Location, location, location. That could be the motto for the AIA’s new partnership with Broadcastr, a new social-media application that pins multimedia content to buildings.
The partnership will extend the AIA's social-media reach by inviting people to use iPhone or Android handhelds to record audio content through Broadcastr and pin it to specific places—for example, buildings. The AIA, which is rolling out the initiative in New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., envisions architects and users recording short bits about the buildings they design and encounter.
“People are hungry to learn more about the buildings they encounter. Who made them? Why are they sited or configured in a particular way?” said AIA executive vice president Bob Ivy, FAIA. “With Broadcastr, they can learn the history and reasoning behind a building's design, often accompanied by the original architect's own insights. Individual buildings can come to life when aided by the Broadcastr experience.”
The AIA’s Broadcastr page features information about the audio interviews, tours, and high-resolution photos that users can stream from a building to their phones. While the AIA is focusing on seeding three major cities with Broadcastr content currently, the organization will expand the tour in time.
“This partnership is especially unique in that it promotes AIA’s utilization of innovative technologies,” said Kevin Novak, vice president of integrated web strategy and technology for the AIA. “This may be the start of other AIA initiatives involving interactive multimedia companies. Technology has changed the landscape of many professions for the better, and it will do the same for architecture.”
