Built Space
Posts about observations of built spaces
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Explosive (Information) Design
When I think about design, I typically describe a process of creation. But a method of destruction is just as interesting a topic. Here was my inspiration: the planned implosion of Scott Towers on January 19, 2014: Even if we learn nothing from this article, that video was worth the 39 seconds it took to…
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Revolving Doors
Revolving doors have been a design fascination of mine for a while, because I think they are fun. If given the option, I always choose the revolving door. Being trapped momentarily in a tiny glass walled aquarium – what could be more fun? Apparently this puts me in the minority of Americans, although I had…
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Experiencing Space and Place: Washington National Cathedral at #NCA13
Upon arriving at Washington National Cathedral for an on site panel discussion, I was most excited to see the Space window. The stained glass window honors the Apollo 11 moon landing and bears a moon rock embedded in the design. What I didn’t expect was to experience the cathedral through a variety of sensory approaches.…
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Proxemics and Park Benches
A leisurely stroll down a city street. An open space emerges in the streetscape. A quick glance into the plaza reveals grass, rocks, trees, benches. A decision awaits. Do I keep walking? Do I sit? The nature of objects in public spaces can dictate (or at least influence) the choices that we make. Adherents to…
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Digital Cities: Urban community development through information design
I was privileged to present a paper – “Digital Cities: Urban community development through information design” – at the annual conference of the National Communication Association in Orlando, Florida. The paper is an extension of my work on space, technology, and user-experience. The theoretical argument sits at the intersection of information design, city planning, and…
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Space Invaders, episode one
As a child in the American south in the 1980’s, secondhand smoke was part of growing up. It was in the house, the car, on school playgrounds, at every restaurant and shopping mall. On trips, my brothers and I observed miles of tobacco fields from the car windows. I’ve never smoked a day in my…
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Navigating the campus with new eyes
Students in my communication seminar on proxemics in the Knight School conducted a wheelchair accessibility audit of campus. The audit helped students to better understand how people different from themselves understand and use built space. The following story was featured on the Queens University of Charlotte website about the project: Navigating the campus with new eyes…
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Mapping Innovation: a discussion with digital entrepreneur Nick Such
When was the last time you got lost? Self-proclaimed “indoor map nerd” Nick Such wants to come to the rescue. “People getting lost in buildings is a problem we can solve,” says Such, CEO of BuildingLayer and founder of Awesome Inc. As CEO of BuildingLayer, much of his current work focuses on indoor mapping of built spaces.…
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Giant Ledge in Big Indian, NY
Last year in a graduate seminar, I made the claim that all experiences of space and place are designed for us. One student in the seminar rolled her eyes and, face aghast, said, “I don’t believe that.” As I pressed her on the issue, she relayed a story of a hike she took through the…
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I took my graduate students to Walmart. Don’t judge.
Everytime I write an paper about user-experience design, I try to illuminate the main concept by comparing Ikea and Walmart. So, it made sense to me that instead of talking about this comparison in my graduate course in “Space, Technology & User Experience,” I would utilize the actual spaces to make the comparison for me. My…
J.A.McArthur 