Ever stepped foot inside a sleek new development and felt… absolutely nothing?
The environments we inhabit, from shared public spaces to the residential developments millions of us increasingly call home, shape the very fabric of our social, professional, and physical wellbeing.
Traditionally, the masterplanning of these spaces was defined by their physical structures: iconic skylines, monumental geometry, and striking landscapes. These are the elements that capture imaginations in a brochure. But a spectacular building does not automatically create a thriving destination.
To build places that endure for generations, places with meaning and soul, we have to recognise a fundamental truth: people do not choose where to spend their time based on square footage or structural feats alone. They buy into stories, meaning, community, and connection.
To create a true “sense of place,” developers and designers must define the emotional and cultural soul of a destination right from the concept phase. This means shifting from a structure-first mindset to one rooted in Integrated Experience Design.
In this episode of For Your Imagination, host Tom Gray is joined by Ceylan Belek Ombregt, Partner at Martha Schwartz Partners, alongside Christophe Castagnera, Head of Strategy and Experience Advisory at Imagination Middle East. Together, they deep dive into:
- How to design for a sense of place: What is genius loci, and why people find meaning based on stories and connection, not just structural feats.
- The blank canvas myth: Why authentic destination design must always respect and build upon a site’s natural and man-made history.
- Return on sense-of-place: The commercial and human value of placemaking, and why creating destinations with soul delivers lasting social and commercial benefits.
- From structure-first to experience-first: How developers, architects, and experience designers can break down silos to embed the right programming into cultural spaces from the very early stages.
And much more…
Whether you’re a developer, designer, or simply curious about designing meaningful physical environments for the long term, this one’s for you.
FYI is the series where big ideas meet bold experiences.
Each episode brings together curious minds from the worlds of creativity, business, design and technology. We explore what happens when culture, tech and human behaviour collide, helping to challenge assumptions, spark fresh thinking, and imagine what comes next.
To explore any of the topics discussed, or to speak with our strategy and experience design teams about how immersive experiences could shape your brand, contact newbusiness@imagination.com
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