Teasing out technique : animating Boston's City Hall

Abstract

What were once considered advanced visualization techniques have now become commonplace. With the advancement of visualization tools, animation has quickly become a primary means of representation within architecture; however, architects have not yet taken a critical approach to the techniques of this medium as we have with other forms of representation. As it becomes easier and easier for the everyday person to create a fly-through animation of their house, apartment or favorite building, architects are losing the opportunity to utilize this medium to its fullest potential and define it as an important tool of representation deeply rooted in the history of architectural representation. This thesis aims to critically examine the medium of architectural animation today by presenting a comparative study of one building, Boston's City Hall, through the lens of three contemporary tropes of animation. While this building has a complex and controversial history, the comparative nature of this study places the focus on the medium of representation and its capacity to bring out new readings about its subject, rather than vice versa.