Summary: |
Architectural animations are like Harry Langer, a fifty-something entertainment mogul played by best actor nominee Jack Nicholson in the film Something.s Gotta Give. They.ve been surrounded by plenty of pathetic spiritless gimmicks. And, like Harry in the film, they have suffered a heart attack. Harry did not die. Architectural animations are still around, barely. Something.s wrong with them. When Harry begins to recover, he.s surprised to find himself growing fond of a woman his own age (played by best actress nominee Dianne Keaton). This is precisely what should happen to architectural animations. They need to come to terms with more mature attitudes and approaches. This paper presents a new and different approach to architectural animations. In ninety nine percent of the cases, architectural animations have been produced at the end of the design process, just when architects or architecture students are ready to present their schemes to an audience or client group. All design decisions have been made. All aspects of the architectural solutions have been set. Tectonic qualities, lighting schemes, construction approaches, everything has been cast in stone. The animation is simply shown as a public relations gesture to broadcast to the audience that the design team is digitally savvy and uses the latest technologies. The proposition contained herein is that animations be used throughout the design process, that is, from beginning to end. |