Rethinking space + place: negotiating a social realm between mobile technology and architecture

The thesis examines the relationship between mobile technology and architecture, and argues that architecture can better address the proliferation of mobile and communication technology through its social and perceptual implications. The thesis examines changing social conditions and spatial perception, through an investigation of our sense of space and place, and confirms the need to revisit the role of architecture in the physical public realm. Through observation and analysis in the underground PATH network in Toronto, the thesis tests these social and perceptual implications against real experiences, and establishes a role in which architecture can take part in rethinking space in the public realm. Through the design of a prototypical environment in Nathan Phillips Square, the thesis demonstrates that architecture, negotiating between direct, mediated, and virtual experiences, is capable of generating an augmented environment that enhances social engagement and encounters, making public space into places of public social encounters.