SynaptiCity: The Power of Weakness in the Construction of Place

This research studies affect in the experience of space to identify the architectural qualities that contribute most to place attachment. The research combines insights from architecture, phenomenology, environmental psychology, and neuroscience in order to investigate the processes associated with the perception and encoding of spatial cues that induce place attachment and enhanced use of public space.

The analysis is based in the study of a site-specific architectural intervention in a public space in Hong Kong and some other cases from Taipei and Macau. In loco behavioral observations were conducted to assess movement patterns, and physical and social interactions with the object. Interviews were performed to assess attention and affect.