ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the immateriality of data affects the material world of the built environment, in the context of the increasing connectivity between objects, spaces, things and data. It discusses the concept of identity and how the material world shapes our sense of self, and then reflects on the sentient nature of the city. The chapter deals with ideas of materiality and looks at how the senses are often used as a framework to interpret experiences, and contrasts this with a digitally constructed and coded system of materiality that introduces a number of ambiguities. It also explores the implications of these findings for the field of architecture, and in particular focuses on the challenge of the relationship between code and space, as well as the opportunities for different ways of thinking about materiality and form within the built world. The 'virtual' world, it is argued, is transparent, placeless and lacking identity.
