Barkóczi Máté

Interaction Design MA
supervisor
Nagy Ágoston
masterwork consultant
Polyák Levente
masterwork opponent
Somlai-Fischer Szabolcs
thesis consultant
Illés Anikó
thesis opponent
Wettstein Domonkos
masterwork

Peek the unseen

Helping better use of existing infrastructures through the portals

We walk by vacant, abandoned ground-floor and street-front properties every day, but we know very little about them. What are the urban planning processes that determine the livability and quality of a street? In my masterwork I focused on the Népszínház Street in the 8th district in Budapest to show why it is necessary to give people the opportunity to peek into empty spaces. My aim is to make potential tenants (or buyers) aware of the needs of the people living in the surrounding area and help them decide where could be important a cultural actor, a certain organisation, an investor or a store in this street. I use augmented reality to create portals and show this through them. This way we can reveal unforeseen relations. Acting as a ‘local spatial agency’ search engine tool can simulate and give ideas in textual and visual content with existing data about the neighbourhood.
thesis

Examining the perception of our built environment in the age of polycrisis

In my thesis I examine the built environment and the effects of polycrisis, with a focus on vacant properties. What good practices are known that can help us to make decisions on the development of new and appropriate functions in the built environment? I explore possible ways of addressing and resolving alienation from our vacant built environment with positive examples of property reuse. I articulate an interpretation of polycrisis where the vulnerability of our global systems and the need to face multiple challenges becomes visible. The interviews highlight the strengths and difficulties of spatial organization in Budapest from several perspectives. The thesis lists the objective measures available to assess us to look at our built environment not only from an aesthetic and architectural point of view, but also to look at different perceptual processes and social attitudes.