With nature having a direct in- fluence on our well-being and behavior, it is only natural that it should be kept close to the city borders. City dwellers benefit from having easy access to rural nature, to give them the opportunity to regulate their own bodybudget through nature. However, with urban fabrics growing rapidly, this transitional border between cityscape and nature is being pushed further out, every time the city grows and decentralizes. Trapping not only the majority of the population inside the city perimeter, with in some cases, not even a view of rural nature. But this growth in the urban fabric is also slowly breaking down rural nature itself. In order to start the discussion to stop city sprawling into nature, utopian designs can function as a radical language, to then inspire future developments. Since this urban growth is on such a big scale, it is incomprehensible to solve with just one simple solution, one could even argue, that there is no such solution. Nevertheless, with a utopian design, focussed on bringing back city sprawling to the phenomena of imbrication, of the city being a ‘guest’ in nature. Subsequently, we can start to envision a new scheme to bring back, or more so, to stop what has been lost. Through axes visible in urban fabrics, as seen in gridiron Roman Times, assumptions of future growth and decentralization of the city can be made. Making it possible to visualize conceptual borders that could function as transitional spaces between the city and nature. Since utopian designs do not submit to the boundaries of reality, they will solemnly function as a language to provoke emotion, to then ideally, commence a change in the built environment. A utopia will not propose a solution to the matter at hand, but will rather start the sequence needed for change. The sequence needed to then contain city-scapes.

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Despite what some might tell you, the 21st century is an age filled with magic and wonder. In this time of multiplicity and nuance, there is an ecstasy in tackling our paradoxical existence headfirst with no qualms of being right or wrong. We can laugh at the absurdity of the machine while it engulfs us, while simultaneously trying to dismantle it from the inside out. Here there is room for both sarcasm and sincerity, the empirical and aphorical and the rational and emotional; all coexisting in precarious waves and ripples. This project deals with ritual and memory through exploration of the natural, the spiritual and the digital along with related urgencies. The project has examined the potential for intersecting these aspects mainly within an urban context. Working with a selection of archetypes eventually led to the discovery of a holistic, encompassing one befitting the project: the ancient roman baths. The Roman baths not only served the utilitarian functions of hygiene but also played a central role in the political and social discourse at the time. These structures could include theaters, gardens, temples and even factories. With the natural and spiritual aspects being strongly present in this archetype already, work was put into finding a way to intersect the digital as well. A rough concept for using data servers to heat water was extracted from a previous exploration, and the final process of iteration began to take shape.

Architecture should strive to become an architectural prototype that brings forth collective value and culture through community cohesion, bringing together different groups of people and cultures. Thus, preventing the dilemma of gaps between the different interests, the reason for divided communities.  An inherited dilemma in a region characterised by the resource it produces is how one relates to the place and what social, economic, and political interests colour or stain the territory. It becomes a question of exploitation and displacement. The seasonal worker finds himself in a Fly in Fly out relation to his work while his family and private life are put on hold elsewhere. Simultaneously, permanent residents often feel exploited and that the culture comes second.  A territorial dynamic is defined by its inherited duality of interests that could be described as nothing short of opposites. On the one hand, the agenda is driven by the extraction of resources and, on the other hand, the sense of belonging and displaced identities in a town that depends on its industry. Moreover, the temporality of the industry and the permanency of the people in the region make for a dynamic that constantly renews itself. Where does the seasonal worker position himself in this setting, as he is not the one that is forced to move from his home nor the reason for the transformation of the territory?  The written thesis explores the possibilities for the concept of a non-place and anthropological place to emerge. It allows the architectural prototype to become a surrogate for an architecture that nourishes and fosters a stronger sense of belonging.  The architectural proposal applies accumulated knowledge and methodologies to make a new domestic prototype. A domestic model that serves the seasonal workers and temporary dwellers by carefully choreographing social interactions using the public living room as a spatial apparatus to achieve a sense of homeliness. The prototype is referred to as the Permanent hotel.

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A murmuration of starlings is a fascinating sight. Constantly swelling, contracting and changing directions in the most unpredictable ways, it almost seems like an entity with a life of its own. This, of course, is not the case. The murmuration is the result of the individual actions of hundreds – if not thousands – of birds. A piece of banal architecture is like the flight of a starling. To the untrained eye, it may look identical to its neighbors, as it conforms to the same limited set of rules. Despite this, it is the result of highly individual and thus unique incentives. One must zoom out to a level where the individual constituent is barely recognizable to be able appreciate its effect on the whole. The murmuring city is a fascinating sight. Constantly swelling, contracting and changing directions in the most unpredictable ways, it almost seems like an entity with a life of its own. Murmuring City, Banal Architecture is a master’s thesis project on urbanity, emergent structures and the architect as an urban planner, asking the question: How can we plan for »murmuring« cities, and what is the role of the architect in such planning?  Attempts to answer the research question is committed through a literature review on subjects connected to spontaneous urban development, the writing of a manifesto that allows the thesis to become propositional, as well as a series of design experiments of a much more speculative nature.  During the research, it is found that planning for murmuring cities requires a departure from the status quo of modern urban planning – our view of both what the city is and the way it is conceived must be challenged. Murmuring cities can only be planned to a certain extent, the rest must be in the hand of its citizens. The subdivision of land into streets and plots is identified as an organizational framework that allows citizens exert agency in the city. Unlike architectural production, the murmuring city’s complexity must develop over time and cannot be planned with a fixed end-state in mind. This raises the question if the architectural profession really is equipped with the skills for planning cities of higher complexity.

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The contemporary understanding of well-being has been shaped by societal ideas that long-term happiness of life is achieved by meeting and securing certain needs. These needs have been shaped by physical necessities as well as perceived needs, cravings. This misconception about well-being is problematic because it bases our well-being on circumstantial factors rather than identifying it as something found within ourselves. By considering well-being as a consequence of an external factor, we nurture a culture of striving and consumption. Ideas of achieving well-being through accumulation harm our environment whilst moving our source of well-being away from ourselves. If we instead try to accept well-being unconditionally, by understanding how our minds work, we can nurture not only ourselves but our surroundings. Mindfulness practice is used to break the illusion in our experience where it seems that we are a self (an ego, centered behind your face/eyes riding along in a body) (with needs that correspond to this ego/self). It creates an opportunity to relate to the own experience in a new way that can include more layers of the world. The essay tries to spatialize mindfulness practice through four steps towards a greater insight of the mind. This aims to create opportunities to critically reflect upon the own mind and to break the illusions about the self. The essay tries to understand if architectural elements can help the user to question their experiences and thus enable new insights into what the experience is (intrinsically / in itself) and question what it means. The project will also lead the user to question its own physiological needs and create a symbiosis with the well-being of the natural environment. This hopes to create an opportunity for the user to include new layers of themselves, where the planet and life on it are included.  When we can break the illusion of the self, we will gain a greater understanding of what well-being for ourselves can be, which means that we can include the well-being of others in our own and become actors for well-being rather than secure future well-being for ourselves. / Den samtida förståelsen av välmående har formats av samhälleliga idéer om att långsiktig livslycka uppnås genom att tillgodose och trygga vissa behov. Dessa behov har formats av fysiska nödvändigheter såväl som upplevda behov, begär. Denna missuppfattning om välbefinnande är problematisk eftersom den baserar vårt välbefinnande på omständighetsfaktorer snarare än att identifiera det som något som finns inom oss själva. Genom att se välbefinnande som en konsekvens av en yttre faktor vårdar vi en kultur av strävan och konsumtion. Idéer om att uppnå välbefinnande genom ackumulering skadar vår miljö samtidigt som vi flyttar vår källa till välbefinnande bort från oss själva. Om vi ​​istället försöker acceptera välbefinnande villkorslöst, genom att förstå hur våra sinnen fungerar, kan vi vårda inte bara oss själva utan vår omgivning. Mindfulnessträning används för att bryta illusionen i vår upplevelse där det verkar som om vi är ett jag (ett ego, centrerat bakom ditt ansikte/ögon som rider med i en kropp) (med behov som motsvarar detta ego/jag). Det skapar en möjlighet att relatera till den egna upplevelsen på ett nytt sätt som kan omfatta fler lager av världen. Uppsatsen försöker spatialisera mindfulnessövningar genom fyra steg mot en större insikt i sinnet. Detta syftar till att skapa möjligheter att kritiskt reflektera över det egna sinnet och att bryta illusionerna om jaget. Uppsatsen försöker förstå om arkitektoniska element kan hjälpa användaren att ifrågasätta sina upplevelser och på så sätt möjliggöra nya insikter om vad upplevelsen är (inneboende / i sig) och ifrågasätta vad den innebär. Projektet kommer också att leda till att användaren ifrågasätter sina egna fysiologiska behov och skapar en symbios med den naturliga miljöns välbefinnande. Detta hoppas skapa en möjlighet för användaren att inkludera nya lager av sig själva, där planeten och livet på den ingår. När vi kan bryta illusionen om jaget kommer vi att få en större förståelse för vad välbefinnande för oss själva kan vara, vilket gör att vi kan inkludera andras välmående i vårt eget och bli aktörer för välbefinnande snarare än säkra framtida välbefinnande för oss själva.

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