The third place, as defined in sociology, is the social space outside work and home where people meet and interact. On a micro level, the 3rd spacing is the travel of fluids into the “non-functional” intracellular area. These definitions suggest that the 3rd place is all around us, connecting different areas and functions into a wholesome urban experience.

The charter of Athens, published after CIAM’s 4th congress, labels it as “ the recreation” space. One of the 4 major functionalist city activities. It includes parks, cafés, clubs… Places where the community exercises its social instinct.

Digitalisation of the 3rd place

With the development of digital communication came the rise of individualism, and the 3rd place shrank to portable size. It became always accessible and unlimited by the physical three-dimensional plane. This digitalisation not only nuanced its physical borders but also its grounding nature, making it agile and unpredictable, everywhere and yet nowhere.

The COVID experience and skin hunger

The pandemic awakened the innate need for physical touch and unrestricted spatial navigation. And while people turned to the virtual space for validation, it was deemed insufficient to satisfy the skin hunger and the sensation of being stuck and isolated.

These restraints allude to the birth of a post-COVID social space. One that satisfies the need for proximal social interaction and aligns the digital plane for an optimized user experience.

The new space

The new place is four-dimensional. A hybrid that comes both in regular and pocket-sized formats, hence its fourth dimension. It's dynamic and agile enough to cater to the changing needs of the digital era users. Stimulating and engaging enough for them to put down their phones and immerse in the tangible collective experience. Yet, always accessible through their digital windows for a constant grounding sense of community.