Rem Koolhaas is dutch architect with strong acquaintances with smart people coming from various fields (william clancey, luc steels…). His work in architecture is related to virtual space as well as information visualization.
He recently presented his stance about space in wired last issue. I really appreciate his approach. For instance, he claims that “words that die in the real world are reborn in the virtual”: webSITE, fireWALL, chatROOM.
It is very interesting since nowadays, there is an overlap between real space and virtual space. Twenty yeas ago, there was the real word and the independent virtual world (mud, minitel, bbs) Now those worlds are definitely linked thanks to lots of technologies : Mobile devices allow you to link information to a gps location, hp cooltown project propose to give url to things in the environment (“things tell you where they are”), atau tanaka’s project to link material and immaterial space thanks to network music and so on…
I am rather interested by the overlap of those two worlds from a social perspective : how this could foster new kind of social interactions and what are he benefits/drawbacks ????