Introduction

The themes of self and place identity have remained constant reminders of the role that people play in projecting architecture beyond the realm of a physical presence within the environment and into both individual and collective consciousness. It is this conscious understanding of spatial significance that gives people a foundation for identity formation.

However, this foundation through a physical presence has become increasingly challenged by the reliance on social media as a form of interaction and recognition. As we constantly project our identity onto others via this medium, how can we be sure of what is true and what is fabricated? It was Professor Nicole B Ellison of Michigan University who suggested that “Users can establish an identity for themselves by creating any profile that they want and can freely share any information”. (Gündüz, 2017, p.88)

As we continue to place a greater importance on the platform that this media provides, there is potential for us to exploit this virtual environment to fictionalise our individuality to better our perceived image. As a result of this exploited domain, architecture can become more of a national scale symbolic facade, as opposed to a reflection of a communal identity. Therefore, how can architects incorporate a design ethos that allows us to reconnect to place identity in order to combat both generic design templates and false identity?

This praxis manifesto will address the role of identity within the design process as a series of principles to provide an approach that can be adapted to place specific environments. The clarification and reinvigoration of identity will endeavour to explore how architects can utilise this network, whilst defying the unitary nature of self proclamation.

This will allow the architect to apply adaptable and respective design principles whilst reassuring the public that their own and collective identities will not be lost. If the public can assign identity to form and vice versa, it can then become a cross generational theme that strengthens communities and individuals alike.