The Mediated Constructions Lab studies how designed things intercede, interpose, and negotiate within social realities. Buildings, products, furniture, technologies, and infrastructure are material outcomes of complex social practices; these same things go on to impact what people do in their everyday lives, how groups and institutions operate, and how politics and participation unfold in the public realm.
Our lab adopts a wide range of methods to address questions about the things people do in relation to designed objects. For example, we ask questions such as:
- How is social media culture implicated in changing cities through emphasising the design of ‘Instagrammable’ buildings? And, what are the implications for public space and the profession of architecture?
- How does architecture support small towns, regional places, and remote communities transitioning away from extractive economies?
- How do the visual practices of architects and photographers construct visions of places before they are built? And, how do corporations, institutions, and governments use these imaginaries to promote and construct our future cities?
- How do architects, communities, and organisations best come together to understand local needs, overcome barriers, and create new ways of working?
In addition, MC lab offers expertise in pre- and post-occupancy evaluation, participatory design, and cogeneration.