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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cultural architecture'
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Pizarro, Fernando. "Cultural visualization through architecture." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0003242.
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Adeil, Mosska. "Cultural Sustainability through Architecture." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/30934.
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Looking at Washington D.C.`s Downtown and observing its domination by office blocks, which contribute little to street life on weekends, my thesis is dealing with the broad topic of cultural sustainability.
I began my thesis thinking about a project dealing with ecological sustainability, but not long after starting to research, I gained the knowledge that the cultural aspect is often forgotten or minor.
Thus the design got inspired through the idea of reviving a site in D.C. and to give the different occupants of the building the chance to sense, hear, see and eventually interact with each other.
The project is giving an opportunity for architecture to get involved in peopleâ s life, not just as a room to live, work and study but to lead their interaction with each other and with the city itself.
To create such a mixed used building I decided to connect three main characters of a city in one building: Work Space, which includes retail and office space, Living Space for students and professors and Education, which is a literature department library.
A labour intensive model making process helped me to develop the design for a mixed used building where the different programs penetrate into each other`s realm and where the city is not excluded from the building but takes part in it.Master of Architecture
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Tharavichitkun, Burin. "Rethinking Thai architecture and cultural identity." Thesis, University of Westminster, 2011. https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/90097/rethinking-thai-architecture-and-cultural-identity.
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By the mid-19th century, in order to combat the threat of colonisation by western powers, the Thai king and the country’s social elite decided to adopt and implement western notions and technology as a superior ways to develop Thailand into a civilised nation, since it was believed that a new modern image of Thai cultural identity would help the country to be regarded as equal to Europe. At the same time, traditional Thai beliefs – especially the values of ‘pure’ Buddhism – were left behind as they were seen to be entirely different from the new western notions. Ever since then westernised modes of thinking have been supported by several generations of Thai rulers through a series of examples of imposed ‘top-down’ planning. This inappropriate and failed harmonisation of modern culture with Thai tradition, a process which is increasingly influenced by globalisation, has resulted in a contemporary cultural crisis that creates many problems in different aspects of the Thai built environment. The objective of this doctoral study is therefore to observe the results of these cross-cultural conflicts, and to find new ways to use architectural design to focus on a different approach from the westernised notions embodied in globalisation. The ideals of eco-Buddhism and of localised, ‘bottom-up’ planning – together with architectural participation by local people – thus become the inspirational ideas behind this study. The framework of the thesis chooses to investigate two different dimensions of the cultural conflicts caused by unsuccessful hybridisation in Thailand: firstly, the extreme physical changes to the built environment caused by the western influences; and secondly, the specific Thai pheonmena that illustrate the negative impact of cultural hybridisation on the mentality of local people. The cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai have thus been chosen as the two main case studies because each exemplifies particular problems. This thesis, as a PhD by Design will propose various small-scale architectural projects which are expressed differently according to their background problems. These often simple projects – seen as ‘small changes’ introduced by architects – are presented in the hope that their impacts would then be scaled up through local participation and the latent creativities of the residents of these urban areas in Thailand’s two main cities.
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Grundström, Oskar, and Theo Storesund. "Autotelic Architecture : A collection of architectural stories." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektur, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-146327.
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• Autotelic Architecture is a collection of buildings with architectural stories. • The buildings included are described with black line drawings on white paper and a supplementary text. The drawings have been stripped down to only show walls, pillars, stairs, ramps and significant objects. Together the drawing and the text describes what story is told in the building through its architectural elements. • The reason to include a building in the collection is our recognition of a story within it. • All of the buildings in the collection have been built. • Each of the buildings in the collection hold a story thought of as relevant, communicated with spaces and objects. The relevance is based on an incomplete set of attributes, indicating a strong architectural story. • The buildings are categorized in different themes. For example, the theme of labyrinths describe buildings that are of a maze like nature, schizophrenic describe buildings with multiple logics and nothingness describe buildings appearing to be almost nothing. One building can be part of several themes, and the number of themes is not fixed. • The intention is to visualize the nature of the architectural story and to provide a conceptual inventory for further development of architectural stories. We believe that from telling stories with only the configuration of a buildings physical conditions there arises a direct intellectual stimulation which adds poetic depth to the building. • This book argues that the poetical aspects of architecture has a purpose in itself and should take precedence over the technical aspects. • This book is not a manual and can therefore not be seen as dogmatic or as a recipe for architecture. It is a body of strong architectural stories that deserve to be noted and shared. • This book does not take a stand against other forms of architecture, it simply proposes a language of designing that is both serious and happy, both literal and tentative, both enigmatic and real.• Autotelisk Arkitektur är en samling av byggnader med arkitektoniska berättelser. • Byggnaderna är beskrivna med hjälp av planer och text. Planerna har blivit reducerade för att enbart visa väggar, pelare, trappor, ramper och signifikanta objekt. Tillsammans beskriver planen och texten den berättelse byggnaden berättar genom sina arkitektoniska element. • Alla byggnader i samlingen har byggts. • Byggnaderna är kategoriserade i olika teman. En byggnad kan vara part av flera teman och antalet teman är inte fast. • Intentionen är att visualisera arkitektoniska berättelser och tillgängliggöra en konceptuell inventering för vidare utveckling av arkitektoniska berättelser. Vi tror att genom att berätta historier genom enbart en byggnads rumsliga konfiguration uppstår det en intellektuell stimulering vilket skapar poetiskt djup i en byggnad. • Boken föreslår ett formgivningsspråk som är både seriöst och glatt, både bokstavligt och sökande, både enigmatiskt och verkligt.
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Ren, Jun. "Space + culture + identity : Chinese cultural center in Sea Point." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18708.
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This thesis is inspired by the experience of living in two places that both have distinctive cultures. Architecture being a form of culture motivated me to enter the school of architecture. After 6 years of study, this paper attempts to answer my initial concerns on architecture and culture. For me it is very important to understand what the relationship between architecture and culture and how they influence each other. How does one present culture and tradition in the design of architecture? How can architecture represent cultural identity in a foreign context, in a more respectful way? Can architecture become the platform to connect people with distinct cultural backgrounds? Last but not least, in the contemporary city of Cape Town, what is the multi-cultural intervention that one can create for immigrants, in this case, the Chinese community in South Africa? These are the essential questions that I want to discuss and investigate in my thesis. There are three sections in this paper. The first is an introduction to Chinese culture and its national identity, looking at traditional Chinese architecture and philosophies behind their making. The courtyard house will be studied as an example. Furthermore, contemporary Chinese architecture that looks at new approaches to representing the modern Chinese identity will be discussed. The second part explores spatial and urban manifestation in Chinese cities - how urban space affects one's cultural behavior. I will look at typical conditions of Chinatown and its architectural characteristic in the foreign context, including the new Chinatown in Johannesburg. In the last chapter, the paper will bring forward my thoughts through design development on site selection, programme and concept. I explored the subject of architecture and identity of nation and the way that cultural identity can be represented through architecture. I questioned how this can be translated into architecture when making its national image into a foreign country.
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Chan, Yiu-yeung Daniel. "Culture forum : transformation of the Cultural Centre, T.S.T /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1995. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25946651.
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Haas, Ryan. "Cultured growth Nature as cultural object /." PDF viewer required Home page for entire collection, 2007. http://archives.udmercy.edu:8080/dspace/handle/10429/9.
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EASTMAN, CHRISTOPHER EDWARD. "JAPAN CULTURAL FORUM ARCHITECTURAL SYNTHESIS THROUGH TRANS-CULTURAL STRATEGIES." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1053368953.
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Elkanah, Shabonni Olivia. "Promoting cultural experiences through responsive architecture." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002957.
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Peters, Philip. "Historical cultural memory celebrated through architecture." This title; PDF viewer required. Home page for entire collection, 2006. http://archives.udmercy.edu:8080/dspace/handle/10429/9.
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Hashemi, Mahkam. "Persian Cultural Center." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/83812.
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Culture is a foundation of each community and it creates society identity.
Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appear in the roots? -Rumi
In my thesis, by designing a Persian Cultural Center in Washington D.C. on the site of the former embassy of Iran, I want to produce and define a place that introduces architecturally the theme of Persian culture and education which has continuously developed over the past many centuries. It will express the value of architecture in defining the context of theoretical foundations and ideology of the Persians.
There is nothing more timely today than that truth, which is timeless, than the message that comes from tradition and is relevant now because it has been relevant at all times. Such as message belong to a now which has been, is and will ever be present .To speak of tradition is to speak of immutable principles of heavenly origin and of their application to different moments of time and space. It is also to speak of the continuity of certain doctrines and of the sacred forms, which are the means whereby, these doctrines are conveyed to men and whereby the teachings of the tradition are actualized within men. -The sense of unityMaster of Architecture
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Firzal, Yohannes. "Reconstructing socio-cultural identity : Malay culture and architecture in Pekanbaru, Indonesia." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/2989.
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Identity can be changed and reconstructed. Thus, it is seen as capable of supporting dynamic changes in real life through the transformation of practices and the articulation of social relations. This study examines how the reconstruction of identity of place is affected by culture and cultural production, and is an unfixed, unfinished and varying process that affects both the place and society. Particularly concomitant with shifts of power, the reconstruction attempts to impose one group’s values over those of other groups in cultural life and social transformation. Despite forming only one‐fifth of the population of the Indonesian city of Pekanbaru, Malay people have emerged as a group who have held important positions in both local government and urban society since 2000. This makes Pekanbaru city an intriguing research case. After more than a decade, the implementation of the group’s has led to visible changes in the city. This can be seen in the use of Malay architectural motifs on buildings, and the introduction of ‘new’ traditions to establish the madani city, which develops physically, socially and in the spirit of Malayness. By using a qualitative approach, this study investigates the influence of Malay culture in Pekanbaru city. The field data can be grouped into three types: physical evidence, people’s interpretations, and archive data collected using a range of methods such as observation, semi‐structured interviews, testimonies, and group discussions. The data are analysed and interpreted within an iterative process to expand understanding of the processes of reconstructing identity. Thus, this study affirms a wide range of thought about connections between the culture and identity of place which is identified through architecture and sociocultural change in urban society. In turn, this study offers particular insights into how identity on the margins becomes an exclusive set of collective identities.
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Kong, Tak-chun Andy, and 江德進. "Cultural landscape architecture Fanling Wai (Walled village)." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31980806.
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Kong, Tak-chun Andy. "Cultural landscape architecture Fanling Wai (Walled village)." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25951038.
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Min, Myungkee. "Japanese/American architecture : a century of cultural exchange /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/6237.
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Al-Ansari, Mae. "Irreducible Essence: Tectonics and Cultural Expression in Traditional Forms of Kuwaiti Dwelling." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1305891892.
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López, Lavalle Luque Gabriela Estefanía. "Centro Cultural del Arte Tradicional y Popular Amazónico." Bachelor's thesis, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10757/652946.
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Por mucho tiempo, el Perú ha tenido una relación no sincera con su diversidad cultural. Sin embargo, en los últimos años distintas acciones están generando cambios significativos, que permiten un reconocimiento propio de las diferentes culturas que alberga nuestro territorio.
Las comunidades indígenas, por muchos años olvidadas, forman parte importante de esta diversidad, de las cuales podemos rescatar su conocimiento sobre el uso y conservación de los recursos naturales, así como del territorio.
El Centro Cultural Del Arte Tradicional y Popular Amazónico, busca reconocer a través de la arquitectura, la identidad de esta cultura Amazónica, en específico la de la cultura Shipibo Conibo, la cual se ubica principalmente en la región de Ucayali.
El eje principal para el diseño de este proyecto, es el respeto por su cultura ancestral, crear un hito en la ciudad que responda al lugar, a sus materiales, a su entorno principalmente pero que use los conocimientos sobre las tecnologías modernas.
Asimismo, el factor climatológico es uno de los componentes más importantes para el desarrollo de esta propuesta y pone en evidencia el lazo que debe de existir entre la cultura y la arquitectura moderna.For a long time, Perú has had a non-sincere relationship with its cultural diversity. However, in recent years different actions are generating significant changes, which allow recognition of the different cultures that our territory is home to. Indigenous people, almost completely forgotten for years, are now an important part of this diversity. We can rescue their knowledge about the use and conservation of natural resources. The Cultural Center of Amazonian Traditional and Popular Art, seeks to recognize through architecture, the identity of this Amazonian culture and specifically of Shipibo Conibo culture, which is located mainly in the Ucayali region. The main axis of this project is the respect for its ancestral culture. The architecture tries to create a milestone in the city that responds to the place, its materials and its environment. Likewise, the climatological factor is one of the most important components for the development of this proyect.
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Smyth, Wesley Stephen. "Architecture of Pastoral Communities: Evidence for Cultural Convergence?" Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/297781.
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The architecture of two geographically isolated, pastoral communities was compared to illustrate how unrelated societies with similar lifestyles can exhibit architectural convergence. The Himba, a semi nomadic tribe in northwestern Namibia, and the Navajo, a Native American tribe located in northern Arizona, were the groups I selected due to their comparable cultures, climate, and lifestyle. Photographs of village structures as well as the overall village layouts were used to make comments on the architectural similarities. The results reveal remarkable village associations, specifically the uniformity regarding the orientation of the livestock enclosures and important huts. The development of similar cultural and architectural adaptations by different communities in response to similar environmental conditions implicates the influence of cultural convergent evolution (Haviland 2010).
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Philippou, Pavlos. "Cultivating urbanism : the architecture of contemporary cultural institutions." Thesis, Open University, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.542457.
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Jang, Junha. "A cross-cultural study of architectural production in Korea and the West : cultural transfer within South Korean architecture and urbanism, 1990-2010." Thesis, University of Westminster, 2013. https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/8z035/a-cross-cultural-study-of-architectural-production-in-korea-and-the-west-cultural-transfer-within-south-korean-architecture-and-urbanism-1990-2010.
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This thesis examines the issue of cultural transfer within the context of modern Korean architecture and urbanism from 1990 to 2010 in light of globalising forces. My research is based on the proposition that the emergence of any new architecture in South Korea cannot be simply categorized according to the terms familiar in predominant western architectural theories and practices. To demonstrate this point, it investigates a range of contemporary Korean cultural conditions: hyper-digitisation of everyday life, prevalence of crowd-sourced popular culture, and a ‘bang’ entertainment room phenomenon for the collective enjoyment of leisure in dense urban sites. As a result, the thesis challenges the usual notion of a balanced exchange between the ‘foreign’ and the ‘local’ within the processes of globalisation, thereby disputing the idea of an easy mutual influence between different cultures. Instead, my study aims to build a critical method which can respond to complex issues of the transfer of cultural aspects, in regard not only to socio-political conditions but also to those of linguistic and cultural diversity. I also present through some outline design explorations a new framework through which to think about architectural and urban design in South Korea, and thus for understanding its appropriation within a broader, globalising cultural context. A key argument in my research is that just as increasing levels of economic, business, cultural and communication exchanges are now being developed between the two parts of Korea, so too large-scale architectural projects are required to create continuous urban projects predicated on innovative ‘themed’ socio-economic environments. This PhD study hence proposes a new mode of architectural and urban production that carries significance both as an experimental approach in general, and also one that can serve to guide future developments following the (hopeful) future reunification between North and South Korea.
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Craig, David Latch. "Artifice and wear : cultural meaning and change." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/36206.
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Chiu, Calvin. "On Chinese Architecture." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/797.
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From the four-thousand-year obsession with timber structures to the radical fascination of steel and glass in recent decades, in a Westerner's eye, Chinese architecture evolves either too slow or too fast. The current construction boom may seem parallel to Mao's Great Leap Forward in late 1950s, when the entire nation was taking radical action for socialist industrialization; this time, it is capitalist modernization. A polarized situation surfaces as some architects are willing to align with the government and drastically transform their architecture to keep up with the movement, while others are urging for an effort to connect the past and the present, so that traditions can continue to evolve along with technological advancement. Theories of modern Chinese architecture have birthed mainly from this debate. The struggle with modernization began almost a century ago. After the fall of the Imperial Qing in 1911, foreign architects and local designers with Western academic backgrounds introduced formalism, functionalism, modernism, and traditionalism into the siheyuans (traditional courtyard houses) and imperial palaces of the capital city. The quest for a consciously "modern Chinese" architecture began. In the 1950s, China underwent a huge phase of reshaping along with the ascendancy of communism. The communist government adopted Soviet models to make Beijing a paradigm for social realism. They brought down ancient infrastructures and historical buildings to make way for monuments, worker apartments, and public squares. They advocated the idea of "national form and socialist content" to derive a new architecture.
From the 1980s on, Beijing and the entire nation began to enjoy the first-ever continuous twenty-five years of undisrupted time on urban and social development since the turning of the twentieth century. Under the open-door economic reform, the authorities began to transform Beijing into a cosmopolitan. The capital city was to perform not only as a showcase for political stability, but also to express the national image, values, and beliefs. They attempted to retain the tradition of Chinese order on one hand, and to welcome capitalist commodities and foreign technologies on the other. Citizens remain proud of their four-thousand-year heritage but are also overwhelmed by materialistic luxury from the economic boom. To the authorities, erasure of Beijing's physical past becomes legitimate under the reconstruction of selected heritage buildings and a rapid urban development.
Contemporary architecture in Beijing represents the chaotic phenomenon of today?s China. Bounded by its ghosted city wall, the rapidly changing capital epitomizes the conflict between the old and new. Pressures upon the shoulders of the local architects remain strong: political and economic constraints, legacies of the past, ambition to catch up with the world, and the urge of self-rediscovery in the globalized stage. What is the reality behind the ambition to catch up with the developed world? Is the desire to become modern and at the same time maintain their traditions only a curl-de-sac that leads to nowhere?
This thesis is a quest to revaluate the evolution of Chinese architecture from the classical Chinese curved-roof buildings to modern designs. In the making of modern Chinese architecture, a number of ideologies arise, along with political makeovers and societal developments, aiming to re-present past glories, to reflect present national achievements, and to reveal the dream of a utopian future. However, real living always comes second to political ideals on how the society should look and what they should head toward. The concern for humanity remains a nominal criterion after politics and economy in most of the construction projects.
This thesis focuses on a two-and-a-half-month journey in northern China. The journey is recorded in the form of a travelogue, which provides the narrative core of the thesis. In addition, the thesis includes academic research on Chinese architecture, embodied in four essays, to investigate its evolution, understand its relationship to the past, acknowledge its current dilemma, and search for the components that make up its identity for the twenty-first century. This thesis aims to give a sense of Chinese architectural development, both in theory and in practice, as well as including a collection of critical remarks on how the authorities manipulate architectural expressions and direct its development. The first two essays deal with urban symbolism in Beijing that the authorities have created to redefine the past and to construct an image of a bright future. Architects are only required to carry out duties, like civil servants, to realize governmental plans. The other two aim to make a contribution to the history of cultural fusion between China and the West, and the evolution of architectural theories that led to the current phenomenon, respectively. The former traces the evolutionary path of Chinese architecture and the latter compiles the concepts of Chinese architecture from the study of Chinese architecture to the realization of the buildings.
My journey begins with an exploration of ancient architecture in the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei, following the footsteps of architectural scholar Liang Sicheng. Liang and his team documented and studied 2,783 ancient buildings across the nation and wrote the first complete history on Chinese architecture. He then attempted to derive the principles of modern Chinese architecture from traditional essences. The Shanxi-Hebei experience enriched my knowledge in traditional Chinese architecture and showed me what had tempted the Chinese architects not to give up their traditions, despite a strong desire to move toward modernization.
My experience in Beijing, on the other hand, provided me the opportunity to understand the dilemma of Chinese architects of the twentieth century as they faced political pressures, economic restrictions, tense construction schedules, collective ideologies, and historical legacies. Their works play a crucial role of linking the contemporary with the traditional past, and unfolding possibilities to develop modern Chinese architecture. The quest for Chinese identity in architecture in the past few generations has imposed a complex layering of the urban structure of the city, which makes the capital a showcase for architectural ideologies of different eras.
In the current rapid "Manhattanization", Beijing has become an experimental ground for foreign futuristic ideas, as well as an open-air museum of imperial and socialist glories. The identity of the city is completely shaped by authorities and developers under a blindfold desire to pursue a global representation of modernization. Local architects receive little chance, time, and freedom to find their own path, make their own architecture, and develop their own profession. Societal criticisms remain scarce and creativity is limited by self-censorship. Yet, like their predecessors in the 1930s and 1950s, contemporary architects do not give up. Many of them still search for new design possibilities within the influences of traditions to innovations, and from local philosophies to Western ideologies. Although the pace of construction remains unbelievably fast in China, the development of local architecture struggles to find ways to evolve and express its societal significance. The maturity of the architectural profession remains an aspect that is unachievable through overnight transformations and one-time planning.
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Reder, Renee. "Shifting gears : redeveloping the downtown's cultural approach." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59196.
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Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2010.Includes bibliographical references (p. 61).
Downtowns of small cities and towns are often overlooked when thinking of cultural and gathering spaces. Unlike a large city that usually has a vibrant historical and cultural history represented by clustering of museums, theaters, and other gathering spaces, most small cities do not have these cultural centers because they do not have an influx of tourists and visitors. After the collapse of many mill industries in New England cities and towns people moved towards the suburbs, leaving behind Downtown areas, polluted rivers, and letting any remaining cultural or gathering spaces disappear. Using a site in Downtown Nashua New Hampshire that exists as a parking lot, a stitch was employed on the urban scale and a slit on the local scale to establish connections between a cultural program, site, urban fabric, and people, reversing a trend towards creating open lots along the river. The stitch is a cultural experience, a place that makes art and culture accessible to the public through a journey that connects the city back to its river.
by Renee Reder.
S.B.
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Dean, Corinna. "Establishing the Tate Modern Cultural Quarter : social and cultural regeneration through art and architecture." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2014. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/983/.
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The focus of my PhD is to examine the role of cultural regeneration through arts and architecture using Tate Modern as the principal case study. My analysis questions the role of culture in acting as an urban regeneration tool in north Southwark and in London more widely and how cultural output connects with those who influence the urban environment of Tate Modern. I begin by examining the ways in which the establishment of Tate Modern as an internationally acclaimed gallery of art has influenced the cultural regeneration of Bankside and London more broadly. I discuss local planning policy in which the former Power Station was situated, in order to understand the impact of the subsequent gallery of art socially and economically. I then discuss the wider ramifications of the establishment of Tate Modern by examining the recent history of developments around Tate Modern, in relation to the changing urban environment, as well as the jostling for urban ʻimaginariesʼ that potentially prioritises one direction of urban growth over another. In discussing how the regeneration affected the social conditions and concepts of community I consider how the institution adopted and implemented a strategy of inclusion towards the local community prior to its opening in 2000. Through my research I embedded myself within key grass roots organisations working directly or alongside Tate Modern (Better Bankside and Bankside Open Space Trust) and the local community in order to gain close access and observation of and into the field. Key to this project is identifying how the public interact with the gallery, and the ability of the building to act as a key urban element by knitting the hitherto underused North Southwark site into the surrounding urban fabric, whilst at the same time enabling key connections through and across the site. The focus of my research narrows from a micro to the macro-analysis in which, central to resolving the debate about the unique urban potential of the site and the building and institutionʼs ability to extend a definition of public within the urban environment, I focus on the spatial condition of the Turbine Hall. My analysis of the Turbine Hall as a public space, mediated through a major arts institution, enables me to arrive at a definition of public, which transgresses the urban and art sphere. This research is supported by an architectural theoretical analysis combined with art theory, and examines primary research material made up of photographic images posted on the social networking site Flickr as well as my own photographic images of the area.
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Wong, Ching-long Jerome. "Opera centre & cultural park at Central-Wanchai waterfront." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25945725.
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Liu, Wing-cheong Dicky. "Urban Artscape : restructuring of cultural complex, TST /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?
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Ong, Chin Chuan. "Analysis of Cognitive Architecture in the Cultural Geography Model." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/17432.
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedThe Cultural Geography (CG) Model is a multi-agent discrete event simulation developed by TRAC-Monterey. It provides a framework to study the effects of operations in Irregular Warfare, by modeling behavior and interactions of populations. The model is based on social science theories; in particular, agent decision-making algorithms are built on Exploration Learning (EL) and Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD), and trust between entities is modeled to increase realism of interactions. This study analyzed the effects of these components on behavior and scenario outcome. It aimed to identify potential approaches for simplification of the model, and improve traceability and understanding of entity actions. The effect of using EL/RPD with/without trust was tested in basic stand-alone scenarios to assess its impact in isolation on entities perception of civil security. Further testing also investigated the influence on entity behavior in the context of obtaining resources from infrastructure nodes. The findings indicated that choice of decision-making methods did not significantly change scenario outcome, but variance across replications was greater when both EL and RPD were used. Trust was found to delay the rate of change in population stance due to interactions, but did not affect overall outcome if given sufficient time to reach steady state.
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Alvarez, Julio. "Cultural identity in landscape architecture, renovation of Managua's lakeside." FIU Digital Commons, 2005. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1503.
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This thesis examines a design approach in landscape architecture in which cultural and historical values are reinterpreted in a contemporary urban environment. The site of this project is located in Managua's lakeside area, which was destroyed by hurricane Mitch in 1998. The lakeside area has been an attraction to Managua's residents because of its beautiful views and fresh breezes.
The majority of Nicaragua's population is of indigenous descent; however, Managua's urban environment is predominantly of European influence. The pre-Columbian heritage of Nicaraguans is hidden in their cultural expressions, such as the names of places and religious rituals.
This project provides a new lakeside area for Managua in which cultural identity in landscape architecture is represented in the use of the site and in a rescue of Managua's residents' pride in their pre-Columbian heritage. The lakeside renovation was planned using pre-Columbian design methodology and vocabulary to create a functional and environmentally sens~velandscape.
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Kerlin, Patricia Ann. "Cultural poetics in the making of public space." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/22723.
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Ridge, Kristin. "The American Islamic Cultural Center." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1495807156023029.
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Altamirano, Cavero Angela Noheli. "Complejo cultural y deportivo Watukanakuy." Bachelor's thesis, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10757/651601.
Full textAbstract:
El Complejo Cultural y Deportivo Watukanakuy es un proyecto ubicado en el distrito de San Jerónimo, provincia de Andahuaylas departamento de Apurímac; situado en el centro de actividades del distrito. Se trata de un equipamiento que combina las actividades deportivas, culturales, educativas y recreativas satisfaciendo así la demanda creciente de la población, dotando a la comunidad de espacios adecuados para desarrollar dichas actividades.
Estando este proyecto enfocado en la revaloración de las tradiciones y costumbres. La denominación watukanakuy es un vocablo quechua que significa encuentro entre personas, y para esta investigación representara la unión de los pobladores en el carnaval y demás actividades culturales y en la alegría que representa el deporte.The Cultural and Sports Complex Watukanakuy is a project located in the district of San Jerónimo, province of Andahuaylas, department of Apurímac; located in the center of activities of the district. It’s a facility that combines sports, cultural, educative and recreational activities, this way satisfying the growing demand of the population, by giving to the community suitable spaces for these activities. This project is focused in the appreciation of traditions and customs. The designation “watukanakuy” is a Quechua word that means encounter between people, and for this investigation it represents the union of the community in the carnival, cultural activities and in the joy that sports represent.
Tesis
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Moberg, Emma. "A Cultural Landscape: Økern." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektur, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280583.
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The project analyses a cultural landscape and depicts the layers of culture, urbanity and making in its previous alterations. The proposal considers Økern, a post-industrial area north east of Oslo, due for a large densification process, becoming part of the central city. Through analysis of Økern’s layered history and its requirements for the future, the thesis proposes to reinscribe paths of public, residential and productive qualities. The analysis begins by mapping the different characters the landscape has played through a drawn survey. The scheme responds to the survey in proposing a new connective path and a series of spaces that are public, residential and producing. The proposal consists of a garden and communal space, the transformation and improvement of an existing factory building and a public passage giving access to the high street of the area. The scheme is a contextual addition to the pedestrian, residential and public grain of Økern. It is specific in its interventions on the site, working with the existing landscape, the need for public space and the local functions present in the area. The thesis also aims to contribute on a general level with an attitude of care and sustainability, proposing precise and well informed insertions in the transformation of cities today.
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Hodjat, Mehdi. "Cultural heritage in Iran policies for an Islamic country /." Thesis, Online version, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.283542.
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Akkar, Ghita. "A cultural, customizable and prefabricated housing grammar for Casablanca." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65541.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-103).
Proposing an innovative design grammar linking prefabrication, customization and cultural adaptability, this thesis addresses the present day housing deficit and lack of architectural identity in Casablanca, Morocco. The grammar incorporates customization that creates housing units specific to a family's needs, incorporating cultural aspects such as courtyards into the design, and simultaneously allows for the creation of a diverse urban fabric. I first reviewed the existing housing need in Casablanca to date, which includes 400 informal settlements and 98,128 households living in sub-standard conditions. This led to my exploration of prefabrication as a construction method, to my review of historical mass housing precedents in Casablanca, and to my identification of significant cultural typologies of the traditional Moroccan house. With the realization that the current housing market cannot support the current housing deficit, I decided to make a contribution to the system by designing a set of rules or a housing grammar that not only integrates prefabrication for fast construction but also customization to promote user participation and cultural adaptability to respond to local lifestyles. This prefabrication system I designed using light weight factory built modules allows for a fast and efficient way to deliver housing units at affordable prices for Casablanca. Drawing on the existing Moroccan financial housing models, this system will reduce the construction phase by 60%, allows for cost savings of 20%, while offering users the ability to customize in order to address their particular priorities and bringing dignity and practicality to the design of affordable housing. Furthermore, by investigating the courtyard as stacked units, I am exploring a new type of urban typology for low-rise high-density urban courtyard housing for Casablanca.
by Ghita Akkar.
S.M.
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Hamid, Afshan. "Diaspora, dislocation, denizen : a cultural center in Lowell, Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/66776.
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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-49).
The condition of being migrant is peculiar to modernity. Being migrant is often a result of political estrangement from one's homeland, or dislocation due to economic pressures. It is a status which requires the individual to be temporary, shifting and dynamic. If the position becomes static, the migrant becomes an immigrant alien in a new and unfamiliar geographical location. Thus immigrant is the radical instability of the modern experience. Immigrant is not only a consequence of modernity, but also a metaphor for the process of modernity. Being migrant has the trauma of dislocation, of relearning communication, rethinking a cultural dialogue. It is also an interiorized alone sense of loneliness, and even a longing for a return to a familiar place and time. Being immigrant is a journey, both mental and physical. This thesis concerns itself with the issues of being an immigrant. In particular, the debate will revolve around immigrants of the last twenty years, the Asian community. I am interested in this group because they are still struggling to assimilate themselves into the American experience. The town of Lowell, Massachusetts has a community of recent immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia and Korea. These people have been encouraged to resettle their lives due to government programs and a strong manufacturing industry in Lowell. They inhabit a part of Lowell known as Acre and the Lowlands. These areas have been home to the first Irish settlers in Lowell in the 1850s. The site for the project is itself a borderland condition, precisely where the existing Lowell community stops development and the immigrants begin their settlement. The area is currently a residential fabric on one side and an industrial locality on the opposite. The Pawtucket Canal, a man-made canal, runs through the site, acting both as a boundary and a seam.
by Afshan Hamid.
M.Arch.
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Oner, Asli. "Integration of local cultural values in global hotel design." Virtual Press, 2003. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1273162.
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In the earlier stages of globalization, global chain hotel design did not have specific concerns about local culture and host country. In the last two decades, these hotels became more respectful towards the local culture by integrating local cultural elements and construction techniques in their design. The reasons for this shift is directly linked with globalization, increased competition between cities, fierce competition between urban hotels, and changing demands of the global travelers.Among the hotels integrating local cultural values, there is a specific niche that has established their businesses in historical landmark buildings. This thesis will demonstrate the presence of this specific hotel niche through case studies conducted in London and Istanbul. It will examine how the integration of local cultural values may improve the competiveness of global chain hotels. The focus will be on integration of historic cultural values.Department of Architecture
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Kafer, Elijah. "Techné exploration of unmanifested shifts in cultural landscapes /." This title; PDF viewer required Home page for entire collection, 2008. http://archives.udmercy.edu:8080/dspace/handle/10429/9.
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Beshir, Tarek. "Architecture beyond cultural politics : Western practice in the Arabian peninsula." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/64517.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1993.Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-103).
Much of the recent architectural discourse in the Gulf States is permeated by a passionate preoccupation with narratives of identity and self-definition. During the last two decades, these states invited an overwhelming number of western architects to participate in development projects. The work of these architects appears to involve a multitude of interpretations. At one end is the architect's own theoretical position and autonomous architectural discourse, while at the other end is the cultural and ideological circumstances by which the architect's work and ideas are received and understood. This study is focused on two institutional buildings designed by two western architects: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh by Henning Larsen, and the National Assembly in Kuwait by Jam Utzon. A critical reading of texts and representations of these buildings provides a vehicle to expose the explicit and implicit theoretical positions of the two architects and to offer a critique of the cultural politics of identity by which the architect's work and ideas are received. This study argues that the "discursive practice" and the cultural politics underlying the work of architecture serve to place identity as the centerpiece of discussion which in tum reduces architecture to a set of prevalent characterizations and obscures any meaningful analysis of work and ideas.
by Tarek Beshir.
M.S.
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Barcelona, Bergenwall Hugo. "Kulturrum Visby : Adding in a cultural heritage site." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektonisk gestaltning, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-229809.
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Wharton, Tracy Lyn. "Cultivating Cubanidad : weaving a cultural nexus into Havana's urban fabric." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38606.
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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-85).
City-frameworks create an underlying system of order through which individuals are able to interact within their communities. Considering the successful historical precedents of city developments like Philadelphia, Savannah, and Bolonga, these cities exemplify the three different styles of city-frameworks (infrastructure, greenway, and architecture). Contemporary city-frameworks have increasingly embodied forms of development vocabulary, like the mega-block and the monument, which oppose the energy of present neighborhoods and oftentimes end up breaking up communities. Usually associated with these strategies is the desire to accommodate for tourism and gentrification at the expense of lower-class relocation. Taking this into consideration, in this thesis I propose an alternative strategy of development, one that is built from the success of past while recognizing the needs of the present. This strategy is developed by analyzing strong and weak city-frameworks. The lessons learned from this set of precedence is then shaped into seven rules of city-framework planning, accompanied by a set of comprehensible urban redevelopment vocabulary. Then to test adaptability, the development strategy is systematically employed in the context of Havana, Cuba, looking at the Central Havana neighborhood of Colon, as a design case study.
by Tracy Lyn Wharton.
M.Arch.
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Vincent, de Paul Jegan Joyston. "///COUNTER : an artistic system for the transmission of cultural energy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49730.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2009.Pages 98 and 99 blank.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [86]-95).
My thesis introduces ///COUNTER as an artistic system for the transmission of cultural energy. The underlying concepts of ///COUNTER are derived directly from my work on energy access as developed through the eWheel and Human Grid projects. the ///COUNTER has evolved parallel to and informed by the activities, relationships, and projects I have been immersed in during my two years as a graduate student in the MIT Visual Arts Program. MIT's social and technological environment is the engine from which ///COUNTER as a hybrid system of art and science has been created. ///COUNTER was incorporated in the Spring of 2009 and headquartered at One Broadway in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a corporation, ///COUNTER is an effective tool and medium through which art can become a form of power designed to play a central role in producing positive social change. ///COUNTER is presented below as a plan of action towards that aim.
by Jegan Joyston Vincent de Paul.
S.M.
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Mosier, Lisa G. (Lisa Gayle). "The Morisco House in Granada : domestic space in cultural transition." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33027.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 48).
This paper examines issues of cultural, religious, and personal identity as reflected in domestic space, with the premise that expressions of the built environment evolve from concepts of self. These themes are particularly apparent in the case of residential architecture of the Moriscos, a cultural group of former Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity in 15th and 16th century Spain following the Reconquest. The Morisco houses of Granada from 1500-1570 reveal architectural forms resulting from acculturation as well as desires to protect identities and traditions in the midst of threat of cultural extinction. The architectural elements of these residences may be read as subversive attempts by a subordinated cultural group to conceal meaning from the dominant Christian population.
by Lisa G. Mosier.
S.M.
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Schnee, George William. "All the city's a stage : a cultural center for Boston." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77308.
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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1985.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-183).
This thesis looks at the exuberance of city life as manifest in performance. Whether spontaneous or formal, gatherings for entertainment, celebration. spectacle and observation occur throughout the city at a variety of scales. A city's vitality comes largely from its great concentration of humanity. When people come together, an expressive energy usually arises as creativity, ideas. passions. and talents are shared. Interactions which we can call performance or theatre, in many circumstances, are then taking place. Thus. the city becomes transformed into a stage whose actors are its people. While the role of the architect in this process may be somewhat peripheral, an understanding of the spaces and forms which somehow tend to foster or allow public performance interactions in the city can be very useful in the design of public spaces which demand vitality. and. of course, in the design of theatres. The thesis begins with an historical overview of theatre form, which very generally outlines the development of performance, its historical context and its typical settings. The second chapter takes a look at a number of places throughout Boston which have been designed for, or adapted to becoming venues for performance. The third chapter. in a series of detailed case studies ranging from a sacred palace to the shopping mall takes a closer look at the theatre as a microcosm of the larger world in which it exists. and of which it is intended to symbolize. Finally. a design for a prime site in Boston is proposed which incorporates both informal and formal performance experiences. The underlying design intention has been to produce a cultural center which provides a scaffolding or framework for performance at a variety of levels for a variety of people. Form studies and diagrams analyze this intention in the context of the proposed design.
by George William Schnee.
M.Arch.
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Aguada, José Antonio. "Cultural influences : visual traces of the Cuban community in Hialeah." FIU Digital Commons, 2005. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1212.
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This thesis examines specific changes and modifications made to the domestic architecture of Hialeah that relate to the construction of cultural identity. Much of the study is based upon oral histories from twelve (12) Cuban immigrants now residing in Hialeah, focusing on their renovated houses as architectural responses to cultural and social changes in their community and family life.
The research focused specifically on those renovations that transformed standard developers' houses into the "Cuban" home. A shared theme was the creation of additions, where the point of connections between the existing and the new structures as well as how these expansions created courtyards, became important to the study.
The design project is an addition to John F. Kennedy Library located on Henry L. Milander Park, which includes new computer areas and gallery spaces connecting the past and the present with Cubans in Hialeah and all over the world-connecting identities.
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Al-Ban, Alaa Zaher G. "Architecture and cultural identity in the traditional homes of Jeddah." Thesis, University of Colorado at Denver, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10112566.
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Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, is located on the west coast of the Red Sea in the Hijaz region. Lying between the two holy mosques, Makkah and Madinah, Jeddah is a more liberal and open-minded city compared to the rest of the conservative Sunni Islamic country. As the only stop along the religious tour with easy access by plane and car, Jeddah and its culture, food, architecture, and lifestyle have been greatly impacted due to the trade route and the religious tourism. Importantly, Al- Balad, the historic city center of Jeddah, is architecturally significant, housing numerous traditional Hijazi homes. With the discovery of oil, local attitudes changed and devalued the culture and the history. And these traditional structures took on a precarious position in the developing city: swimming against the current of Western aesthetics, stereotypes, and political influence, the traditional Hijazi home fell out of fashion, and many structures were left neglected. Due to these changing dynamics and the architectural changes it wrought, this doctoral dissertation endeavors to the architecture of the traditional homes of Al-Balad by investigating the complex interaction of cultural identity and space.
In analyzing the architectural details of these residential spaces, deciphering the meaning behind the aesthetics and construction of each architectural element, and considering women’s agency and readings about their traditional lifestyles, religion, and beliefs, this work reveals the hidden gender dynamics within the home, dynamics that are too often ignored or misunderstood, particularly in the West. I argue that the traditional Hijazi home stands as proof of an empowered Saudi woman—but empowered according to a different definition of empowerment, one that challenges Western gender constructs and, instead, incorporates the unique social, religious, and historical context of Jeddah specifically and Saudi Arabia more broadly. Moreover, this dissertation offers a model and methodology for documenting the historic structures in the Hijazi region and promotes the appreciation Saudi culture and history. It fills a gap in current preservation practices for the nation; it aims to provide a foundation for architectural preservation curriculum for schools across Saudi Arabia; it offers a template for documentation practices in order to support, preserve, and understand the history and design of the 19th century Hijazi domestic architecture.
There is a valid need for this work. Currently, a poor archival system, a dearth of literature analyzing Saudi residential architecture, and restrictions and regulations imposed by the Saudi government have led to unique challenges. If this dissertation at times seems to avoid politically charged questions, especially within the context of feminist politics, it does so out of respect to Saudi authorities. Despite such challenges, this dissertation, by returning to Jeddah and deciphering and recording what’s left of its traditional, historic buildings, hopes to initiate a more extensive and unified archiving system and more robust scholarship before an important aspect of Saudi history is lost.
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Paulino, Ana Rita Lameirão. "Centro Cultural Chicala." Master's thesis, Universidade de Lisboa. Faculdade de Arquitetura, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/13567.
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Zhang, Minye. "The Future of Historical and Cultural Area." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektur, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-289616.
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In the rapid development of urbanization, there are some people have been forgotten. They have to make a compromise to such urbanization. While witnessing their cities becoming better and better, some of the local residents are forced to move to the suburbs. There are many historical urban areas in my home town in the process of gentrification and demographic reconstructuring. The top-down reform always starts with a large scale demolition. I am really interested in finding another way to revitalize urban area apart from a large scale demolition, I try to explore and practice the urban acupuncture which means just propose the local construction design for the urban problems that need to be solved. With more and more partical designs, a large area would be influenced gradually, so as to activate the vitality of communities and even the whole city. This project started with reorganizing the courtyards in the historical area to improve the lilfe quality and revitalize the quarter step by step.
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Nardella, Bianca Maria 1973. "Cultural interfaces : (in)visible spaces in the Old City of Jerusalem." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39399.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-129).
This thesis starts with the contemporary problematics of the famously contested place, Jerusalem, and tries to understand the impact of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians on the fabric of the Old City. The goal is to describe how the inhabitants of this contested place deal, everyday, with their physical environment and suggests that through that understanding one might locate a trajectory for co-habitation. In the Old City of Jerusalem, a group's presence in everyday life is asserted through a network of paths that makes public space visible to that group while making it invisible to another. The historic fabric has a density at the ground level that leaves no room for further reconfiguration of the public space where segregated Quarters interface. Thus, under the current conditions, the only option left to the residents is to move up to the roof level where the boundaries are still undefined. The interface outlined by the ancient Cardo-Decumanus crossing proves, through personal analysis, that segregation is not a functional option when dealing with the complexities of the Old City. The present political struggle, with its feeling of absolute possessiveness, is suffocating the fabric of the city - the unique setting that has provided a home to multiple cultural groups for centuries. Upon restoring the public spaces as connectors within the presently dissociated urban structure, it would be possible to enable the city's inhabitants and visitors to cross boundaries and re-integrate into the quotidian.
by Bianca Maria Nardella.
S.M.
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Banerjea, Sreoshy. "Beyond Shock City : towards a new cultural model of riverfront development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82264.
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Thesis (S.M. in Architecture Studies)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Page 203 blank.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-202).
In India, rivers hold profound meaning formed by sacred rituals, and traditions. Today, urban waterfront degradation has led to a focus on the greater good implemented through modern objectives of development, leading to a tension between past and present modes of city-river interface. In the state of Gujarat, India, the Sabarmati Riverfront divides Ahmedabad into the east and the west, the old city and the new city, characterized by populations varying in religious, social, and financial status. Due to the tension between the two sides, the river is a physical and sociological barrier between the two 'worlds'. Howard Spodek in Shock City portrays Ahmedabad stepped in shocking contradictions: a city of extraordinary economic growth and innovation, horrendous communal violence and appalling poverty. In order to address the divide, the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation (SRFDC) was formed in 1997 to stitch together both sides and create a unique global identity for the city via a modern model of riverfront development. Today, as the decade long effort comes to fruition, it has expanded the outlook of its inhabitants but can also be critiqued as a heavy handed approach that has marginalized the lower rungs of society In order to demonstrate a new cultural model of riverfront development that situates itself between the modern model and traditional Indian riverfront urbanism, this thesis takes inspiration from multiple perspectives via the following three analyses: Firstly, a historiography of India riverfront urbanism leads up to the analysis of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development. Secondly, a conceptual framework is created via an analysis of an alternative cultural model along the Sabarmati, the Gandhi Ashram. Thirdly, a downstream sites' contemporary relationship with the Gandhi ashram is traced in order to propose and develop a new riverfront design framework through a cultural approach which integrates across multiple scales. This strategic focus area is developed as a contemporary embodiment of the inclusive spirit of the ashram, resulting in a landscape which is truly exemplary of the consciousness of unity, communal identity and diversity which can lift Ahmedabad beyond Shock City, beyond the current SRFD, and beyond the Gandhi Ashram today.
by Sreoshy Banerjea.
S.M.in Architecture Studies
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Datey, Aparna. "Cultural production and identity in colonial and post-colonial Madras, India." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65460.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-195).
All cultural production is a consequence of its context and is infused with meaning and identity. A preoccupation with the visual and symbolic aspects of architectural form and its cultural meaning has led to an increased autonomy of the architectural object. This thesis posits that architectural forms do not have fixed, unchanging and singular meanings, but that they acquire meaning in particular contexts- historical, social, cultural and political. Certain forms or stylistic motifs, acquire, embody or are perceived to represent the identity of a nation or cultural groups within a nation. The confluence of a search for 'Indianness' and the post-modern thought in architecture is a paradoxical aspect of the recognition of the autonomy of architecture. In the contemporary India, the search for a 'Tamil' identity, may be perceived as an attempt to create a distinct, regional identity as opposed to the homogenous and universal national identity. This is similar to the creation of a 'British-Indian' identity as opposed to the western one, by the British, in the last quarter of the 19th century. In this attempt to create a regional identity, the same or similar regional architectural forms and stylistic motifs were the source and precedent to represent both 'Tamil' and 'British-Indian' identity. This would imply that the forms do not have a singular meaning but that they are embodied with meaning and symbolism in particular contexts. This is exemplified by a trans-historical comparison between two colonial and contemporary buildings in Madras, South India. The Post and Telegraph Office, 1875-84 (Architect: Robert Chisholm) and the Law Court, 1889-92 (Architect: Henry Irwin) represent the two trends within 'Indo-Saracenic' architecture. The former draws precedents primarily from local, regional and classical Hindu temple architectural traditions while the latter from the 'Indo-Islamic' Mughal architectural tradition. The Valluvar Kottam Cultural Center, 1976-8 (Architect: P. K. Acharya) and the Kalakshetra Cultural Center, 1980-2 (Architects: Mis. C. R. Narayanarao & Sons) represent the search for an indigenous 'Tamil' architecture. The sources for the former are primarily from the Dravidian style classical Hindu temple architecture of the region while the latter is inspired by the local and regional traditions. Paradoxically, the same or similar forms manifest opposing ideals, and represent colonial and post-colonial identities, respectively.
by Aparna Datey.
M.S.