Project Description
This project investigates the dynamics of shared working environments and explores how spatial practices, historical layers, and social relations shape contemporary urban use. Using the Xinhua Community Building Center (Shanghai) as a case study, the research analyzes how different actors inhabit, negotiate, and transform space. A central point of tension and coexistence is the rooftop terrace, where the narratives of long-term residents, community staff, and short-term users overlap.
The project culminates in an Augmented Reality (AR) intervention that serves as a medium to bridge these temporal and social gaps. By anchoring digital archives and 3D-reconstructed social interactions to the physical site, the project transforms the architecture into a "living archive" allowing users to perceive the invisible traces of community life and the shifting identity of the space.
Role and Scope
Collaborative work with two partners over six weeks with shared responsibility across research and content selection. In addition I was working on the technical development of the AR prototype, including environment scanning, preparing 3D assets, setting up the interactive scenes in Lens Studio, and structuring how the timeline unfolds within the experience. I also contributed to synthesizing the research into the final poster materials.
Research and Methods
Spatial observations and interviews helped me understand functions, user groups, and histories of the community’s entrance and rooftop areas.
I synthesized early findings through zines, activity mapping, and a timeline. The AR workflow integrated multiple tools: Snapchat and Polycam for scanning; Midjourney, Meshy.ai and Blender for model creation and Lens Studio for building the final AR interaction.
Iterative testing took place both in virtual scenes and directly on-site.