Architectural endoscopy or architectural envisioning is used to photograph and film models of new buildings' exterior and interior in the planning stage. An
architectural model
An architectural model is a type of scale model made to study aspects of an architectural design or to communicate design intent. They can be made from a variety of materials such as paper, plaster, plastic, resin, wood, glass and metal. They ...
of a new building in a 1:500 scale is thus correctly visualized from the
perspective of a pedestrian walking by in the street. An endoscope connected to a video camera allows for the creation of walkthroughs, allowing the architect to develop the first draft further, and the public to share and critique the architect's vision of proposed buildings and cities.
Nomenclature
In
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, the rigid
endoscope
An endoscope is an inspection instrument composed of image sensor, optical lens, light source and mechanical device, which is used to look deep into the body by way of openings such as the mouth or anus. A typical endoscope applies several modern t ...
is called a ''Relatoskop'' (German), ''relatoscop'' (French),
borescope, etc. In this article, 'endoscope' is used as a generic term.
History
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-28849-0005, Rostock, Architekten bei der Stadtplanung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-28849-0005%2C_Rostock%2C_Architekten_bei_der_Stadtplanung.jpg)
The endoscope was invented in 1806 by
Philipp Bozzini
Philipp Bozzini (May 25, 1773 – April 4, 1809) was born in Mainz, Germany. On June 12, 1797 he was awarded the degree of doctor of medicine. From 1804 onwards, Bozzini devoted himself virtually completely to develop his instrument, Lichtleiter o ...
, in medicine it was used to look inside the human body. In 1954, the Paris-based German architect,
Martin Schulz van Treeck (van Treeck), was the first to use endoscopes for visualisation of architectural models. The endoscopes were his father's,
Alfred Schulz van Treeck, physician and pioneer in
otoscopy
An otoscope or auriscope is a medical device which is used to look into the ears. Health care providers use otoscopes to screen for illness during regular check-ups and also to investigate ear symptoms. An otoscope potentially gives a view o ...
.
[Jean-François Pouss]
Orgues de Flandre
LE MONITEUR.FR, Publié le 03/07/09, Retrieved January 7. 2016. (fr)
He published the first article in the architecture journal ''Bauen + Wohnen'' in 1957, titled "Real model photograph as a new representation method in architecture planning" (''Reale Modellphotographie als neue Darstellungsmethode in der Architekturplanung'').
In
architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel o ...
s, it is common that a 1:500 scale model of the building is shown in addition to the plans during the presentation. These models are usually seen and photographed from a
bird's-eye view
A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downwards. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photograph, but also a draw ...
. Van Treeck was aware of the problem to mediate architectural design to builders and investors, when seen from the traditional bird's-eye perspective. His idea was to use the endoscope photos as base for drawings of the model and present these to clients or the public, to show what the building would look like if they were walking or driving in the street next to it. He could place the endoscope in a pedestrian's position in the model. Architectural models in 1:500 or 1:100 scale were represented in photos, and later in videos, the way a pedestrian would see the finished building.
[Martin Schulz van Treeck: ''Möglichkeiten der ''Darstellung'' und Abklärung architektonischer Projekte'', in DETAIL, Verlag Architektur + Baudetail GmbH, München, 1974, Nr. 4 Juli – August, pp. 635–642.]
The endoscope became known among architects and builders through its use by van Treeck in the
planning
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is consi ...
of the
Orgues de Flandre residential buildings on Avenue de Flandre,
19th arrondissement
The 19th arrondissement of Paris (''XIXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-neuvième''.
The arrondissement, known as Butte-Chaumont, i ...
in Paris. The four central residential towers of the settlement have different heights and are designed in the shape of
organ pipe
An organ pipe is a sound-producing element of the pipe organ that resonates at a specific pitch when pressurized air (commonly referred to as ''wind'') is driven through it. Each pipe is tuned to a specific note of the musical scale. A set of ...
s. They are called ''Prelude'', ''Fugue'', ''Cantata'' and ''4'', which explains the name ''Orgues de Flandre'' ("Church organs of Flanders").
[''Orgues de Flandre']
/ref>[''Relatoscope'', ''Orgues de Flandre'', Martin S. van Treeck]
/ref> Van Treeck used an endoscope for photography and especially video films, on models in a 1:500 to 1:100 scale in the architectural competition and further planning of the ''Orgues de Flandre'' buildings. He documented his work using an endoscope from the beginning.
At the construction and architecture exhibition, ''Batimat'', November 1973 in Paris and ''Constructa'', February 1974 in Hannover, van Treeck and a company introduced the endoscope for the first time on a large scale to members of the international architecture and construction sector. In 1974, van Treeck described the endoscope and its uses for the ''Orgues de Flandre'' project, in an article in the German architecture magazine '' DETAIL (professional journal), DETAIL''. A French article by François Loyer is available online as a PDF, and includes endoscope photos of the ''Orgues de Flandre'' project.
Research
In 1974, after the presentation at the trade fairs and the articles in specialist magazines, the use of endoscopes was examined at international universities in the scope of research projects on urban planning. For example, architects and town planners such as urban designer Carl-Axel Acking from Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
, Sweden; Donald Appleyard
Donald Sidney Appleyard (July 26, 1928 – September 23, 1982) was an English-American urban designer and theorist, teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.[Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...](_bl ...<br></span></div> from <div class=)
, United States; Hendrik van Leeuwen from Wageningen
Wageningen () is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of in , of which many t ...
, Netherlands and Antero Markelin from Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Germany; early on explored the use of endoscopes. The focus of their research was the use of video films in urban planning. For experiments, the simulation equipment presented by van Treeck at the fairs was purchased and, because of low funding, "model simulation systems" were built by the institutes for less money. This was done at the Urban Planning Institute of the University of Stuttgart where Antero Markelin taught and researched. The result of his two-year research in Stuttgart in 1975–1977, was published in 1979 in the book ''Environmental Simulation, sensory simulation in urban development'' (''Umweltsimulation, sensorische Simulation im Städtebau'').[Antero Markelin, Bernd Fahle Hrsg: ''Umweltsimulation, Sensorische Simulation im Städtebau'', Stuttgart, Krämer, 1979, p. 5.]
At the first conference of the ''European Architectural Endoscopy Association'' (EAEA) in 1993 at the Tampere University of Technology
Tampere University of Technology (TUT) ( fi, Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto (TTY)) was Finland's second-largest university in engineering sciences. The university was located in Hervanta, a suburb of Tampere. It was merged with the University o ...
in Finland, the ''Urban Simulator'' that the Tampere School of Architecture started to build in 1978 was demonstrated. The system as well as the computer control was primarily developed and built by the researchers at the school, because the existing financial resources were very small.[''Siitonen'', Petri: "Future of Endoscopy", in: Seppo Aura (et al.), Endoscopy as a Tool in Architecture. Tampere, 1993, pp. 181-184] Petri Siitonen at the Faculty of Architecture of Helsinki University of Technology
Helsinki University of Technology (TKK; fi, Teknillinen korkeakoulu; sv, Tekniska högskolan) was a technical university in Finland. It was located in Otaniemi, Espoo in the metropolitan area of Greater Helsinki. The university was founded in ...
, spoke at the conference in his lecture ''The Future of Endoscopy'', about a comparison between the use of computer-aided design
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...
(CAD) and endoscope in works made by students. At that time, a study revealed that endoscopy got 27 points and CAD 20 points. He also mentioned that this would change in the years to come.
European Architectural Endoscopy Association (EAEA)
The European Architectural Endoscopy Association (EAEA) was established in 1993. The founding meeting took place at a conference at the Institute of Architecture Technical University of Tampere in Finland. It was the first international conference at which experts from fifteen universities that conducted research and teaching in the field of visualization with endoscopes, presented their results. Similar conferences have been held every second year since then. The ninth conference was organized by the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Cottbus-Senftenberg in 2009. At that conference, the participants agreed to change the name of the EAEA. Instead of ''endoscopy'', the word ''envisioning'' would henceforth be used by the association. , their name is ''European Architectural Envisioning Association'' (EAEA). Thus, the rapid development of computer hardware and software for visualization of construction projects, from single-family homes to urban planning, was included. The Lodz University of Technology (TUL) hosted the 12th EAEA conference in 2015. Plans for conferences in Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Turkey and Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
in 2016 and in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland in 2017, were started in 2015. The EAEA conferences are held each odd-numbered year.
Practical application
In addition to funded research projects at universities, endoscopes have been used by photographers and videographers in studios since 1974, in works for architecture and advertising clients. As special optical instruments, endoscopes became part of the photographic or video equipment in photo studios. For example, in Germany, they were used since 1974 for visual examination of models in Ingo Wende's studio in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, and since 1975 by Alex Kempkens
Alex Kempkens (born Alexander Kempkens, 24September 1942) is a German photographer, photojournalist and computer artist. He also writes articles and curates exhibitions. Kempkens is an autodidact.
Life
Early life
Born in Linz am Rhein, Germ ...
in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
. Assignments from architects and builders were generally to take pictures of their models with large format camera
Large format refers to any imaging format of or larger. Large format is larger than "medium format", the or size of Hasselblad, Mamiya, Rollei, Kowa, and Pentax cameras (using 120- and 220-roll film), and much larger than the frame o ...
s and endoscopes. Short films were produced as video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
s or 16 mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
. The films were generally used on larger urban projects for public relations and public information. , only a few photo studios working with endoscope photography still exists.
Criticism
Van Treeck wrote about the fact that, with an endoscope, a model is photographed from normal eye level.
The sense of Relatoskopie lies in adjusting the view of the observer to the scale of the architecture model, and bring it inside the model at the usual human eye level. ... When comparing reality with simulation through a scale model reality, the credibility of Relatoskopie is proven. The transfer is not illusory, but it brings the essential information regarding the body of the building and its spatial organization forth.
The opponents of controversial construction projects were never convinced, and they criticize the method. Their main critique was that the pictures were photographed from an ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...
's perspective. The eye level of a person is approximately . In a 1:100 scale, the eye level of a pedestrian in a model is at and this level can be precisely maintained with an endoscope, which preferably has a diameter of .
Working with endoscopes
To achieve higher quality photographs or films, rigid endoscopes were more suitable because of the quality of the images. An example of this was the rod-lens endoscope invented by Harold Hopkins. The more flexible fiber-optic
An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...
endoscope, called fiberscope
A fiberscope is a flexible optical fiber bundle with an eyepiece on one end and a lens on the other that is used to examine and inspect small, difficult-to-reach places such as the insides of machines, locks, and the human body.
History
Guid ...
or flexoscope, made from bundled glass fibers do not produce the same quality pictures.
From the start, rigid endoscopes were used for direct viewing, photography, video and film in environmental simulation and for interior and exterior shots of models. Endoscopes used for industrial applications, called borescopes, were basically the same as those used in architecture. Specially developed borescopes were used temporarily in model visualization. Video and film needed strong light and lamps and spotlights with high wattages were required. In professional photo studios, powerful flash units were used. Light emitted from optical fiber systems, which was used in the medicine, was seldom used for architectural models.
The model simulation system presented by van Treek at trade fairs required the endoscope, connected to a video camera or a camera, to be mounted vertically above the model. This was necessary because the viewing angle of the optic was 90 degrees sideways. The system was complex and expensive. When used for photography, endoscopes with different viewing angles could be used, and because of this the camera did not have to be in a vertical position above the model.
Model visualization before and after 1995
Starting in the early 1960s, research has been done and published on the use of computers in architecture. Until 1995, visualization of a model as a computer image or a computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
was so complex and expensive that it was rarely an alternative to the less costly endoscope photography or short film. Exceptions were made for prestigious projects, such as in 1984, when a computer model was made of the glass pyramid for the modernization of the Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
by architect Ieoh Ming Pei
Ieoh Ming Pei
– website of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ( ; ; April 26, 1917 – May 16, 2019) was ...
.
At move of the Tampere School of Architecture in 1995, the 20 year old "Urban Simulator" was replaced by a modern endoscope system. The latest endoscopes, components and computers were installed for camera control, image processing, and modern computing methods. The new laboratory was presented at the 1997 Conference of EAEA at the Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...
, Netherlands. , endoscope technology for visualization of architectural models is only offered at a few universities in the context of education and research. This is now done parallel with architectural animation
Architectural animation is a short architectural movie created on a computer. A computer-generated building is created along with landscaping and sometimes moving people and vehicles. Unlike an architectural rendering, which is a single image from ...
2D, 3D and VR simulation.
The development of technology in computers, lighting, software, wireless data transmission, CCD-Sensors, Videoendoscope and more, was so rapid in the decades following 1995, that an architecture student in the 2010s can barely imagine how laborious model simulation and visualization was earlier. The development of endoscopes also benefited from the new technology during those years. An example of this development is the Urban Simulation Laboratory at the Polytechnic University of Milan
The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students.
The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design.
Founded in 186 ...
, (DIAP), which was founded in 2007. At the EAEA Conference in Milan in 2013, a demonstration was made of a mini car with a micro-camera that could go into a model street, wide, to record a video from the eye-level perspective in the car. The images were transmitted directly to a screen. The mini car was moved by hand through the city model. The earlier elaborate technical design for video recording was no longer necessary.
Genuine models that can be touched and examined from all angles, will continue to be built. They will be made for education and to meet clients demands as well as for presentation of projects at international property and investment trade fairs in Europe and worldwide. There are still models that can be viewed from a bird's-eye view in exhibition halls, such as the Expo Real, Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
or the MIPIM
MIPIM (in French, Le Marché International des Professionnels de L’immobilier) is an international property event hosted in Cannes, France, each March. It is hosted by Reed MIDEM and includes an exhibition area, networking events and conference ...
in Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès (''Palace of Festivals and Conferences'') is a convention centre in Cannes, France, the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the NRJ Music Award. Th ...
, Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
, France.MIPIM, Cannes
/ref>
Renaissance of endoscopy
At the EAEA Conference 1993 in Tampere Bob Martens said: "A renaissance of endoscopy could thus be envisaged at least for still pictures". He also worked with 3D computer simulation but said that endoscopy continues to have advantages in the training of students: "Endoscopy is not overloaded with theory; Students can tackle the subject in a playful manner ".
He could not foresee the technical development plus the cost reduction in the decades following his presentation. In the summer of 2015, two of the largest retail chains in Germany sold videoscope cameras for €60 as "men's toys". At the present, it is even possible for students to create their own video with endoscopes to visualize their models for a presentation at the end of the semester. Rigid endoscopes and related photographic equipment have also become affordable. The reduction of costs for the use of endoscopes supports the thesis of Bob Martens, that it may 'come to a' 'Renaissance of endoscopy'.
Reception
Martin Schulz van Treeck's idea in 1954, was about the eye-level perspective of the pedestrian and the need to convey the concept of the design to clients and the citizens. At the time, an endoscope was the only tool available to photograph and film architectural models from this perspective. The digital revolution was in its infancy and had not yet developed tools ( hardware and software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...
) sufficiently to realize his idea. Since then, decades have passed and with computers the eye-level perspective of a pedestrian can be visualized as a photo or a movie without difficulty. The endoscope of yesteryear has been supplemented in the digital age by new technologies, establishing van Treek's idea to present designs from the perspective of pedestrians.
See also
* Architectural design values
Architectural design values make up an important part of what influences architects and designers when they make their design decisions. However, architects and designers are not always influenced by the same values and intentions. Value and intent ...
* Architectural model
An architectural model is a type of scale model made to study aspects of an architectural design or to communicate design intent. They can be made from a variety of materials such as paper, plaster, plastic, resin, wood, glass and metal. They ...
* Bigatures
* Urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Eugenio Morello, Barbara E. A. Piga: ''EAEA11 2013. Envisioning Architecture: Design, Evaluation, Communication''; Kindle Edition, ''Eaea 11 2013'', Edizioni Nuova Cultura, Rom, 2013.
*
* ''Modellfotografie: Mit dem Endoskop ins Reich der Miniwelt.'' In: '' P.M. Magazin'', Nr. 11 (1978), p. 11.
* Volker Wachs: ''Die andere Perspektive.'' In: ''Color Foto'', Januar 1980, pp. 135–141.
* Jürgen G. Gumprich: ''Alex Kempkens, Endographie.'' In: ''ProfiFOTO'', Nr. 4 (1981), pp. 36–41.
* {{cite book, url=http://info.tuwien.ac.at/raumsim/IRIS-ISIS/publikationen/IRIS_ISIS_Vol1.pdf, editor-first=Bob , editor-last=Martens, title=The Future of Endoscopy. Proceedings of the 2nd European Architectural Endoscopy Association Conference in Vienna, 1995, edition=IRIS-ISIS-Publications at ÖKK-Editions, volume=1, publisher=Österreichischer Kunst- und Kulturverlag, location=Vienna, date=1996, isbn=3-85437-114-4
* Jack Breen: Learning from the (in)visible city, Design media experiments in an educational setting, in: The Architectural Annual 1996–1997, Delft University of Technology, 010 publishers, Rotterdam, 1998.
* Ryuzo Ohno, Hirofumi Aoki, Hrsg.: A Visual Simulation by Real-Time CG Overlaid on the Video Image of a Scale Model, Proceedings of 4th Conference of the European Architectural Endoscopy Association, pp. 36–49, 2001.
* Martens, B. and Keul A. G. Hrsg.: Designing Social Innovation: Planning, Building, Evaluation, Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Cambridge, 2005, pp. 223–230.
* S.M. Arisona, G. Aschwanden, J. Halatsh, and P. Wonka Hrsg.: Digital Urban Modeling and Simulation, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2012, pp. 339–246.
Architectural design
Architectural communication
Urban planning
Endoscopy