The Art of Connectivity
Urban culture has entered a digital age where technology allows us to live, barely setting foot outside. People can now work, shop and order groceries to be delivered to their homes without having to engage with another person face to face. This technology is constantly creating reminders of how “connected” we are without us realising “when we open our computers it’s our doors we shut” (Gary Turk, 2014). People are becoming too consumed in online life and connections being made through “online communities”, without realising the physical community in which we live in is becoming increasingly non-existent.
Looking to new ideas regarding the boundaries between urban and interior spaces, this research explores how applying interior strategies to an urban context, through the use of abstract design thinking can offer more opportunities for creative design decisions. The research focuses on Nelson City, exploring how an architectural intervention will attract people back into the city’s CBD, encouraging a sense of community to be reinstalled.
Design led research is applied to explore how an architectural intervention may be used to revitalise a sense of community within Nelson City. This research has a strong focus on thecreative exploration of the design process, differing from traditional cases where the end product is often decided upon in the beginning of the project and design work applied from there.
The idea of physical disconnection due to increased online connection is a growing problem in today’s urban society. Dynamic and relevant public space within cities is what keeps physical communities alive. It is important that designers explore new techniques for revitalising city centres to ensure physicalconnection is not completely lost in today’s prevailing digital world.