Cyrus Peñarroyo believes digital media is a tool that can stoke the imagination.
Last November, Peñarroyo, assistant professor of architecture at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, introduced Holding Pattern, an interactive board game that uses augmented reality to teach players about urban redevelopment.
The game was co-created with De Peter Yi, a former U-M research fellow and current assistant professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati. The project was partially funded by U-M’s Taubman Visualization Lab, or TVLab.
The physical game board is made up of tiles that represent existing vacant buildings in Cincinnati, and players must work through the process of redeveloping those vacant structures. Each participant can take on a different role, such as developer or city agency representative, as they navigate the four phases of a building-reuse process: acquired ownership, determining the use of the building, securing financing and completing construction.
The idea for the game was born from another workshop hosted in 2023 in Detroit. That event, “Build a Chair = Reframe a House,” was developed by Peñarroyo, Yi and Laura Marie Peterson, a lecturer at Taubman. Its purpose was to connect new homeowners renovating Detroit Land Bank Authority houses with local resources — as well as educate them on the fundamentals of framing a house by showing them how to build a custom chair.
Peñarroyo created an augmented reality experience for the workshop that helped facilitate conversations with participants about how their DLBA house is intertwined with other complex systems.
The workshop was so well received, Peñarroyo and Yi began brainstorming other ways to combine learning opportunities with interactive experiences.
Their goal, Peñarroyo said, was to create “formats that allowed architects to better engage communities and invite more people into the design process.”
Shortly thereafter, Yi moved to the University of Cincinnati, where he began learning about the city’s vacant building reuse ecosystem. He mentioned to Peñarroyo that there was an information gap on how to redevelop these vacant urban structures.
“As we reflected on what worked well with the Detroit workshop, we arrived at the idea of creating a board game,” Peñarroyo said. “We wanted to design something that would teach participants about the process of vacant building reuse, what steps precede the renovation, and key decisions that impact your ability to acquire or occupy a vacant building.”
In addition to funding from University of Cincinnati, they applied for a grant from the TVLab, which allowed them to use the lab’s digital tools for the game. The funding also enabled Peñarroyo to hire a research assistant, Xuanshu Lin.
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The augmented reality piece Peñarroyo created for Holding Pattern brings the buildings in the game together into one shared plane, so transformations can be seen happening as players complete each phase.
“We determined that adding a digital component to Holding Pattern could really expand people’s imagination,” Peñarroyo said. “We also thought it would help people recognize how these disparate structures are actually all part of a larger ecosystem.”
The game’s launch was staged inside a building that was under construction in Cincinnati, and the attendees were leaders of various organizations involved in vacant building acquisition and reuse in the city.
“In piloting the game with these organization leaders, the hope was that we might next find ways to stage the game within their communities. A few of them have already expressed interest in wanting us to do that,” Peñarroyo said.
Next up for Peñarroyo and Yi is a presentation at the Ohio Land Bank conference in April, where they hope to drum up more interest in Holding Pattern. At present, the game is only available to play as part of a demonstration; there is no commercial version of it currently in development.
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Peñarroyo is also at work on a project for EXTENTS, a research and design practice he founded with McLain Clutter, an associate professor of architecture at Taubman. EXTENTS won a design competition last year with a proposal to reimagine the social spaces of “early” internet cafés for “a present moment when digital media habits have led to increased isolation,” said Peñarroyo.
He and Clutter are in the process of designing and building the café with a mix of material systems, and the finished project will be unveiled at an exhibition in Bologna next fall.
Q&A
What memorable moment in the workplace stands out?
It’s hard to name one specific moment, so maybe I’ll highlight the many moments I’ve shared with my colleague McLain (Clutter), working on various memorable design projects. I appreciate our conversations and opportunities to consider complex issues through the medium of architecture.
What can’t you live without?
Wired headphones.
What inspires you?
There are many things I find inspiring. For instance, I’m inspired by my parents who overcame lots of challenges when they immigrated to the United States decades ago. It takes immense strength and courage to make such a move, leaving behind everything you know, only to arrive at a new place where you must constantly prove your worth.
Name your favorite spot on campus.
The Power Center for the Performing Arts. I’ve seen some great shows and productions there.
What are you currently reading?
A novel called “Napalm in the Heart” by Pol Guasch.
Who had the greatest influence on your career path?
The person who had the greatest influence on my career path is Paul Lewis, my former grad school professor and employer at LTL Architects. He’s always been very supportive, and I appreciate his ability to move between teaching and professional practice.
