Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cistercian architecture Church architecture'

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2000.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-141).<br>At the proceedings of the Second Vatican Council from 1963 to 1965, landmark decisions called for the inculturation of the Roman Catholic faith - an attempt to have the faith made more accessible within the context of culture and society. This has led to changes in monastic life for the individual monk and his cloistered community. This thesis explores the repercussions of Vatican lion the time-honored typology of a medieval Cistercian monastery. A hypothetical community of twenty-four Cistercian monks attempting to locate on a strip of land on the edge of the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, is the vehicle used to implement some of the architectural possibilities to reflect the evolution of Cistercian Monasticism to date.<br>Li Lian Tan.<br>M.Arch.

A church performs many functions. It presents an image; prepares the believer for worship; introduces the unbeliever to God; facilitates worship services; projects the words of the pastor; resonates the music of the choir and orchestra; deepens knowledge and understanding of the faith; instructs children as well as adults; promotes fellowship; shelters the needy; hosts meetings; serves meals; strengthens families; supports missions and ministries; and accommodates weddings, funerals, and baptisms. These functions are performed in obedience to the Word of God. They are expressions of Scripture. In the past, the church building itself expressed Scripture. The cruciform plan of the great cathedrals was the most profound example, depicting the symbol of Christianity. Clerestory windows filled the vaulted heights above the nave with heavenly light. Mosaics, reliefs, icons and stained glass windows illustrated biblical stories. How else can the architecture of the church building express Scripture? How can Scripture inspire architecture?<br>Master of Architecture

Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2001.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-107).<br>Creating a sound church is totally different from designing a fabulous poetic space. Major problem of current built form of a church is that it is built mostly in a liturgical form to serve sacred ordinances that does not address the importance of activities among the members. Church has turned into a liturgical space only to serve once-a-week spiritual purgation. This causes serious problems to Christians. There is a big dichotomy between their actual life and religious life. It is a constant struggle for Christians to figure out on what values -Christian or Daily-to make decision to perform their life. A church is a body of Christ where one not only finds the eternal life by faith, but also gathers to lead a life based on Christian values. Therefore, a church has to be a part of actual living. Berkland Baptist Church (BBC) is one of the leading churches that address to return to the spirit of early churches where religious life and daily life are fully integrated. This thesis, thus, explores a new concept of what a built form of a church would be. The final product has informed that a church is not a single building with well contrived light to arouse spiritual excitement, but an assemblage of functions - church & housing - that invigorate communal activities among the faithful.<br>Joong Won Lee.<br>M.Arch.

Thesis (S.B. in Art and Design)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2002.<br>"June 2002." Unpaged. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>This project is located in Bloomfield, NJ. Less than fifteen miles from New York City, the Township of Bloomfield was first settled by the Dutch in 1691 and later by the English in 1719. In 1812, the State of New Jersey finally incorporated Bloomfield as a township. Until then, it had been a parish of the city of Newark. The Township took its name from the Bloomfield Presbyterian Church. This church was named for General Joseph Bloomfield, the fourth Governor of New Jersey and the first Governor to be born in New Jersey Bloomfield prides itself on its rich historical background. In 1830, a town resident David Oakes established a woolen mill. This mill prospered and provided employment for hundreds of immigrants and among its various materials, uniforms for the Union Army in the Civil War. In addition, the Township housed many military leaders including General George Washington during the American Revolution. Moreover, the community's Green functioned as a military training ground during the war. Today, it remains among the most attractive features of Bloomfield. The Township Green and its surrounding buildings, including the Oakes' mansion, which is now used as a performing arts center, have been recognized as a historic district. In 1945, the Bethany United Presbyterian Church purchased a tract of property from the Township of Bloomfield. Like Bloomfield, this church has a meaningful history. Though the construction of the church building itself began in 1945, the church as a congregation became established years earlier. Its original meeting place was a local storefront just up the street of the now existing church. In 1947, the Bethany congregation marched down the street to its present location. It was a very ceremonial event that marked years of planning, prayer, hard work, and the faith of church leaders and members alike. In expressing the church's interest in obtaining the land, Reverend William H. Neebe, on behalf of Bethany's Board of Trustees wrote to the Bloomfield Town Council, "We believe that as a church we are rendering a public service to the community Our only reason for existence is for service to the town and community... .Anything that aids the church enhances the opportunity that the church has to serve the community."<br>by Elizabeth S. Kwack.<br>S.B.in Art and Design

The project explores light as a material element and as a spacial generator, and how the intercession of other disparate, different material elements can work to create disparate, different material conditions that manifest specific physical phenomena that hold direct implications for the metaphysical (here, spiritual) experience of the inhabitant. This project doesn't create an arena for a specific experience, but rather strives to generate a spectrum on which to relate an individual chosen action to the physical self (here, now, made spiritual). A self-reflection inspired by a visceral interaction with an ordered space, resulting in self-awareness in metaphysical (phenomenological) context. A building made of concrete, steel, wood, and light. A place for meditation, for prayer, and for worship.<br>Master of Architecture

The History of Architecture has been all about religious buildings. With distribution of sources of power and wealth, new paradigms have emerged. Architecture today is about villas, skyscrapers, stadiums, etc. as well as churches. The financial support of the church is not in the same way as in middle ages; neither the way in which they are used. The question of this thesis project is this transformation of an architectural tradition and how it should be adjusted to our time’s conditions.

Post-Byzantine Church Architecture in Cyprus during the period 1191-1571is crucial in the history of the island's architecture. It was influenced by two different traditions: the eastern Byzantine and the western medieval Gothic-Renaissance This architecture has been undervalued and only briefly discussed by scholars and historians, whereas the firescoes in the monuments have been thoroughly studied. This thesis seeks to establish how Post-I]yzantine Church Architecture developed under the influence of the historic circumstances of that time. it deals with Post-Byzantine architectural styles, lljcantine and Franco-Býwantine, the churches' typology, and the construction technology employed throughout the island. The research method has pursued two lines: extensive recording by visits to the churches and a review of the relevant literature. The intention of this research was to consider and study all the Post-Byzantine churches (around 301 churches) that were built or altered in the period 1191-1571, and which have retained their Original characteristics until the present day. Extensive visits were only possible to 206 of them; the others were studied through the literature, earlier photos, drawings, engravings and historical maps. An additional valuable source of information has been the fivsco-icons that illustrate models of the churches. The method of analysis was based on the classification of the churches according to their architectural style, types and their chronology. The thesis is divided into three parts (seven chapters). The first part tram historical information from the survey of the literature and analyses the author's observations after an assessment of the structural condition of the churches. The second, and main part describes the historical value of the churches and examines the development of the churches' architectural styles and types, their characteristics and architectural details. It also looks at construction materials, methods and techniques, and examines the geophysical characteristics of the island. ne third part sets out the conclusions.

Thesis (M.A.)--Columbia International University, Columbia, S.C., 1994.<br>Text in German; English summary. Subtitle in English: A consideration of German and Japanese church buildings. Includes photographs of churches in Japan taken by German missionaries. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119).

[EN] It is a sad fact that the monastery of Santa Maria Bonaval, a jewel of Cistercian architecture and the monumental architecture of Spain, is in a state of impending doom and active degradation. It's almost been 67 years since José TORIJA ALONSO expressed in his work about Bonaval the alarming under condition it had when then used as stockyards for whom and expressed the progressive lack of architectural, construction and decorative elements, without any neighbor, user, or visitor he should report, denounce or communicate to the authority, in order to initiate a cry for help. It is then that Francisco JURADO SERRANO who in 1990, after 12 years of tireless research, translation and interpretation of historical texts, published his brillliant doctoral thesis about the Monastery of Santa Maria de Bonaval, where a detailed study was conducted through its life span and its preservation by its different stages of life. Later it will be the thesis of Juan TEJELA JUEZ, a monastery forgotten: Santa María de Valdeiglesias, who summarizes the detailed information document for Bonaval its alarming state of ruin and abandonment, as well as the "dispersion" of its objects and file. We should add other publications of Antonio Herrera Casado and Thomas NIETO Taberné, in detail about the deterioration and conservation status of the monastic complex, which can be read about and illustrated with clear images of the same. And to this tangible and documented situation arises this research project in order to document, digitalize analyze and protect this architectural forgotten marvel. A project that began in 2004 with the first workshop insitu of the monastery and eight years since the publication of the first book of the author, in order to capture every detail of Santa Maria de Bonaval, in a written document that reaches society, public institutions and heritage bodies, with the ultimate aim to preserve it. Now, eleven years after the initation of this work that presents a detailed historical, architectural, constructive and pathological analysis of the monastery. A job that begins its journey in Santa Maria de Bonaval, based on a study of the monastery and an empirical study of more than a hundred Cistercian monasteries of Spain, which has served to make a comparative sample and understand this Cistercian architecture in context. By using traditional techniques like making manual data, and the use of instruments of high accuracy with the use of modern technology such as ground penetrating radar or 3D scanner, it has obtained documentary material of extraordinary value, which has allowed to compare results and understand the original project, its construction and its progressive degradation over time. Now, it is time get to work on the monastery: its sad reality must become a new fact summarizing this documentary work into something tangible, whose value could be passed down to future generations, and preserve in our historical memory. It is my greatest wish that this thesis serves to push consolidation, and that it be shared without profit, to save Bonaval.<br>[ES] Resumen Es un triste hecho que el monasterio de Santa María Bonaval, una joya de la arquitectura cisterciense y de la arquitectura monumental de España, se encuentre en un estado de ruina inminente y de degradación activa. Son casi 67 años los que han transcurrido desde que D. José TORIJA ALONSO expresara en su trabajo de estudio de Bonaval el alarmante bajo estado de conservación que tenía cuando entonces se utilizaba como corral de ganado y manifestaba la progresiva falta de elementos arquitectónicos, constructivos y decorativos, sin que ningún vecino, usuario, ni visitante lo manifestase, denunciase o comunicase a la autoridad, con el fin de iniciar una protección que ya clamaba auxilio. Será después, D. Francisco JURADO SERRANO quien en 1990, tras 12 años de incansable trabajo de investigación, traducción e interpretación de textos históricos, publicara su brillante tesis doctoral El monasterio de Santa María de Bonaval, en la que se realizaba un exhaustivo estudio histórico del monasterio y de su estado de conservación por las diferentes etapas de su vida. Posteriormente, será la tesis doctoral de D. Juan TEJELA JUEZ, Un monasterio olvidado: Santa María de Valdeiglesias, quien resuma en la ficha detallada de Bonaval su alarmante estado de ruina y abandono, así como la "dispersión" de sus objetos y archivo. Hay que añadir otras publicaciones de Antonio HERRERA CASADO, y de Tomás NIETO TABERNÉ, en las que se pueden leer detalladamente el proceso de deterioro y estado de conservación del conjunto monástico, ilustrados con claras imágenes del mismo. Y ante esta situación tangible y documentada, nace este proyecto de investigación, con el objeto de documentar, digitalizar, analizar y proteger esta maravilla arquitectónica relegada al olvido. Un proyecto que nació en el año 2004 con el primer taller in situ al monasterio y ocho años desde que se publicara el primer libro del autor, con el fin de plasmar todos los detalles de Santa María de Bonaval, mediante documento escrito que llegara a la sociedad, a las instituciones públicas y a los administradores del patrimonio, con el fin último de conservarlo. Son hoy once los años que han pasado desde que iniciáramos este trabajo que presenta un detallado análisis histórico, arquitectónico, constructivo y patológico del monasterio. Un trabajo que inicia su recorrido en Santa María de Bonaval, basado en un estudio del cenobio y un estudio empírico de más de unos ciento cincuenta monasterios cistercienses de España, cuya comparativa ha servido para entender esta muestra y entender la arquitectura cisterciense en su conjunto. Gracias a la utilización de técnicas tradicionales como la toma de datos manual, y la utilización de instrumental de alta precisión con el uso de la tecnología actual como el georradar o el escáner 3D, se ha obtenido un material documental de extraordinario valor, que ha permitido comparar resultados y entender el proyecto original, su construcción y su degradación progresiva en el tiempo. Es hora pues de trabajar en el monasterio: su triste realidad debe convertirse en un nuevo hecho que resuma este trabajo documental en algo tangible, cuyo valor pueda ser transmitido a las futuras generaciones, y a nuestra memoria histórica. Es mi mayor deseo que esta tesis sirva para empujar su consolidación, y poder compartirla sin ningún lucro, para salvar a Bonaval.<br>[CAT] És un trist fet que el monestir de Santa María Bonaval, una joia de l'arquitectura cistercenca i de l'arquitectura monumental d'Espanya, es troba en un estat de ruïna imminent i de degradació activa. Són quasi 67 anys els que han trasncorregut des que D. José TORIJA ALONSO expressara en el seu treball d'estudi de Bonaval l'alarmant sota estat de conservació que tenia quan llavors s'utilitzava com a corral de bestiar per els qui i manifestava la progressiva falta d'elements arquitectònics, constructius i decoratius, sense que cap veí, usuari, ni visitant ho manifestara, denunciara o comunicara a l'autoritat, amb la finalitat de inciar una protecció que ja clamava auxili. Serà després, D. Francisco JURADO SERRANO qui en 1990, després de 12 anys d'incansable treball de recerca, traducció i interpretació de textos històrics, publicara la seua brillant tesi doctoral El monestir de Santa María de Bonaval, en la qual es realitzava un exahustiu estudi històric del monestir i del seu estat de conservació per les diferents etapes de la seua vida. Posteriorment, serà la tesi doctoral de D Juan TEJELA JUEZ Un monestir oblidat: Santa María de Valdeiglesias, qui resumisca en la fitxa detallada de Bonaval el seu alarmant estat de ruïna i abandó, així com la "dispersió" dels seus objectes i arxiu. Cal afegir altres publicacions d'Antonio HERRERA CASADO, i de Tomás NIETO TABERNÉ, en les quals es poden llegir detalladament el procés de deterioració i estat de conservació del conjunt monàstic, il·lustrats amb clares imatges del mateix. I davant aquesta situació tangible i documentada, naix aquest projecte de recerca, amb l'objecte de documentar, digitalitzar, analitzar i protegir aquesta meravella arquitectònica relegada a l'oblit. Un projecte que va nàixer l'any 2004 amb el primer taller in situ al monestir i vuit anys des que es publicara el primer llibre de l'autor, amb la finalitat de plasmar tots els detalls de Santa María de Bonaval, mitjançant document escrit que arribara a la societat, a les institucions públiques i als administradors del patrimoni, amb la fi última de conservar-ho. Fa ja onze anys des que iniciàrem aquest treball que avui presenta una detallada anàlisi històrica, arquitectònic, constructiu i patològic del monestir. Un treball que inicia el seu recorregut en Santa María de Bonaval, basat en un estudi del cenobi i un estudi empíric de més d'uns cent cinquanta monestirs cistercencs d'Espanya, que la seua comparativa ha servit per a entendre aquesta mostra i entendre l'arquitectura cistercenca en el seu conjunt. Gràcies a la utilització de tècniques tradicionals com la presa de dades manual, i la utilització d'instrumental d'alta precisió amb l'ús de la tecnologia actual com el georradar o l'escàner 3D, s'ha obtingut un material documental d'extraordinari valor, que ha permès comparar resultats i entendre el projecte original, la seua construcció i la seua degradació progressiva en el temps. És hora doncs de treballar en el monestir: la seua trista realitat ha de convertirse en un nou fet que resumisca aquest treball documental en alguna cosa tangible, el valor del qual puga ser transmès a les futures generacions, i a la nostra memòria històrica. És el meu major desig que aquesta tesi servisca per a espentar la seua consolidació, i poder compartir-la sense cap lucre, per a salvar a Bonaval.<br>Valiente Ochoa, E. (2016). El Monasterio de Santa María de Bonaval: estudio, diagosis y vestigio de la arquitectura cisterciense [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/63268<br>TESIS

Thesis (M. Arch)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1988.<br>Bibliography: p. 99-105.<br>Architecture can heighten an experience when it supports the mood of that experience and when it is felt to embody the idea or purpose of the experience. The challenge here is that the Christian Church comes into being wherever the people gather, so, the architectural task is to make an architecture that will heighten the congregation' s experience without the architecture coming to seem itself as the "carrier" of the tenets of belief. A tectonics approach to architecture can be used to convey certain characteristics of the Christian Church in such a way that a contribution is made to the experience of the congregation. Existing examples of tectonics in architecture are studied and a major thrust of the work is in the testing of the thesis in a design of a new building for the Word of Life Church, a Pentecostal Christian congregation in Buffalo, New York.<br>by Christopher A. Bovenzi.<br>M.Arch

Située dans la vallée de l’Escaut, à treize kilomètres au sud-ouest de Cambrai, l’abbaye cistercienne de Vaucelles fut fondée en 1132 par Hugues d’Oisy, châtelain de Cambrai, sous la direction spirituelle de Bernard de Clairvaux. Une grande partie de l’abbaye fut détruite à la Révolution. Des bâtiments monastiques ne restaient que l’aile des moines, qui fermait le cloître à l’est, et le palais abbatial du XVIIIe siècle, qui furent reconvertis. L’occupation du site par les Allemands au cours de la Grande Guerre mit fin aux travaux d’embellissement entrepris par la famille Fontana, propriétaire depuis 1898. L’incendie des lieux marqua la fin du conflit : le bâtiment des moines perdit sa toiture et son premier étage, tandis que le palais abbatial fut presque entièrement détruit. En 1920, le bâtiment des moines fut classé au titre des Monuments historiques. Débuta une série de travaux qui s’intensifièrent à partir des années 1970. Aux mains de la famille Lagoutte, les bâtiments restaurés sont ouverts au public. Une nouvelle page se tourne en décembre 2017 puisque l’abbaye devient le dizième équipement culturel du département du Nord.Ce travail se focalise sur deux monuments des XIIe et XIIIe siècles : le bâtiment des moines, le seul qui soit, aujourd’hui, en grande partie conservé, et l’abbatiale consacrée en 1235 qui bénéficia de quelques opérations archéologiques entre 1879 et 2002 restées inédites. Le bâtiment des moines bénéficie aujourd’hui d’une étude d’archéologie du bâti confirmant une construction à partir de 1170 attribuée par les textes à l’abbé Aleaume (1166-1181). Il choisit, quarante ans après la fondation de l’abbaye, de bâtir une abbaye monumentale inspirée de Clairvaux, la maison-mère. Ce bâtiment est un exemple caractéristique d’une typologie monastique mise en place par les bénédictins et précisée par les cisterciens au cours de la première moitié du XIIe siècle. Il s’illustre par un travail de la pierre rationnel et de qualité et un décor d’une sobriété propre aux cisterciens.L’analyse archéologique des vestiges du bras nord du transept, mitoyen au bâtiment des moines, incite à attribuer à l’abbé Aleaume, non seulement la construction des ailes est et sud du cloître, mais aussi la conception du projet global d’une grande abbaye pérenne avec une nouvelle église. Cette hypothèse s’appuie également sur une nouvelle lecture des textes. Mais comme le suggère l’étude des vestiges, la structure générale de l’abbatiale d’Aleaume fut modifiée afin de lui donner une nouvelle monumentalité. Ces travaux, auxquels il faut ajouter la construction d’un chœur imposant, sont peut-être dus à l’abbé Godescalc (1181-1198) qui disparut entre 1192 et 1194, après la réception par l’abbé de Clairvaux d’un blâme de la part du Chapitre général de l’Ordre pour la somptuosité de l’abbatiale. La fouille exécutée en 1988 permit de mettre au jour les vestiges d’un chœur vraisemblablement postérieur à la croisée du transept. La singularité de son plan, à déambulatoire et chapelles rayonnantes discontinues, unique au sein de l’ordre cistercien, porta Villard de Honnecourt à le dessiner dans son carnet vers 1210/1215-1225, selon la datation récente proposée par Jean Wirth. Achevé en 1216, ce chœur témoigne de pratiques architecturales relevant du style gothique, qui se manifesta dans la région du nord de la France et dans les comtés de Champagne, de Flandre et du Hainaut à partir du dernier quart du XIIe siècle et jusqu’au milieu du XIIIe siècle. L’abbé commanditaire et son maître d’œuvre trouvèrent leurs modèles à l’extérieur de l’ordre. Ils s’inspirèrent de hauts lieux bénédictins comme Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, en adaptant un modèle ancien aux nouveaux usages architecturaux.Cette étude, faisant appel à la fois aux textes, à l’iconographie, à l’archéologie et à l’histoire de l’art, invite à porter un nouveau regard sur l’abbaye de Vaucelles, à travers deux édifices majeurs construits entre 1170 et 1216<br>Located in the Escaut Valley, thirteen kilometers southwest of Cambrai, the Cistercian Abbey of Vaucelles was founded in 1132 by Hugues d’Oisy, lord of Cambrai, under the spiritual direction of Bernard of Clairvaux. A large part of the abbey was destroyed during the Revolution. Monastic buildings remained only the aisle of the monks, which closed the cloister to the east, and the abbey palace of the eighteenth century, which were reconverted. The occupation of the site by the Germans during the Great War ended the embellishment work undertaken by the family Fontana, owner since 1898. The fire marked the end of the conflict: the building of the monks lost its roof and its first floor, while the abbey palace was almost completely destroyed. In 1920, the monks’ building was classified as a historic monument. Beginning a series of works that intensified from the 1970s. Into the hands of the family Lagoutte, restored buildings are opened to the public. A new page is turning in December 2017 since the abbey becomes the tenth cultural equipment of the department of North.This work focuses on two monuments of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries: the building of the monks, the only one that is today largely preserved, and the church dedicated in 1235 which benefited from some archaeological operations between 1879 and 2002 still unpublished. Today the monk’s building benefits from a study of building archaeology confirming a construction from 1170 attributed by the texts to the abbot Aleaume (1166-1181). He chose, forty years after the foundation of the abbey, to build a monumental abbey inspired by Clairvaux, the mother house. This building is a typical example of a monastic typology set up by the Benedictines and specified by the Cistercians during the first half of the twelfth century. It is illustrated by a work of the rational and quality stone and a sober decor in the spirit of the Cistercians.The archaeological analysis of the remains of north transept’, adjoining the monks’ building, encourages the attribution to Aleaume abbot, not only of the construction of the east and south aisles of the cloister, but also the conception of the overall project of a great perennial abbey with a new church. This hypothesis is also based on a new reading of the texts. But as suggested by the study of the remains, the general structure of the church of Aleaume was modified to give it a new monumentality. These works, to which must be added the construction of an imposing choir, are perhaps due to the abbot Godescalc (1181-1198) who disappeared between 1192 and 1194, after the reception by the abbot of Clairvaux of a blame from the General Chapter of the Order for the sumptuousness of the abbey. The excavation carried out in 1988 revealed the remains of a choir presumably posterior to the cross of the transept. The singularity of his plan, with ambulatory and discontinuous radiating chapels, unique within the Cistercian order, brought Villard de Honnecourt to draw it in his notebook around 1210/1215-1225, according to the recent dating proposed by Jean Wirth. Completed in 1216, this choir testifies to gothic architectural practices, that manifested in the region of northern France and in the counties of Champagne, Flanders and Hainaut from the last quarter of the twelfth century and up to the middle from the thirteenth century. The abbot and his master builder found their models outside the order. They were inspired by Benedictine sites like Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, adapting an old model to new architectural uses.This study, using texts, iconography, archaeology and art history, invites us to take a new look at the Vaucelles abbey, through two major buildings built between 1170 and 1216

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.<br>ENGLISH ABSTACT: The global Christian industry has undergone a radical shift in the past decade. There are many influences and forces active in the industry affecting church and there is evidence that the Christian industry is in a decline phase. This study analyses and assesses the strategic architecture of the Unite180 church. Even though the church has been operating its ministry successfully since 2006 as a youth ministry, it has never formalised its strategic architecture. The research study thus performed a thorough strategic architecture assessment of the Unite180 church and concluded with a strategy map and Balanced Scorecard to be utilised as practical tools to monitor the church’s achievements in terms of its strategic initiatives. The research question can be expressed as follow: What can be learnt from the current strategic architecture of the Unite180 church and how can it be changed, improved and further developed to ensure that the Unite180 church continues to create value sustainably? The study focused on a qualitative approach and the literature review explored the field of business model innovation and strategy.

This thesis is an investigation on how in architecture structure and material modulate the perception of light. This idea was implemented in the design of a catholic church for the parish of Blacksburg,Virginia. The vision of the church as a community in constant interaction resulted in the design of a complex, in which the chapel is accompanied by a pre-school and a third building containing facilities for the administration of the parish and the residence for the priest. The plaza on which all the buildings have been arranged allows the opportunity for outdoor activities, as well as the contemplation of the beautiful ever-changing views of the mountains that surround the church. The difference in the nature of the activities that take place in each one of the buildings has been expressed through the way structure and materials interact with the natural light producing a distinctive interior quality.<br>Master of Architecture

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1988.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-143).<br>Architecture can influence or be influenced by its environment. Because this is so, buildings often reflect the beliefs, understandings, or prejudices of a society. Architecture can also help to shape society's understanding of the institutions it houses. The traditional forms of the Catholic Church in this country have followed society's expectations of this facility. To date, there have been few significant challenges to this image. Through the transformation of this historic and often inappropriate form, t he architecture can begin to influence both the Church's understanding of it self and its environs, and society's impression of this community. This thesis is an exploration into such a transformation . Through both research and design , the traditional image of the Church is evaluated and challenged. The search for a new image , one more appropriate to both t he original intentions of the Church and the modern environment s in which it operates , is attempted, and a preliminary design is proposed.<br>by Elizabeth M. Beliveau.<br>M.Arch.