Ecotect (form-centric) vs. CATIA V5 (user-centric)

Defined by Klaus Krippendorff as the semantic turn, this shift from function to interaction is not new, originating around the early 1980s in response to personal computing and later expanding into the field of cognitive ergonomics. Since then, designing ‘object’ has become subordinate to designing ‘interface’. Despite this evolution, most architecture applies form-making as its dominant motif. Adopting new tools to realize this phase shift will allow our environments to become more sensor-driven and thus more rewarding. Some designers are already modeling via Second Life to counter the form-centricity of CAD, while others choose to adopt tools like virtual ergonomic systems by Dessault (above right), providing a more critical (albeit limited) understanding of subjective experience.