Space steers you skillfully through the learning curve ofthis exciting new technology. Beginning with a historical overviewof the evolution of architectural representations, this uniqueresource explains what VR is, how it is being applied today, andhow it promises to revolutionize not only the design process, butthe form and function of the built environment itself. Vividlyillustrating how VR fits alongside traditional methods ofarchitectural representation, this comprehensive guide prepares youto make optimum practical use of this powerful interactive tool,and embrace the new role of the architect in a virtually designedworld.

Offers in–depth coverage of the virtual universe datarepresentation and information management, static and dynamicworlds, tracking and visual display systems, control devices, andmore.

Examines a wide range of current VR architectural applications,from walkthroughs, simulations, and evaluations to reconstructionsand networked environments

Includes insightful essays by leading VR developers coveringsome of today′s most innovative projects

Integrates VR into the historical framework of architecturaldevelopment, with detailed sections on the past, present, andfuture

Features a dazzling array of virtual world images and sequentialdisplays

Explores the potential impact of digital architecture on thebuilt environment of the future

Partial table of contents:

THE PAST.

The Quest for Three–Dimensionality.

From Images of Architecture to Architecture of Images.

THE PRESENT.

The Electronic Revolution in Architecture.

Solid and Digital Architecture.

Virtual Reality.

The Stuff VR Is Made Of.

Architectural Design and Virtual Reality.

WHO IS DOING WHAT?

Architectural Applications and the Responsive Workbench.

Architectural Realities: Virtual Reality Case Studies at CalibreInstitute.

Community and Environmental Design and Simulation: The CEDeS Lab atthe University of Washington.

Real Buildings and Virtual Spaces.

THE FUTURE.

A Few Observations about the Future of Architecture in a DigitalWorld.

A Few Hypotheses for Reconstructed Architecture.

Index.

DANIELA BERTOL is a cofounder of Space Ink, a multimedia laboratory in New York City that specializes in the application of digital technologies to architecture and multimedia design projects. An architect with over a decade of experience with major firms, she has lectured at universities worldwide and is the author of Visualizing with CAD: An AutoCADR(r) Exploration of Geometric and Architectural Forms.