The Axonometric Query: Mirage

The Axonometric Query: Mirage

Work by Giovanna Bentes (MArch '25), Grace Collins (MArch '25), and Alix Wilson (MArch '25) for "The Axonometric Query: A phygital puzzle game of architectural sections", a Technology Seminar taught by Yara Feghali. This seminar explores the juxtaposition between physical and digital worlds, while revealing a playful side of architecture. Students worked in the axonometric, unlocking creative problem-solving skills though game play.

Project Statement:

Exploring architectural potential through game play opens up a new creative avenue for understanding spacial relationships within the constraint of the axonometric view. Our model examines the arch as a way to travel through space while also using game play to explore multiple climates as atmospheric conditions.

Due to the nature of an axonometric view, circulation quickly becomes a critical issue to solve considering the logistics of a digital game with a singular view. Stairs, ladders, and portals determine how the character navigates throughout the axon, with the goal of touching each tree, allowing for a water droplet to appear to water each plant.

As a user plays the game digitally, a webcam captures the physical model, displaying the combination of digital & physical model onto a viewing screen, creating the phygital.

A Phygital Puzzle Game of Architectural Sections

Technology Seminar instructed by Yara Feghali

As architects, we're masters of spatial puzzles. We use projective geometry to translate our ideas into drawings. This isn't just about drawings – we create digital models that we slice through to generate drawings and even build physical scale models by putting back together these slices of our digital models. This seminar dives deeper than just making drawings and models – it challenges our relationship with them. What if these models are more than just representations?

This seminar is on a quest to reveal the playful potential of architecture. We explore a cutting-edge approach: phygital puzzle games. Imagine crafting a game that seamlessly blends digital and physical models of architectural sections. By playing and designing, we develop a fresh perspective on architecture, one fueled by exploration and discovery.
Why Games? Games allow architects to experiment with software and tools in a playful way. This playful relationship unlocks creative problem-solving and lets us push boundaries in a dynamic environment.

This workshop is your chance to rediscover the joy of exploration in architecture. Let's transform models into interactive digital puzzles and redefine our relationship with design tools.