Researchs On The Information Dissemination Of Contemporary Building Surface

The surface design of contemporary architecture is different from any time in the past, on which more attention are also paid than ever before. The surface is the direct interface between the building and outer space, and its emerged images and forms. It is not only the material carrier of buildings, but also their spirit carrier; the surface research should not only be limited to the formal aesthetics design, but the materials and technologies should also be concerned, emphasizing the emotional dialogue between man and buildings; it is not pivotal for the formation of architectural spaces, but also the key to the carrier and expression of architectural significance.From the perspective of communication, researching the building surface means that the research objects are the complete design activities, not limited to one link in the chain. More attention are paid to the dissemination effects of information from the building surfaces, the psychological impacts to the public from the building surfaces, and the interactions between the building surfaces and social developments. The incessant advance on building surfaces is accompanied by the continuous development of technology and a wide variety of complex social factors. The information of building surfaces is spread by three processes, which are the "ontology construction - media transmission - the audience awareness " .The first process is the ontology construction. The ontic needs of building surface information come from the building itself, which means the building is the main information dissemination of surfaces. The surfaces are the interface separating the inside and outside spaces of the buildings, which could help or block to exchange the information between the internal and external environment of the buildings. The building surfaces are carrying plentiful visual information; while they are taking charge with functional requirements of building consists. Moreover, the surfaces are the processes which are met by building envelope functions, performed by architectural forms, molded by spatial units. The varied information of surfaces is built on the basis that these basic needs are satisfied. They are the sources of information, and the basis of information dissemination.The second process is the media transmission. Medium impress information by the symbols that they bear. Materials, structures and constructions are the material compositions of the surfaces, which all have their own media performance. The ideas of designers are expressed in the abstract way by the materials, textures, structures and other physical elements of buildings. The different media would carry different information. Hence, the way in which the architect select the combinations of materials, actions of structures, and expressions of constructions, is the choice of information and the method that convey it. This is a process of encoding information, which could directly affect information dissemination.The third process is the audience awareness. The purpose of communication is to resonate with the audience. The psychological needs of the audiences to the building surfaces are hierarchical, in a progressive way of the environmental information, cultural information and social information. Awareness on environmental information is mainly in the perception of the sentience, that is the surface reflects the main elements of the environment and then converses them into cognitive surface information; the cultural information come from the audience's understanding of local culture and their own cultural heritage, through individual understanding, resulting a cognitive association; the social information is a broader range of concepts, and the social information carried by surfaces is gradually being perceived, during the process of constantly feeling the city life and experiencing the social activities, which is a information constituting characteristics of the times. This is a process of decoding information, impacted by both subjective and objective.As a social field communication activity, architecture surface design is different from the dissemination of simple technologies, and it is not simply related to the technology improvement and transformation, but also impacted by the social influences, which is a construction activity taking placing in the social environment. The process of information dissemination is studied in this paper, exploring the contemporary architectural surface information dissemination mechanism, and summarizing the corresponding building surface design strategies and methods. Through the building surface design, technological progress and social concepts are hoped to be promoted in their positive direction.