Hotel For Strangers
Marilia Giallourou
In this project, the proposal of an interior programme in the predefined site is presented. For the purpose of the project, the exploration of the site and therefore the communication of the proposal is presented in the form of a video game.
The Hotel of strangers (Ivan Chtcheglovv, New Urbanism(1953) is located along a “Slice” in Glasgow; in the in-between space of Dakota Hotel and Malmaison Hotel. The main idea of the video-game is came up by a personal interest in the field of Virtual Reality. In particular, through this project I would like to figure out how an interior programme could be efficiently presented and delivered by using innovative and interactive realtime presentations such as video game.
It is generally accepted that most of the video-games are based on the architecture design. Therefore, this project investigates how architecture could be inspired by video-games and vice versa. Moreover, the research point of the project was how Games could open up new possibilities for spatial interaction design. The exploration of video games provides me a new perspective of understanding a space. Through the literature I found out the unreality of video games is the reality of everyday life. The unreality of the video games which is based on the future reality, had been inspired me in terms of the programme exploration. Yet, for the purpose of the project I decided to focus on non-video games that as it is explained in detail in the literature review, non-games let’s the user to define its own objectives and achievements by enjoying the experience in their own preferable way. However, the proposed non-game is based on the user experience through an interactive storytelling.
Both games and non-games are entertainment activities and being consisted by the interaction between the user and the visual reality. Yet, based on the literature could be observed that video games attract the players through adventure and action, requiring from the user to develop deep life skills. On the other hand, non-games lead the user to define their own objectives and achievements by enjoying the experience in their own preferable way. Taking into consideration the characteristics of the two types and as the purpose of the project is to create emotional connection and social awareness between strangers, a non-game will be developed.
Most of video games are designed with an impossible architecture, geometries and forms. Therefore, this game will be designed based on the impossible architecture and one of the its founders, M.C Escher which is analysed in the literature review. Therefore, this project is taking into consideration the game “monument valley” which is based on the impossible architectures. This game is designed by neglecting the physic’s and mathematic’s rule and it forced to evaluate their perception of physics and perspective just like M.C Escher.
In regard to the interior proposal, the users by playing this game, soon they will realise that the things are not what they seem. They have to manipulate gravity to redefine the celling as the door, the door as the wall and the wall as the celling, while venturing through impossible architectures. Meanwhile, the interior spaces gives the opportunity to the strangers to communication and social interaction.
Play the game here
