Written and Edited by Kha Den De / Lera

Allen Lambert Galleria
Photo by lucci - Urban Toronto Forum contributor

Do you ever feel like you are being watched?

Such feeling is probably common among those who live in big cities. It is normal to feel gazes in an open public space. However, one site that stunned me by its hidden exposure is Allen Lambert Galleria.

Allen Lambert Galleria is a multi-use public space with high people flow throughout the day.

Large open space, use of glass all over the structure, and the fact that Galleria is bordered by offices with inward looking windows make it easy to do observations from different perspectives.

Office workers can easily watch people walking down through the hallway. At the same time, pedestrians can also see those, whose workplace is next to the windows.

Glass walls allow people inside the building look at people outside, and vice versa.

The openness of common area, that follows the hallway, reveals a panoramic view for surveillance.

As a space for surveillance, Allen Lambert Galleria can be compared to Panopticon - in the atrium, people watch each other from almost everywhere. Unconscious gaze is what one experiences while being there.

While unconscious gaze is a normal occurrence in any public space, what can be done to make a space like this more intimate? It is important for people to have a choice between being exposed and having some privacy. As designers, what can we do to accommodate everyone within large-scale spaces?