LAB Report

There is nothing like a provocative title, right? Like a vampire, these buildings can only be abroad in the night--sunlight is deadly to them. There is no reason to fear, however; this architecture is not dangerous to normal humans. It is, rather, both a wonder and a delight. We are speaking of extraordinarily comprehensive and detailed illusory three-dimensional projections on buildings. We are embarrassed to say that this work has been unknown to us until recently. It has been produced in both Europe and the US for a few years now. Presently, we haven't heard of architects producing this work. It has been the province of multimedia art collectives and graphic designers. We seem to be missing the boat, though.

We've been thinking of some of the implications of "vampire architecture." In professional practice, what could be a more effective mock up than a 3D projection? Until now, there could be no immersive experience of built form without actually building it. There are many architectural polemics or theoretical studies that, until now, could never be seen by more than a few colleagues and journal readers. Vampire architecture is thus half way between architecture and talkitecture. The architectural fantasy could be legitimized by providing sensory delight to the public without burdening them with the cost or permanence of an actual building. This, of course, also makes vampire architecture the ultimate in sustainable building.

We haven't mentioned yet that, quite apart from the foregoing, these projections have a terrific Ripley's-believe-it-or-not quality and can be really beautiful, too.

Click on the images to the left for videos of Vampire Architecture.