Architecture has the power to divide. It separates the interior from the exterior, it can dictate user groups and therefore socially stratify, it delineates between rooms and functions, and it also causes an emotive response which divides based on subjectivity. But, what if it encouraged congregation? What if it responded to it? These questions serve as the initial pursuits into the investigation of an architectural intervention which is dependant on social stimulation. An undulating plane that changes its shape based on user interaction (both in terms of interaction with the surface, but also with one another), encouraging or discouraging congregation throughout its entirety. The plane can operate as a surface in-itself, but also has the ability to stretch and be manipulated to create space underneath. Changing the traditional relationship between the fundamental architectural elements; floor quickly becomes wall, which transitions seamlessly into roof.

 

The purpose of this research is to understand the true potential architecture has in integrating with its public context, beyond its physical relationship to the street. This research will put the prospective user at the forefront, allowing an individual to take ownership of their space in the most literal way. Moveable ‘columns’ arrayed in a uniform grid will be remotely controlled by potential users. The spatial configuration of the space will therefore be dependant on an individual’s needs or desires. The role of the designer is therefore to configure a framework or system that is reconfigurable, creating thousands of possible formal arrangements. The goal is to create a truly public space, one where activity influences the form