Dominika Demlova

The University of Tokyo 2020 Master Thesis

Dominika Demlova Research on Designing Cyber-Physical Commercial Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

a thesis "Research on Designing Cyber-Physical Commercial Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine"

written by Dominika Demlova (37-176925)

supervised by supervising professor professor Yusuke Obuchi (Obuchi Laboratory, The University of Tokyo) sub-supervising professor professor Tomonari Yashiro (Yashiro Laboratory, The University of Tokyo) sub-supervising professor professor Kotaro Imai (Imai Laboratory, The University of Tokyo)

submitted to The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Architecture on July 27th 2020

I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis titled "Research on Designing Cyber-Physical Commercial Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine"

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Declaration

is my own work except for the information derived from other sources, which have been dully acknowledged in the text and the references provided.

I also declare that no part of this thesis has been previously presented for a degree at the University of Tokyo or any other institution.

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Tokyo, Japan July 27th 2020

Dominika Demlova

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Foremost, I would like to express sincere gratitude to my supervising professor Yusuke Obuchi, whose expertise has provided me with an exceptional guidance through the process of writing this thesis and studying at the University of Tokyo.

I would further like to thank professor Tomonari Yashiro and profes-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Acknowledgements

sor Kotaro Imai for reviewing this thesis as their research at the University of Tokyo has inspired the presented research.

I would like to express deep gratitude to the University of Tokyo for financial support without which this work would not have been possible to accomplish. Furthermore, I would like to thank Kakuko Kato for her incredible support during my study that has been instrumental in the successful completion of this degree.

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who were involved in the joined laboratory projects that have influenced the

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I would like to thank the fellow students, current as well as alumni, development of this thesis. I am indebted to them for their very insightful comments and stimulating discussions that formed the basis of this thesis research.

I am especially indebted to Kristyna Borsodi and Bakala Foundation, whose encouragement and support has been crucial in my academic accomplishments since 2010.

I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents Adrienna and Jaroslav. Their generous love and unfailing support of my academic pursuits has formed the foundation for any of my thoughts and dreams to become reality.

Finally, I would like to thank my elder brother Matyas, elder sister Jana, rest of my family as well as friends here in Tokyo, Prague and around the world for providing me with continuous encouragement throughout my years of study.

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In the light of new digital technologies, architecture is challenged to become intelligent and data driven by interweaving sensing layer with cognitive abilities through the architecture form. This creates a condition where information flows becomes two-directional and as the dweller of the space can experience, perceive and draw meaningful information from his sur-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Abstract

rounding, so can the architecture experience, perceive and draw meaningful information from the person being within its proximity or interior.

As architecture becomes a cyber-physical system, the information it is able to capture becomes a new resource of potential economic value as it encloses and provides a stage for human activity. Through participation in the system, dwellers of the space become part of the overarching economy related to the physical location they visit as the interaction of T

becoming data mines highlights the uniqueness of physical spaces, opens

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the system and the dweller is captured in form of digital data. Buildings a discussion around the existing ambiguity of personal spatial data privacy and shows a potential to change drastically design of commercial architecture. The architecture form is critical for performance of the data mine and in order to enhance this capability, design can become hyper-focused on navigating human activity, segmenting space into high and low interest areas for viewing and on creating a spatial experience that draws visitors inside while also facing the challenge of creating structural support for numerous sensing devices with their own spatial requirements. This thesis aims to make a contribution through research of this emergent typology of architecture with further focus on commercial private spaces, where two-directional information flow is enabled by advanced computer vision technology.

This thesis provides theoretical context for understanding cyber-physicality as a quality of architectural space, the existing nature of information flows within buildings and the role of private sector in shaping the built environment. Further, this thesis demonstrates the implications to architecture design through presenting a proposal for a cyber-physical architecture as a data mine based on analysis of a commercial architecture typology whose spatial design has been already disrupted by the emergence of online marketplaces. This thesis is concluded with a discussion on its research findings and the general implications the emergence of this

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new typology will have on architecture design.

Declaration

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Acknowledgements

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Abstract

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Introduction

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1.1 Thesis Introduction

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1.1.1 Research Objectives

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1.1.2 Methodology

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1.2.1 Spirit of the Era

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1.2.2 Data Mine and Related Topics

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1.2.3 Importance and Value of Physical Context

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1.2.4 Private Sector Involvement: Business Driven Environment

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1.2.5 Data Privacy and Private Spaces

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1.2.6 Historical Relationship of Architecture, Information and Technology

Architecture as a Data Mine 2.1.1 Definition of a Cyber-Physical System

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2.1.2 Definition of Information and Data Flow

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2.1.3 Architecture as a Cyber-Physical System

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2.1.4 Form and Materiality of Cyber-Physical Architecture

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2.1.5 Flows and Meaning in Cyber-Physical Architecture 2.2 Data Flow as Emerging Economic Value Layer of Architecture

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2.2.1 Existing Economic Value Layers of Architecture

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2.2.2 Spatial Data Flow as Economic Value Layer of Architecture

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2.2.3 Networks of Cyber-Physical Architecture

Information Flow within Architecture 48

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3.1 One-Way Information Flow

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3.1.1 Historical Context

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3.1.2 Present Context

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3.1.3 Analysis of One-way Information Flow within Buildings

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3.2 Two-Way Information Flow

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3.2.1 Present Context

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3.2.2 Near-Future Context

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2.1 Cyber-Physical System Approach to Architecture

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1.2 Background and Related Research

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Table of Contents

3.3 Stages of Being in a Physical Space for Perceiving and Producing Information vii

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4.1 Case-Study Introduction

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4.1.1 Evolving Nature of Commercial Architecture

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4.1.2 Evolving Nature of Bookstores

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4.1.3 Overview of Japanese Book-Selling Industry

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4.1.4 Overview of Bookstores Typologies in Tokyo

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4.2 Case-Study Analysis: Bunkitsu Bookstore

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4.2.1 Introduction of Bunkitsu

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4.2.2 System Analysis

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4.2.3 Human Behaviour and Movement Analysis

Designing a Data Mine 92

5.1.1 Predecessor of a Data Mine

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5.1.2 Data Mine Typology 5.2 Design Strategy

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5.2.2 Definition of System Purpose

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5.2.3 Specification of Sensing and Cognitive Layer

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5.2.4 Selection of Site

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5.2.5 Program Design

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5.2.6 Spatial Experience Design

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5.2.1 Design Methodology

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5.1 Commercial Architecture Space as a Data Mine Typology

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

5.3 Design Proposal

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5.3.1 First Iteration: Using Initial Research

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5.3.2 Second Iteration: Maximizing Capacity of Data Capture

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5.3.3 Comparative of Design Proposal Iterations

Discussion 128

6.1 Research Findings

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6.2 General Implications

References

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Thesis Introduction

1.1.1 Research Objectives This thesis aims to present research on the emerging typology of cyber-physical architecture with integrated context sensing with cognitive abilities enabled by artificial intelligence, that would result in aggregating data-sets of potential economic value through capturing information about the interaction of the system and the dweller in form of digital data. The research of this new typology of architecture is important as it highlights the uniqueness of physical spaces, opens a discussion around the existing ambiguity of personal spatial data privacy and shows a potential to change drastically design of commercial architecture. It is also important for the individual dweller of the space as he becomes an active participant in the system and the overarching data economy related to the commercial space through sher physical presence. In other words, the integration of architecture with advanced technologies will create a new layer of economic value within physical spaces that can drive the design of the architecture form as it is the defining factor for the building's performance as a data mine through navigating human activity and placement of sensing devices. This hypothesis will be explored with further focus on commercial private spaces through several supporting research objectives, which will form the body of this thesis.

Chapter 1, following the thesis introduction, aims to present related research and background of the topic, which is concerned with current global trends, history and theory of architecture, advancement of information technologies and personal data privacy.

In chapter 2, this thesis aims to provide general understanding for architecture as a cyber-physical system and evaluate the material implications of cyber-physicality in relation to the established theoretical background of architecture concepts of form and materiality. Further, chapter 2 will aim to explain how does the economic value of spatial data relate to the existing economic layers of value within existing architecture.

Chapter 3 aims to explore the nature of information flows within the physical and digital context in order to develop understanding of what would be the characteristics of the two-directional information flow of architecture as a data mine.

Chapter 4 aims to explain the reason for selecting commercial ar2

cognitive abilities is going to be integrated within architecture and also to show in which way one typology of commercial architecture has been already affected by the advancement of information technologies through analysis of bookstores in Tokyo.

In chapter 5, this thesis aims to use the conducted research in order to explore implications to architecture design through creating a proposal for a building that is designed to perform as a data mine while also defining what specific devices and technologies would be applied to create the data mining capability of the architectural space.

Chapter 6 is the conclusive chapter where the thesis aims to present and discuss the research findings and general implications of the

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

chitecture as one of the most likely early examples where sensing layer with

research to architecture design.

1.1.2 Methodology The topic of this thesis is first going to be introduced by explanation of the ongoing research efforts within the field of architecture and technology integration, the context of the on-going Fourth Industrial Revo-

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lution, the context of architectural history and theory, the context of current

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global technological, social and business related trends.

The general theoretical framework for understanding architecture as a cyber-physical data mine will be established through definition of cyber-physical systems, architecture as a system and then through exploring the nature of the materiality, form and content of digital data against the background of existing materiality of architecture. Then further by situating the newly introduced element of architecture, the data flow, within the context of existing economic layers of architecture, the difference across the spectrum of private to public spaces and highlighting new importance of seeing individual buildings as networks linked by ownership.

Information flows within architecture will be researched with focus on the scale of one building. First, the historical context and the theoretical context of one-way information flows within architecture and architecture as a communication system will be introduced. In addition, information flows within buildings in Tokyo will be presented to give concrete examples of how the information flows are integrated within current architecture.

Furthermore, schematic diagrams are going to be generated to demonstrate how information flows are designed in the physical context at the moment. Further, existing two-way information flows within architecture, the two-way information flow within cyberspace and the role of artificial intelligence will be introduced in order to develop understanding of the nature of information flows within the cyber-physical context.

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Introduction

Reason for choosing commercial private spaces will be explained through architecture theory focusing on the subject and by analyzing how one specific commercial typology, bookstores, have showed changes in their spatial design in Tokyo due to changes in their economic context in relation to the emergence of online marketplaces. For this reason the business context of book-selling industry in Japan will be analyzed. Furthermore, one bookstore, Bunkitsu bookstore, will be analyzed in depth as an example of one of the most innovative bookstore in Tokyo incorporating digital elements within its system while having a strong focus on importance of the physical space of the bookstore as its design revolves around human movement and behavior with paid access to the space. This bookstore will be analyzed as a system through specifying its system layers, spatial program design, the flows and human movement within the space.

To assess the ability of architecture to perform as a data mine and the resultant implications to architectural design, this thesis will present a speculative design proposal for a bookstore showcasing new book titles located in Tokyo as part of the existing context of bookstores within the city.

First, the definition of architecture as a data mine and the elements that need to be added within architecture design system to enable its ability to capture value-creating data as well as the definition of this data set that would be a combination of newly generated data and the data already available to the bookstore will be specified. Further, the capabilities of a sensing device that is speculated to be used, Azure Kinect, and its spatial requirements will be researched. Furthermore, the cognitive technologies, artificial intelligence computer vision system and its body movement tracking system are going to be introduced as they are critically important for the production of a value-adding dataset. Their specific application in the architecture space will be described and their customization for recognition of the specific body movement behavior found in a bookstore as analyzed in chapter 4 will be highlighted. Design strategy, site location and bookstore concept will be defined while using the conducted analysis of bookstores in Tokyo as well as the research on information flows within architecture.

The performance of the data-mining capabilities for the design proposal using custom AI body tracking model and Azure Kinect Sensor Device will be then analyzed through capability to view the space within the building.

Further, second design iteration will be developed to showcase the extreme condition in order to explore how the desire to increase the data mine's performance would affect the architectural design. The design will be defined through exploratory study of patterns the geometric shapes of the sensor device and its combination create. The resultant changes in the design from the first iteration to the second iteration will be further highlighted. In addition, the thesis will present a comparative analysis of the two design

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Finally, the findings of the conducted research will be presented and evaluated. The general implications of the research findings will be considered in the conclusive chapter of this thesis.

1.2 Background and Related Research

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

proposals in terms of their data-mining capability.

The present thesis builds upon existing research of projects concerned with extracting spatial data from within the built environment as well as historical precedents for placement of information flows within architecture and its economic value. The basic premise of the thesis is also dependent on the recent developments of technological innovations and current global trends related to the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution. These underly-

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ing topics of the thesis will be introduced in this chapter.

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1.2.1 Spirit of the Era Advancement in Information Technologies “It was some years before a compromise was reached between the one hundred percent responsive structure and the rigid non-responsive houses of the past. The first psychotropic (PT) houses had so many senso-cells distributed over them, echoing every shift of mood and position of the occupants, that living in one was like inhabiting someone else’s brain.

In the cloakroom, I tried to check my anger; the senso-cells had picked up the cue and began to suck the irritation out of me, pouring it back into the air until the walls of the cloakroom darkened and seethed.� (Ballard, 2006, p.414-436) Written in 1962, Ballard's The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista presents a vision of what could be possible when technology becomes integrated with architecture. The story projects buildings will become responsive and adaptive rather than static as the digital layer of the build environment drapes over and through the physical one, to the extend that architecture will gain memory and adapt to its inhabitants seamlessly. And although we have not yet reached the dystopian levels of technology-architecture integration, with the first mass adopted artificial intelligence assis5

Introduction

third industrial revolution

fourth industrial revolution

exponential growth of ICT related technologies

IoT / AI

multimedia

ubiquitous technology

personal computers mainframe computers internet

2020 2016

1965

Figure 1. Beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (adapted from JR East, 2016)

tant systems integrated within buildings and the spike of interest in smart cities, we are certainly approaching an era when data-based technologies are going to drastically affect what we understand by our experience of the everyday life within both public and private buildings. The boundaries of the physical and the digital worlds are becoming blurred. And discussions concerning the benefits and possibilities of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Edge Computing and IoT with architecture, that would be all necessary to realize Ballard's vision can be witnessed globally and across disciplines. It is by no mistake that MIT has named Sensing Cities as a breakthrough technology in 2018. And there are already projects under-way exploring this topic such as Quayside in Toronto created by Alphabet's (Google) Sidewalk Labs whose aim is to re-build an entire neighborhood around the latest digital technologies (Woyke, 2018).

In this project the neighborhood's "goal is to base decisions about design, policy, and technology on information from an extensive network of sensors that gather data on everything from air quality to noise levels to people’s activities." (Woyke, 2018).

Fourth Industrial Revolution Yet, we are at the very beginning of the ongoing fourth industrial revolution, which has been called the revolution of the cyber-physical systems (CPS) by the World Economic Forum (2016). Already in 2007 it has been however stressed that focusing on developing CPS should be

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Technology (Imai, 2016). Kazuo Imai, professor at the National Institute of Informatics of Japan defines CPS eloquently: "CPS can be defined as interrelated structures in which the real world (people, things, and environments) and ICT are closely connected and working in cooperation" (Imai, 2016, p.10). He also suggests that their application could be used to navigate and trace human behavior within an architecture space (Imai, 2016).

And it is the quality of architecture as an enclosure for human activity or "merely stages—platforms—for “unlimited” or unpredictable human action" (Bognar, 1997) that makes the incorporation of sensing and cognitive capabilities within architecture particularly interesting.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

of highest priority by U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and

The relationship of cyber-physical systems and other related terms such as the Internet of Things is explained by professor Kenro Aihara (2014) where IoT is one typology of a CPS but not one where the relation to the physical world is stressed enough. He further argues that CPS should create value from context sensing (Aihara, 2014). This is the most important aspect of the CPS in comparison to IoT and the paradigm of ubiquitous computing (Imai, 2016). The first industrial revolution was driven by steam, ADS

the computer and cyberspace. The fourth industrial revolution is now bring-

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the second driven by electricity and the third driven by the emergence of

ing cyber-physical systems, which is following the establishment of the physical and digital practices as separate realms. And now we are finally starting to explore the spectrum of cyber-physicality and its implications within architectural context as the focus is once again set on the physical world. As Ludwig Mies van der Rohe expressed "the purpose of a building is its actual meaning. The buildings of all epochs served purposes, and quite real ones. These purposes were, however, different in type and character.

The purpose was always decisive for the building. It determined the sacred or profane form." (Mies van der Rohe,1924). And so with the changing needs that are going to result from the epoch of the fourth industrial revolution so will the needs and purpose of architecture evolve and ultimately define the architectural form. Architecture as a CPS system is specific in including the human elements and behaviors in the real world into the system, where as IoT is primarily concerns with connecting the individual devices, user and the network. The Things within IoT are viewed more as discrete objects independent of their context, where CPS is concerned with the whole system including people and the architecture around them (Imai, 2016). This can be a context of an interior, a building or the whole city.

The opening statement of 2018 report focused on Smart City initiatives done by McKinsey Global Institute, which is part of one of the most prestigious global business management consulting firms McKinsey 7

& Company, shows the global belief of business leaders around the world

Introduction

in cyber-physical architecture to provide solutions to global urban issues: “Smart technologies can help cities meet these challenges, and they are already enabling the next wave of public investment. It all starts with data.

Cities, in all their complexity and scope, generate oceans of it. Finding the insights in all that data helps municipal governments respond to fluid situations, allocate resources wisely, and plan for the future. Furthermore, information into the hands of individuals and companies empowers them to make better decisions and play a more active role in shaping the city’s overall performance. As cities get smarter, they become more livable and more responsive—and today we are seeing only a glimpse of what technology could eventually do in the urban environment.” (McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company, 2018, preface). This statement demonstrates not only the potential economic value from implementing technology within the built environment but also the general benefits that are going to arise for the residents as cities become more responsive and they gain valuable role in shaping them.

Further, within the urban context, the global trend of urbanization is pushing the implementation of technologies within architecture as it could provide solutions to many pressing issues (McKinsey Global Institute, Mcinsey & Company, 2018). More than 50% of global population live in cities and more than 2.5 billion people are expected to make the move towards urban life by 2050 (McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company, 2018). The percentage of people living in urban areas at the moment however differs quite a lot within each country. If we are concerned with specific countries such as Japan or European Union countries, where 92% of population lives in urban areas, we understand that it is already the vast majority of people. The built environment is the background to most people in Japan and in the countries of European Union, which makes topic of this research of vital importance as the potential implications could be felt all around us and could be utilized in new architecture projects globally.

And given the large amount of private investments and initiatives that are exploring different ways technology could be implemented within architecture, such as earlier mentioned Quayside initiated by Google (Woyke, 2018), private spaces of commercial architecture are very likely to be the first built spaces integrating high-tech with architecture.

Easy Access to Artificial Intelligence Models

The current environment of advanced technologies is driven by open-source attitude with source codes being free and accessible easily to increase the speed of application development globally. One of the 8

popular tools to achieve that is Github, which is a repository for managing

million users (Github, 2019). The previously unreachable technology of Artificial Intelligence became also widely accessible as large technology companies such as IBM, Google and Microsoft are allowing anyone to take advantages of their pre-trained cloud-based artificial intelligence models with a free-tier and the possibility for further custom training for recognizing specific information through cognitive capabilities such as computer vision algorithms or analyzing large amount of data enabled by machine learning. IBM offers this service through their Watson Studio that "democratizes machine learning and deep learning to accelerate infusion of AI in your business to drive innovation." (IBM Cloud, 2020). Microsoft offers this

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

and sharing project's source code and its versions that has more than 50

service as Azure Cognitive Services that allows developers to easily add cognitive capabilities into their projects (Microsoft Azure, 2020). Google offers an open-source AI library TensorFlow and a suite of pre-trained systems Cloud AutoML (Snow, 2018). Amazon offers cloud AI services through AWS. These companies also combine their efforts to further enable mass adoption of these services. As written by Snow in 2018: " Microsoft, which has its own AI-powered cloud platform, Azure, is teaming up with Amazon ADS

make building neural nets—a key technology in AI that crudely mimics how

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to offer Gluon, an open-source deep-learning library. Gluon is supposed to

the human brain learns—as easy as building a smartphone app." (Snow, 2018).

New and More Affordable Sensing Devices

There have been recently important developments in sensing devices that are the foundation of data capture from spatial environment or as described earlier - context sensing. Where crowd sensing projects such as the one carried out by Prof. Teruo Higashino from the University of Osaka in 2016 has been based around laser range scanners that cost several hundred thousand yen each (Higashino, 2016), in April 2020 Microsoft has introduced a device named Azure Kinect to the Japanese market at 50,000 yen per device. This device uses specific combination of sensors particularly designed to capture spatial data and track human body movement within spatial context. This device is the most advanced spatial sensing device at the present moment. Also less complex and cheaper devices such as Raspberry Pi can be used to gather data from within buildings (Higashino, 2016).

The development of sensing devices will be considered an important potential driver of architecture designed as a data mine. As they have their own operational requirements and need to be placed at a particular 9

height and distance from the person while also needing very stable struc-

Introduction

tural support within the physical context of architecture. They often need a presence of a physical wall or as in extreme scenarios would require their own design elements to be embedded throughout the space such as in the project from Osaka University, where "embedding the scanners inside cylindrical poles when installing them on floors inside the complex to prevent children from playing with them" (Higashino, 2016, p.7) caused not only a large expense but also very specific spatial element within the architectural space of the showroom. There is a direct relationship of sensing devices, their sensing capabilities and the design of architecture if their integration were to be designed simultaneously. The design could be developed to either support or undermine the sensing capacity of the system.

It is important to note however, that although sensing devices are becoming very affordable and complicated AI applications are turning into simple to use code-less "apps", the truth is that we are currently still at very beginning of their implementation within the physical context and hence, the first wave of integration is going to result from sensing devices being integrated within existing architecture before taking them into considerations while designing new building projects.

Also, although the currently available technology is sufficient at theoretically performing all the necessary tasks of a data mine, the actual implementation of multiple Azure Kinect sensing device to cover an entire building space hasn't been proven yet as the device's existence itself is so recent. The ability to use several cameras within the same system is novel capability for Azure Kinect. In a context of spatial and motion sensing device development that saw the introduction of Nintendo Wii in 2007 (Pao, 2019) to the introduction of Azure Kinect in 2019, this however highlights the current direction, speed and resolve for future development of spatial sensing devices to be successfully combined to scan spatial context from several angles and combine the capture information in the near-future.

1.2.2 Data Mine and Related Research Topics

There are many overlapping subjects concerning the implementation of intelligent technologies within physical space and the built environment, in both architecture as well as the urban domain such as IoT, Smart Cities, Ambient Intelligence and Intelligent Buildings. Related topics to architecture and innovative technology integration also include virtual reality, augmented reality, digital twin analysis, computational design, digital fabrication and domestic artificial intelligence control systems. These are all results of integration of innovative technologies within architecture and therefore are all forming the cyber-physical architecture typology.

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However, the overlap and interdisciplinary nature of the subject

Figure 2. Data Mines

cyber-physical systems

intelligent building

smart cities

IoT architecture

real time adaptation focused ambient intelligent spaces

adaptive architecture

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

efficiency focused

produce data = can be used as data mine

often results in ambiguity of whether these topics are part of the archiADS

situating the general topic of cyber-physical architecture within the context

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tectural discourse or not. This thesis will aim to explore this question by of architectural theory. As all the examples highlighted in figure 2 can be used as a data mine, the building becomes a form of an IoT device that you can physically enter while inherently producing data by the sole physical presence in the building.

This thesis is therefore aiming to make the more general feature of cyber-physical systems in architecture - to capture and store data from context sensing as its own system purpose - the focus of its research.

This is set in opposition to focusing on the specific typology of intelligent architecture systems whose system purpose is often on either achieving efficiency or achieving adaptive architecture features. Having the ability to be used as a data mine applies to all of the other typologies, as they all produce enormous amount of data. Therefore, this thesis is focusing on this stand-alone feature, the data-production capability of cyber-physical architecture.

A project named Google Urbanism that speculated on the same topic as this thesis was created in 2016 by students at Strelka Institute (Bhat et al., 2016). The students also explored how will the data capture within the build environment create a new form of economic value. The difference from the research presented in this thesis is their focuses on public space of the city where as this thesis focuses on spaces within buildings and especially privately owned commercial spaces (figure 3).

There is several very interesting ideas that inspired the direction of

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Introduction

Figure 3. Comparison of gold mines and public spaces (Bhat et al., 2016)

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use of data for creation of economic value, which is the underlying strategy of large tech companies such as Google (Bhat et al., 2016). This ultimately creates an opportunity for anyone owning an architectural space to do the same thing. In their proposal, Google is speculated to gain a license from the city to use the data gathered in public spaces in a similar manner to that which a gold mine receives in exchange for paying royalties (figure 3) (Bhat et al., 2016). In this way, the city receives royalties paid by Google in exchange for the data of public spaces (Bhat et al., 2016). They stress that there is a value of knowing a person is in the "right space" in order to receive the right information (Bhat et al., 2016). The idea that an access to the information of human presence within specific space and human behavior

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

the research presented in this thesis. One of those idea is the focus on the

can be a resource of potential value is further explored in the context of private spaces in this thesis.

1.2.3 Importance and Value of Physical Context Integration of advances technologies and architecture is likely to

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ber-physical systems revolves around human behavior within buildings

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give new importance to physical environments as the application of cyand cities. Therefore, being within a specific spatial context is a source of a value unique to human presence within buildings (Aihara, 2014). And there are many ongoing projects to derive value from the interaction of people and architecture. Above mentioned, Teruo Higashino, professor at Osaka University, has been working on a project of sensing human movement within a building to optimize use of energy within architecture by the use of laser range scanners (Higashino, 2016). He proposes that this research could be also used to derive economically valuable information by tracing human movement within a showroom (Higashino, 2016). The information gathered could show for example "... which booths they stopped at, what areas of the showroom they were interested in, and where they posted their impressions." (Higashino, 2016, p. 7). This kind of information is not only valuable for commercial purposes but also could be used when designing the next showroom.

Current Trend Towards Locality: Computing Even within the cyberspace there has been in the last few years a strong shift from the cloud computing capabilities to computing locally at the edge, which has occurred due to " The explosive growth and increasing computing power of IoT devices" that "resulted in unprecedented volumes of data" (IBM, 2020). The difference is that while in Cloud Computing, data

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is being brought to the cloud and analyzed outside of the premises where

Introduction

it originated and then the processed data is brought back to the original location, the location specific computing capability, Edge Computing, allows for data to be processed at the same location and network where it was originally generated (Meulen, 2018). It is predicted that by 2025, 75% of all data is going to be processed on the edge (Meulen, 2018). This is a prerequisite for buildings being able to be used as a data mine, which is being developed due to the location-specific need for physical proximity.

Also, companies offering AI cloud services are making their deployment at the Edge possible (Microsoft, 2020).

An architectural example is given in the description of edge computing by Rob van der Meulen from Garther, a global research and advisory firm: "Edge computing solutions can take many forms. They can be mobile in a vehicle or smartphone, for example. Alternatively, they can be static — such as when part of a building management solution, manufacturing plant or offshore oil rig. Or they can be a mixture of the two, such as in hospitals or other medical settings. In especially complex applications, edge servers can form clusters or micro data centers where more computing power is needed locally such as retail outlets." (Meulen, 2018).

The development of edge computing is the necessary capability for realization of complex event-processing that takes place in the static edge computing solutions that Meulen mentions. These are all architectural spaces that are most likely going to become CPS. The development of the prerequisite computing capabilities for realizing architecture as a data mine is therefore currently under rapid development.

Current Trend Towards Locality: Information

The second trend towards locality or the importance of physical spaces, their location and spatial data is the increased desire of knowledge of what is happening around us in order to make better decisions of where to best spend our time and money as customer, visitors and residents of a particular area and a city.

This trend can be witness for example by Microsoft's 'Project Local Insights' (Microsoft Research, 2020) or increased spatial data on commercial as well as non-commercial spaces within urban context on Google Maps such as greenery areas around Tokyo (figure 4). As seen in an example in figure 4, where not only you can find information about the local space in your surrounding but also view its ratings and other people opinions so you can make a more informed decision about where to go.

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Greenery (screenshot by author from Google Maps, 2020)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 4. Minamiaoyama

1.2.4 Private Sector Involvement: Business Driven Environment

The private sector is being increasingly involved in experimenting ADS

the role of the private sector in technology is important as it would be too

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with implementation of technologies in the built environment. Generally,

expensive for public sector to produce the necessary tools such as application for the residents to use (Murai, 2018). In an article from Japan Times, Noboru Koshizuka, the director of University of Tokyo Open Data Center, has proclaimed that making public data available to the private sector could push up the nation's gross domestic product by ÂĽ158.6 billion to ÂĽ701 billion (Murai, 2018). In this article Koshizuka even mentions an architectural example of how the private sector can help to empower the public sector: "For example, by combining demographic information about where children under 15 are living and about locations of child care facilities in a city, a third party can create a map that shows the area where such facilities are lacking. This information helps a local government when building a new facility." (Koshizuka, 2017). For this reason, the private sector is only going to become more involved in the capturing of data within the urban landscape and across its scales. The cyber-physical architecture, be it at a scale of a city or a building, will open up new business opportunities, reshape value chains and force not just technological companies to adapt (Murai, 2017).

The urban environment is already ran by shopping activities as it is one of the most important activities driving cities development (Koolhaus et al., 2001). A description on Project on the City II: Harvard Guide to Shopping captures this well: "Through a battery of increasingly predatory 15

forms, shopping has infiltrated, colonized, and even replaced, almost every

Introduction

aspect of urban life. Town centers, suburbs, streets, and now airports, train stations, museums, hospitals, schools, the Internet, and the military are shaped by the mechanisms and spaces of shopping. The voracity by which shopping pursues the public has, in effect, made it one of the principal - if only - modes by which we experience the city. Perhaps the beginning of the 21st century will be remembered as the point where the urban could no longer be understood without shopping." (Koolhaus et al., 2001).

Mirroring of Digital Techniques: Digital Transformation To imagine how the private sector will be involved in driving the integration of architecture and technology this thesis will base its research around the re-application skills and capabilities developed in the cyberspace onto the proposed cyber-physical architecture. Just like we first applied our knowledge from physical world into the digital world, when it was first forming, we are now in the process of implementing the digital qualities that developed after a certain amount of time evolving their purely digital attributes, back into the physical world.

Connecting the two realms and applying the digital aspects into the physical environment is the basis of cyber-physicality. This thesis will therefore focus on mirroring some of attributes developed in the digital realm such as data gathering on human activity as a source of economic value onto the physical space as that will result in more predictable firststep applications and the speculations within this thesis will have more solid foundation and a level of believability.

1.2.5 Data Privacy and Private Spaces The capture of personal data within architecture spaces highlights the issue of spatial data ownership and personal privacy rights of people visiting private spaces. Data privacy is an important topic for discussion and the regulation of data privacy rights is critical for cyber-physical architecture systems to function. This thesis should therefore highlight the potential threats to personal privacy, the need for transparent use and the need for regulation of spatial data capture.

However, as addressing the privacy issues within architecture as a data mine is not the primary topic of this thesis, the current existing legal framework will be used to speculate on the nature of architecture as a data mine. The approach towards data privacy will adopt the existing data privacy regulation developed for use in the cyberspace such as the General Data Protection Regulation, which is a regulation on data protection in the European Union Law (Council of the European Union, 2016). The result of

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personal data privacy needs to be protected by regulation, but it will hardly result in stopping the technological innovations being developed for commercial use and that different countries are going to be creating different environments for data protection and data use.

As the Cyber-Physical world becomes something common it will become important to allow also to opt-out of participation for individuals or to actually benefit from participation. Producing data in a certain building or city could therefore in the future result in for example free entrance to otherwise paid private spaces or lowering resident tax by a certain percentage. These incentives and transparency of data collection at the building as well as city scale is of vital importance.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

the implementation of the GDPR in 2018 has clearly demonstrated, that

Current Ambiguity of Spatial Data Privacy Especially within a private sector and private spaces these are very important topics for discussion, that must form the basis of the architecture as a data mine paradigm in the future and essentially redefine how we understand our own presence within private spaces. As it is now, the

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data that is captured within the physical space, such as a surveillance

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camera footage, is an asset of the person or company that holds the rights of ownership of the physical space or is renting the rights for use of the physical space and the devices that have captured the data. Together with the GDPR, the current legislation is a starting point, which will also form the basis of cyber-physical data mining before further and proper regulation gets implemented. Given the development within the cyberspace, data mining is not a feature of the physical space that is going to be stopped by a regulation, especially when people enter a private space, where the rules of use are determined by the owner.

There is currently a lack of transparency within the context of spatial data capture and speculations on how cyber-physical data mining using AI can open the needed discussion to be held and offer an opportunity to protect the right for personal privacy before architecture spaces will be abused. The matter of the fact is that data mining from commercial architecture spaces is not actually new. It is its automation and mechanization that is actually newly introduced. Till now spatial analysis has been done by individual people re-watching security footage of cameras placed within the commercial private space. If anything, transparent data mining in cyber-physical spaces will finally bring transparency and hold the corporate owners accountable. Company called Clickworker is one example providing video analysis of customer behavior services by people manually re-watching and commenting on the content. This is the company service descrip17

Introduction

tion of Clickworker: "Our Video Analysis service is particularly suited for retailers who want to examine and analyze customer behavior at the point of sale. By tapping into our 2.2 million-strong Clickworker team, your videos will be analyzed at the PoS, sequence-by-sequence, for market research purposes. Based on your specifications, you will receive important statistics about your customers. Insights include number and gender, age range, as well as contemplation period at displays, promotion stands or product shelves positioned at the point of sale. Furthermore, our Clickworkers are prepared to document the behavior and the ultimate purchase decision of the customers featured in your videos." (Clickworker, 2020). The description demonstrates two main driving concepts of this thesis. First is the economic value of spatial information within physical space. And second is the fact that spatial data mining has been already an ongoing activity that is also going to become more available to more businesses. Another architectural example given by Bernard Marr, who has written extensively on digital strategy, is how casinos analyze camera footage to identify high rollers for special treatment (Marr, 2017). Both of these examples are dealing with real locations and the ability to perceive the events within the environment with human intelligence that can now be replaced by artificial intelligence.

Therefore, the research in this thesis can be also perceived as highlighting the potential privacy issue that need to be further considered not only for the future but also needed to address the current ambiguity of spatial data capture that has existed within architecture till now.

1.2.6 Historical Relationship of Architecture, Information and Technology

Architecture as a Commercial Communication System

The research in this thesis builds upon the established architectural theory of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown (1967) and their research on architecture's role to communicate information (Venturi et al., 1967). Their research of Las Vegas forms a valuable foundation for this thesis research as it explored not only information flows within buildings and their role in shaping architecture design but also has a strong link to commercial activity as the primary purpose for what they described as "Commercial Vernacular" was to influence or navigate human behavior (Venturi et al., 1967). As more areas within cities are driven by commercial activities and information flows, their research will provide a well suited foundation of architectural theory for the integration of advanced information technologies and focus on commercial architecture, which can be often understood 18

as taboo by architects (Koolhaus, 2001).

(1967) helps to explain how Venturi and Scott-Brown viewed commercial activity within the city to be part of architecture and urbanism (Venturi et al., 1967). One of the most important definitions is their definition of what is a city, which they define as: " ... a set of interwined activities that form a pattern on the land. The Las Vegas Strip is not a chaotic sprawl but a set of activities whose pattern, as in other cities, depends on the technology of movement and communication and the economic value of land.� (Venturi et al., 1967, p. 7). They further advocated that as such, a city needs to be analyzed through understanding its activities. After exclusion of Las Vegas specific location and substitution with general spaces, their description of what needs to be analyzed in a city to develop understanding of its nature

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Following the analysis techniques from Learning from Las Vegas

is: "1. Space economy, national and local 2. Land use within region and in local detail 3. Linkage between activities on and around the sit 4. Movement and stopping systems for auto, transit, pedestrian, rail and air for the region and pedestrian, transit, and auto for the site 5. Volume and flow of different types of traffic at different time periods 6. Relation between activities and movement at different scales along the site 7. The site as a recreation system, a promenade." (Venturi et al., 1967, p7). This list points

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out the need for commercial activity as an important factor of city making.

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What also becomes obvious, as they analyze the Las Vegas Strip through various maps, is the definition of the main attribute of the city is the experience of how a human being interacts with the surrounding.

What defines the strip is the visual experience of a person driving in a car through its streets and orienting himself by ornaments placed along the roads. This focus makes the architectural theory developed by Venturi and Scott-Brown extremely applicable to the current point of time, when we are discussing the emergence of new typology of spaces defined by two-way information flows.

Further, the theoretical framework of understanding architecture as a layered system of Stewart Brand (1995) will be used to propose a continuum for understanding digital elements of architecture as another layer within the system and to stress that the events that are unfolding within its spaces are also an element that is designed through the architectural form (Brand, 1995). As his understanding of relationships between elements of architecture and their relationship with time also shows them as part of one continuous system (Brand, 1995).

Architecture and Innovative Technologies Aligned with the approach of Heinrich Wolflin, whose methodology for analyzing and defining the “Spirit of an Epoch�was through contrast19

Introduction

ing one period with another such as in Renaissance and Baroque (1889), this thesis will be drawing a historical parallel with a moment in time when thinkers of the previous century felt a similar need to analyze and comment on what changes the technological innovations during their lifetime had triggered. As architects have dealt with integration of innovative technologies during the previous industrial revolutions as well, this knowledge will be relevant when exploring the theoretical basis of cyber-physicality within architecture and should be understood as a continuation of the preceding revolutions. For this purpose, the work of Sigfried Giedion has been influential in developing this thesis as he focused on the influence the Second Industrial Revolution had on development of modern architecture. His explorations on mechanization mirror the inclinations of today, where digitalization is in place of mechanization (Giedion, 1948). In Mechanization Takes Command (1948), Giedion analyzed extensively the implications of electrical mechanization as well as the ways modern architect's theoretical thinking has been influenced by the Second Industrial Revolution (Giedion, 1941). Further, in his book Space, Time and Architecture (1941), Giedion also wrote about the schism he found in understanding architecture as art completely separated from technology or as form of engineering. His disagreement of this schism is relevant today and within the context of the fourth industrial revolution in the same way as it was while he was writing his book. As one of the underlying statements of this thesis is the need for understanding architecture design and digital technology system design as a continuous system. This thesis will further focus on work of Mies van der Rohe and his approach to technological innovation and materiality as he stressed the importance of incorporating innovative technologies within architecture. As he proclaimed " for only where the building art leans on the material forces of a period can it bring about the spatial execution of its spiritual decisions." (Mies van der Rohe, 1927). For his focus on using innovative technologies of the epoch he was described as "craftsman of technology" (Kim, 2006). Therefore, his works will be used as a reference in this thesis.

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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Architecture as a Data Mine

Chapter 2

Architecture as a Data Mine

2.1 Cyber-Physical System Approach to Architecture

"Each material has its specific characteristics which we must understand if we want to use it."

Mies van der Rohe (1938) "I wanted to tell the story of an atom" Primo Levi (1975) The aim of this chapter is to present the main two concepts of the thesis.

The first is to explain what is meant by a cyber-physical architecture, what is the materiality of such space and how does this new emergent typology relate to the existing architecture theory. Second is to explain how capturing data from within space bound by physical building could be a source of economic value and take place among the other forms of economic value layers that are currently present within architecture.

These two concepts should be explained together as it is important to see how data flow can be thought of as an element of architecture as well as a source of economic value.

2.1.1 Definition of a Cyber-Physical System There are several definitions describing cyber-physical systems.

The United States of America's National Institute of Standards and Technology within the U.S Department of Commerce (2020) formulated an official definition as: "Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) comprise interacting digital, analog, physical, and human components engineered for function through integrated physics and logic. These systems will provide the foundation of our critical infrastructure, form the basis of emerging and future smart services, and improve our quality of life in many areas. The impacts of CPS will be revolutionary and pervasive – this is evident today in emerging smart cars, intelligent buildings, robots, unmanned vehicles, and medical devices. " (NIST, 2020).

Architectural example is already given within this definition in form of intelligent buildings. It is important to understand a building as a device for communicating information and as an open cybernetic system to understand what role has data as part of a built environment. If we can think 24

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

about a building as a device for channeling various kinds of communicated messages then it becomes a subject to information theory as well as open systems theory and cybernetics theories.

Characteristics of Cyber-Physical Systems There is several important characteristics of cyber-physical systems (CPS) that are important to highlight. First of all, the physical system is the most important field of the CPS (Liu, Y. et al., 2017), the information system is its core (Liu, Y. et al., 2017) and "It emphasizes the perception of information and provides data support for a variety of specific application through data collection, processing, integration." (Liu, Y. et al., 2017).

It is therefore a large complex engineering system with digital, physical as well as human elements and it's application could be to perform data mining tasks as the building structure is embedded with sensing and cognitive elements.

2.2.2 Definition of Information and Data Flow

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What it meant by the information flow is the information that flows within architecture as events begin to unfold within a space as a result of interaction of visiting people and the system.

Information Flow is immaterial and has similar nature to that of liquid state substances. It can be leaked and captured within a given shape of a container. To further the analogy of water, a single piece of information could be thought of as a drop of water within an ocean, which is the real

physical space

Figure 5. Cyber-Physical Space (adapted from Imai, 2016)

cyber space CPS IT platform usage data and activity data (people and communities)

people, object and environment sensing

social media

web media

complex data analysis

oparating data

(visualisation, detection, recognition, understanding, learning)

(physical built environment)

problem solving and new value creation

real-world context information

people, object and environment actuation (control and feedback)

control determination (people may also be included in the control loop)

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Architecture as a Data Mine

physical world, where information flows freely. We are also encapsulated by it as it forms our surrounding context. So if we would like to single out a single drop of the ocean, while we are submerged in it ourselves, we would need to first have the ability to perceive it, ability to recognize it and then capture it in a specific container (format) and move it outside of the ocean.

This phenomenon describes transcription of information perceived by people, which is further processed and captured in various formats such as a painting or written word. And as in the case of architecture that has sensing device embedded within its design to enable the perception capability, the building can now define the boundary of the ocean and have the capacity to recognize particular information,and capture it in a digital data file as visualized in figure 6.

Data explained in this way is essentially changing the physical state of information, materializing it in specific encryption in order to give it permanence and to make it transferable. To continue with the analogy of water, it is almost like freezing it to give it a solid state form or as mentioned above, like capturing a drop of water in a specifically shaped container. And in a building as a CPS, the data is the information captured through technology about a specific spatial-temporal condition saved in a binary format. Data flow is the movement of this captured information from the context of origin to another person, organization or system. The dataset can be then aggregating information about the events within a certain space where sensors are placed and can be used for real-time responses or used for historical data analysis. In both scenarios, the data can be further processed with machine learning algorithms, used with artificial intelligence applications or with other data processing tools available within data science.

Figure 6. Information Flow and Data

Information Flow freely flowing stream of unflowing events occuring within a space

Data information about a specific spatial-temporal event materialized

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Model (NIST CPS PWG, 2016)

Cyber Site Cloud Database (Location-less)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 7. CPS Conceptual

Figure 8. Layers of

Data flow

Architecture Elements (adapted from Brand, 1995) T ADS

Human Presence [seconds]

Stuff [minutes]

Space Plan [3 years]

Services [7-15 years]

Skin [20-30 years]

Structure [60-300 years]

Site [eternal]

Data [eternal]

Cloud Database [eternal]

Physical Site (Location Specific)

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Architecture as a Data Mine

2.1.3 Architecture as a Cyber-Physical System If we imagine a given built environment as a device that you can step into and out from, where the device can sense our presence and understand our behavior within its space, the role of architecture in a cyber-physical system becomes clear. In this way, the building becomes an intelligent device. The architecture becomes the data mine. Designing the physical environment as part of a system with a specific envisioned purpose would be the responsibility of the architect. But his responsibility would be also to incorporate into the design how the entire system communicates and especially how the human element is guided through it for the sake of the human experience but also for the sake of the building as part of the cyber-physical system.

The physical manifestation of the system is the built structure - the building, but that should not be seen as the entirety of the design for the architecture. The design of the system defines the information flows, human movement flows, responsibility roles for people to take on and the economic layers coming in and out of the system through defining spatial program and the placement of interior elements. Therefore architecture design has an integral role when building become the device of a CPS as architecture design decisions for a physical space can influence largely the system performance to sufficiently fulfill the purpose for which it is being designed.

More generally, architecture as a system also includes the definition of responsibilities of people that run the building and the money necessary for the building to sustain itself not just in terms of services such as electricity but also in terms of taxes and fees the building needs somewhere to pay in order to stand in the city and where it does (the owner has this responsibility). If a design of a building is created in a certain way, there has to be also people or companies to finance it, run it and pay its fees. All this is defined by specific building designed as a system, where people can be its most volatile elements.

Layers of Cyber-Physical Architecture The understanding of this system can be explained through the theory of cybernetic systems if we think about the human element of architecture as the regulator as well as the regulated element. It can also be comprehended through the shearing layers of architectural elements as described by Steward Brand (1995) in his book How do Buildings Learn.

Brand describes the shearing layers of architecture as layers elements of with various lifetimes that continuously break down, change, and need to be updated. He shows the most stable (in terms of time) elements and

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architecture (Brand, 1995), which helps to understand all elements being important for the system as a whole.

Brand's shearing layers of architecture however end within the "Stuff" layer. With the approach of the Cyber-Physical System era, this "Stuff" becomes connected to the Internet and create the Internet of Things or is filled with sensors placed within the space of the building and catch information about the events happening within the space (fig. 7). When we approach architecture design from this point of view, understanding data flow as an element of architecture is consistent with the more established and obvious elements of architecture such as the site, the structure and human presence flow.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

the most volatile elements all as elements of the same value to creating

We start also seeing how embedding digital elements within architecture adds several elements that are suddenly as eternal as the site (which was the only eternal element before) or how suddenly every building gains location specific and location-less elements. These are important changes to pure architectural concepts that take place as a result of cyber-physicality.

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the sensing and cognitive elements that are added to the building system.

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In cyber-physical architecture , new additional layer is formed by Enabled by recent developments in technology that emerged from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence can be now implemented within the building system whose network operates on locally based edge computing. In this way, the information flow becomes two-directional and as well as the dweller of the space can experience, perceive and create draw meaningful information from being in the architecture space, so can the architecture space experience, perceive and draw meaningful information from the person being within its proximity or interior.

The recognition of the information to capture is the element defined by the training of the AI model. The dataset can be then also further processed with other AI algorithms such as machine learning. This would further depend the target dataset. The information gained can be used to derive insights that can be held, used or traded as an asset.

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Architecture as a Data Mine

Figure 9. Materiality of Mies van der Rohe using glass, steel and onyx in villa Tugendhat of 1928-30 (Figure (Kim, 2006)

2.1.4 Form and Materiality of Cyber-Physicality Importance of Materiality to Architecture Theory To understand how digital data fits within more traditional architectural elements that are made of tangible materials, it is important first understand what digital data actually is in terms of its materiality. Analysis from material point of view is important an integral part of architecture form is the result of selection, placement and form of various materials, including light, water elements and even air quality elements. Also since the terminology, cyber-physical and digital data, is directly referring to the material qualities of its parts understanding the materialities of the term and the existing architectural precedents is important.

For Mies van der Rohe, an architect often defining the era of modern architecture, is was "materiality rather than structure, as the organizing aspect of the interior" (Schuldenfrei, 2019) as they have varying levels of opacity that allows creating complex human experience of the space. As K. Michael Hays describes "space itself becomes a function of the specificities of the materials" (Hays, 1984).

Materiality of Digital Data In terms of its material qualities, cyber-physicality is dependent on the co-existence and interaction between the physical world and the digital realm, which can be understood as two separate 'oceans' between which the information can be transfered.

The two distinct worlds are in a complementary relationship as we view one as material as immaterial. But cyberspace shows only an illusion of immateriality that is true to the information's meaning but not its mate30

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

riality as stored data. This dichotomy however is what causes the schism that divides the human experience of human condition into two distinct extremes: the cyber experience and the physical experience.

Materiality of digital data is the electrical charge of electrons stored within a conductive material (Shelly & Vermaat, 2009) and as these are physical, digital data therefore is also purely physical. It is however at the scale of subatomic particles. The act of storing data makes it clear that data is a physical matter with distinct physical materiality. This relates to architecture as materiality, volume and form are also very fundamental concepts of architecture design. The distinction is a matter of material scale and visibility to the human eye.

Perceiving our surrounding through the scale of digital electronic data, everything architects already now use in design of buildings consists of atoms as well only at a very large scale. Everything around us is formed of atoms and the nucleus of each atom consists of positively charged protons and neutral, uncharged, neutrons and a cloud of electrons, which are negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus. And according to Quantum Physics Theory, the cloud of negatively charged electrons is the actual

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electrons repel each other (Hey &Walters, 1987). It is the orbiting cloud of

Mies van der Rohe (Kim, 2006) T

basis for why solid objects retain their solid state, as the negatively charged

Figure 10. Materiality of Ludwig

electrons around the nucleus which "takes up space", which means this is what defines the mass within a void and defines architctural form and its voids. And although we understood that matter occupies space since the early civilizations, the explanation why matter occupies space has been described only in 1925 by the Austrian theoretical and quantum physicist Wolfgang Pauli (Jung & Pauli, 2014).

Understanding how the quantum scale of particles that form matter and space, allows for continuum when considering elements of such different scale to be all elements within one system. The Pauli Exclusion Principle, formulated by Wolfgang Pauli in 1925 (Jung & Pauli, 2014), which describes this physical phenomenon shows how subatomic particles are forming architecture already, at they are fundamental in forming mass and space of buildings and that perceiving digital data can be also perceived as an physical element of architecture.

Digital and Analog Materiality of Architecture And while within architecture discourse, architects have always dealt with the same topics but at very different scales, the focus around the year 1925 has been on exploring the new possibilities of application of innovative technologies that emerged from the Second Industrial Revolution (year 1925) just like the Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing techno31

Architecture as a Data Mine

logical innovations at the present (year 2020). The prominent architects of the period of Modern Architecture (1918-1931), such as Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and architects connected to the Bauhaus school in Weimar have been focused on using the innovative technologies to challenge a lot of existing concepts across architecture of the early 20th century especially in terms of artistic and architectural production (Allen, 2019). There were, however, always concerned with the scale of materiality that they could perceive and make use of as a design tool. Elements whose existence, materialities, formats and human application depended on the Pauli Exclusion Principle fundamental for establishing quantum physics as a field, were naturally not part of their architectural manifestos.

However, there were thinkers such as Laszlo Mohony-Nagy (1969) who commented in 1925 on the new possibilities that resulted from the technological innovations of the Second Industrial Revolution and new possibilities of cameras in extending human vision. As we writes in his manifesto titled New Vision: "The camera has offered us amazing possibilities, which we are only just beginning to exploit. The visual image has been expanded and even the modern lens is no longer tied to the narrow limits of our eye" (Moholy-Nagi, 1969). His thinking as well as developing interest of Georg Muche in technology and mechanization has driven the media trajectory of Bauhaus as the school inspired to "harness the possibilities of industrialized production" (Allen, 2019).

Also, even at the time when the underlying theories forming the foundation of Computer Science and Data Science, such as the Quantum Theory (accepted at the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927 by wider scientific audience), Information Theory (Claude Shannon, 1948), the General Systems Theory (Shared via lectures in 1937 and then via publication in 1946

by Bertalanffy), were still in their infancy, Bauhaus school has already started to explore the possibilities of new technologies as they shifted towards a techno-mechanical aesthetic (Green, 2019). Bauhaus scholar Josef Albers glass design work even showed a tension "of the analog versus digital, the continuous versus the discrete" (Green, 2019). This line of thinking when we understand digital and sub-atomic particles as part of architecture is likely to be furthered with the arrival of cyber-physical architecture.

Mies van der Rohe also displayed a belief in technology as the ideology of modern architecture (Schuldenfrei, 2019), however, as his designs also "foster opportunities by which subjects could attach to objects in a meaningful, subjective manner, Mies put human-centered activity and a heightening of experience at the center of his design" (Schuldenfrei, 2019, p.132). This is important as is demonstrates how human activity and information flow has been thought of by Mies to be an important aspect of his designs which are defined by materiality of the physical space. Schulden-

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Rohe using glass, steel and onyx in German Pavilion in 1928 (Figure (Kim, 2006)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 11. Materiality of Mies van der

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frei in his essay Reinscribing Mies's Materiality (2019) argues that Mies used his choice of materials "as the means of connecting his dwellers to his spaces" (Schuldenfrei, 2019) defined by human perception. He further emphasizes that Mies's use of materials and interior objects as points of connection results in the heightening awareness of the person and the architectural space (Schuldenfrei, 2019). To Mies, Schuldenfrei further argues "it is the elements that make up architecture, its components, that act as the point of connection between people and their surrounding" (Schuldenfrei, 2019).

And while keeping in mind the inheritance of the ideologies of modern architecture on integrating technology and architecture and Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe technique of using materiality and human-centered experience as the base of the spatial organization of architecture, we can dive into the new era of technologies and materiality designed within a building that are present as part of a cyber-physical system. And as these buildings are going to become devices for data mining, digital data, a materialized form of information about the interaction of the subject with the space captured in binary form, must be seen as one of the fundamental elements of this new typology of spaces.

This is especially relevant in the context of contemporary style of ephemeral architecture visible in work of Japanese architects such as Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima, Itsuko Hasegawa, Kazunari Sakamoto, Hiroshi Hara, 33

Architecture as a Data Mine

Riken Yamamoto and Fumihiko Maki where there is focus on human activity and dematerilazion of the architecture form into ephemerality (Gregotti, 1997). As Gregotti (1997) describes: "Recognizing that the role of architecture is to envelop increasingly elusive phenomena, much new architecture is comprised of little material substance. Kazuyo Sejima’s Platform Houses, for example, are as close to an immaterial evocation of architecture as possible; they are merely stages—platforms—for “unlimited” or unpredictable human action." (Gregotti, 1997). It is within this context of contemporary architecture and its tendencies that cyber-physical architecture will be created. And as the current tendency is to dematerilize architecture elements, this forms a clear contradiction and new challenge of architecture to also create structural support for numerous sensing devices with their own spatial requirements.

Therefore, the integration of both physical systems and digital systems in architecture presents an opportunity for architects to be designing across the whole range of scales of materialities in order to develop systems performing in such a way that it attains its imagined goal or overall purpose of the human action unfolding within its bounds. Combining a design with physical matter of mass elements (solids, gases and liquids) as well as mass-less elements (photons - sunlight, light rays-light, sound waves), with discrete digital as well as continuous analog elements. Embedding digital data flow within a design of a building is only an extension of what architects have been doing till the present time.

2.1.5 Flows and Meaning in Cyber-Physical Architecture The materiality however doesn't only regulate the human experience of space but also carries meaning that is inscribed into it and understood through our cognitive abilities. As in the architecture of Mies van der Rohe, his choice of rare and noble materials evokes experience of luxury, beauty and elegance through the meaning of the selected materials (Schundenfrei, 2019). And in cyber-physical architecture, the cognitive elements able of perception are not only going to be the dwellers but also the building itself with the integration of artificial intelligence.

Meaning is the most important quality of digital data and at the core of the whole cyberspace. It is the information that is encrypted into its materiality, its meaning, that is being communicated. In fact the form of digital data is the purest abstract thought: 1 (true) and 0 (false). Presence and absence, which is also a fundamental concept of architecture: matter versus void. And digital as defined by Alexander Galloway does not refer only to electronic media (Green, 2019) but it is a "philosophical operation of creating a basic distinction" (Green, 2019). This allows for the ability to

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encode and simulate anything in the world (Green, 2019).

Creating cyber-physical architecture space would therefore mean adding information flows within the building. The content of digital data, which is information itself is a truly immaterial element of architecture.

Immaterial Element of Architecture Space Information became an element of architecture through incorporating elements that communicated specific concepts and ideas such as drawings in the caves communicating processes of hunting. In order to understand the message and its value we need to interpret and understand the immaterial concepts and thoughts or we can purely enjoy its qualities without understanding the information.

This dichotomy has been a topic of many architecture discussions arguing either for the pure beauty of the experience or architecture for the beauty of the conceptual information flow that it materializes and communicated by it. Where most buildings are inherently somewhere on the

Klaus Feldkapelle by Peter Zumthor

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information-less architectural project,

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Figure 12 & 13. Juxtaposition of mostly

(top: adapted from Savorelli, 2009) and information-heavy architectural project, House VI by Peter Eisenman (bottom: adapted from Eisenman Architects, 1975))

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Architecture as a Data Mine

spectrum between these extremes, when we juxtapose the work of Peter Zumthor against Peter Eisenman, this difference becomes quite clear as these two architects design buildings that are in their respective extremes.

On one end of the spectrum we have architecture void of information. Architecture of Peter Zumthor (figure 12) focuses on the physical experience through the human sensory system, actually being in the space and letting the body to respond through often emotional responses and feelings. And on the other end is the information-heavy architecture. The work of Peter Eisenman (figure 13), who described his project House VI like " the set of diagrammed transformations on which its design is based, the house is a series of film stills compressed in time and space. Thus, the process itself becomes an object; not an object as an esthetic experience or a series of iconic meanings but an exploration into the range of potential manipulations latent in the nature of architecture, unavailable to us because they are obscured by cultural preconceptions. " (Eisenman, 1975).

This has been all the result of the spectrum of aim to achieve information-less architecture and information-heavy architecture.

Anti-thesis to Information as an Element of Architecture The anti-thesis to information-heavy architecture is then the pure experience of architecture without the need for understanding its messages. In a way like listening to a musical piece that is being sang in a language we do not understand but still are able to appreciate it for its beauty through pure beauty of the sensory experience as envisioned by Zumthor (Zumthor, 2006). This would also apply to for example walking through city like Tokyo, where the facades of buildings are overtaken by the advertising messages without speaking Japanese and therefore viewing the landscape purely for its visual aesthetic and experience inducing qualities.

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

2.2 Data Flow as Emerging Economic Value Layer of Architecture

2.2.1 Existing Economic Value Layers of Architecture If we now, turn our attention on the fact that within this system of a building all of the layers bear an economic value and can be held or traded as an asset as well, we can further speculate how the data flow is going to form another layer of economic value for the physical space.

Viewing an architectural element as an economic asset with economic value applies to the site or land whose ownership can be purchased.

It further applies to the value of the entire built building, both its exterior and interior that id defined by its materials. There is also a special economic value assigned to the surface, the facade or skin, as it can be used for

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advertising. The next layer is the value of the space itself. More specifically, the data capturing the information about the events unfolding within the physical space of the architecture space. This is the task of the physical space as a Data Mine, that will create this additional layer of economic value to the owner of the asset in the same way that the location of the site increases the value of the land or the use of rare materials increases the economic value of the architecture form itself.

Figure 14. Economic Layers of Architecture

Site

Building

Skin

Value of the Land as Tradable Economic Asset

Value of the Building as Tradable Economic Asset

Rentable Facade for Advertisements

Economic Layers of Physical Architecture

Dataflow +

Data Generated Within Space As Tradable Economic Asset

Economic Layers of Cyber-Physical Architecture

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Architecture as a Data Mine

Figure 15. From Human Activity to Insight

Cyber-Physical Architecture

Physical Elements

Digital Elements

Sensors

Real Time Data

Stuff

Aggregated Data

AI

Machine Learning Context Awareness Computer Vision

Data Analysis

Space Plan Variable Context Condition

Services

Skin

Human Presence And Movement

Insight Generation

Structure

Site

?

system cyber space AI and data analysis tools data cleaning

data analysis

insight generation

data layer data lake (big data)

network layer

physical space of a building sensing layer and pre-processing layer sensors

IoT devices

AI sensor devices

interior of a building

exterior of a building

threshold of a building

information generated due to human presence Figure 16. Data Mine Data Flow 38

Information as an Economic Asset Because information is integral to decision making, the capturing of information into the data format that can be analyzed and transfered, has economic value and can be traded very much like any other asset. Like gold you can mine it from land and sell it on an open market. With this analogy we can imagine building to be the gold mines of the cyber-physical system era. If we have the right information, we are able to make better decisions as a consumer as well as strategic decisions as a company.

The feedback loop of this kind of cyber-physical system can be very elab-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

2.2.2 Spatial Data Flow as Economic Value Layer of Architecture

orate but this thesis is focused on architecture as a data mine and so it is focused on the information flow from the physical space to the point of capture.

Architecture as a Device to Collect Data In the earlier mentioned McKinsey and Company report on Smart

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Cities from 2018, it is stressed that the implementation of digital technol-

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ogies within physical architecture is going to have a massive impact on value within physical space: "Prepare for value shifts and unexpected competitors land values are likely to shift as cities become smart, affecting real estate in multiple ways. Some formerly congested, polluted, or crime-ridden areas could become more livable, while new transit options could raise values in suburbs and exurbs. Older properties that lack smart features may not hold their value in the same way they once did, and developers have to weigh the costs of retrofitting them. Data can change the way properties are utilized as well as the way they are valued, and effective use of geospatial data will become a source of competitive advantage."(McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company, 2018). It is precisely the economic value that emerges from capturing data in physical built environment that will drive the implementation of smart technologies within architecture and has the potential to shift economic values even of the more established economic layers of architecture. Just as in the digital realm, this value is most likely going to be connected to the private sector.

These are the main reasons why this thesis is going to focus its research on privately owned commercial architecture spaces as data mines.

Firstly, by selecting privately owned commercial architecture spaces, data privacy becomes a less of an issue in comparison to the public spaces within the urban landscape as the ownership is defined. Secondly, this is most likely to be the point for mass adoption of digital technologies within phys39

Architecture as a Data Mine

ical architecture. And thirdly, within a city, privately owned spaces form the majority of the areas people interact with outside of their own home and it is for that reason fundamental to focus on this typology of architecture.

Ownership of Data Collected within Private Physical Space It has been already mentioned that once information about an event that occurred in a specific physical space is perceived by the sensory network of the physical structure and is stored as digital data, it falls underneath the data protection laws enacted in 2018 around the world. However, it is important to highlight that under the current regulations, within a private space of a privately owned building, the data that is captured by the building belongs to the owner of the building or the person or corporation that is owning or renting the rights to use the physical space and the sensing devices that allow the capture to take place.

Identified personal data that is captured within the space of a privately building can be used by the company or individual owning the asset in a responsible manner. In case these datasets should be sold or traded, de-identified or statistical data can be freely sold as an asset for commercial use. Where identified data would be integral to interlinking the physical presence of people with their digital identities and actions, de-identified data-sets are crucial in creating valuable insights that spikes interests of the involved industries connected to the business sector from where the data has originated. There is a commercial use for both and both are likely to be integral in cyber-physical architecture, this thesis will however focus only on collecting statistical data, or de-identified data, that can create valuable insights for a specific industry related to the physical space.

Spectrum of Private-Public Spaces It is important to notes as well, that there also exist privately owned public spaces, that are fully accessible to the public and appear by design as a public space but are privately owned and the rights of activities is defined strictly by the private owner. In these cases, the public space can also act as a private architecture data mine.

These types of places are very common in Tokyo as their creation is a tax incentive for real-estate companies during the process of large building project (Dimmer, 2012). One of these examples is the Southern Shinjuku Terrace space owned by JR East, where specific rules of use are communicated to the people present through large information boards present on site.

Figure 17. Rules of Being

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Present in Shinjuku Southern Garden

2.2.3 Networks of Cyber-Physical Architecture

Figure 18. Plan of Shinjuku Southern

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Shinjuku Southern Terrace (JR East)

Terrace owned by JR East where yellow

Scale of Business Involved

space signifies public space owned by the company

When we begin talking about commercial activity especially in regards to using our personal data, which the corporation collects for their

private space

own economic benefit, it is important to highlight that there is a spectrum

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of sizes of companies. From large multi-national conglomerates to small neighborhoods. The beauty of digital technologies is its rapidly decreasing barrier to enter for implementation as the prices for the hardware drops

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scale businesses such as an independent restaurant bistros in our own private space

public space

and software applications become open-source or platforms with easy to use human-interface. The concept of architecture as a data mine, is envisioned to work across the different scales of entrepreneurial endeavors

Figure 19. Private versus Public Space within a building

from large corporations to single-person-businesses. This is due to the fact that digital technologies can be accessed by mass and prices of sensors and devices continue to drop as new technology develops.

In this way, giving away our personal data that is created by our sole physical presence within specific architecture space might not only cause no issue to us, but we actually might be in favor of it as we are aware that it is a way of supporting a particular business and industry we favor. Such trend of responsible "spending" or other commercial activity can be witnessed to grow significantly over the last 10 years. And in what easier other way can we support local economy than by sharing the data created by our physical movement within our immediate environment. If by going to and spending time in places we frequent, the businesses will be able to grow economically without us actually spending our own personal finances, it should be seen as a benefit to us as well. These places will grow around our physical presence and we can actively make a choice of where we would like to go and "produce" this economically valuable data. This role of the human element and free choice should not be underestimated.

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In fact, it is this spectrum of businesses and the person's right to

Architecture as a Data Mine

choose where he desires to be physically present to be the main driver for the main idea behind this thesis that physical spaces are going to gain new importance. Our physical presence within physical space can lead to creation of economic value and therefore our choice to participate in a specific cyber-physical system can be a form of support for our immediate environment scuh as a particular family own business and a particular industry.

Networks of Buildings Individual buildings that are dispersed through the city, country as well as globally can be often related through their ownership and therefore the ownership of the data collected within their space. This can be especially true for multi-national companies and large conglomerates such as Louis Vuiton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) specializing in luxury goods. This parent company controls sixty subsidiaries and over seventy-five individual brands that are producing luxury wines and spirits, cosmetics, perfumes, fashion of major fashion houses, watches, jewelery, yachts, bicycles as well as hotels (Deloitte, 2014). Together with annual revenue of $21.7 billion Figure 20. Urban Platform for Individually Owned Buildings

USD dollars (Delloite, 2014) their stores are spread out globally and built

Urban Platform Cloud Database

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Data flow

Data flow

Data flow

Data flow

Privately Owned Single Building Type: Family House 42

Estate. LVMH could be a massive data mining powerhouse being able to collect, analyze and use spatial data gathered in their stores globally, while using particular locations as testing areas for reaction to new products.

They can be also grouped by their similar typologies and hence the type of data they would produce. For example these can include family houses, shopping centers, hospitals and commercial spaces according to the nature of their industry such as restaurants, clothing stores, offices, bookstores etc. As aggregation of large data sets is beneficial for data analysis and creation of each system requires large amount of investment it would be impossible for individuals and smaller individual companies to create their own data collection and analysis systems. It is therefore imag-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

under the their own real estate investment and development arm, L Real

inable that typology specific and industry specific platform provider will emerge that will be aggregating data of discrete buildings and allowing the owners to manage securely their own database and provide their with set of data analysis tools specific to their own industry or needs.

An example of this kind of data aggregating and managing platform is company called Syapse that specializes in aggregating oncology patient data from hospitals and provides precision medicine insights to

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doctors globally (Syapse, 2010). As described by co-founder of Syapse

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Tony Loeser: " By bringing together leading healthcare innovators into a unified ecosystem, we have built a global network of provider-driven precision medicine data. Through the generation of real-world data insights and industry partnerships, Syapse enables healthcare providers to bring precision cancer care to every patient who needs it." (Loeser, 2020). Similar platforms are imagined to start occurring for architecture spaces that collect data.

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Architecture as a Data Mine

Figure 21. Urban Platform for Individual Building with Multiple Units

Urban Platform Cloud Database

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade

Cloud Database

Data / Insights For Sale / Trade Data flow

Cloud Database

Data flow

Privately Owned Apartments Privately Owned Single Building Type: Apartment Building

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Single Building / Retail Space within Global Network Type: Commercial Building Owner Type: Large Global Companies Global Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Global Data flow

Country Cloud Database

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Privately Owned / Rented

Data flow

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Country Data flow

Data flow

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City-wide Cloud Database

City

Cloud Database

Data flow

Neighborhood Cloud Database

Street

Cloud Database

Street Block Data flow

Cloud Database

Cloud Database

Data flow

Data flow

Figure 22. Urban Platform for Individual 45

Building within a Global Network

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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Information Flows within Architecture

Chapter 3

Information Flows within Architecture

3.1 One-Way Information Flow

"An act of architecture represents the creation of a new environment that is both physical and phenomenal through the introduction of information into an existing environment. Architecture becomes a device for both the transmission and the retention of information."

Toyo Ito (1993) Architecture is linguistic through "form of language that is coded in material terms" as well as through media facades that use literal materializations of codes that belong to non-architectural forms of communication, such as written or pictorial media" (Koolhaus et al., 2018). And indeed embedding and communicating information through architecture has been one of the defining qualities of the facade (Koolhaus et al., 2018).

Adolf Loos expressed this ability of architecture through his criticism of communicating through material form on the exterior versus the interior (Loos, 1908). As he proposed: "The house does not have to tell anything to the exterior; instead, all its richness must be manifest in the interior." (Loos, 1914) (figure 27). The cyber-physical architectural architecture will allow for the information flow to be not only much more effective but also, for the first time, automatically two directional to achieve both "the transmission and the retention of information" as described by Toyo Ito (1993) in Gar-

Figure 23. Information on columns in Ancient Egypt (Chung, 2020) (left)

Figure 24. Information on the Exterior of St. Vitus Cathedral Prague (Prazsky Hrad, 2020) (right)

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 25. Information on the Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral Prague (Prazsky Hrad, 2020)

den of Microchips with unparalleled accuracy. The ability to grab pieces of information from the architectural space will become a feature of physical architecture spaces that has a long established tradition in architecture in the form of a one-directional information flow directed from the architecFigure 26. Information in interior of St. Mikulase, 2020)

3.1.1 Historical Context

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Nicolas Church in Prague (Kostel St.

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ture artifact towards its dweller.

Figure 27. Information communicated through material selection in Villa Muller

The task of communicating information has been always part of

in Prague (Szadkowska, 2000)

architecture as we move through space. As Koolhaus argues "Architecture has long been a medium onto which other forms of communication are applied" (Koolhaus, 2018, p.159). Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown (1967) have commented on precisely architecture's ability to host information flows as well as draw economic value from this ability in their book Learning From Las Vegas (1967), where they titled one of their chapters "Architecture as a Communication System". They stressed how traditional architecture styles from Egyptian, Roman, Gothic as well as Venetian architecture masterpieces have all contained messages beyond their ornamental contribution to the architectural space (Venturi et al., 1967).

It has been an extremely important element of architecture, which often gives it its meaning. The immaterial concepts and ideas of people, which are encoded it within the ornaments and iconography, communicate the meaning when a person is present in the space. An example would be architecture that communicates ideas, human thoughts, concepts and values such as the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague that communicates religious ideas to its surrounding. This communication is on a spectrum from explicit to implicit. It can be explicit as in the Hieroglyphs in the walls of Egyptian monuments (figure 23), a little more implicit by adding a statue 49

Information Flows within Architecture

of an angel within Baroque architecture (figure 26) to communicate the religious idea of virtuousness or even more implicit by communicating design philosophies though form in modern architecture of Adolf Loos who argued ornament should be private and design concepts should be communicated through materials and form (Koolhaus et al., 2018).

The information source has been witnessed to be monopolized for a long time as religious motives have been at the fore front of architectural ornaments. Architecture has been therefore often propagating and communicating information of religious ideologies as seen on the exterior as well as interior of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (fig. 24, 25, 28 & 29).

Modern Architecture and the Choice of Information Source Modern architecture of the 20th century has brought a new opportunity to free itself of the need to communicate religious ideologies and gave the architects an opportunity to embed and communicate their own ideas through architectural form and materiality. This shift has been commented on by the architects, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Bown, as they proclaimed that modern architects have abandoned a tradition of iconology where painting, sculpture and graphics are combined with architecture and focused on communication only through form (Venturi et al., 1967). They also further explored how due to the shift in the information source, communicating information has become driven by commercial activity (Venturi et al., 1967). One could argue that the information source has made a shift from communicating or marketing the religious concepts towards communicating commercial information of companies. This has been further enhanced by the innovative technologies related to electric lighting coming out of the Second Industrial Revolution in the 20th century (Koolhaus et al., 2018).

3.1.2 Present Context Figure 28 Animated Information Flow through stained glass in St. Vitus

Economic Activity Driven Communication System of Now

Cathedral Prague (Shedlock, 2018)

Venturi and Scott Brown have used Las Vegas as a case study of the phenomenon that cities communicate messages to their visitors as they move through its spatial context. They go as far as to claim that the sign, the commercial message encoded within the architecture form, became the most important attribute of the building, which was a mere necessity (Venturi et al., 1967). Through their analysis of Las Vegas, it becomes obvious that the messages embedded within the architecture form dominate the urban landscape of the city (Venturi et al., 1967). As Kool50

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

haus (2018) also points out "What started as avant-garde "pyrotechnics" to seduce and sway the modernist psyche, and almost in strict association with artistic, commercial and political events, spectacular lighting would become a mainstream urban technology in the postwar period permeating everyday life" (Koolhaus, et al., 2018, p.162).

It also became apparent that traditional techniques of analyzing urban relationships such as the Nolli map depicting the figure ground relationship of spaces within given spatial context, absolutely missed the iconological dimensions of the spatial experience (Venturi et al., 1967).

But it is exactly their capacity to affect and alter behavior together with the urban spectacle created by the information flows embedded within architecture that made these urban environments "superior to most traditional monuments" (Koolhaus et al., 2018).

Commercialization is a pervasive driver of urban development as pointed out by Bognar (1997): "Today, along with the fast-running economy, exorbitant land prices, and ubiquitous commercialization, the most significant development shaping the cityscape is the shift from the once-dominant industrial or “hardware” technology to the new, invisible electronic or

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“software” technology that, like computer programs, is run with fuzzy logic."

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(Bognar, 1997). Cities are becoming more and more like Las Vegas in the way that they are increasingly incorporating technology defined encoding of information in architecture. This is as Koolhaus pointed out (2018, p.162) almost exclusively driven by commercial activities. Just like in Las Vegas, that forms a early example of such urban condition, in other contemporary cities such as Tokyo and even in buildings such as airports (Koolhaus, 1999), this information flow is the embodiment of inescapable involvement

Figure 29 Animated Information Flow through stained glass in St. Vitus Cathedral Prague (Shedlock, 2018)

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Information Flows within Architecture

of the private sector in place-making. The city and architecture become a device of communication for its economic activities. And the information data flow is its fundamental element.

Following the methodology present in the analysis of Las Vegas done by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown (1967), the information flows within architecture can be analyzed through focusing on how messages are being communicated through the building form. This thesis will use Tokyo as a location for analysis of the information flows present within buildings as “…Japan will undoubtedly remain a subject of close attention, for the importance which its mutations will have for all architectural culture in the years to come.” (Gregotti, 1994). And although Las Vegas and Tokyo are not similar in their entirety, there exists a similarity in the way lighting technologies have been embedded within buildings as parts of Tokyo are hyper-focused on communication of commercial information that can be seen in Las Vegas. In fact Japan and Tokyo has a particular similarity in regards to incorporating information flows within architecture. As Bognar writes "Japanese urbanism has reached a stage in which much of the environment is produced by and consists of signs, images, and information. A leading informational center, Tokyo has become the capital of the “Empire of Signs” (as Roland Barthes called Japan)" (Barthes, 1982; Bognar 1997).

Also Tokyo and Japan have demonstrated their advancement in implementation of innovative technologies in architecture. As pointed out

by Vittorio Gregotti (1994): "Japan…is probably still the world’s most technologically advanced and productive nation, of formidable economic power, with an astounding capacity for work, organization, investment, and research, combined with a sense of accuracy and precision in manufacturing which is the result of a very old tradition in which the values of craftsmanship prevail over the rarity or antiquity of an object." (Gregotti, 1994, p. 113).

The condition of Tokyo where "most of its architecture has been constructed and/or reconstructed after the Second World War; according to a 1993 statistic, “more than 30% of all [its] structures…has been built since 1985" (Bognar, 1997; Suzuki & Gold, n.d.) makes Tokyo a prime example for the direction other cities will follow. As pointed out by Gigante (1993): "Urban Japan is the world’s optimum urban laboratory: by definition experimental, it represents both the normal and ideal context in which architects should work." (Gigantes, 1993, p.135). It is an experimental urban environment, that is not burdened by the need for retention of buildings as historical artifacts as in European cities (Tramatsu & Foster, 1991) and will be a source of inspiration for the global architecture discourse as highlighted by Günter Nitschke (1995):" In ‘A Garden of Microchips,’ a metaphor used by Toyo Ito, or in ‘Architecture as Second Nature,’ one used by Itsuko Hasegawa, or in ‘Electronics Garden,’ one used by Hiroshi Hara in a recent urban design

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of traditional urban aesthetics, Western or Eastern, of High Culture or of GemĂźtlichkeit."(Nitschke, 1995).

In terms of information flows, architecture in Japan has been increasingly influenced by information technologies since 1970s (Bognar, 1997). As mentioned, especially the advent of incorporation lighting technologies has resulted in the urban environment of Tokyo to display similar change of the city's visual image between the daytime and nighttime as it attempts to regulate the circulation flow of people within the urban fabric through commercial activity occurring within its spaces. There is a particular importance of advertisement as it often defines how people perceive their surrounding physical space in modern cities (Koolhaus et al., 2018).

Figure 30 & 31. Comparison of Las Vegas and Shibuya (adapted from

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

competition, one finds no more reference to the by-now redundant imagery

Venturi et al., 1967; Schweizer, 2018)

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Information Flows within Architecture

Figure 32 & 33. Comparison of a building as a sign in Las Vegas and Tokyo (adapted from Venturi et al., 1967)

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

This is also a clear indicator of the economic value created by information flow within architectural space. Control of information flows due to commercial activity is likely to be the most important driver of implementation of data-based technologies and artificial intelligence into physical space of architecture. Venturi and Scott-Brown's (1967) Architecture as Sign gains new importance in the cyber-physical era, as the duck building can now see you and perceive your presence.

Role of Information Flows in architectural design has been explored by work of Toyo Ito (1991) who commented on his design philosophy of ephemeral architecture and role of consumer society: "I often use the word ‘floating’ not only to describe a lightness I want to achieve in architecture, but also to express a belief that our lives are losing touch with reality. All of life is becoming a pseudo-experience. This trend is being encouraged by the consumer society, and architecture itself is rapidly becoming more image—or consumption—oriented. This is a matter of grave concern to the architect yet, at the same time, architecture today must be made to relate to this situation. This is the contradiction we are confronted with. I do not want merely to reject this state of affairs; instead, I want to enter into this

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situation a bit further and to confirm what sort of architecture is possible

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[within it]."(Ito, 1991, p. 30). His project the Tower of Wind in Yokohama has been designed as "a huge electronic gauge with thousands of flickering lights, has virtually no permanent image: it is ceaselessly generated by the velocity and direction of wind, the surrounding sound level, and the passing of time." (Bognar, 1997). Also Ito's Mediatheque library in Sendai has been designed as complex “spaces of flows” (Bognar, 1997). These projects are examples of the possibilities in architecture design enabled by integration of information technologies related not to the data of flow of human action but of wind and sound.

3.1.3 Analysis of One-way Information Flow within Buildings

Figure 34 & 35. Facade Changing according to Wind Flow Information

The first typology of information flow within architecture is defined

(Design Is This, 2014)

by necessary proximity to the building to enable our senses to perceive and process the information into meaningful messages.

Information can be embedded within architecture in several ways.

It can be overlaid on top of the already built structure. This can be done by placing the advertisement on top of the building, over certain areas of the facade or even to the extent of fully covering the facade of the building underneath.

The advertisement on top of the building can be placed to either completely disrupt the visual identity of the building underneath or merge seamlessly with the architectural form of the building.

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Information Flows within Architecture

The advertisement that is placed over the facade often defines the visual experience of the building. As highlighted by neon lighting at night, text more often than images forms the interior walls of the city such as in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district as seen in figure 37.

The advertisement boards that are placed on top of the existing building are often more than 1:3 of the full height of the visible structure that is hosting their presence as seen in figure 39 in Shinjuku. They aim to attract attention of people passing by and also often offer some form of useful information such as time or weather information to draw the eyes of

flowing within exterior

the people in spatial proximity to them. They also require their own supporting back structure, lighting, screens and other maintenance such as updating as seen in figure 40.

In recent developments, the advertisement that communicates information to its surrounding becomes fully integrated within the building facade. It is no longer an overlaid elements but it is an integral part of the building. An example of such architecture project is Shibuya Scramble Square building in Shibuya (figure 39) where the screen showing commercial content is placed underneath the lattice of the building. As it is being

flowing within interior

invited underneath this first structural element, it legitimately becomes an architectural element.

Interior elements such as walls can be designed and used for communicating information in the same way as the exterior of buildings. One of current examples is an interior wall in Shibuya Station (figure 40) that is entirely covered with a screen showing commercials as people walk past it.

There is no division of the wall and the screen as the screen covers the wall in its entirety.

flowing within interior room

One of the defining qualities of these communication channels is that the information flowing out from the physical structure of the building reaches over the bounds of its spatial definition and can be perceived by people that are in their proximity and as possible to the human sensory capabilities.

Placement of Information as a Source of Cash Flow Most important aspect of these architectural elements is howev-

flowing across bounds of spatial ownership

er that they bring a income stream to the building, or more precisely the owner - a person or an organization - as he allows another entity to define the information source. The advertisement in architecture spaces therefore

Figure 36. One way Information Flow within Architecture

highlights the economic value of being able to communicate information from a specific physical place and the value of human presence in a specific physical location.

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the walls of Shinjuku

Figure 38. Advertisement Following the Facade of the Buildings Underneath in Shinjuku (next page bottom)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 37. Text forming

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Information Flows within Architecture

Figure 39. Exterior Equivalent to the Stained Glass Windows 58

at Shibuya Scramble Square Building in Tokyo

Flow on Facades in Tokyo

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Figure 40 Collage of Information

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Information Flows within Architecture

Impact on Architecture Design Is it possible to design a building, its facade or interior in a way to specifically host opportunities for advertisements, such as have been done at the Shibuya Scramble Square building in Shibuya, Tokyo. Seamlessly architecture and advertisement merge in the layer of the facade in an effort to increase architecture's ability to form and regulate its facade as a communicator channel for an information flow. It becomes the most dynamic economic layer of architecture as its value can be regulated by design and can be a stream of income for the owner of the building without transfer of ownership of the asset. In the same way, we will be able to design spaces in a way that it will maximize or hinder the building's ability to perform at communicating as well as gathering data. This will be the task of designing a building or physical space as a data mine.

3.2 Two-Way Information Flow

3.2.1 Present Context The communication channel in physical realm is thought to be purely one directional. As we move through space, we observe and experience with our sensory system and then interpret it with our thought processes. The architectural space does not yet observe, experience or sense us. It doesn't interpret our presence or actions that define our values, philosophies and thought processes.

Two-way Information Flow is however something that is already present within buildings at the present time as introduced in the introduction, with people re-watching security cameras to conduct market research. If we focus just on commercial architecture the field of gathering spatial data has a history of 75 years in the US as proclaimed by Jerry W. Thomas from Decision Analyst "The rapid growth of self-serve retailing in the U.S. after World War II led to extensive research on store design, the shopping experience, store layouts, shelf organization, packaging, pointof-purchase signage, and other in-store influences." (Thomas, 2020).

This has been further explored with the introduction of CCTV cameras and people manually analyzing the content of the footage (Marr, 2019).

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herently two-directional. The moment we open a website, our every click is recorded. Click is the threshold that moves us from one digital space to another. There our presence is recorded. Advertisement banners placed on the sites are the equivalent of the banners placed on top of the buildings in Tokyo. These online spaces are also rent-able and can display information though images, text and video. The difference till now has been the difficulty to analyze the results with exact precision, which would translate into being able to assign the correct economic value to each space like it is possible on a website.

two-way information flow on exterior

When digital marketing campaign is sold, it is possible to purchase the space on amount of money per view or per click. This allows to know

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

The information flow in the digital space however is already in-

precisely how many people how seen the advertisement information and how many decided to "enter" your space after seeing it. It is further possible to track if this led to higher economic profit. And there can be also other less quantifiable profits such as improvement of awareness, improvement of the reputation and others.

First, digital marketing and the actual advertising systems have

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been inspired by advertising techniques known from the physical context.

two-way information flow within interior

of time where the digital marketing and advertising field was establishing, digital advertising techniques evolved, developed and gained uniquely

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These were brought into the digital online context. After a certain period Figure 41 Two-Way Information Flow within Architecture

digital attributes. Characteristics that do not exist or are not possible in physical advertising from which they first originated.

Through creating cyber-physical architecture, these purely digital attributes are now being taken as an inspiration and applied through advanced technologies such as sensor based artificial applications back in the physical realm.

3.2.2 Near Future Context

As the ability to perceive, understand and store data becomes an automatic feature embedded within the architecture space, will gain the traceability of the digital context, where human behavior and its information flows can be easily traceable. The manual human work that goes into video analysis of CCTV cameras at the present time is the element that is going to become automated by AI and suddenly available to much wider range of retail spaces. The implementation of sensor networks and AI processing services is already taking place and the current time. Many companies offer services for retail interior analysis and human movement analysis that incorporates AI data analysis of CCTV footage (ShopperIn61

Information Flows within Architecture

sights, 2020). To enable the automatic data collection, the architecture spaces will have to add sensing elements and also the cognitive support to enable picking up the specific information that should be saved. A surveillance camera and post-processing of the footage is the current standard for commercial space analysis, however, the new devices and open access to AI technologies will allow to design a much more tailored system for data collection. Specific devices and AI tools will be studied later in this thesis when a proposal for a cyber-physical data mine will be presented.

Impact on Architecture Design The ability to enable data-mining within a physical space of an interior, a building or a city, is going to affect architectural design profoundly on several levels.

Building can be designed in such a way as to maximize its capacity to collect large amounts of high quality data while the building must still create a good environment to be in as a person. Depending on the desired data, the sensors and devices needed will differ and as each has different spatial requirements for optimal working set-up such as distance from target, lighting conditions and fasting to the physical space, the architectural design will adjust. Also, as architecture space can vary largely in area, all these devices and sensors need to be not only embedded sensibly into the building but they also need to be spaced out or placed in specific intentional areas of the building to cover the space.

Furthermore, sensors need to be connected to a physical support system such as a wall, column, a ceiling. The devices and sensors cannot be just suspended in the air. This also need to be a designed formal decision as otherwise the sensor will get placed as an afterthought, which might create less than optimal placing for sensing as well as create less than optimal placing for the visual and sensory experience of a person inside.

As architectural design regulates and defines the possible movement of people within its spaces, architects are therefore designing in the

Figure 42 Pass Through 62

Urban Context

pass through

Through Urban Context

pass by

points of data collection or moments where data collection can happen

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 43 Pass By

and create environments for specific events to unfold. And these events can be the source of specific data whose collection can be desired. Therefore, formal decision can be made based on a desire to gather a specific type of data.

Also, once analyzed, the data collected in an already built building might inform on how or what changes should be made to the existing ADS

Being physically present in a space and experiencing architec-

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space or when designing a new building of similar typology in the future. ture with our real body is going to gain more uniqueness as it will become valuable, be recognized more as a conscious choice and be appreciated as such due to the information flows.

3.3 Stages of Being in a Physical Space for Perceiving and Creating Information

When are discussing information flows within physical spaces, it is important to discuss the stages of being within this space as it is not so straight forward as clicking through a windows and emerging suddenly and fully on a different website within the cyberspace.

In the physical world, we travel through spaces much more gradually. First we approach a certain physical space, we come into its physical proximity and cross the threshold of the inside and outside. Then we are within the bounds of the physical space, which is often defined by a physical boundary of a building. Then we can proceed to move around within the space of the building. We can later leave the building by existing through the same or a different exit route. The length of our stay can vary and the complexity within the physical build spaces and become very intricate.

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Information Flows within Architecture

We can also just come into close proximity of the building without physically entering the architecture. It is important to note that the ownership of the pavement surrounding the physical building form is also the property of the same owner as the physical building placed within its boundary. This is for example true in Tokyo, where publicly accessible private spaces such as these are called the Privately Owned Public Spaces.

Even without actively crossing the threshold of entering into the interior of the building, we have legally entered the privately owned physical space, where our actioned can be mined just as if we were within the bounds of a privately owned space.

In summary, in the physical world we approach physical spaces gradually by decreasing the distance of our bodies and the interior of the

Exterior

building. We enter the building by crossing the threshold defining the moment of separation of the exterior from the interior. We leave in the same way, which is gradually. Also if is important to note that we approach buildings with the front of our bodies and especially, with our face visible and we leave them with our backs turned to them. This is important in terms of designing artificial intelligence applications based on computer vision and sensors for facial recognition.

We can summarize our physical interaction with buildings as being

Interior

in its proximity of the exterior, crossing the threshold of exterior and interior with direction of going from the outside into the inside, being within the interior of the architecture, and crossing the threshold of exterior and interior with direction of going from the inside to the outside.

Commercial spaces that are the topic of this thesis are primarily physical spaces designed as termination points where people spend some amount of time before moving into a different space. However, their definition as such also gives rise to thinking about classification of other spaces

crossing threshold inwards

with different purpose for which the design as a cyber-physical system and a data-mine would be different. There are spaces with the purpose of people to pass through, directly defined by the human movement through them such as halls or arcades. The adjacent places along the arcades then would be temporary termination places that can be Passed-By or can be Passed-Through.

Information that is being distributed on the exterior and the interior of the architecture is regulating the movement of the people within it such

crossing threshold outwards

as affecting their decision making of where to go next. It also communicates information about ideas, concepts and other abstract information which can affect the thinking processes of the person perceiving the specific information located within the exterior or interior of the architecture.

Figure 44 Stages of 64

Being around Building

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

Chapter 4

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

4.1 Case-Study Introduction

"Resistance is futile, just keep shopping until everything is junked."

Rem Koolhaus 4.1.1 Evolving Nature of Commercial Spaces In a lecture by Rem Koolhaus in 1999 at the Architectural Association has commented on the pervasiveness of market forces due to modernization in a lecture focusing on shopping and the contemporary city (Koolhaus, 1999). He further points out that Japan has an incredibly large areas in the urban condition that are devoted to shopping and proclaims that shopping has become the terminal activity of the human race and that it is an in-escapable paradigm (Koolhaus, 1999). According to Koolhaus (1999) we are ultimately consumers and as architects we all now (1999) design shopping centers.

Koolhaus (1999) also points out how shopping has lost its legitimacy as a topic of architecture in the mid-20th century but as it is thriving and struggling at the same time, there might come a point in the future where shopping-driven environments can be again re-conquered by architects as they will need to provide more livable environments based around human experience of physical space (Koolhaus, 1999). The arrival of new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution might enable this revolution within commercial architecture spaces.

Koolhaus (1999) also comments on the arrival of new technologies within in the 50s and 60s that allowed credit card companies to track movement and behavior of shoppers that there was a certain paranoia at that time around personal privacy due to using credit cards and digital identities. Already in 1999, Koolhaus (1999) mentions how artificial intelligence is being used by companies to trace and control customer behavior and the value of gathering such data as the information that can be sold and bought.

Koolhaus's visionary ideas about commercial architecture as highly controlled spaces is visible in the evolution of commercial architecture today as he correctly pointed out that shopping will have to hybridize with always all other activities in a given physical space (Koolhaus, 1999).

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This phenomenon can be traced in Tokyo as the nature of stores is evolving. In particular, the book-selling industry offers a vast range of shopping experiences that are, as Koolhaus (1999) predicted, woven within hybrid mix-program spaces.

Bookstores are a retail space that can vary considerably in design, concept as well as size. There has been especially a lot of development in concept of bookstores due to the changes of the book-selling industry that resulted from the arrival of fast-delivering convenient Internet-based Amazon marketplace. As the industry struggles to keep up, bookstores are introducing mixed program spatial experiences that invite people to stay

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

4.1.2 Evolving Nature of Bookstores

and enjoy the environment. As online shopping of books still amounts to only 10%, the physical bookshop as an experience and being in the space physically gains new importance as it is a space where you can encounter books by pure chance more readily than online.

Especially in Tokyo there is a special range of bookstores that offer entirely different experiences to the people visiting them and it is the experience that is their main purpose, which is accompanied by the sale of

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books. From massive bookstores such as Tsutaya to small Morioko Shoten

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bookstore that offers one book every week. There is a trend towards specific curation of content to offer people encountering books that were previously unknown to them and the bookstore space as a mixed-program experience.

4.1.3 Overview of Japanese Book-Selling Industry Bookstores have been especially influenced by the arrival of online marketplaces as Schreiber (2019) writes" Smaller bookstores have been successively closing due to lack of heirs to keep shops in operation, competition from Amazon and a host of other factors" (Schreiber, 2019). As the bookstore spatial design changes have been driven by their evolving business context as bookstore owners are "searching around amidst the crisis for unique initiatives launched by local bookshops" (Schreiber, 2019; Nagaoka, 2019), an overview of the nature and state of the books-selling industry will be presented in this part of this thesis.

In regards to Japan, the Japanese book publishing market forms 5% market share of the global market and its size in 2015 has been estimated to be 742 billion yen in book sales and 780 billion yen in magazine sales. Japan is therefore among the six biggest publishing markets worldwide together with the US, China, France, Germany and UK. The market has been declining in Japan continuously at rate of approximately 5% (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017), which shows that the book 69

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

Figure 45. Japanese bookselling Market Overview (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017)

Figure 46. Japanese bookselling Market Overview (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017)

Figure 47. Japanese bookselling Market Overview (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017)

Figure 48. Japanese bookselling Market Overview (Japan Book Publishers 70

Association, 2017)

them a business advantage. Book sales in Japan have peaked in 1996 at 2.4 trillion yen and have been declining since then (Schreiber, 2019).

There is more than 3,000 publishers in Japan and they are producing approximately 200 new titles every day (Japan Book Publishing Association, 2017). There is approximately 13,500 bookshops in Japan to which these titles are distributed to through wholesale distributors (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017). The margin split is 8% margin per book for the distributor and 22% margin per book for the bookshop (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017). Magazines margin's are 8.5% per magazine for distributor and 23% per magazine for the bookshop. There is 34 whole-sellers who act as the intermediary (Japan Book Publishing Asso-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

publishers and distributors will be motivated to gain relevant insight to give

ciation, 2017). The presence of distributing whole-sellers results in the increased opportunity for small publishers to distribute their titles across the whole Japan just as well as large publishing houses (Japan Book Publishing Association, 2017). In 2016, bookstores have had 65% market share of all book and magazine sales with the trend of increased Internet purchases (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017).

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the Resale Price Maintenance system, which guarantees that the book is

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There are two specificities of the Japanese market. The first is resold at a fixed price set by the publisher. The second is the Consignment Sale system, where publishers let bookstores sell their publications within a specific time period through the distributors (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017). After a specified time period of for example 6 months, the bookshops can freely return the unsold titles back to the publishers.

The Japanese market is specific also for its de-regulation of the publishing as anyone can publish any book or magazine. This results in the fact that most publishers are small to middle-size in Japan (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017).

This analysis reveals that rather than targeting publishers, the insights generated from within a physical bookstore would be valuable to the distributors and should be tailored as such. Their role is described more specifically as "the physical distribution (incl. Dealing with returned goods), the commercial distribution (adjustment of the number of new titles etc.) and the financial function. As another function, they "supply and analyze information (data of point-of-sale) and support bookstores (display of shelf, adoption of various goods).They also support real bookstores to sell e-books over the counter. Furthermore,they engage in book reading promotion." (Japan Book Publishing Association, 2017). As it is said in this description their role already is to analyze information and so access to relevant data must be of a value.

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

The analysis of bookstores also reveals why the implementation of innovative technologies might be favorable. There has been a trend in Japan of small and middle-sized bookshops closing, as more than 10,000 bookshops have closed since 2004 (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017; Schrebier, 2019). To survive, bookshops have started a second business within its space such as a cafe space where customers can read books (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017). This have been a technique used by bookshops to increase their profit margins as profit margins of a cafe space are in a range from 30% to 60% (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017). There is also a trend diversification of access to books in Japan such as private libraries and other opportunities to encounter books, which further losers the book sales. These findings help to also explain the emergence of hybrid bookshop as the traditional book-selling industry is being disrupted by Internet stores while the purchase route in 2016 has been still primarily located in large book stores (approximately 35% of the market) and small to middle-size bookstores (approximately 25% of the market) (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017).

The analysis of bookstores reveals that there is a trend for finding innovative ways for bookstores to increase their margins, which results in creating hybrid bookshop business spaces where the book-selling becomes only one of the programs within the space. Also, although there is an increase of sales coming from selling books online, people still like to interact with physical books in these more hybrid scenarios. This is a direct example of how economic activity can result in emergence of new architectural spaces.

For future applications of the research in this thesis, it is important to note that the findings concerning the book-selling and magazine selling industry findings are relevant to all sizes of bookshop, where the small and middle-sized bookstores are at a greater risk of being closed than the large bookstores. Therefore, small bookstores might have a greater incentive to create these hybrid spaces to increase their probability of survival. However, as mentioned earlier, the same statistics apply to large bookstores, where creating hybrid forms for bookstores can be also witnessed. An example of this would be Tsutaya bookstores that successfully introduced talk events, unique assortment of books and a cafe space within its traditional bookstore space, in order to drive their 189,299 million yen revenue business (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017).

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Traditional Bookstores There is many traditional bookstores both of new books, such as Maruzen, Yaesu or Kinokuniya (Heslehurst, 2017) and second-hand bookstores that amount to over 150 in Jimbocho area of Tokyo, that is known for being the home of publishing houses and bookstores. These vary in size but present a traditional spatial design and experience of a bookstore.

Hybrid Bookstores As mentioned earlier, the hybridization of spatial program has rise for emergence of new bookstore concepts where book-selling become a

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

4.1.4 Overview of Bookstores Typologies in Tokyo

part of the larger more complicated business structure. Tsutaya Bookstores are as mentioned one of the successful large-scale examples of this new typology of spaces (Japan Book Publishers Association, 2017).

Enjoyed for its environment is it often described as a destination to visit.

Heslehurt (2017) describes the flagship store, Daikayama T-Site, as "Rather than a store, Tsutaya lies somewhere between a living room and a museum—lounging on the designer sofas or gawping at a particularly expensive

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foreign fashion magazine are perhaps just as key to its appeal as buying

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a couple of paperbacks." (Heslehurst, 2017). The space is an amalgamation of a marketplace complex that " slots into its salubrious Daikanyama surroundings like a jigsaw piece, sucking people in with its alluring sense of openness, light and calm." (Heslehurst, 2017). The complex offers three cafes, restaurant, seating and lounging areas as well as event spaces.

Apart from books Tsutaya also offers items for sale related to the themes of the present books from champagne, stationaries, clothing, audio players, bicycles and trips organized by the T-Travel agency.

Largely popular with visitors, the space invites for spending a vast amount of time "as visitors can sit down with a coffee and a book off the shelf before buying" (Pallas, 2018; Heslehurst, 2017). Bookselling takes a rather backstage of the whole spatial experience as people can enjoy reading the books before or without even purchasing them.

Tsutaya bookstores differ also based on the theme of the offered books. Tsutaya Bookstore in Ginza has been designed under the theme of "Living with Art" (Toneriko, 2017). The designers of the space that occupies roughly half of the floor of shopping center Ginza Six Toneriko Yoneya and Toneriko Kimizuka describe the design, that has been presented at various spatial design fairs around the world, as driven by pure Japanese design concepts. One of these is the passage of space, where the relationship of space is not clear-cut but is more of a gradation of spaces (Toneriko Y., 2017). The store has been therefore designed as an interconnection of 73

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

spaces, that highlight the essence of Japanese architecture and its approach to spatial organization as defined by the types of walls that define the spatial boundary (Toneriko K., 2017). The store "reveals a world that goes beyond what you could imagine a bookstore to be." (Patrizia, 2019).

Sybilla Patrizia introduces the bookstore's spatial qualities and program as a very unique store where "there is much more to see and experience: ever-changing exhibitions, installations by world-reknown artists, art talks, traditional Japanese crafts and a beautifully designed lounge area and coffee shop run by Starbucks Reserve, an elegant high-end venture created by the world-famous coffee chain." (Patrizia, 2019).

On the other scale of sizes is a bookstore called Morioka Shoten, which has been created on the concept of extreme curation of " A Single Room with a Single Book". This bookshop offers a spatial experience fueled by one selected book that changes every week. Patrizia (2019) argues that "Morioka Shoten challenges us to rethink the concept of the “bookstore� and the idea of how to browse and experience books altogether by selling only one book which is carefully selected by founder Yoshiyuki Morioka and only displayed for one week. The store also offers the opportunity to engage with the designers and authors of each book directly in store, which gives readers a more compelling way to interact with the book." (Patrizia, 2019).

Apart from book-selling, the store creates a space for literary discussions that are organized by the store owner, who also directs a design research think-thank that comments on development of architecture in Tokyo (Morioka, 2020).

On the spectrum between these two extremes is a variety of bookstores that offer thematically curated content of books as well as event spaces such as Shibuya Book Publishing, Books and Sons, Cow Books, Nostos Books and So Books. One of these bookshops is the Snow

Figure 49. Tsutaya in 74

Ginza Six (Tsutaya, 2018)

One Room (Morioka, 2020)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 50. One Book,

Shoveling Books & Gallery that is whose "second floor shop hosts exhibitions, events and dinners in addition to printed matter both new and old."

(Davis, 2016). The owner of the store, Shuichi Nakamura, comments on the underlying concept of the store and describes it as " “something like the internet – where things, people and people’s brains create a dynamic T

books together while offering a space for literary discussion and reading.

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universe of knowledge” (Nakamura, 2016). This store brings people and Owners of these bookshops also have an online presence which they use to communicate with the visitors of their stores. As Ogasawara, the owner of So Books, says " "It's always great to speak with visitors who have come to the shop after seeing something online. I'm happy that I can quietly use the internet to encourage people to read,” (Oasawara, 2016).

4.2 Case-Study Analysis: Bunkitsu Bookstore

4.2.1 Introduction of Bunkitsu The project that has been selected for deeper analysis is a bookshop called Bunkitsu in Roppongi, Tokyo. The project has been selected for its innovative approach towards incorporating digital technologies within the business model of the bookshop as well as stressing the uniqueness of being physically present in a space. It is seen therefore as a front-runner in integrating digital attributes within the business concept which is based 75

around a physical space.

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

Bunkitsu is a bookshop that belongs in a group of bookshop stores within a larger company. However, Bunkitsu is independent in concept and it the only bookshop of its kind in Tokyo. This means that it is not a franchise or a chain that repeats the same concept around the city or the country. It is one of the bookshops within a company called Libro Plus, which operates twelve bookshops under different brands. Bunkitsu is one of them. All of these bookstores vary in concepts from the most traditional bookshops to the most innovative.

Given the current state of the Japanese book-selling market and given that Libro Plus has been already responding to the changing market by implementing hybrid business structures, it is reasonable to suggest that implementing another innovative solution to increase their margins would be imaginable or even desired. This could happen at one of their existing stores or as a completely new project just like Bunkitsu was created two years ago. The concept is unique as it deviates from the traditional notion of a bookshop in regards to the program, business model, as well as spatial design.

It is based in an area of Tokyo called Roppongi. This is a very central part of the city that is frequented by many people during the day as well as in the evening. It is adjacent to several business districts in Tokyo such as Akasaka and Shimbashi as well popular shopping districts such as Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown.

The unique concept of this physical space and the forward thinking of the business owners makes this bookshop to be a great example of a physical space as a system built around varying business integration within the physical space.

4.2.2 System Analysis Purpose of the System There are several pillars of the Bunkitsu bookshop concept. First is the focus on creating value to people physically visiting the bookshop as there are unique qualities that the online bookshop cannot fulfill. The Bunkitsu bookshop highlights the importance of physical presence as a business strategy as they create the bookshop as an environment most likely to make profit from selling books in the times of convenient online stores. The bookstore design explain how can you maximize its profits through designing the business model of a bookshop as well as the design of the physical architectural space.

The purpose of the space is to provide a physical environment that captures the unique qualities of actually being in a physical space and

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the probability of a book purchase increases. As the bookshop shares of the website, it is a place for enjoyment of the encounter of people and books and with other people.

Spatial Program The program is far from the traditional notion of a bookshop. As described above, the business is designed as if with the thought that the best way how to sell books is not through purely creating a space with rows of books on offer.

The bookshop includes also the programs of a cafe, a gallery, an

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

through increased length of time the human is present within the space,

event space, a rent-able workspace and a library. Whereas a traditional bookshop offers the customers a space to come in, locate the book they are looking for, make the purchase and get out, Bunkitsu invites customers to stay as long as they like. In terms of books on offer, the selection is limited.

It is curated by the staff and their specification of focus areas. They only offer 30,000 titles (Bunkitsu, 2020). It is highly curated and focused.

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variety of ways how customers can enjoy reading the books they encounter

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Bunkitsu is sectioned into several areas of seating styles to offer a in the space. There are chairs, armchairs, pillows as well as study chairs.

Also they provide free refill drink of cold or hot Japanese green tea and hot or cold coffee. They is also a full-on cafe with Batista and a kitchen serving snacks as well as meals. They are also soon going to have their own Bunkitsu beer as they recently crown-funded their craft beer initiative (Bunkitsu, 2020).

The static program of a traditional bookshop disappeared. These fundamental changes of the spatial program, that are communicated through the architectural design of the bookshop are defined by the change in the business model. And that change was driven by the digital transformation of the book selling business. Bunkitsu as a project is the front runner in tackling the problem that physical spaces are facing: their existence being disrupted by having a much more efficient and larger online counterpart.

System Layers The Location Specific Layers are: 1. Site 2. Building 3. Facade 4.

Interior Space 5. Things 6. People (Staff). The site refers to the location of the bookshop, which has been already described in the introduction as Roppongi, Tokyo. The building housing the bookshop is a seven floor high concrete building, which is facing large road called Roppondi Doori. The fa77

Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

cade is a glass front with steel details and with a logo of Bunkitsu. The light clean design and the books within the interior invite a passer-by to enter the space from the street. The interior space is divided into two levels. The lower level, which is accessible from the street is freely accessible. The top level is accessible only after paying a certain entrance fee. The lower part has magazines to view and purchase as well as a small collection of book titles. There is also the reception area, which is also the cashier point when a purchase is made. The top has all of the remaining books as well as the different seating areas and the cafe. The furniture defines the layout of the highly curated display of books on offer to be taken home, if loved enough for the visitor to make that decision. The books are focused on topics such as technology, philosophy, business strategy, architecture and design.

Other objects, such as lamps, are placed here to support the human experience of reading within the space of the bookshop.

Within the space of the bookshop, there are digital devices positioned within the space to support the function of the bookshop. These often need their own physical supporting structure to be places in the optimal position to perform the task. An example of these would be the security cameras places within the space. Same would happen in case of installing IoT devices or sensors to pick up data from the space for an AI application.

Therefore, there is an existing precedent for such devices already operating within the bookshop.

The human layer within the on-site system design is interesting as is includes all the necessary responsibilities for people to take in order Figure 51. Facade of Bunkitsu (Bunkitsu, 2020)

for the system to function to its envisioned goal. In a traditional bookshop,

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Bunkitsu (Bunkitsu, 2020)

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 52. Floor Plan of

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this would include the cashiers, the floor staff responsible for re-shelving the books and assisting the customers as well as the cleaners keeping the space in order. In the case of Bunkitsu however, the skill base of the people's responsibilities is much wider. Of course it includes the standard roles but often the same people fulfill other roles as well. There is a cashier dealing with the purchases of books as well as memberships and day entrance tickets, staff responsible for creating personalized recommendations of books to visitors, staff responsible for writing reviews on selection of the current books on offer within the curated selection of the bookshop, a barista and a chef to prepare beverages and meals, a cleaner that comes to clean the spaces and staff responsible for making the selection of books to order for the bookshop.

It is obvious that the human roles within Bunkitsu are much more focused on human to human contact and focused on the unique human sensitivity of curating a unique recommendation whose goal is not to get exactly what you expect or would likely purchase but catering to the other possibility. Finding something interesting based on someone else's experience and knowledge. It is this fundamentally human attribute that purely digital systems are struggling with the most. The purpose of Bunkitsu is not to create the most efficient experience, but the most enjoyable and maybe even surprising experience.

The Location-less Layers of Bunkitsu are: 1. Website 2. iPhone application 3. Google Maps Profile 4. Instagram profile and Twitter account

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

Figure 53. Collage of Interior 80

Photos (Bunkitsu, 2020)

The bookshop has its own cyber-space presence. Its website, where anyone can anytime and from anywhere access this digital version of a site location. There is information about the physical space such as location, description of the concept of the physical space and all the services offered within the physical space of the bookshop.

The bookshop also has its own iPhone application, where customers make an account and log-in to manage all the information described above as well as their personal account details, manage their monthly subscription, activate their daily pass, request book recommendation from a staff member, read weekly book review written by one of the staff as well as have access to the archive of book reviews of the books within the book-

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

5. Organization (Company).

shop that where selected in the previous weeks. The app is useful outside the physical space but more so while you are inside the bookshop. You can use your smartphone as a guide for all the necessary information and leave the more difficult questions to turn to the staff members. You can also view the app outside of the bookshop just like the website to prepare for your next visit.

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cation, opening hours as well as reviews from visitors commenting on the

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The bookshop also has its profile on Google Maps to note its loquality of the physical space of the bookshop. Just as well the bookshop has its own Instagram profile to share photos from the events, pop-up exhibitions and pop-up stores happening within the physical space of the bookshop.

Another off-site layer is the organizational layer of the bookshop as a company that can but doesn't have to have an office within the space of the bookshop.

Combination of Digital and Physical Elements As described above, the system of Bunkitsu already has a combination of digital elements and physical elements. There are however not yet designed as a one interconnected system making use of the most advanced technologies available.

Contrary to what one might expect, the bookshop does not have an online store for books. The online store features series of vouchers of different amounts to spend within the space of the bookshop and daily access tickets to purchase.

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

main bookshop

return of books curated books

seating areas

cafe

Figure 54. Spatial

Dynamic Elements: Flows within Bunkitsu

Program of Bunkitsu

Between the layers there are several flows whose movement is pre-designed and regulated by the design of the system: 1. Flow of people (movement and presence) 2. Cash flow 3. Flow of Goods (Books) 4. Information flow.

The interaction of these flows within the layers of the system can be turned into data, which can be further processed into an insight or as raw data enter the data-economy. The interaction of the system layers within the flows are what causes an event unfolding within the physical space of the bookshop. The information about this event can be logged as a piece of data if the necessary infrastructure is supplied.

Most important is the flow of customers from the street inside the bookshop. This is fundamental for the system to work as envisioned. The customers need to spend time within the space and interact with all its layers. This will cause all of the events, such as a book purchase, that unfold within the space.

The cash flow has several important channels. Its start is the customer who is bringing the economic value with him into the physical space in form of money. In a traditional bookshop, the cash flow is quite simple.

A customer enters, and purchases a book of a certain amount of money. This is very easily mirrored to the cyberspace. Bunkitsu has however multiple channels for cash flow within the physical space of the bookshop that depend on the customer being physically present in the interior of the building. The first channel from the customer to the bookshop begins once a customer decides to enter the top level, which actually has the majority of 82

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

the available books on offer. Being physically present is already a paid service with a little free taster in the lower area of the bookshop. This amount is equivalent to an amount of an average book already. One could think about it as, anyone that enters is already purchasing a book by default.

The second possibility of this scenario is the purchase of a monthly access subscription fee which is equivalent to a 100 USD or ÂĽ10,000. So even if people that enter this bookshop do not actually purchase a book, they are still bringing in important cash flow. And in the case of a pre-paid monthly subscription it is quite a large amount. This also at the same time, limits the access to the people not contributing to the cash flow of the bookshop and would only use its services. At the same time, it keeps the services occupancy levels in the optimum level so the bookshop is not overcrowded while still being profitable.

The second cash flow channel is the purchase of the services offered within the space such as beverages and meals, book recommendation system, renting of the meeting room space, renting of the bookshop gallery space and purchases from the pop-up stores within the space.

Lastly, there is of course, the cash flow coming out from purchasFigure 55. Screenshot of Bunkitsu iPhone Application (Bunkitsu, 2020)

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ing the actual books as well as purchasing a special mental casing hand-

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

random title selection

Figure 56. Random Title Selection Area

made for Bunkitsu. This system for selling books works very well, as on one hand it doesn't seem so important to the bookshop to actually sell as many books as possible, and on the other hand, people have time to mingle with the books randomly and find books to purchase of which existence they had no idea previously. One could also find a book to buy as a present for a friend or simply desire the ownership of the item as a physical object for oneself as you take it away from the curated environment and bring it home with you. In this way dis-enabling the other customers to purchase the item themselves.

The flow of goods is in the case of Bunkitsu a flow of books or the transfer book ownership. This flow starts from the writers and the publishing houses that produce the individual book titles, then these titles are purchases by Bunkitsu based on the curation of content of the staff members.

These books are then displayed on offer within the physical space of the bookshop. The space being a bookshop and not a library allows the disappearance of the books and ordering of new stock without increasing too

Figure 57. Return of Viewed Books

quickly the storage spaces necessary for the system to function smoothly.

Once the book is purchased by a customer, it is taken outside of the bookshop and the ownership of the book is changed to the customer.

There is an incredible amount of information flowing within the physical space of the bookshop. Thematically, even the goods in the space are offering a materialized form of information that is being communicated through the format of a printed text and images bound into a book. This is all the information that is enabled to flow from within the books to the customers once they purchase the access to the physical space. However there are other information flows within the bookshop. There is the direc-

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tion of information flow from the bookshop to the customers inside the

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

store as well as off-site in the cyber-space about the physical bookshop.

Also in this direction, there is information purely focusing on regulating the flow within the physical space such as signs of toilet location etc. There is also a second direction of information flow, from the customers to the bookshop. This is for example, feedback from customers marked down by the staff, historical information about the book sales, information about the numbers of customers historical and real-time, information available in form of digital data from the iPhone application and the website of the bookshop as well as other Online platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.

A lot of the information can be tracked and turned into quantified data for further analysis and some already are in form of digital data thanks to the online presence of the bookshop. There is however a lot of events that unfold within the physical space of the bookshop that is not being yet translated into data. This makes it impossible to make a link between the digital data from online presence and physical presence of the customers as well as makes it impossible to use the physical space of the bookshop as a data mine that further supports functions of the bookshop but also creates another layer of cash flow by turning the information about the events

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that happen within the physical space into digital data of economic value.

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4.2.3 Analysis of Human Behaviour and Movement Specificities of Human Body Behavior in a Bookstore Further analysis of the bookshop space and the behavior of the people inside it revealed specificities to human behavior in a bookstore.

This is particularly linked to human posture that signifies interest in certain books and selection of a particular title. It is visible through the orientation of the head, arms and the whole body.

In terms of static posture of human body, when people browse bookstore often they look book or tilt their head on the side to be able to read the title. This would be more common in the West where titles on the side of the book are placed horizontally and in order to read it is compulsory to tilt one's head sideways. In the context of Japan, this is not the case and so people do not tilt their head that often. In terms of their arms, people often browse while crossing their ams at the back of their body or on the front of their body. There is also a particular body alignment that signifies selecting a particular book by the action of holding a book where their forearms are brought at a specific angle to enable holding and reading the book.

In a bookstore, there is also a particular dynamic body posture movement, where the whole body often changes position in a vertical direction and in a bending motion. Also our arms extend at a particular angle de-

Figure 58. Posture of 85

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Case-Study: Bookstores in Tokyo

pending on where on the bookshelf the book we desire is located. This can be either in an a upward, perpendicular or downward direction. Our whole body also tends to either extend or bend, even to fully squatting down, depending on where the book we are currently interested in is located.

Human Movement within Spatial Context There is also a very particular human movement that occurs in a bookstore that differs radically in the speed and nature of the movement.

The first type of movement is intentional browsing that occurs at a very low speed and with many moments of the body fully stopping as we need to be able to read the titles and pay closer attention to the books in front of us.

Further, our body tends to often turn as we move through the bookshelf aisle. Intentional browsing is specific for its lack of intended destination where the direction is set by the spatial positioning of the bookshelves. It occurs primarily in an area of the bookstore programed to offer this kind of activity.

The other type of human movement related to defining interest and attention in particular books is the act of finding a book of interest unintentionally. This type of movement can be often defined by fast walk and a sudden stop of the body and necessary body alignment, such as a bending of the body or arm extension to reach for the book, as it occurs when we have a particular destination in mind towards which we are walking. This type of behavior can unfold for example, as we are walking from the seating area to the toilet and stop along the way to look at a book that spikes our interest. This type of behavior often occurs in the areas of the bookstore that is designed to connect different spaces and where people walk often.

Areas of Human Movement Aggregation These types of human movements aggregate in particular areas of the bookstore that offer definition of the spatial arrangement as areas that invite this type of event to unfold.

There are areas with frequent human movement as people use the are for intentional browsing, which are ares where majority of bookshelves is located and that direct the movement of the people within them.

There are also areas with frequent human movement as people use the area as a passage from one point to another, but without having too many people present at the same time. To enable this kind of movement from one place to another there are destination are spaces that are often visited areas intentionally within the bookstore, such as a cafe and a toilet.

Along the passage between these destinations are areas that invite for

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Figure 61. Vertical Postures

Behind Back (Previous page top)

near Bookshelves (Top)

Figure 60. Posture of Bending

Figure 62. Often

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Figure 59. Posture of Arms

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Figure 63. Behavior around Lower Bookstands

unintentionally finding a book such as the boxes with thematically arranged titles that are placed on the way between the seating are and the toilets and the return trolleys of books, where people place books that they are finished with exploring and that are placed in front of the entrance to the toilets so other people can easily explore them.

Another typology is an area with high volume of people in relatively static position, such as the seating areas that can be concentrated in one specific area, concentrated in several clusters or spread out throughout the plan.

There are also specific areas that are often crossed as they form a voluntary threshold necessary to pass through in order to enter another area of the bookstore. These areas are often crossed but their size allows only a certain amount of people to be crossing at the same time. Lastly, where are the areas that are compulsory threshold that has to be crossed in order to either enter or exit the bookstore, such as the entrance to the building, that must be visited by every person inside the space.

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Figure 64. Human Movement 89

along Bookshelves over 10 minutes

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Designing a Data Mine

Chapter 5

Designing a Data Mine

5.1 Commercial Architecture Space as a Data Mine Typology

"The purpose of a building is its actual meaning. The buildings of all epochs served purposes, and quite real ones. These purposes were, however, different in type and character. The purpose was always decisive for the building.

It determined the sacred or profane form."

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1924) All architecture spaces that have embedded sensory networks within them can be used as a data mine, if the data that they collect is insightful to someone. This thesis explores the possibility of this data collecting ability to become the primary purpose for which the space is created. As a select store of curated content, it would display products and collect information of their interaction with people that come to the data mine.

It is a commercial space where the sale of the items is no longer the primary objective for the physical space but it is rather gathering important data on the interaction between the people present within the space and the architecture and objects around them.

It is a typology of space similar to showroom but where the information flow is two-directional by interweaving sensory device and cognitive abilities that are custom designed for the industry related to the showroom.

Showroom is a retail place where products are displayed, encountered and ordered rather than bought.

5.1.1 Predecessor of a Data Mine A data mine would be a combination of a tradition retail space and a showroom. Showrooms as a typology have their own characteristics that are more specific to that of a traditional retail store. One of these characteristics is that they show a particular selection of products rather than the widest possible range (Cheng, 2012). Another one is that a " well-informed representative is mandatory, because a customer and a representative are expected to engage each other for information and for ordering" (Cheng, 2012). Generally, there are three types of showrooms. First is a space where the manufacturer’s showcases his display of products (Cheng, 2012; Gough 1960). The second is an individually owned showroom that “buys and sells manufacturer’s merchandise just like a store, except that it does not sell directly to the consumer,” (Cheng, 2012; Gough 1960). The third 92

one is the manufacturer’s representative “who may display the products of

5.1.2 Data Mine Typology Data mine would work as the second or third typology of showrooms. It would be a space to show a selected, curated content of products.

Its design would directly result from the type of products being showcases or used as well as the requirements of the selected tools to collect the industry specific dataset.

It would be a space for people to experience physically products will the added possibility of also buying them, but that would not be the main

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

several manufacturers.� (Cheng, 2012; Gough 1960).

purpose of the space. People coming into contact with the products in the environment would be enough for the commercial activity of a data mine.

5.2 Design Strategy

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5.2.1 Design Methodology The design methodology will be focused on creating the physical building as an envelop for human action to take place in connection to interaction with books. The design of the human flows will be therefore at the center of the design methodology. There will be particular focus on programmatic design of the space as analyzed in the previous chapter.

Secondly the physical design will result out of the requirements for optimal data capture as defined by the particular available sensing device and the cognitive capabilities. The software for analyzing the human movements will be based on the analysis of human behavior within bookstores presented in the previous chapter. Lastly, the design methodology will be focused on creating a spatial experience for the visitors that would offer to them a unique physical experience that will create an additional importance to physically visiting the location.

5.2.2 Definition of System Purpose The building will be a speculative project of Tsutaya Bookstores, as the company has already showed its readiness to implement new spatial concepts within their bookstores, they have currently over 1000 stores around Japan and they have showed willingness to create bookstores 93

Designing a Data Mine

based around a certain type of books.

This speculative bookstore will be built around the concept of "encountering new books" and will be created as a space where people can experience especially new titles. The goal of the bookstore will not be necessarily to sell these books, although that will be also possible, but it will be to gather data about the interaction of people encountering these new titles. This data will be gathered and form an insightful set of information that Tsutaya will be able to use for distribution to their own bookstores and to offer for sale to the whole-sale distributors in Japan.

Specification of Data to be Captured The data mining process starts with the collection of data, storing the data and processing the data to increase its quality. The data can then be further processed with analysis tools including artificial intelligence machine learning algorithms and other data analysis tools in order to create valuable insights. Data processing and analysis costs quite a lot of money in itself so the higher the quality of data and higher the relevance of the data collected, the higher the potential of the data analysis using the dataset to generate valuable insights. Designing the sensing layer is therefore

Figure 65. Visualization of Data Capture

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To design a bookstore as a data mining device, that brings economic value, the purpose of the system needs to be redefined to identify, which data would be useful to collect. In order to achieve this, the data economy relevant to the specific industry of book selling needs to be taken into account. For this reason the information about the book publishing market that has been introduced earlier in this thesis is important and the analysis of human behavior within the space of a specific industry-related space, a bookstore, is important. The analysis that has been presented in the previous chapter of this thesis, will allow the selection of relevant data to be captured, design methodology based around specific areas of focus and selection of events to be captured.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

the most important element related to the physical environment.

Following the analysis of the book-selling industry, it is clear that the end dataset should valuable to book whole-selling distributors, and as such the data mine needs to focus on capturing valuable information that would provide insight to book distributors on selection and distribution of new titles. As described earlier, their responsibility is mediating the relationship between the bookshops and the publishers. As such they need to make a lot of decisions, that directly affect their revenues. Information

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adding to their decision-making would be a business advantage fore them.

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Spatial Data can extremely useful to them especially since book-selling is steadily decreasing by approximately 5% each year and bookstores are increasingly offering hybrid spaces where the actual sale of a book is not very telling of the popularity of different titles. This introduction of spectrum of activities and not just information on the number of sold books might be especially valuable as 200 new titles are introduced every day.

The kind of information, which would support their decision making would be for example overall customer segmentation, customer segmentation variance over time of a year, general customer behavior, customer behavior for customer segments, titles being picked up and purchased, titles being picked up and read, titles being picked up but not purchased but read frequently, titles being looked at but not picked up or purchased.

These are the scenarios which are going to be looked at as the desired data set.

5.2.3 Specification of the Sensing and Cognitive Layer Data mining in a spatial environment with focus on gathering information about the human interaction within the architecture and the information about the events that unfold within the architectural space, is primarily focused on gathering human related data: human detection, human movement recognition, regulation of human movement.

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Figure 66. Azure Kinect Device (Microsoft, 2020)

The main system layer that will be added to the building structure is the sensing layer with sensing devices and the artificial intelligence enabled software running within the network on the building site of the bookstore.

The system would be designed to gather statistical data not identified data to overcome any concerns of privacy and data. As the bookshop is already being under camera surveillance (as stores are normally, changing the camera type should not be of a large concern to the customers. Information only about the events that unfold within the space of the bookshop would be collected.

Device for Spatial Data Mining The device that would be used is Azure Kinect produced by Microsoft, which became available on the Japanese market in April 2020. This is the official description the device from Microsoft's website: "Azure Kinect is a cutting-edge spatial computing developer kit with sophisticated computer vision and speech models, advanced AI sensors, and a range of powerful software development kits that can be connected to Azure cognitive services while designing a custom application. Using Azure Kinect, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and media enterprises are leveraging spatial data and context to enhance operational safety, increase performance, improve outcomes, and revolutionize the customer experience." (Microsoft, 2020).

This device is currently the most advanced device to use for collecting spatial data as it has been designed exactly to undertake this task and it is offered at a price range that makes the implementation of this device viable for a company.

The sensors that are included inside the Azure Kinect are therefore all there to create a combination of data that produces the relevant spatial

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data streams. It has multiple cameras each collecting different stream

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of data. It has a 1-MP depth sensor with wide and narrow field-of-view, 12-MP RGB video camera for an additional colour stream that is aligned to the depth stream, an accelerometer and gyroscope (IMU) for sensor orientation and spatial tracking. It also has 7-microphone array for far-field speech and sound capture to gather spatial sound data.

Specification of the Cognitive Layer The AI computing can be applied on the local network on which the Azure Kinect device operates. At this Edge, we can deploy artificial intelligence machine learning models to incorporate an array of intelligent computing techniques such as computer vision and speech intent recognition. The use of Azure Kinect, that has AI sensors as well as the embedded computer vision and speech recognition model available as open-source from Microsoft, enables the deployment of these technologies in order to locally collect specific spatial data. As this cutting edge device is at the moment one of its kind, it will be used as the main device to gather data in the proposed frameworks for architecture as a data mine.

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The application into which the device data arrives is the first layer

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of pre-processing the final data set that is being saved. This is the gateway that collects all of the data streams and combines them to produce the desired data output. It is a software element that is intelligent as it has runs with artificial intelligence models to identify objects and people in the incoming visual and depth data streams.

The most important characteristic of Azure Kinect is what the combination these sensors together with the custom designed application program and services that Microsoft Azure offers can achieve together. This

Figure 67. Body Tracking with Azure Kinect (Brekelmans, 2019)

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includes high fidelity tracking of human movement from multiple people and cameras at the same time. This enables analysis of three dimensional space with unparalleled accuracy.

Custom Computer Vision and Speech Recognition The application that runs the Azure Kinect device, which selects which data will be mined and stored as a data set needs to be first developed and coded in c++ programming language. Especially as the device is itself very new, there are currently very limited numbers of applications available. Microsoft offers all the software related to Azure Kinect as Open Source, which already include algorithms for body tracking and speech recognition. This creates an opportunity that an application could be programmed to go with a design of a space when designing a new building.

The computer vision is capable to analyze content of an image, detecting and identifying people and emotions in an image, extracting text, extracting key value pairs, extracting tables from documents, recognizing digital ink and handwriting (Microsoft, 2020). Speech Analysis is capable to recognize speech from a microphone, recognize speech from an audio file, recognize speech, recognize speech intents, recognize speech entities, syntheses speech to a speaker, creating voice assistant using custom commands, translate speech-to-text, translate speech to other languages and speaker recognition (Microsoft, 2020).

As such, the custom application can be designed to recognize a particular alignment of human body to signify a specific human action in a bookstore. This has been previously used by Microsoft to create a software using Azure Kinect device to recognize patients in a senior home to fall in their room as the position of their head has moved to the floor at a fast pace, which results in an immediate message sent to the nurses. Another example given by Microsoft is the possible tracking for optimal body posture during rehabilitation or sport such as performed in a fitness gym.

The application can be therefore in the same way programmed and the AI model can be trained and taught to recognize and capture specific body alignments to signify attention and interest to particular books as it is also aware of the specific three dimensional locations of these events.

The postures, body alignments and movements that will be used to design the specific application for the bookstore as a data mine in this speculative project will be those analyzed in the previous chapter of this thesis. The model would therefore have to first be taught what human behavior to recognize as well as its meaning in order for correct notation by the system. For this application, the human postures specific to signifying interest in particular books as analyzed in the previous chapter would be

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used to develop a lexicon of specific alignments of the human body to be able to then capture the most valuable data-set. As the device also has an accelerometer it would be also taught what fast walk, sudden stop or slow walk mean as analyzed in the previous chapter.

Impact on Architecture Design As we are at the present time limited to this device and its specific device, there are already started to be visible some issues with its integration into spatial scenarios. As gathering spatial data is the devices main objective, its smooth integration within its spatial context is desired. For this reason, architecture design will have to provide the necessary support for the optimal placement of this device. The issues of insufficient current spatial environment to support the gathering of data in a more long-term state is visible already in the official promotional video of Microsoft. The video showcases a series of very provisional set-ups for the device to oper-

Figure 68. Insufficient Spatial Support (Microsoft, 2019)

ate in. In all of the instances, the physical space had to be adjusted to cater for the placement of the device. Usually its provisional placing involves the use of tripods, either in the center of the room or placed on a smaller sized

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tripod on a table next to the computer to which it is connected. It can be

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hardly possible in real industry situations where tripods and other easily movable solutions for fasting the device to the physical context would be undesirable. Also, as the device is sensitive to be calibrated, any other than very stable positioning would create issues in data accuracy over time. The positioning of the device therefore would benefit from having a direct relationship to the physical static architecture elements around it.

There are also specific aspects of the limitation to the hardware of the depth camera that is essential for the computer vision ability of Azure Kinect, which are going to have an impact on the architecture design of buildings. Specifically this is the optimal distance of sight, maximum of 3.8 meters and of 70 degrees, for the depth camera within the device that is going to define the spatial positioning of walls.

The Azure Kinect has also another relation to architectural design, as it takes data from spatial context of a building, certain design decisions can improve or worsen the devices capacity to collect accurate data. For example, having areas of with less visual complexity, such as none-transparent walls, might be favorable at points where data collection is crucial such as the threshold moments of a building. Introducing smaller spaces that allow only a certain amount of people to comfortably walk through side by side at the same time is another technique how the data collection can be improved in a building as the computer vision could perform its task better in such scenario. Or even having people turn a certain direction at certain 99

Designing a Data Mine

Figure 69. Azure Kinect Hardware Requirements (Microsoft, 2020)

moments within a building could be favorable as the device is located in that specific point, which would enable it to read the situation.

Also, the data for computer vision and sound recognition, is often collected from mid heightslightly higher than eye-level to people. This would require this device to be placed throughout a space at the midheight as well, not purely at the top as conventional security cameras.

Combining Known Spatial Data with Known Data The data collected by the AI application would them be combined with data to which the bookstores already has access. This would be in particular the approximate location of books at the start of the day and the books which customers pick up and then place on specifically located area where books that were picked up but not purchased will be placed. These books are re-shelved by the staff throughout the day, but in this case the information would be taken as data. Another data that the bookstore has that the AI generated dataset would be combined with is the books that have been sold and available industry related data.

5.2.4 Selection of Site The site of this speculative project has three requirements. First it has to enable large amount of people to have access and pass around or through the building. The second requirement is for the site to make sense in larger relation to other existing bookstores of Tsutaya. The third requirement is that the project and its nature needs to fit within the existing urban context of the city.

The location has been selected to be a space located across of Harajuku Station in Tokyo. This area has recently undergone major developments, most notably new building of the Harajuku Station itself as well as large building complex with Ikea furniture store on the ground levels and office spaces on the top levels. It is an area close to one of the most popular public parks, Yoyogi Park, that is a frequent visit during all seasons in 100

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Japan. Especially during the spring and fall, Yoyogi Park becomes a place for leisure as well as a tourist attraction. Also Meiji Jingu Shrine is located near Harajuku Station, which is not only an important monument in Tokyo and a tourist attraction, it is also important spiritual destination for Japan visited by thousands of people everyday but especially during the first week of the year. This makes the placement of a bookstore focusing on introducing new book titles to people in this location particularly fitting as Harajuku Station is the point of embarkation when people go to either Yoyogi Park or the Meiji Jinju shrine.

Through analysis of locations of the existing Tsutaya projects existing in central Tokyo, the area of Omotesando and Harajuku is a blind spot that is likely to be selected a prime location for a signature bookstore to be build not only for its function but also as an important location to further establish the company and brand image.

Harajuku is also an experimental hub of Japan known for its strong link to emerging fashion and culture. It would be within the context of the site to then place a bookstore that focuses on new book titles to be present in this location. For this and the earlier mentioned reasons a site opposite

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of the Harajuku Station has been selected as the location for the data mine.

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At the present time, there is a multistory commercial building on the site and so this speculative project would not change the use of the land.

5.2.5 Program Design The program of the building would be organized around human movement and activity with particular focus on spaces in accordance to the areas highlighted during analysis of the Bunkitsu bookstore in the previous chapter of this thesis. As such, the design would strategically place program to exaggerate human movement and hence increase the opportunity

Figure 70. Existing Building on Site and Defined Site

for them to encounter new books.

The program will be therefore focused on designing spaces intentionally with their varying characteristic to host certain human behavior and the characteristics of that behavior such as speed of walking and number of people able to pass through the space comfortably. Then the physical restriction will be taken into account for locating the optimal placement of walls as they need to support the present of the sensing devices.

The areas that will be in particular importance are the threshold moments of the building itself as well as within the interior spaces of the building such as floor separations. Areas of interest that are often visited, such as the cafe, toilets and bookshelf for returning read books, will be also strategically placed in order to increase human movement within the build101

Designing a Data Mine

ing.

The program will be also divided into curated bookshelves placed within the space plan and with browsing section of the bookstore, especially as the placement of bookshelves and their directionality defines the direction of the human movement that occurs in a bookstore.

5.2.6 Spatial Experience

The spatial experience within the bookstore would revolve around the human activity of encountering books. Therefore the materiality of the Figure 71. Urban Plan

structure would be also defined by books and the building would be as its

Figure 72. Site Plan

support. Two main bookshelves would be placed around load bearing ele-

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omotesando harajuku station

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project site

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ments, almost hiding their presence so the floor planes and glass facade

Figure 73. Site Context (Top)

would be the only visible structural elements. Continuation of the floor to

Figure 74. Site with Existing

ceiling bookshelves over several floors would create an illusion of vertical

Tsutaya Bookstore Locations (Bottom)

continuity of this element that has been a defining atmospheric quality of famous old libraries. To achieve this sense of verticality, the ceilings would be higher than the standard.

The material used to create the facade would be structural glass connected with structural silicone to achieve a seamless and frame-less experience. The main point for the design of the facade is to keep it as free as possible while also providing support for the camera system and its viewing capabilities.

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Figure 75. Spatial Programming

toilets seating book return

continuous bookshelf

staircase

seating

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concrete wall

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5.3 Design Proposal

5.3.1 First Iteration: Using Initial Research Based on these requirements a first iteration of the design has been created. This design has two main interior elements that are centered in the spatial plan to provide structural support for the building as well as structural support for the camera system while considering the maximum length of 3.8 meters of vision and angles of 70 degrees. The staircase placement and other interior elements has been organized to also allow the use of glass facade.

There has been a particular focus in the design on the placement of bookshelves and boxes placed throughout the space showcasing particularly new books or books on which the bookstore would like to collect data. Also, there has been a focus on design to maximize human movement throughout the building and in this way increase the opportunity for them to encounter new books and books they did not know before they arrived in to the bookstore. For example, the placement of the cafe is on the second floor and the placement of toilets is on the third floor with seating spaces scattered throughout all four floors. In addition, the third floor has been dedicated to more intentional browsing that allows for the continuous movement through the bookshelves.

Design Analysis The design has been further analyzed for its performance at capturing data. The analysis revealed a capability of this design iteration to capture 122 m2 of the total viewable area of 197 m2, which is 60 % of the space. Also, 18 m2 are in this design viewed by more than one camera, hyper-viewed, which would result in better overall performance as the data from multiple angles can be combined as well as capture more information as the person can be seen from several angels. This capability is in this design iteration 9%. of the entire space. These results are based on 17 cameras being placed on the first floor, where it is assumed would come the most people.

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Based on Initial Findings

first floor

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 78. First Iteration

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second floor

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third floor

fourth floor

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total area = 217 m2 total viewable area = 122 m2

number or cameras = 17 camera setting = NFOV 70 total camera view = 122 m2

area of non-overlapping camera view = 119 m2 area coverage = 60 %

area viewed by myltiple cameras = 18 m2 hyper-view coverage = 9 %

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First Iteration: First Floor Analysis Figure 80. First Iteration Based on Initial Findings: First Floor Plan Analysis

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 79. Design Proposal

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first floor number of cameras = 17 camera setting = NFOV 70° total area = 217 m2 total viewable area = 197 m2 total view of camera area = 122 m2 total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 119 m2 area coverage = 60 % hyper-view area = 18 m2 hyper-view coverage = 9 %

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5.3.2 Second Iteration: Maximizing Capacity of Data Capture Sensing Device View Patterns Second design proposal has been developed in order to see how would the desire to better these results based on these parameters, while still keeping the general design concept influence the architectural design especially in terms of keeping the boundary of the building free to allow a glass facade. This design's aim has been to maximize the building capability to capture the specific data set that could be of economic value as an asset, hence, the design is an example of an extreme.

The second design is a result of creating patterns for the cameras to either combine their viewing capability, not to overlap their view, to be placed from one static point as well as multiple points. Generated patterns have been created that use from 1 to 6 cameras and further combined to form larger patterns. Then these patterns have been tested on the site at scale and one analyzed for their performance in the same way as the first design iteration. One particularly well performing pattern has been selected to form the basis for the design.

Changes in Design This pattern features camera view from various angles at the highest capability which would be preferable as people move through the bookshelves while turning their body or also by walking and facing only one direction for an extended period of the time. The pattern has resulted in the first floor having 23 cameras and the above floors having 22 cameras as other interior spaces such as toilet were added. The regularity of the pattern defined a change in the plan of the building that is still approximately the same to the original floor plan while also gave space for placement of multiple entrances that are all viewed. The design allowed for keeping a glass facade and defined the placement of the structural elements, columns, that are spread out throughout the space plan.

Using this particular pattern resulted in shifting the staircase as well as other interior elements such as the placement of toilets, cafe, seating areas and most notably the bookshelves themselves. The bookshelves form a circular pattern that resulted in a very special bookshelf design that sits around the columns, has a place for the placement of cameras as well as a space for returning of the viewed books that are not purchased.

The pattern has also revealed a particular importance of designing in terms of placed of interest for viewing and places where human activities occur but are not of interest and also areas of the building that are not

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Iteration: First Floor Plan Analysis

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 81. Design Proposal Second

design n.2 first floor T ADS

number of cameras = 23 camera setting = NFOV 70° total area = 199 m2 total viewable area = 170 m2 total view of camera area = 183 m2 total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 125 m2 area coverage = 73 % hyper-view area = 54 m2 hyper-view coverage = 31 % area of low interest and area not accessable to customers = 74 m2 area of interest = 125 m2 coverage of area of interest = 100 %

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Designing a Data Mine

accessible to customers. These areas would result in lowering the number of cameras needed for specific floors.

Blind Spots In addition, the pattern resulted in blind spots throughout the space plan, which are not viewed at all by any camera. These blind spots have been used as the driver for placement of the above mentioned areas of low interest and areas that are not accessible to customers. These areas including seating spaces, where people are in stationary position over a long period of time and already selected their book or engage in a different activity all together such as working on a computer or engaging in conversations with other people.

Design Analysis By organizing the design around human activity, its nature, the viewed, hyper-viewed and blind areas, the design has resulted in an increase of the buildings performance as a data mine. The pattern increased the number of cameras to maximum of 23 per floor. While the building floor has 199 m2, its viewable area is 170m2. The total camera view of this area is 170m2. The devices share an non-overlapping area of 125m2. Therefore the area coverage is 73%. The area of one floor of the building that is viewed by more than one camera at the same time is 54m2, which is 31% of the viewable area of each floor.

The space of the bookstore is further divided into areas of high and low interest for viewing. Areas on high interest are spaces where visitors interact with books, especially with new titles placed on lower bookshelves dispersed throughout the floor plan. This area forms 125 m2. On the other hand, the areas of low interest for viewing, such as toilets and seating areas as well as areas that are not accessible to customers, only staff members of the bookstore and cafe, form 74 m2 on the first floor that has been analyzed. The coverage of the mentioned high interest spaces is 100% and more than 50% of the 125m2 is viewed by multiple cameras at the same time from several angles.

5.3.3 Comparison of First and Second Design Iteration When compared, the performance of the second design has showed an increase of 13% in overall coverage of the space. More importantly however, it has showed increase of 22% in the area covered by multiple sensing devices at the same time that are the areas of highest interest.

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Second Design Proposal Iteration

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Figure 82. Comparison of First and

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design n.1 first floor

design n.2 first floor

number of cameras = 17

number of cameras = 23

camera setting = NFOV 70°

camera setting = NFOV 70°

total area = 217 m2

total area = 199 m2

total viewable area = 197 m2

total viewable area = 170 m2

total view of camera area = 122 m2

total view of camera area = 183 m2

total area of non-overlapping

total area of non-overlapping

camera view area = 119 m2

camera view area = 125 m2

area coverage = 60 %

area coverage = 73 %

hyper-view area = 18 m2

hyper-view area = 54 m2

hyper-view coverage = 9 %

hyper-view coverage = 31 % area of low interest and area not accessable to customers = 74 m2 area of interest = 125 m2 coverage of area of interest = 100 %

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Figure 83. Patterns for Second Iteration

corridor spaces

high-focus spaces

large spaces with central unviewable area

building scale

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point view spaces

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

basic patterns

combinational patterns for larger

open spaces

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Designing a Data Mine design n. 1 17 cameras

edge follow 16 cameras

area for placement to reach walls

12 cameras

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Figure 84. Camera Patterns on Site

10 cameras

12 cameras

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Figure 85. Pattern Analysis 1

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number of cameras = 24 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 15 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 11 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 20 camera setting = NFOV 70째

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total view of camera area = 167 m2

total view of camera area = 132 m2

total view of camera area = 102 m2

total view of camera area = 163 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 152 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 132 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 88 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 124 m2

area coverage = 78 %

area coverage = 66 %

area coverage = 44 %

area coverage = 62 %

hyper-view area = 62 m2

hyper-view area = 0 m2

hyper-view area = 29 m2

hyper-view area = 56 m2

hyper-view coverage = 31 %

hyper-view coverage = 0 %

hyper-view coverage = 15 %

hyper-view coverage = 28 %

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number of cameras = 17 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 17 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 22 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 21 camera setting = NFOV 70째

total viewable area = 197 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total view of camera area = 122 m2

total view of camera area = 140 m2

total view of camera area = 204 m2

total view of camera area = 117 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 119 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 108 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 110 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 98 m2

area coverage = 60 %

area coverage = 54 %

area coverage = 56 %

area coverage = 49 %

hyper-view area = 18 m2

hyper-view area = 33 m2

hyper-view area = 63 m2

hyper-view area = 35 m2

hyper-view coverage = 9 %

hyper-view coverage = 16 %

hyper-view coverage = 32 %

hyper-view coverage = 18 %

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Figure 87. Pattern Analysis 3

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 86. Pattern Analysis 2

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number of cameras = 20 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 11 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 18 camera setting = NFOV 70째

number of cameras = 18 camera setting = NFOV 70째

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total viewable area = 198 m2

total view of camera area = 146 m2

total view of camera area = 102 m2

total view of camera area = 167 m2

total view of camera area = 128 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 107 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 97 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 110 m2

total area of non-overlapping camera view area = 110 m2

area coverage = 54 %

area coverage = 52 %

area coverage = 84 %

area coverage = 65 %

hyper-view area = 29 m2

hyper-view area = 5 m2

hyper-view area = 34 m2

hyper-view area = 10 m2

hyper-view coverage = 15 %

hyper-view coverage = 2.5 %

hyper-view coverage = 17 %

hyper-view coverage = 5 %

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Figure 89. Second Design Iteration

first floor

third floor

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

second floor

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fourth floor

Figure 90. Second

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Design Iteration

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Figure 88. Second Design 122

Proposal Axonometric Drawing

Design Proposal Analysis 1

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

first floor = 183 m2

second floor = 174 m2

third floor = 181 m2

fourth = 181 m2

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

first floor = 183 m2

second floor = 174 m2

third floor = 181 m2

fourth floor = 181 m2

total non-overlapping view area

total non-overlapping view area

total non-overlapping view area

total non-overlapping view area

first floor = 125 m2

second floor = 108 m2

third floor = 119 m2

fourth floor = 119 m2

total view hyper-view area

total view hyper-view area

total view hyper-view area

total view hyper-view area

first floor = 54 m2

second floor = 54 m2

third floor = 54 m2

fourth floor = 54 m2

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total view of camera per floor

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

Figure 91. Second

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Figure 92. Second Design Proposal Analysis 2

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

total view of camera per floor

first floor = 183 m2

second floor = 174 m2

third floor = 181 m2

fourth = 181 m2

areas of low interest and areas not accessible to customers

areas of low interest and areas not accessible to customers

areas of low interest and areas not accessible to customers

areas of low interest and areas not accessible to customers

first floor = 74 m2

second floor = 91 m2

third floor = 80 m2

fourth floor = 80 m2

areas of interest

areas of interest

areas of interest

areas of interest

first floor = 125 m2

second floor = 108 m2

third floor = 119 m2

fourth floor = 119 m2

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Figure 93. Second Design

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Proposal Axonometric Drawing

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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Discussion

Chapter 7

Discussion

6.1 Research Findings

Technology often defines the architecture of the epoch. The relationship of architecture and technology defines the architecture form, which is in itself a form of language that is coded in material forms. As such architecture has been for long time a medium onto which other forms of communication are applied. With the advancement of artificial intelligence resulting in embedding sensing and cognitive abilities within the static form of architecture, the building is able to both transmit, retain and capture information.

As an enclosure or a stage of human activity, this results in heightened importance of physical space and its design in the era of cyber-physical systems.

The private sector has an important role in creating both the built environment as well as shaping the landscape of technological innovations. With the advancement of technologies and the high levels of needed investments, the private sector is likely to further have an increasing role in shaping architecture as a cyber-physical system.

As spatial data becomes an asset of economic value, currently ambiguous context of personal spatial data privacy will become an important topic of discussion for lawmakers and regulators. Creating cyber-physical architecture with AI systems can open the much needed discussion.

This discussion will have greater importance within the context of private spaces as discrete buildings that can be often related through ownership or typology of spatial data they can aggregate.

The performance of artificial intelligence computer vision within architecture space is depends on the design of the architecture form through its program design that regulates and navigates human activity as well as needs to offer structural support defined by the operational requirements of the sensing devices. Interior elements obstruct view of the sensing devices and glass facades on the other hand might be capturing undesirable data from outside of the building. The embedding of sensing devices with present a new challenge for architecture design that has been showing a clear trend towards dematerization of the structure since the integration of innovative technologies that emerged from the second industrial revolution from the architecture of Mies van der Rohe to Toyo Ito. As commercial architecture has already showed changes in its design as a result of the introduction of online marketplaces, physical stores are performing more as a showroom, a spatial experience of mixed 128

program, that differentiates from the online marketplaces by focusing on

space. These are often related to the possibilities of the unexpected such as meeting other people by chance, engaging in a conversation with staff member that changes our decision making in the store and the physical experience of holding and thee dimensionally seeing products in their curated environment of the store. Especially industries that have been disrupted by the emergence of online marketplaces that likely to show resolve in changing their spatial design to cater for the physical experience of the store.

With the introduction of more complex program design of commercial architecture, the responsibilities of the staff members of commercial spaces also gains a more complex nature and shifts its focus on human-human services.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

providing visitors with unique to the physical presence in an architectural

It is within this environment that artificial intelligence would be integrated to capture specific human interactions with the commercial architecture space as a system that would be captured as a dataset. The AI model would have to be custom trained and taught to recognize industry specific human postures and behavior to capture data of economic value.

The operational requirements of the sensing device together with the customization of the AI model, the architectural space would be

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thought of in terms of high-interest areas that should be viewed more and

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low-interest areas where computer vision is not necessary at all. This would result in a spectrum of sensing within the space from complete blind spots to hyper viewed areas. It is unlikely and actually undesirable to view the entire architectural space as some areas are not accessible to customers or they host activities of low interest for generation of a value-adding dataset.

The design of the architecture form can take this into account and navigate human activities of low interest into the blind spots of sensing devices and in this way increase the overall performance of architecture as a data mine. As shown through two design iterations of architecture as a data mine, this performance can particular improve in the areas of highest interest. It is through the particular focus on placement and sensing of these high-interest areas from which cyber-physical commercial architecture is likely to evolve.

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Discussion

6.1 General Implications

With the lowering of prices for sensing devices and availability of customizable AI models at the Cloud and the Edge, these advance technologies are not going to become available to only large corporations but across the scales of commercial activity. As the customization of the AI model is necessary and large dataset is favorable, the emergence of distinct urban platforms that aggregate spatial data from a network of industry-specific commercial spaces would create an opportunity for cyber-physical architecture to empower family owned businesses and small entrepreneurs and give people the opportunity to support their local economy and favored businesses through sheer physical participation in the cyber-physical architecture system.

The transparency of data use is necessary. This transparency can however also result in favoring participation through tax incentives, lowered entrance fees for otherwise paid access to entrance of private spaces or the knowledge of supporting economically a favored small-scale local business. Architecture as a data mine will highlight the power of our physical presence as a choice in a certain cyber-physical system and its economic implications. This system can be connecting our immediate environment and distant locations through spatial data in the same way as through our own spending of financial capital while forming an overarching economy of which we will become a more aware participant.

The development of spatial sensing devices can be still thought of as at its very beginning, and is likely to be a focus of future development with high level of investment from the private sector as this technology is currently defining the limitations of many ongoing implementations of advanced technologies within physical realm. These include cyber-physical architecture as well as IoT, virtual reality and mixed reality.

As architecture will further develop as an envelop for human activity, the design of commercial architecture design is likely to nourish human participation through creation of architecture as an experience and spectacle. In this way, commercial architecture can evolve into being more as a curated showroom than a traditional store aiming to offer the widest possible range of products, while also retaining its capacity to function as a commercial entity. It is likely to offer mixed program to entice people to spend more time within its bounds and in some cases even to differentiate access to particular areas of the building by paid fee for access to the space rather than the pure sale of goods as the products become a part of 130

the spatial environment.

ed commercial architecture within the network can be especially designed as a data mine focused on capturing data on reaction to newly introduced products.

In terms of architectural design, it is important to note that the condition of cyber-physicality is at its very beginning of being integrated within the wider landscape of architectural discourse. Based on previous patterns visible in history of architecture and technology, we can make an assumption that there would be most likely several stages before purely cyber-physical architecture would emerge. These stages would also allow time for proper spatial personal data regulation First stage would most likely involve embedding digital systems into existing built buildings.

Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

As buildings can form a network related through ownership, select-

During this stage the focus would be on several areas. Firstly, gathering of previously intangible data about already built buildings. Secondly, improving the efficiency of the existing systems while designing new systems with this knowledge already from the start. And lastly, creating first cyber-physical architecture spaces that were designed as such from their early design phases. The second stage would consist of the simmering of ideas and analysis of the gathered data from the first stage. During this stage new

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buildings might start to be designed as cyber-physical systems with more

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confidence and complexities. Also, it will be possible to integrate the knowledge gained from data collected and analyzed in the first stage. During the third stage, buildings might start to be deisgned as cyber-physical systems whose form is adjusted fully to perform as a data mine as well as fulfill all the desired classical functions of traditional buildings. The programs of these buildings and their value system might shift drastically in response towards the importance of physicality.

As the last industrial revolution drove the focus strictly away from physicality towards location-less, site-less services, the cyber-physical era will highlight once again the uniqueness and value of physical spaces.

However, now as a choice and not as a necessity. It is also important to point out that the implementation of cyber-physical architecture will take place while new technological innovations and further development of the existing technologies will occur and hence, further pushing its possibilities.

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Cyber-Physical Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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2020 Advanced Design Studies Master's Thesis Thesis Title: Research on Designing Commercial Architecture as an Artificial Intelligence Enabled Data Mine

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