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BSc (Architecture), Harbin University of Science and Technology, China MSc (Architecture), University of Liverpool, UK PhD (Architecture), Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Biography:
Kuangfan Chen was a PhD Candidate at the Queensland University of Technology, School of Design. He got a bachelor’s degree of architecture at Harbin University of Science and Technology, and a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Liverpool, UK. Before starting academic research, he had two years of architectural design and urban planning experience in China. What he is engaged in is the research on the direction of the formation of urban social space by digital technology. The research focus is on bringing the pleasure concepts of digital applications in the interactive field and game design fields into the research of future public space design. His research is grounding on architectural phenomenography, typo-morphology, motivation, and pleasure theories, and toward a model for the future playable digital intervention design in public space.
PhD Thetis Title:
Playable Digital Intervention in Public Spaces: Opportunities for Engaging Young Office Workers with Public Space
PhD Research Summary:
With the continuous advancement of digital technology, people’s relationship with public space has substantially changed; the digital space created by digital technology has higher plasticity than physical space and activities within the public sphere have gradually shifted to the private sphere. Public space was traditionally an environment of playful social interactions; it hosted a series of ludic activities that traditionally had a positive impact on people’s health and the overall sense of place of a community. Starting from a reflection on playful cities, this research project explored how Playable Digital Intervention in Public Space (PDIPS) can be used to engage young office workers in public spaces in Guiyang, China. Pleasure theory and place theory are deployed as theoretical frameworks to interpret the value of playable innovative social engagement in public space.