Ambiguous Space

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In Folder: 2018 Theses

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Ambiguous Space

Submitted to in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, April 2018

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title: Ambiguous Space

creator: Seantel Rae Trombly

subject: Architecture, Human factors; Gender identity; Homosexuality and architecture; Pavilions, Designs and plans

description: Public space is the domain in which societal standards, hierarchies, and values are asserted and contested. Architecture is both a political and artistic symbol that damns it to be perceived differently by every person, regardless of the original intent behind the design. Depending upon our own relation to social standards, part of how we determine our comfort in a space is through measuring our ability to maintain control of our safety and authority within it. Often the intent behind public space is to neutralize our differences in order to foster a peaceful experience. However, this approach commonly results in a further silencing of already oppressed identities. The following research is not intended to define a way in which architecture can force a change in societal tendencies, but to instead study the way the built environment can celebrate our individual experiences of space through our unique approaches to finding comfort within it. Looking at queer theory and gender theory as ways of rethinking architectural potential, this thesis aims to identify unique methods in which minority groups manipulate space to find a form of comfort in it. From these studies, we can develop a new architecture with a design that fosters choice, empowerment, and identity that will alter our vision of the future built environment. Ambiguous space is a type of design that works to adapt instead of define. It is with the intent to allow the user to occupy a space, rather than expect one to follow a narrative previously written for them to experience. This mentality can often deter one from leaving a situation that may be dangerous or uncomfortable. This pushes people to find their own resonance through the way they identify with the built conditions around them, fostering an authentic versus a performed experience with the public environment.

publisher: The Douglas D. Schumann Library and Learning Commons, Wentworth Institute of Technology

date: 2018

type: Thesis

format: .pdf

language: eng

rights: https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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