Forensic Architecture – Towards a Spatial Take on Justice

• by Mehar
• April 23, 2022

A critical component of the justice system, “Forensics” refers to the study and application of scientific techniques for investigating criminal activities and establishing their related facts. Its synergy with the discipline of architecture buttresses the process of deciphering the reality behind the felony-related events by exercising appropriate architectural tools and mechanisms. 

What is Forensic Architecture?

Forensic Architecture is a research and spatial investigation agency located at Goldsmiths, University of London, whose operations are based on the concept of amalgamation of architecture techniques and investigation to obtain accurate evidence for the crimes and wars, and to further present them in the courtrooms, exhibitions, international media, and in parliamentary inquiries.

The interdisciplinary group which was established in 2010 by a British-Israeli architect named Eyal Weizman, comprises a motley of professionals such as journalists, lawyers, artists, architects, and engineers, and aims to build an advanced sub-disciple of architecture. They conduct the examination of corporate & state violence, environmental devastation, and human rights violation without harming the human rights established by law. 

Forensic Architecture – Modus Operandi

Eyal Weizman has been a forerunner for the past 12 years in exposing unlawful acts; he works with lawyers and NGOs to uncurtain the veracity of the suspicious stories that are shared by the police officers, corporations, and military organizations. Their investigation utilizes different means and resources to realign or recondition a hybrid of virtual and physical space.

“Forensic architecture is a framework of intelligence that offers a unique perspective on politics and history, helping us to interpret the world through spatial materialization.”- Eyal Weizman.

The Forensic Architecture team employs different architectural models, advanced analysis, and 3D animations in the form of investigation tools. In a world where we perceive the truth firsthand from the images and videos we see, they try to expose the hidden side of them by synchronizing their collected data, followed by the creation of a narrative.

Their work requires monitoring, surveillance, and data collection to unveil the things that the high power authorities might stifle. They carry out detailed examinations of the bomb clouds, gun firing, and leftovers found at the place of conflicts (such as debris material) with the succor of computer and animation software. The various pieces of information are then stitched together to arrive at a germane and unbiased conclusion.

Unraveling the Truth – Case Studies

Case Study 1 – The Gaza War, 2014

In 2014, Amnesty International Organisation granted permission to Forensic Architecture to investigate the Gaza-Israel Conflict war, also known as Operation Protective. However, they were barred from entering the Gaza region, hence the investigation had to rely entirely upon the images and videos that they sourced from people online. Nonetheless, the accumulated data (images and videos like civilians running, shooting bomb clouds, and firing guns) wasn’t precise as social media often removes the original metadata as well as time and location.

To comprehend when those images were taken, they had to find ways to search the physical clock within those pictures. One of the techniques their art historians used to establish the time & location of the images was meteorology; using satellites they mapped the bomb clouds and synchronized elements of those images and videos, then found the locations & dimensions and created timelines to know what was happening on that day to the civilians on the ground.

While synchronization was done manually in the yesteryears, at present they avail machine learning and artificial intelligence to accelerate the work which also demands the human dimension.

Satellite images work as a baseline; after that comes verification of the exact location within 3D models; by closely observing the bomb dropping on the ground, even how it splits into two parts before hitting any building, they get all the details.

Forensic architecture can be regarded as the pathology of buildings, for the simple reason that wars mostly happen in urban areas where buildings are targeted. Analyzing those structures becomes helpful for them but requires the intervention of archaeologists and advanced architectural techniques.

Case Study 2 – The Seydnaya Prison

Sometimes Forensic Architecture is not able to curate images, for instance, in the case of Seydnaya Military Prison-one of the world’s most notorious detention centers where different human rights groups were confirmed to death, executed, and tortured. Because no reporting organizations and journalism were allowed inside the prison premises, in 2016 Amnesty International & Forensic Architecture journeyed to Istanbul to meet the Seydnaya prisoners in the search of the truth behind the prison that operates as a black site in Syria.

With the aid of forensic psychologists and acoustic engineers, Forensic Architecture worked with the memories of survivors to understand what was happening inside the prison. They reconstructed the penitentiary into a 3D environment/model according to what the survivors delineated in interviews (like corridors, windows, doors, walls, and other areas) to them which is called ‘situated testimony’ since most prisoners were left blindfolded and they hadn’t seen the prison.

This 3D architecture model of prison was fabricated for sound and memory. Forensic Architecture uploaded it online in a kind of an interactive environment where people could experience some of those testimonies, through which viewers could even navigate, listen to the sounds, and enter the cells.

In 2016 Amnesty International appealed to US and Russia to use their worldwide approachability to ensure that independent monitors are permitted in Syria’s torture prison.

Investigating with a Spatial Bend

Forensic Architecture investigates cases that envelop violations of human rights, contemporary conflicts, and environmental issues, such as those discussed above. The annexure of the architectural dimension acts as a pillar for probing these cases since most of them are complex, and oftentimes forming a precise perception of the related events and their specific timings can be time-consuming and arduous. The coalescence of the divergent fields- Forensics and Architecture reinforce their mutual fundamental objective of making the society a better place for the inhabitants.  

A critical component of the justice system, “Forensics” refers to the study and application of scientific techniques for investigating criminal activities and establishing their related facts. Its synergy with the discipline of architecture buttresses the process of deciphering the reality behind the felony-related events by exercising appropriate architectural tools and mechanisms…..