This conceptual project explores identity and how it is related to and defined by places. Its starting point is that architecture is more than a built environment, and has meaning as part of our culture, how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us (Vangelatos, 2019).

‘Architectural space’ exists beyond buildings, structures, and materials, encompassing the physical and conceptual realms where human experience unfolds, shaping our interactions, experiences, emotions, and perceptions (Harrouk, 2020; Shields, 2023).

The architectural spaces we inhabit; our homes, places of work, schools, etc., have a crucial influence on our lives and our personal identities.

Building on this literature, and using an exploratory and autoethnographic methodology, the project explored the intersections between architectural spaces and personal identity. Auto-ethnography is a relatively new but increasingly popular method in design, which situates the designer in the research, not outside it, and asks the researcher/designer to interrogate themself and their position in the world first (Fuller, 2022). This process involved using photographs, conversations, and explorations about key moments in my life and the spaces where they occurred, to understand my shifting personal identity and how it has changed across different spaces. Alongside this, research was conducted to identify key factors that contribute to the interaction between architectural spaces and individual identity including liminality, identity, perception, and memory.

The outcome I produced is an interactive 3D space. My key objectives were; to determine whether personal identity can be explored through an interactive 3D digital architectural space, and to consider how spatial design can enhances deeper connections between individuals and their surroundings. The user navigates through a set of scenes based on formative experiences, places, people, and cultural traditions in my life, experiencing each scene visually and through embedded sounds. Each scene explores how spatial design can enhance connections between individuals and their surroundings, and the different ways spatial design techniques, including audio, can contribute to emotional/affective experiences, memory, and self-identity.  A host space serves as a virtual home between each scene. It is conceived and designed as a liminal threshold space, where users can return for contemplation of (my) identity, and to encourage further reflection.

The project shows the value of interactive, immersive virtual/digital spaces, to create an experience that provokes memories, connections, and multisensory perceptions about architectural space. It highlights the importance of architecture visualizations such as sound, movement, lighting, detail and interaction for creating a realistic embodied experience. It shows that telling stories through different lenses, including autobiographic ones, can be an effective way to gain a deeper understanding and meaning of a place, which in turn, may allow for creating meaningful connections.

While this is a conceptual project seeking to explore possibilities, it will have value for users interested in conceptual and methodological  understandings of architectural space. The interactive world I developed will appeal to users and developers of  interactive and virtual spaces and experiences such as video games web developers, advertisers using digital worlds, and designers developing interactive experiences for clients.

‍

This conceptual project explores identity and how it is related to and defined by places. Its starting point is that architecture is more than a built environment, and has meaning as part of our culture, how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us (Vangelatos, 2019).

‘Architectural space’ exists beyond buildings, structures, and materials, encompassing the physical and conceptual realms where human experience unfolds, shaping our interactions, experiences, emotions, and perceptions (Harrouk, 2020; Shields, 2023).

The architectural spaces we inhabit; our homes, places of work, schools, etc., have a crucial influence on our lives and our personal identities.

Building on this literature, and using an exploratory and autoethnographic methodology, the project explored the intersections between architectural spaces and personal identity. Auto-ethnography is a relatively new but increasingly popular method in design, which situates the designer in the research, not outside it, and asks the researcher/designer to interrogate themself and their position in the world first (Fuller, 2022). This process involved using photographs, conversations, and explorations about key moments in my life and the spaces where they occurred, to understand my shifting personal identity and how it has changed across different spaces. Alongside this, research was conducted to identify key factors that contribute to the interaction between architectural spaces and individual identity including liminality, identity, perception, and memory.

The outcome I produced is an interactive 3D space. My key objectives were; to determine whether personal identity can be explored through an interactive 3D digital architectural space, and to consider how spatial design can enhances deeper connections between individuals and their surroundings. The user navigates through a set of scenes based on formative experiences, places, people, and cultural traditions in my life, experiencing each scene visually and through embedded sounds. Each scene explores how spatial design can enhance connections between individuals and their surroundings, and the different ways spatial design techniques, including audio, can contribute to emotional/affective experiences, memory, and self-identity.  A host space serves as a virtual home between each scene. It is conceived and designed as a liminal threshold space, where users can return for contemplation of (my) identity, and to encourage further reflection.

The project shows the value of interactive, immersive virtual/digital spaces, to create an experience that provokes memories, connections, and multisensory perceptions about architectural space. It highlights the importance of architecture visualizations such as sound, movement, lighting, detail and interaction for creating a realistic embodied experience. It shows that telling stories through different lenses, including autobiographic ones, can be an effective way to gain a deeper understanding and meaning of a place, which in turn, may allow for creating meaningful connections.

While this is a conceptual project seeking to explore possibilities, it will have value for users interested in conceptual and methodological  understandings of architectural space. The interactive world I developed will appeal to users and developers of  interactive and virtual spaces and experiences such as video games web developers, advertisers using digital worlds, and designers developing interactive experiences for clients.

‍

This conceptual project explores identity and how it is related to and defined by places. Its starting point is that architecture is more than a built environment, and has meaning as part of our culture, how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us (Vangelatos, 2019).

‘Architectural space’ exists beyond buildings, structures, and materials, encompassing the physical and conceptual realms where human experience unfolds, shaping our interactions, experiences, emotions, and perceptions (Harrouk, 2020; Shields, 2023).

The architectural spaces we inhabit; our homes, places of work, schools, etc., have a crucial influence on our lives and our personal identities.

Building on this literature, and using an exploratory and autoethnographic methodology, the project explored the intersections between architectural spaces and personal identity. Auto-ethnography is a relatively new but increasingly popular method in design, which situates the designer in the research, not outside it, and asks the researcher/designer to interrogate themself and their position in the world first (Fuller, 2022). This process involved using photographs, conversations, and explorations about key moments in my life and the spaces where they occurred, to understand my shifting personal identity and how it has changed across different spaces. Alongside this, research was conducted to identify key factors that contribute to the interaction between architectural spaces and individual identity including liminality, identity, perception, and memory.

The outcome I produced is an interactive 3D space. My key objectives were; to determine whether personal identity can be explored through an interactive 3D digital architectural space, and to consider how spatial design can enhances deeper connections between individuals and their surroundings. The user navigates through a set of scenes based on formative experiences, places, people, and cultural traditions in my life, experiencing each scene visually and through embedded sounds. Each scene explores how spatial design can enhance connections between individuals and their surroundings, and the different ways spatial design techniques, including audio, can contribute to emotional/affective experiences, memory, and self-identity.  A host space serves as a virtual home between each scene. It is conceived and designed as a liminal threshold space, where users can return for contemplation of (my) identity, and to encourage further reflection.

The project shows the value of interactive, immersive virtual/digital spaces, to create an experience that provokes memories, connections, and multisensory perceptions about architectural space. It highlights the importance of architecture visualizations such as sound, movement, lighting, detail and interaction for creating a realistic embodied experience. It shows that telling stories through different lenses, including autobiographic ones, can be an effective way to gain a deeper understanding and meaning of a place, which in turn, may allow for creating meaningful connections.

While this is a conceptual project seeking to explore possibilities, it will have value for users interested in conceptual and methodological  understandings of architectural space. The interactive world I developed will appeal to users and developers of  interactive and virtual spaces and experiences such as video games web developers, advertisers using digital worlds, and designers developing interactive experiences for clients.

‍