The Mirage of Ornament: Digital Saturation and Surface Expression Re-authenticated Part 2 Dissertation 2026 Chloe Cooke Leeds Beckett University | UK This dissertation questions how architecture is changing as digital media increasingly becomes embedded within the built environment. Beginning with ornament as a lens of investigation, the research considers whether façade-scale digital screens represent a contemporary evolution of architectural expression or whether they risk reducing buildings to temporary spectacles driven by technology and attention.Historical theories of ornament are brought into conversation with contemporary discussions surrounding media architecture, consumer culture and digital saturation. Through a series of international case studies including Times Square, Piccadilly Circus and the Las Vegas Sphere, the dissertation explores how digital façades communicate politically, commercially and experientially, questioning their authenticity when expression depends upon electricity, content and continual stimulation.Rather than rejecting digital ornament outright, the research suggests that its architectural value depends upon context, restraint and intention. This idea is developed through the concept of conditional authenticity, proposing that digital expression becomes meaningful only when it strengthens the identity of the building rather than overwhelming it.Ultimately, the dissertation proposes the mirage of ornament as a way of understanding architecture whose expression increasingly resides in projected imagery rather than permanent material. As digital media becomes further embedded within the city, the research asks not whether digital ornament is the future of architecture, but under what conditions it should become part of it. Tutor(s) Hyun Jun Park Renee Tobe