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This thesis explores how people engage and attribute meaning to a specific type of building, water towers. I choose these buildings because they have been present in the past and in our times. Thus, I investigate how people relate to this place and the different components that are part of that engagement, including the characteristics attributed to them. As it will be shown this attachment is diverse among the participants despite being the same building function-wise. To elaborate on these, I focused on different concepts such as sense of place, place identity and place attachment.With this framework, I explored different ways people generate a bond with a location and how their experience it, and what type of relation it generates with the building. There are different types of attachment that people have that will be shown. I will present four different ways that people relate to these places. I explored four ways on how the people engage with water towers, the first one is the engagement through the conservation of the building, where people recognize an historical value, secondly, the creation of engagement through the enhance of the water tower, another engagement that is created socially and people shares a common knowledge of the buildings, and lastly, an individual attachment, where users attached emotionally and trough their memories and experiences with the water towers. Since it is an exploratory study, there might be other cases that can exist but have not been explored here. The water towers presented here were built in different periods; therefore, in a way, water towers are connecting the past to the present, and why not think about the future of buildings that are not currently being used and can be redesigned to have a different purpose from what they were designed for.

Experience is a term often found in relation with contemporary approaches to architecture that seeks to add an experiential value to the built environment. This thesis addresses this tendency by exploring Ordrupgaard Art Museum as an example of contemporary developments of museum architecture. The thesis is more specifically an investigation into the significance of transitions as a spatial element in architecture, arguing that when passing through architectural transitions, atmospheres come into being as something felt. It seeks to put new light on the importance of such transitions taking part in shaping atmospheres experienced by the visitors moving between the museum spaces at Ordrupgaard. By bringing an atmospheric sensibility to the exploration of transitions, it seeks to add important nuances to current research and cultural developments in society, not least to add to the scarce literature existing on transitions in space. Atmospheres denote a sensuous ‘something’ that takes place ‘in-between’ things and people. Accordingly, the thesis is neither a pure study of space nor of the human, but instead, an investigation of the thing that emerges between the visitor and space during transitions. The thesis provides a phenomenological approach in investigating how the transitions feels through an empirically sensory ethnographic approach. The study hereby seeks to conduct a methodological triangulation, based on walk-alongs, interviews and visual methods of eye-tracking. The empirical data consist of extensive fieldwork including 11 walk-alongs and a total of 17 informants. To understand the impact of architectural transitions, I have identified five types of transitions that each play a significant role in shaping the atmosphere in the museum space: (1) transitions of somatic engagement, (2) transitions of anticipation (3) transitions of pleasure (4) transitions of retreat and (5) transitions of emotive attraction. Each of these aspects work to shape and inform the experience of the atmospheres while traversing museum spaces. It further suggests how these key aspects can point to a broader significance of transitions for the general experience of art museums today; creating alternative spaces besides for art, leaving room for visitors to appreciate the individual design of each part of the museum while traversing through buildings and museum spaces.

This thesis explores the role of sound in shaping home for musicians through ethnographic research involving 11 interviews with 12 musicians in the Copenhagen area of Denmark. This thesis found that the sound of home comes into being through sonic negotiation between individuals and the external world. This negotiation is predicated on a recognition of place, self and others through sound and built on sonic history and preferences developed over time. Drawing on works of Feld, Pink, Atkinson and LaBelle, it argues that home is a highly complex space and how it sounds is subject to knowledge of the sounds of the location, understanding of the ‘rules’ about sound-making and is influenced by individual preferences. The negotiations about sound are manifested through intentional behaviours of care, these behaviours are shown by musicians through their daily practices but can result in conflict caused by these same practices. This thesis found that familiarity and connectivity are key to establishing the sonic home, everyday use of objects and spaces ensuring knowledge of the sounds of them, the neighbours and the setting of the home. The preferences that support this recognition are constituted through cultural knowledge and expectations and informed by past sonic experiences. Sound has the potential to permeate boundaries and therefore constitute the social through care and conflict. Thus, the essential temporal nature of sound creates and shapes our sense of home in the past, present and future.

The aims of this study is to examine the role space and the representations of space have incarrying meaningful messages and fostering community for mother influencers on Instagram.In order to achieve this objective, we first observed the practices present in the media and laterconducted 12 qualitative videochat interviews with Instagrammers who promoted themselvesas mothers or “mom-bloggers” and visibly dealt with those themes thematically in theirpractices on the social media platform, both visually and textually. We also conducted 12 photoelicitation interviews with the same informants, where each individual was interviewed aboutsome of their own posts, so as to acquire data about their values, thoughts and strategies forcommunication. The mother Instagrammers consider their presence on the social media to bemostly a “fun” hobby, even if all of them collaborate with a range of companies within mainly,beauty, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle. They use the platform to “be social” and manyhave real-life friendships originating from interactions on the platform. Our most importantfindings were that Instagram manifests itself as both a socially and aesthetically attuned virtualspace, which functions as a place for the expression of meaningful narratives, personalidentities and ideals, besides acting as the locus for critically addressing practices of the role ofthe mother in today’s society. Instagram is further a Third Place for the busy mothers, wherethey can find an easy and fun community of peers. We also discuss the ethicality of socialmedia marketing methods in relation to the practices of Instagram influencers, as they contain adegree of deceitfulness. We conclude that the aesthetic and social practices on Instagram aredependent on space as a meaning-carrying instrument for the truthful expression of social role,identity, values and as a meaningful and functional Third Place. It should be noted that the datacollection happened during the quarantine of the covid-19 pandemic, which affected the natureof the data collected as we were unable to encounter our informants face-to-face.

In many countries throughout the world academic mobility is encouraged and for some institutions is required. In order to add to the nuances of an academic's experience of short-term research stays abroad, this thesis has focused on the relation between academic mobility and place attachments. Place attachments, also known as positive bonds to place are said to increase the psychological wellbeing of individuals and communities. With this in mind this thesis draws on qualitative research methods and studies nine early-career researchers’ experiences of academic mobility in order to uncover how these bonds are facilitated during temporary stays. The findings concluded that while the objects taken from the home and practices in the place of temporary relocation aid in the formation of positive bonds to place it is not purely to replicate the home. The objects hold both symbolic and material value in creating new affective bonds to the places they temporarily occupy. As contextual information it was found that though limited preparation is available with regards to accommodation, the location of their research stay and their culture capital, they still experience positive bonds. While the participant group had a tendency to be unreflective of the objects they brought, they would ultimately guide their experiences of their temporary homes. The thesis provides analytical insights into how the objects that are brought hold both symbolic and material value during times of academic mobility and that in conjunction encourage positive bonds to place.

Humans have moved away from social commitment into a more individualized mindset, but as social creatures, sociality is an important aspect of wellbeing. Privacy then becomes an instrument in navigating the social world through a process of boundary management. Due to the merging of individualized city life and social village life, a garden association is an ideal place for researching this tension between the two mindsets. This thesis therefore explores the impact privacy has on the sense of community in a garden association, through an exploratory investigation of the privacy negotiation between the individual and the physical borders and social boundaries in a Kolonihave. An inductive approach was followed, while conducting an ethnographic study, inhabiting a Kolonihave full time through a season, running from the 1st of April to the 30th of September. The data collection process was based on a triangulation of methods; participant observation and semi structured interviews, to immerse into the daily life of colonists in the garden association Islegaard. Through a theoretical examination it was found that Sue Campbell Clarks’ definition of borders presented a well-defined operationalization of the physical border and social boundary concepts. As for the theoretical foundation, Judee Burgoon’s privacy dimensions theory was used to understand which factors influence the feeling of privacy for the individual. Burgoon established four dimensions of privacy; physical, social, informational and psychological, in which control of the different dimensions impact human’s ability to achieve a desired level of privacy.Several physical borders were found, each indicating specific domain relevant behavior, but due to a shift in inhabitants, these borders have developed different meanings. This demonstrates the current tension between the individual and the social world, as the garden association fosters sociality. Social boundaries are more fluid and determine what kind of domain relevant behavior takes place. It was found that the garden association operates on a normative cultural belief system, where long-term residents dictate appropriate Kolonihave behavior, but due to the shift, conflicts arise. Different social practices are in place, as well as a paradoxical tolerance system, establishing that people are accepted to great extent, if they are not too different in appearance, attitudes and values.It was found that the negotiation of privacy between the individual and the social world of a Kolonihave primarily takes place through physical borders, whose meanings are determined by the normative social boundaries. These borders are the easiest to navigate, thereby leaving avoidance and hiding as the best tools for minimizing conflict, and increases a person’s control of their desired level of privacy. The impact this negotiation of privacy has on the sense of community were found to depend on perspective. Sameness becomes an integral part of how the need for privacy is managed, as this aspect creates comfort and ease for the individual in the social world.

This project investigates the atmospheric experience of space and the affective effects spatial design has on the experiencing subjects. Through a case study of designed interior spaces that utilises atmospheric generators, such as light and sounds, to convey an atmospheric experience of nature, it has been investigated thoroughly. The author has used a theoretical framework on atmospheres, based on Gernot Bömhe’s concept of a new aesthetics, towards illuminating the experiencing subjects’ spatial perceptions and subjective affective effects from the design. It was found that, manipulation of subjective spatial experiences was achieved through the use of atmospheric design that has a deliberate intent of staging the reality. An atmospheric design based on conceptual light- and soundscapes imitating nature, were found to seduce the experiencing subjects into perceiving the artificially staged reality to produce atmospheric experiences of nature. The coherent light- and soundscapes had especially high influence on the experiencing subjects, as they brought about feelings of solemnity and calmness which affected the subjects state of mind and well-being in their situatedness in space.

​This thesis introduces and explores a novel way of experiencing designed things. A case study of the experience of heritage in Copenhagen’s popular meatpacking district suggests an experience there based on a sense of positive alienation. This alienation is produced by the cumulative effects of design details and everyday activities in the district. Together they depict an industrial space whose designed purpose is at odds with the consumer activities that take place there. The workings of this “Design Mismatch” are explored, and a general theoretical concept called “Not-For-Me Design” is constructed. The concept is then put to use as the basis for a consultancy project for the district, and it provides a theoretical lens which offered a unique perspective on the heritage experience and ultimately inspired proposals for how it might be improved upon.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how a sense of community is being manifested in a residential district in Ørestad in Copenhagen, with a particular focus on the relation between the built environment and everyday practices performed by the residents. The development of Ørestad has been criticized on various occasions by both professionals and the general public. It has often been labeled as an area where life in between the buildings is not fully developed, as the public space does not provide many opportunities for its users to participate in public life. This thesis revisits this critique with the aim of investigating how sense of community is manifested. In order to empirically investigate, I conduct semi-structured interviews and utilize methods and perspectives based on public life studies. The combination of these two types of methods provided me with the insight into residents’ perspective and a deeper understanding of public space and everyday life that unfolds there. I utilized theoretical perspectives on sense of community by McMillan & Chavis (1986) to model the analysis of the gathered data. By doing so, I uncovered that sense of community in this particular context is established through homogeneity, everyday practices and the built environment. A good design largely influences the establishment of a community as provides opportunities for interaction and various activities. Everyday practices that residents engage in, such as decorating, gardening and care, shape the community and contribute to the experience of sense of community. Most residents share similar lifestyle, values and goals. Due to that, they are not having a difficult time connecting and establishing relationships. Even though most interviewees assess a certain level of diversity as positive, homogeneity in this neighborhood is what the community is based on.

The aim of this report is to highlight the ways trust practices shape organizations that work with youth in an ‘especially vulnerable’ area in Sweden. Organizations in ‘vulnerable’ neighborhoods have a relationship with each other and share a motivation to help youth. While trusting is inherent in organizations, it is overlooked as a contributor and effector of their work. Relationships between organizations and youth are based on trust, but the complexity and pervasiveness of trust is rarely considered. This is particularly the case in relation to spatial and material elements, which contribute to and are shaped by trust. Therefore, this report explores how trust shapes the practices of youth organizations. Trust is examined through a practice theory lens. We recognize that trusting is not a practice such as running, as it is primarily a mental activity. However, we still find practice theory to be useful in understanding trusting. It provides a way to understand social phenomena through the elements that make it up. These elements include materials, meanings, competencies and temporalities. While these categories are a simplification, they provide a way to analyse trust in different circumstances through a common vocabulary. Furthermore, we use it as a way to understand the connections between elements and practices. Research is carried out through ethnographic methods. One ‘vulnerable’ area in Sweden is used as the case to investigate trust. Our focus is on youth organizations that work in the area and offer structured or semi-structured activities. We make use of semi-structured interviews with leaders within the youth organizations and observe the activities or programs they conduct with the youth. We move between zooming in and out, where we focus on the individual leaders, but also consider them within the larger organization. Furthermore, we consider trust between organizations and the contextual aspect of trust. We find that, in the case we study, trusting is complex, multiple and simultaneously occurring. Within organizations, trust, and subsequently mistrust, are shaped by both different and shared elements. Trust is connected to and built on many practices. We give special consideration to material elements because they are the most overlooked when studying trusting. Trust is influencing and influenced by material and spatial elements. Particularly when trust is connected to space, there is an influence on the work of the organizations. This influence, while at times is beneficial, at other times it hinders the work of these organizations in regards to the youth of the area. Therefore, trust needs to be considered in organizational work in ‘vulnerable’ areas.

The arrival and diffusion of commercial drones has introduced yet another “telepresence” technology into people’ everyday lives. And seemingly enabled to “leave the body”, people are more than ever seeking “non-bodily” presence in spaces otherwise unreachable to man. Applying a post-phenomenological and ethnographic action-based approach to real-world conditions of telepresence and telecommunications technology, I look at drones to be a new human-technological mode of experiencing the world, studying in particular the processes of perception in the adoption of drones in tourism practices (city sightseeing by drone). In turn, I introduce the concepts of “self-gazing” and synthesized space, through which, I argue for the importance of emphasising “Telepresence” as a personal abstraction fostered in the nexus of embodied and re-embodied domains, as well as highlight the design and consumption of presence-technologies to be associated with a presence agenda.

By utilising a qualitative method, this thesis examines the different approaches and applications of art in the art project Placemaking. The thesis will focus on the Placemaking project’s fusion of art as a process and city development as well as the cooperation between the municipal authorities and the artists. Despite the fact that both art and planning envisions for an alternate combined future, the thesis considers that two different understandings of art and its application exist. The understanding of the municipal authorities is result-oriented whereas the artists considers art to be more dynamic with a focus on the process rather than the outcome. The thesis therefore examines the assumption that flexibility in interpretation may give rise to conflicts in the cooperation. The thesis further addresses how the parties manage to cooperate, the importance of art in municipal planning and how art as a process can challenge the municipal vision of the implementation of art in planning. The thesis then asks, how can these two different worlds – art and urban planning – cooperate, despite their different understandings of art? This by extension leads to the question of how planning and municipal understanding are challenged by the artists comprehension of art as an exploratory process? To analyse the above, this thesis applies the concept of Boundary Object, deriving from Science and Technology studies, as an analytic tool. This leads to the discussion, whether art as an exploratory process is useful for urban planning. The thesis concludes that the exploratory process of art is too unpredictable to be used as a strategic tool in urban planning. The study reveals that art is perceived as magic dust that may resolve a selection of urban planning issues as well as add value to some aspects of planning.