The built environment works as a constant manual for our bodies to relate to. Whether we reflect on it or not, it is the stage and the set for our everyday social dramas. What happens if the clarity of how to perceive or how to use a space becomes blurred? As architects we usually seek function, efficiency in usage, readability and clarity. In this project I have instead embraced the vague, the skewed, the contradictory and the in-between. As a method of creating I use chance and intuition. I find inspiration in the phenomena of drag where I discover that vague and undefined space can have a similar way of revealing normative truths as social constructions. Through initiating a dialogue between body and space, vagueness creates an awareness of the architecture that surrounds and shapes us. The vagueness in itself also allows for different interpretations, multiple ways to perceive and make use or not make use of space. By seeing vagueness as an asset it could perhaps contribute to a more diverse future architecture to live in and relate to. / <p>The full thesis contains copyrighted material which has been removed in the published version.</p>

A floor, four walls and a ceiling – this space that we take for granted has not always been a feature for humans. In my Degree project, I learn what a space has meant for people. I learn what existed before we built a room for ourselves, what came after, and what was a role of a fireplace in this process. I do so to be build my own relationship with a space of four walls to be able to work with such a space as a context for my work.

Schools can often be overstimulating environments for children with autism. Creating a space where these children can thrive is what this project explored. The site used for this exploration was the Lewis Ginter Recreation Association on the north end of Richmond, VA. Children with autism have very sensitive needs, so exploring these needs within the context of an educational setting provided for an in-depth journey into the lives of those affected by autism.

This mixed- assembly space is designed as a permanent mission trip training and housing facility. Predominately the space will be used by middle school and high school youth. By creating a modern experience, teens are given a better opportunity to engage in a space they can relate to. It becomes a space where young people feel encouraged to share their feelings, beliefs and desires as they journey into a closer, more intimate relationship with a higher being. The space is intended to serve a transient population. A large portion of the first floor is devoted to communal gathering which provides a space dedicated to praise and worship as well as an adjacent space for dining. The space also features lounge areas, a welcome center, restrooms and locker rooms, and spaces for lodging. This project is an exploration of story-telling and how it can both impact and encourage a space. The idea behind the project is to help teenagers focus on something they cannot see or touch. Design strategies including connections, interactions, processions and transitions become very influential to the space.

The focus of this project is to provide a musical hub for the learning, practice, and performance of music for students ages 10-18 in order to cultivate trust and education in the community. This project examines the role music plays as a vital part of our communities and city resources. The communities we live in should not only supply opportunities for the music but support the music. Support of the music can allow cultural learning in the community and create a new pattern of education between parent and child. Just as most school systems support the learning of math and science, an emphasis should also be placed on the arts for educational, societal, and individual life success as the benefits are numerous. This project looks to provide a centralized space where a relationship between music and young people can be cultivated and expressed. Many public schools have small facilities, but a large center could provide a hub for musical activities for the local community.

Answering the call issued by John Underkoffler in 2010 about the future of UI, I have imagined the Immersive Media Library (IML) as an annex of the main VCU library, offering a concentration of visually immersive spaces to compliment the space the university is already building in the renovated Cabell Library. The design is new in that the emphasis is placed on the collaboration between librarians and visitors in creating new work. Focusing on the interpersonal might be unexpected from program with such an emphasis on new technology - but I see it as vital part of the new computing paradigm.

In the Arabian Gulf countries, the majlis is a central part of the house. The most public space within it, the majlis represents the household’s occupants to society and its social and economic status. As the house reflects culture and civilization, so the family is understood as a micro-level society of individuals raised in its institutions. Hence, the house is a manifestation of family structure, religious beliefs, and individual needs and desires, reflecting the family’s economic, cultural, and social backgrounds and aspirations. The majlis offers a unique space in Arab societies, articulating cultural and social factors that directly impact identity Accordingly, the design of the majlis and meanings associated with its constituents are essential to the discussion about Qatari culture and society from past to present (Rapoport 1969). Since the discovery of oil in Qatar, there has been a noteworthy change in the way that houses have been designed, with a major transformation in the use of house and majlis over the last few generations, including social factors such as family social structure, the role of women, kinship and its relationship with privacy and proximity, and economic factors such as the availability of disposable income. This research explores the evolution of house architecture in Qatar with a focus on the design and social impact of the majlis. The physical and social changes in the period between pre-oil discovery until today have created gaps between the built form, climate, and sociocultural activities. This research attempts to bridge this gap, concentrating on the majlis.

An arts education space, focusing on concepts of design thinking aimed at providing low income middle and high school teens of color the opportunity to learn about interior design, architecture and crafts. Ultimately, Boomerang Studio hopes to engage students in the world of design as a means of creating greater diversity within these disciplines.

For a physical space to have an emotional impact on those who experience it, we must consider the connection and relationship between objects and experience, and how people make individual connections to insentient places. It is this symbiotic relationship that allows a building or space to attain a “soul”. Through the adaptive re-use of a Richmond, Virginia building, this thesis project explores strategies of staging physical interaction and organic experiences through art and culture in the context of a mixed-use niche hotel.

This research supports the design of a museum dedicated to reconciliation on the issue of human slavery. Throughout the museum guests will be ushered through contemplation to prepare for the context of the museum, gallery exhibitions chronicling the slavery and corporate apologia. The aim of the museum is to aid guests toward taking ownership of the history of slavery while simultaneously offering up forgiveness for it. Platforms for spoken word art, lecture halls and spaces dedicated to dialogue will be included. The chronological progression through the museum will move guests from introspection to education, personal acceptance to forgiveness. Guests will end the museum at a community space, reconciled to each other and on equal ground.