Activating Publicness through Spatial Design: A Comparative Case Study of Stony Island Arts Bank (Chicago, US) and Zuid. Boijmans van Beuningen (Rotterdam, NL).

Due to the scale and cost of public space, research about their design is often "a posteriori": once they are built by either reflecting or observing. However, there is enormous potential in experimenting with how spatial interventions affect public space's qualities. My research approaches public space design through small spatial experiments attempting to answer research questions born from theoretical studies. Turning theoretical gaps into design hypotheses to be tested in real-life experiments or as speculative investigations. These design hypotheses make analytical assumptions explicit through concrete design decisions like form, representation, colour or material. By conceiving and reflecting on design strategies, this research aims to test how design interventions in public space can alter spatial publicness, increase social interaction and broaden public life.

The current doctoral research draws upon a diverse toolkit: reading, drawing, observing, analyzing, (co-)designing and prototyping. These tools are intertwined with the architectural design practice’s tools and methods. A relevant aspect of this research is observation done through an ethnographic approach. The observation of the user’s interaction with the spaces either confirms or denies the research hypothesis. Finally, the reflection phase through verbal or graphical techniques either accepts or refutes the design-research hypothesis and offers possibilities for iteration and further research.