A living system - Discursive wall

Abstract

We feel and perceive the built environment through our senses and our body's interactive movement (Diniz 2008). In this paper we propose a DiscursiveWall that physically responds to movement, interacting spatially and temporally with the environment and its inhabitants. In addition, we intend to solve spatial acoustical issues related to sound reverberation. Based on the theory of Autopoiesis (Maturana & Varela 1980), the discursive wall acts as a self producing system. In response to movement sensors installed in the room, the cork surface elements of the wall move back and forth. Therefore, the inhabitants of the room make the wall mutate continuously, thus redesigning itself. This is produced by several components like sensors, bearing systems and test motors. A set of arduinos processes and distributes the information received from the sensors and receives back the animation data generated by Grasshopper and Firefly (plug-ins for Rhino software). The methodology that supports this prototype explores the real possibility of the architecture to enter into a direct dialog with its inhabitants and surrounding space.