The Seriousness of Play: Master of Architecture Thesis

Whereas spaces designed for children are “playful” and strive to connect, contemporary “serious, mature” architecture often discourages social interaction. In resolute contradiction to these serious principles, Contact Theory - one of the oldest and most studied theories in the social sciences - concludes that it is highly beneficial for citizens to have broader and more inclusive social interaction. Our current conceptions of “serious” architecture, expressed as rigid, closed, and scarcely coloured, merit revision.

The ABCs of playful design - Appropriating space, Bringing together, and Contrasting styles - define a path for future spatial interventions. This methodology is rooted in values of colour, asymmetry, flexibility, and porosity. Appropriating space leverages adaptive reuse of buildings for myriad programmatic combinations as well as offers spatial agency via a family of flexible architectural objects. Bringing together identifies social nodes and axises, where diverse circulation types overlap. Contrasting style features enclosing space in a highly porous, asymmetrical, and colourful manner. An Architecture guided by the ABCs of playfulness offers designers a framework for encouraging broader and more inclusive social interaction; if used, it will reveal a society striving to be united, inclusive, and, ultimately, friendly.