Research Group: Interactional Spaces

The Research Group Interactional Spaces focused on the role of space and spatiality in communication. It explored how space is not only a passive backdrop but an active component shaped by perception, movement, and interaction, both in face-to-face and virtual environments. During its first phase, the group identified three major research areas: architecture-for-interaction, the public sphere, and virtuality, which were systematically developed and expanded in subsequent research.

Research Focus:

1. Architecture-for-Interaction:
   This domain examined how built spaces influence interaction, especially in institutional settings. The group studied how different architectural structures—such as classrooms, lecture halls, churches, museums, and service counters—were specifically designed to facilitate certain types of communication. These spaces carry usability cues that guide interaction within them. Research included two major projects:

   • Communication in science and technology exhibitions.
   • A comparative study of architectural changes in interaction spaces, such as the transformation from lecture halls to multimedia hubs and from churches to meeting spaces.

2. Public Sphere:
   The group investigated how public spaces, such as museums, churches, and ticket halls, function as communicative environments that are accessible to all. The research focused on two central questions:

   • How does the public sphere, as a communicative characteristic, influence interaction?
   • How is the public sphere collectively produced through specific communicative practices? A particular emphasis was placed on "unfocused" interactions in urban spaces, where seemingly uninvolved participants still shape the space with their behavior, contributing to a new understanding of how public spaces are socially constructed through interaction.

3. Virtuality:
   The group explored communication in virtual spaces, where physical co-presence is replaced by technological mediation. Examples include digital platforms like WhatsApp, Twitch, and immersive 3-D environments such as VRChat or Rec Room. The research highlighted how space and spatiality are constructed in these virtual environments through multimodal communication, including text, images, and immersive interactions. This area served as a comparative case to understand how interaction spaces function both in physical and digital environments.

Key Findings:

• Architecture-for-Interaction:
  The research revealed that built environments play a significant role in shaping communicative behavior, with different architectural settings providing specific cues for how interactions should unfold. This approach brought new insights into how communication in institutional spaces is facilitated by their design.

• Public Sphere and Unfocused Interaction:
  The group demonstrated how the public sphere is dynamically produced through the interaction of participants, especially in urban settings. By studying the subtle, often overlooked forms of interaction, the research redefined the role of unfocused interaction in constituting the public sphere.

• Virtuality:
  The study of virtual spaces highlighted how communication and interaction adapt to digital environments, offering new perspectives on the role of space in communication without physical presence. This research added depth to understanding multimodal and immersive communication in virtual environments, and its overlap with physical spaces.

Through this interdisciplinary research, the Interactional Spaces group advanced the understanding of how space and spatiality are integral to communication, whether in physical or virtual settings. These insights have important implications for how we design and use spaces for interaction in a variety of contexts.