Virtual Spaces: From the Past to the Future

Abstract

Space can be seen in many different ways. When an architect and a computer scientist look at Space they see very different things and yet sometimes they make surprisingly similar discoveries. As a computer scientist with strong research interests in visual languages I learned many things from the theory and practice of architecture. This talk on virtual spaces begins by discussing the origins of architectural pleasure and how the space of a dwelling can be divided into refuge and prospect according to Grant Hildebrand. This decomposition of space leads us naturally to consider spatial relations and patterns. On the pragmatic side we illustrate patterns by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. On the theoretical side we consider Christopher Alexander’s theory of patterns and its relationship to the theory of visual languages. After a discussion of William Mitchell’s e-topia as an example of the V-topia, the virtual cities of the past, the present and the future are surveyed. An important ingredient of the virtual city is the interactive map. We can make an interactive map even more powerful by introducing the concept of the sentient map.