QR Code Buildings
We’re starting to see QR codes everywhere, but now it seems we can expect to see them on buildings more frequently, and not just in the form of billboards.
The N Building is probably one of the most famous examples. Situated in Tokyo in the middle of one of the city’s shopping districts, the N Building is a commercial building that, until 2010, has traditionally been adorned with billboards and other advertising.
Qosmo and Teradadesign teamed up to change this as they believed that advertising on the side of the building undermined the building’s identity. To rectify this, they made the decision to use a QR code as the facade. When scanned, the code leads to a site detailing information about the stores inside. When scanned with the iPhone, as well as browsing shop information, people can also make reservations and download coupons. You can even see who is tweeting inside and what they are saying!
Qosmo and Teradedesign explain, ‘Our goal is to provide an incentive to visit the space and a virtual connection to space without necessarily being present.’
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this building is in its functionality. The design serves a purpose other than just making a statement, although it does that well too. Qosmo and Teradadesign have come up with an ingenious way to provide information to people in an aesthetically pleasing way that complements the building’s architecture. It provides information far more efficiently than traditional billboard advertising; it involves more details, includes far more information, and allows people to interact with the environment inside the building without actually having to step inside it themselves.
On the other side of the world, New York City are also using QR codes on buildings, but in a different way. The city’s mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg has announced that it will put QR codes on all building permits by 2013. He said, ‘New Yorkers expect to be able to gather information instantly, and the use of QR codes will allow them to get all information about construction work while standing on the sidewalk.’
According to the Mayor, smartphone users who scan the QR codes on a construction permit in New York will receive ‘details about the ongoing project – including the approved scope of work, identities of the property owner and job applicant, other approved projects associated with the permit, [and] complaints and violations related to the location.’
Crossing the Atlantic to Dubai in the UAE, planning is ongoing for a hotel designed to look like a giant QR code. The artist’s impression make it look pretty impressive, but whether or not it will actually work is a different matter. If it doesn’t work, it does make me wonder: what is the point? On first glance, it appears that it is just art for art’s sake, perhaps trying a bit too hard to be trendy and modern.
With the N Building and the QR codes for building permits across New York City, it seems to suggest that augmented reality is creeping further into our daily lives. This is being greatly aided by the phenomenal increase of people using smartphone devices.
Perhaps it won’t be long before we start to see QR codes incorporated onto more commercial buildings around the globe; whether it will really enhance our lives or not, is another matter.