From spaces to places : proposal for wayfinding system in Nanyang Technological University

Abstract

“(It’s) extremely easy to get lost” is one of the many feedbacks which came from students when a

survey was conducted among students to find out what they thought about the current wayfinding system in

Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Hence, From Spaces to Places: Proposal for Wayfinding System

in NTU is a self-initiated project aimed to solve this issue through redesigning the current wayfinding system

to make navigation around campus easier.

Why From Spaces to Places? To me, Spaces in this context refers to areas which are unidentified and

unknown and hence can only be called as such. For example, when referring to the School of Art, Design and

Media (ADM), this space would be described as “the building with a green roof”. In contrast, Places refer to

areas that are known and hence ADM would be identified by its name, “School of Art, Design and Media”

without any ambiguity.

In his book, Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience, Chinese-US Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan

describes the relationship between space and place as “What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place

as we get to know it better and endow it with value.” Hence, the importance of the differentiation between

space and place becomes even more poignant as place allows the accumulation of value whereas space

suggests movement and transit therefore denying its possibility as place.