Scalability of Overlapped Spaces with the Liquidity of Boundaries

The purpose of this study is to present a framework that provides multi-layered spatial experiences by deriving a new concept of spatial relationships, focusing on the expandability of space resulting from fundamental lifestyle transformations in the future. Previous research on heterotopia has addressed similar spatial directions, and their conclusions were reviewed to establish a foundation for this study. To define spatial relationships in expanded spaces, the characteristics of overlapping spatiality-as observed in contemporary non-daily spaces such as virtual and experiential environments-were analyzed. Technological advancement and lifestyle shifts have significantly altered human spatial perception and experience, raising the need to redefine conventional spatial concepts. This study adopts Foucault’s six principles of heterotopia (diversity of form, cultural functionality, overlapping of space, division of time, conditional opening and closing, and corrective function) as its analytical framework, comparing them with the characteristics of virtual space. From this comparison, five overlapping spatial concepts are derived: dual immersion, fluid boundaries, multilayered temporality, extended reality, and exclusivity–permissiveness. Based on these concepts, recent spatial case studies were analyzed to explore how they construct new spatiality and identity by crossing and overlapping reality, daily life, and non-daily life. Ultimately, this study interprets virtual space not as a mere technological platform, but as a complex heterotopic space where senses, memory, and social actions intersect, and proposes that a fluid and multilayered approach is essential for future spatial design.