Interactive Building

Distributed, networked, electronically tagged, interactive devices are increasingly incorporated into the physical envi-ronment blurring progressively the boundary between physical and virtual space. This changing relationship between physical and virtual implies not only a change in the operation and use of buildings but also a change in their physical configuration, and therefore, their design and production. Interactive building addresses, therefore both the building defined as physically built environment and the building process implying on the one hand the changing role of archi-tecture with respect to incorporation of interactivity and the resulting multiple and varied use of built environments in reduced timeframes; On the other hand, it is implying the changing role of the architect with respect to the use of net-works connecting digital databases and parametric models with customizable design and production tools allowing for linking design to production and use. This paper discusses both by presenting two case studies within the larger frame-work of interactive building