Möten i stadsrummet är ett examensarbete i informationsdesign med inriktning mot rumslig gestaltning. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur det går att bidra till att en outnyttjad plats i stadsrummet kommer till användning, samt vilka kriterier som bör eftersträvas för att möjliggöra en trevlig vistelse på platsen. Mina studier utgår från Stockholms stadsbiblioteks terrasser som på grund av dess utformning och avsaknad av funktion ofta står tomma och outnyttjade. Arbetet syftar till att generera ett designförslag som understödjer ett ökat flöde av människor till terrasserna samt får besökarna att vilja stanna. Målet är att fler besökare ska få ett större utbyte av stadsbibliotekets terrasser och att platsen ska komma till större användning. Genom rumsanalys, observationer, notationer av rörelsemönster, intervju och samtal har det framkommit att terrasserna är outnyttjade på grund av dess avsaknad av funktioner samt dess utformning. Genom teoretiska studier inom bland annat rumslighet, formelement, offentliga platser i stadsrummet och kognitionspsykologi framkom att val av formelement och placering av rumsliga element kan bidra till att människor väljer att vistas på terrasserna. Det i sin tur kan skapa förutsättning för ett ändrat rörelsemönster och ett ökat flöde till platsen. Ett gestaltningsförslag har tagits fram utifrån teori och empiri. Det syftar till att genom rundade och svängda former, ett tydligare och mer enhetligt formspråk, samt genom tydligare funktioner väcka besökarnas uppmärksamhet och bidra till ett ökat flöde till terrasserna. / Meetings in urban spaces is a thesis in information design with emphasis on spatial design. The aim of this thesis is to is to examine how poorly utilised spaces in urban environments can become more useful, as well as which criteria are required to enable a pleasant stay in these locations. The object of the study is the terrace outside Stockholm Public Library which, due to its current appearance and lack of function, most of the time is unused and deserted. The study’s aim is to generate a design proposal that encourages an increase in the flow of people to the terraces and that makes people want to spend more of their time there. The goal is to get more visitors to appreciate the terraces and utilise the space better. From the results of collected empirical data through spatial analysis, observations, notations of movement, interviews and discussions it has become clear that the reason for the terraces being unused is a lack of functionality and the spaces appearance. The conclusion of the theoretical and practical studies about spatiality, shape, urban public spaces and cognitive psychology etc., show that the choice of shape and placement of spatial elements can contribute to people choosing to linger on the library terraces. In its turn, this knowledge can create the right conditions for a changed pattern of movement and a greater flow of people to the location. A design proposal was created, based on theories and empirical data presented in the study. The aim design proposal is to show how it may be possible to draw visitors’ attention to the terraces and create a more natural flow there. This may be achieved by adding round shapes and curved lines, more variety in shape and proportion and by creating more obvious functions that meet visitors’ needs of activity and aesthetics. While this study is focused on the terraces of Stockholm Public Library it is my hope that these conclusions may also be applicable to similar environments in other location.

Nedskräpningen i parkmiljöer är ett ständigt ökande problem. Regeringen tillsammans med landets kommuner och organisationen Håll Sverige Rent har inte kunnat motverka människors sätt att inte ta ansvar för var de slänger sitt skräp. I detta examensarbete kommer nedskräpningsproblemet att studeras. Studien är en beskrivning av hur rumsliga element kan främja renhållning i parkmiljöer genom en ökad ansvarskänsla för naturen i parkmiljöer. Centrum för studien är Vasaparken i Västerås, som ger att starkt uttryck för problemet med nedskräpning. Som besökare under sommarhalvåret möts man av en tråkig syn där skräp oftast hittas på marken och inte i parkens tillgängliga papperskorgar. Informationen om att hålla parkmiljön ren är för nuvarande bristande, vilket leder till minskad trevnad på platsen. Genom att studera området Vasaparken hade jag som syfte att skapa mig en insikt i hur tydliggörande av information bör utformas för att genom detta inkludera besökare i renhållningen. Metoderna som använts för att undersöka problemet med nedskräpning i Vasaparken har varit kvalitativa observationer och intervjuer, samt omvärldsanalys. Resultatet av insamlat material visade att nedskräpningen i parken är ett stort problem och att besökare är mindre medvetna om deras ansvar att själva bidra till en trevligare parkmiljö. Slutsatsen från detta var att det var attityden till nedskräpning som var själva orsaken till varför besökare medvetet valde att slänga sitt skräp på marken. Genom att stödja mig i presenterad empiri och teori utvecklade jag därför en attityd-förändrande gestaltning som genom rumsliga element ska fungera exkluderande mot den negativa attityden till nedskräpning. Detta exkluderande av en attityd har sin funktion i att öka ansvarskänslan för naturen i parkmiljöer för att därmed inkludera besökare i renhållningen. Gestaltningen tar fasta på det underliggande problemet – attityden till nedskräpning, som genom ett tillskott av rumsliga element i miljön informerar besökaren om hur det vore om skräpet istället flyttade in till deras eget hem. På detta sätt uppnås en lika hög ansvarskänsla för parkmiljön som i besökarens eget hem – parken är ditt vardagsrum / Littering in parks is an ever increasing problem. The government together with the country´s municipalities and the organization Håll Sverige Rent have not been able to counteract the way people lack responsibility for where they throw their trash. In this thesis the litter problem will be studied. The study is a description of how spatial elements can promote sanitaion in parks by increasing visitors sense of responsibility for the surrounding environment. The center for the study is Vasaparken in Västerås,  giving a strong expression of the littering problem. As a visitor during the summer months, you see a disappointning sight where litter more often is found on the ground and not in the park´s  available bins. Information about keeping the park clean is currently inadequate, thus leading to a reduction in comfort at the site. By field studies in Vasaparken, my purpose was to create my insight into how a clarification of information should be embodied and as a result lead to an inclusion of the visitors in the sanitation. The methods used to study the litter problem in Vasaparken has been qualitative observations and interviews, together with a research of previous solutions of the littering problem. The result of the collected material showed that littering in Vasaparken is a major problem and that visitors are less aware of their responsibility to contribute to a pleasant park environment. The conclusion is that it was the attitude towards littering that was the very reason that caused the visitors to knowingly disposal their trash on the ground. By support in empirical studies and theory presented in this thesis I developed an attitude changing design, where spatial elements functions exclusively towards the negative attitude to littering. This exclusion of an attitude has it´s function in increasing the sense of responsibility for the surrounding environment in the park, and therefore include the visitors in the sanitation. The spatial design focuses on the underlying problem – the attitude towards littering. Where an addition of spatial elements in the environment informs the visitor about what it would look like if the litter instead moved into their own home. In this way, an equally high sense of responsibility can be found in parks as in the visitors own home – the park is your livingroom.

Video games are a part of modern culture. As video game spaces begin to enter a new generation’s spatial lexicon, it is important for architects, curators of spatial design, to understand this new medium of space. This thesis aims to introduce two concepts specific to video game design, the magic circle and flow, to architects as a means of understanding the design of video game spaces. First coined by the Dutch historian Johann Huizinga in Homo Ludens, and later adapted by video game designers Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, the magic circle refers to the boundary created by the rules of a game that separate reality from the fantasy of the game. Within the magic circle, the rules of play can transform and give new meaning to spatial organizations that could be considered problematic in real world architectural design. Flow is a psychological concept introduced by Hungarian psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. When completing a task, flow occurs when both the skill level of the participant and the challenge level of the task are equally high. When a state of flow is achieved, the task becomes enjoyable and can be carried out indefinitely until the balance is broken. Effective video games spaces are specifically designed to contribute to flow experiences, while ineffective spaces can make a game too easy or too hard, creating a boredom or anxiety for the player. Through a series of explorations and video game case studies, specifically in the first-person and third person shooter genre, this thesis first observes the transformation of implied spatial meanings in the magic circle. It then introduces the unique spatial languages used to generate spaces that support the creation of flow alongside the gameplay and narrative of a video game. This thesis culminates with the design and execution of an original capture the flag map created with the Unreal Engine that tests the concepts of the magic circle and flow in video game spaces. As video games become increasingly ubiquitous, this thesis acts as means of entry for architects to understand the unique properties of an emerging form of spatial design.

Detta är en studie i hur ett miljörum kan användas för att kommunicera ochunderlätta för användare att sortera sitt avfall. I det långa loppet är målsättningenatt ytterligare motivera och öka deras intresse för källsortering.Till denna studie har ett miljörum tillhörande SGS Studentbostäder i Göteborgvalts ut. För närvarande kommunicerar inte rummet tydligt sitt syfte och har flerabrister som orsakar låg användbarhet.Fokuset i studien har varit att förbättra användbarheten av rummet och också göradet mer attraktivt. Frågeställningen som har besvarats är ”Hur kan ett miljörumutformas så att det på ett effektivt sätt kan kommunicera och underlätta föranvändaren att snabbt sortera rätt och därmed bli mer användbart?”Genom att kombinera resultaten från litteraturstudien och den empiriskaundersökningen har denna studie resulterat i två olika designförslag på detundersökta rummet. Båda designförslagen föreslår hur de problem somidentifierades under den empiriska studien av rummet kan lösas men på lite olikasätt beroende på förutsättningar för det specifika rummet. Den övergripandedesignidén har varit att introducera en tydlig och genomgående färgkodning medomsorg för små detaljer med stor betydelse. / This is a study in how a room for recycling can be designed as a way tocommunicate and make it easier for users to sort their waste. The long-termgoal for the room is to further encourage the users and increase their interestfor recycling. For this study a room for recycling at SGS Studentbostäder inGothenburg has been chosen. Currently, the room does not communicate itspurpose clearly, and has several problems causing low usability.The main focus of this study is to improve the usability of the room, and also tomake it more attractive. The research question that has been answered is “Howcan a recycling room be designed so that it can communicate and make it easierfor the user to quickly and efficiently sort their waste; and thus become moreusable?”By combining the results of both a literature review and empirical investigations,this study have resulted in two different design suggestions for the investigatedroom. Both design suggestions addresses the problems that were identified duringthe empirical study of the room, but in slightly different ways depending on thelevel of change that is wanted by the property owner. The overarching design ideahas been to introduce a clear and thorough color coding, with attention to smalldetails that have big impact.

Detta arbete är ett examensarbete i Informationsdesign med inriktning mot rumslig gestaltning. Arbetet har inneburit en studie om hur en förskolemiljö kan användas som ett stöd för pedagoger i deras dagliga arbete med förskoleverksamheten. Utformningen av miljön ska bidra till att fungera som ett verktyg för att underlätta pedagogernas arbetssätt. Studien har haft sin utgångspunkt vid en avdelning på förskolan Pärongården i Stockholm. Ett förslag på förändring av förskolemiljön visar hur man kan använda den rumsliga utformning som ett verktyg i den temainriktade verksamheten med barn i förskolan. Metoder såsom intervju, platsanalys, observation och avstämning har genomförts för att skapa en förståelse för pedagogernas arbete i förskolan i dagsläget. Resultatet av metoderna har visat att förskolemiljön behöver anpassas på ett bättre sätt för att kunna stödja pedagogernas temaarbete med barnen. Metodresultat, teorier och litteratur har varit ett stöd i framtagandet av ett designförslag. Ett förslag skapat utefter pedagogers behov har lett till en funktionsbaserad rumsmiljö. Detta för att utnyttja lokalytorna effektivare och för att anpassas till den dagliga verksamheten. En funktionsbaserad rumsmiljö bidrar till att fler moment i det dagliga arbetet inspirerar och underlättar till arbete med barnen. Med detta förslag har även en dokumentation- och utställningsstation skapats, där personalen kan ställa ut barnens färdiga projekt som sedan kan diskuteras och reflekteras tillsammans med föräldrar. Detta för att främja pedagogernas arbete med dokumentation till föräldrar, vilket utgör en viktig del i styrdokument för förskolor. / This work is a thesis in Information Design with a focus on spatial design. The work has involved a study on how a preschool environment can be used as a support for teachers in their work with early childhood education. The design of the environment contributes as a tool to facilitate teachers’ work. The study had its starting point in a section at the preschool Pärongården in Stockholm. A change in the preschool environment shows how to use the spatial design as a tool in daily theme activities with children in the preschool.   Methods such as interview, room analysis, observation and control check have been carried out to create an understanding of teachers' work in preschools in the current situation and an understanding of the environments importance for the theme work with children. The results of the methods have shown that preschool environment needed to be more adapted to the educators theme work with the children.   Method results, theories and literature have supported the development of a design proposal. A draft created along the educators needs have resulted in a function-based room environment. This is to utilize floor space more efficiently to primarily support educators working with thematic focus.   A function-based room environment contributes to several elements in the theme work that inspires and facilitates the work with the children. With this proposal a documentation- and exhibition station has also been created where educator can exhibit the children finished projects, which can later be discussed and reflected with parents. This is to encourage teachers’ work with documentation for parents, which are an important part of the regulatory documents for preschools.

Video games are a part of modern culture. As video game spaces begin to enter a new generation’s spatial lexicon, it is important for architects, curators of spatial design, to understand this new medium of space. This thesis aims to introduce two concepts specific to video game design, the magic circle and flow, to architects as a means of understanding the design of video game spaces. First coined by the Dutch historian Johann Huizinga in Homo Ludens, and later adapted by video game designers Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, the magic circle refers to the boundary created by the rules of a game that separate reality from the fantasy of the game. Within the magic circle, the rules of play can transform and give new meaning to spatial organizations that could be considered problematic in real world architectural design. Flow is a psychological concept introduced by Hungarian psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. When completing a task, flow occurs when both the skill level of the participant and the challenge level of the task are equally high. When a state of flow is achieved, the task becomes enjoyable and can be carried out indefinitely until the balance is broken. Effective video games spaces are specifically designed to contribute to flow experiences, while ineffective spaces can make a game too easy or too hard, creating a boredom or anxiety for the player. Through a series of explorations and video game case studies, specifically in the first-person and third person shooter genre, this thesis first observes the transformation of implied spatial meanings in the magic circle. It then introduces the unique spatial languages used to generate spaces that support the creation of flow alongside the gameplay and narrative of a video game. This thesis culminates with the design and execution of an original capture the flag map created with the Unreal Engine that tests the concepts of the magic circle and flow in video game spaces. As video games become increasingly ubiquitous, this thesis acts as means of entry for architects to understand the unique properties of an emerging form of spatial design.

Det här är ett examensarbete i Informationsdesign med inriktning mot Rumslig gestaltning. Jag har gjort en studie kring hur man med hjälp av rumsliga element kan bidra till att öka orienterbarheten mot ett mål i ett väntrum. Arbetet har skett i väntrummet på Klinisk Fysiologiavdelningen på Mälarsjukhuset i Eskilstuna. Efter tidiga observationer i väntrummet kunde det ses att patienter och besökare inte förstod att de skulle orientera sig till den in-checkningsterminal som finns i väntrummet. Denna observation ledde till att jag valde att göra min studie just där. Syftet med arbetet har varit att genom studier ta reda på hur man kan öka orienterbarheten mot ett mål i väntrummet på Klinisk Fysiologiavdelningen. Slutresultatet har kommit ur den empirisk data som metoderna resulterat i och litteraturstudierna. De metoder som använts är observationer, kvalitativa intervjuer och rumsanalys. Resultatet av studierna har lett fram till ett designförslag i 3D-programmet Sketch-Up. Förslaget gestaltar hur väntrummet skulle kunna förändras för att öka orienterbarheten. / This is a thesis in Information Design with focus on spatial design. I have done a study about how spatial elements in a room can facilitate the orientation towards a landmark in a waiting room. The work has been done in the waiting room of Clinical Physiology department at Mälarsjukhuset in Eskilstuna. After early observations in the waiting room I could see that patients and visitors didn’t understand that they would orient themselves to the check-in terminal in the waiting room. That observation led me to do the thesis in that room. The aim of the work has been to find out how you can facilitate orientation toward a landmark in the waiting room of Clinical Physiology Department. The end result has emerged from the empirical data of the methods and literature studies. The methods used in the study were observations, interviews and a room analysis. The results of the studies has led to a design proposal in 3D software Sketch-Up. The proposal shows how the waiting room could be changed to increase orientation.

Detta examensarbete är en studie skrivet inom informationsdesign med inriktning mot rumslig gestaltning. Arbetet handlar om hur design av iscensättning kan förmedla funktioner och bidra till ett flexibelt rum i en lärandemiljö för vuxna. Arbetet har utgått från studierummet på lärcentrumet Futurum i Västerås, där verksamheter med olika behov samsas om samma yta, och leder till osäkerhet kring rummets funktioner. Användarna i studien syftar på anställda, besökare samt studerande på platsen vilka utför olika aktiviteter och har olika roller i rummet. Arbetets syfte har varit att formge en tydlig iscensättning av rummet som stödjer målgruppens behov och underlättar användarnas förståelse för miljön. Empiri har samlats in från platsanalys, observationer, notationsanalys samt intervjuer. De tillämpade metoderna visade att rummets utformning skapade problem för en del aktiviteter som utförs i miljön. Studien har även baserats på teorier kring lärandemiljöer, formelement, struktur, ljud samt färg och ljus. Dessa aspekter har visat att ett tydligare rum kan bidra till en mer positiv upplevelse för användarna. Examensarbetet har resulterat i ett designförslag där studierummets funktioner är synliggjorda och förmedlas med hjälp av rummets utformning. Förslaget har fokus på flexibel rumslig gestaltning som är anpassad efter studierummets olika aktiviteter. / This thesis is a study conducted in the field of information design specializing in spatial design. The thesis is about how the design of staging can convey functions and contribute to a versatile space in a learning environment for adults. The study is executed in a studyroom at the Futurum Learning Center in Västerås, where activities of different needs practice in the same area, which lead to uncertainty about the room's functions. The users in the study are aimed at employees, visitors and students in the environment who perform different activities and have different roles in the room. The purpose of this study has been to form an environment with distinct areas that supports the needs of the target group and facilitates users' understanding of the environment. Empirical data has been collected through spatial analysis, observations, notation analysis and interviews. The methods used showed that the design of the room created problems for some activities carried out in the environment. The study has also been based on theories about learning environments, form elements, structure, noise, colour and light. These aspects have shown that a more distinct spatial environment can contribute to a more positive experience for users. The study has resulted in a design proposal where the functions of the studyroom are visible, which makes it easier for the users to understand the environment. The proposal focuses on a flexible spatial design that is adapted to the various activities of the study area.

This study was prompted by my suspicion that spatial design undergraduates’ production of paper-based freehand sketches during design ideation was in decline. Seeking to find out why, I conducted video-recorded focused interviews with undergraduates from a range of UK spatial design degrees, during which we examined their sketchbook material and discussed their ideational activities (termed ‘ideational moves’). I subjected the data to a form of content analysis, but the outcomes appeared to contradict my initial premise whilst revealing that the interactions during the interviews between myself, the respondents and the sketchbook material (termed ‘discursive moves’) warranted examination. This persuaded me that the study’s focus should emerge through ‘evolved’ grounded theory rather than being stated a priori, which highlighted my presence in, and impact on, the data and prompted me to adopt a constructivist grounded theorising approach in combination with actor-network theory’s concepts of translation and circulating references. This study has thus been qualitative, relativist, iterative and multi-modal. Grounded theorising led to the identification of a number of categories and sub-categories of ideational move across the sample, and indicated that the respondents had used a ‘core’ of each. ‘Core’ categories comprised: making paper-based ideational moves, carrying out research and using photographic material. Several respondents also evidenced producing digital imagery and physical models. ‘Core’ sub-categories comprised using paper-based freehand perspective sketches, sketch diagrams and word-based approaches, plus supporting visuo-spatial research. Several respondents also evidenced producing paper-based freehand plan, section and elevation sketches, plus collage. Grounded theorising also revealed that each respondent had utilised a different combination of sub-categories, with different degrees of connectedness. I did not set out to evaluate the design outcomes showcased, but, as a spatial design academic and practitioner, I felt compelled to. This led to the tentative conclusion that respondents who added to the ‘core’ of categories and sub-categories and worked with greater connectedness appeared to produce more thoroughly-considered work, whilst those who forsook the ‘core’ and worked with less connectedness appeared to produce more unexpected results by allowing ‘ ... room for chaos ... ’: periods of confusion and surprise. Regarding the discursive moves, grounded theorising indicated that the sketchbook material tabled by each respondent during the study was not one fixed thing, but an abstraction using placing-for and directing-to techniques to focus attention on certain ideational moves and away from others. This made the sketchbook material a performance within the network of human and non-human actors who, in effect, co-constructed it as a temporary reality without necessarily realising this. Research into sketchbook material appears to regard it, once shared with others, as having the candour of a secret diary, and as eligible for formative and summative assessment because it documents design process authentically. My study, whilst not claiming generalisability, suggests that this view should be challenged. The new knowledge is now informing my future teaching practice and will, I hope, prompt other academics to investigate whether their own students manifest similar outcomes and, through this, contribute to wider discussions on the formative and summative assessment of undergraduate spatial design development activity.

The motive of the present thesis has been the realization of lack of cultural impact and meaningful representation within public open urban spaces that fall in between areas of urban planning and construction in the GCC cities. In pursuit of aiding towards the reclamation of meaningful spaces, this study demonstrates methods of providing a framework of cultural context design during the conceptual phase of the urban planning process. In doing so, the emphasis falls both on public users’ and professionals’ opinions and perception regarding cultural elements, physical experience and design processes that take place within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cities. The understanding and framework of levels of comprehension and awareness of cultural implementation derives from the theory of the Circuit of Culture, resulting both in an epistemological contemplation of the existing situation and the inter-relationship between culture and design. Meanwhile, the study of the elements that define the Circuit of Culture starts to form a strong cultural reference point for the future amelioration of definition of strong identity in-between spaces, within the urban context. The elements of this theory are based on the five aspects of Production, Identity, Regulation, Consumption and Representation. The implementation of these cultural elements are drawn in reference to the Double Diamond design model, considering its four aspects of discovery, definition, development and delivery, where the first two stages make up the conceptual phase, and the latter two stages make up the implementation phase of design. Therefore, while the thesis stresses the problem of cultural identity of in-between and vacuum spaces of the GCC cities, it suggests the Circuit of Culture as a method for reinforcing a thorough cultural consideration within the conceptual phase of design (discovery and definition). The thesis seeks to develop the process of design integration through an evolving methodological approach for studying the cultural development and cultural concern of urban spaces that fall in-between well planned schemes. In this work, cultural identity and cultural representation are of fundamental importance.