The usage of the paired terms of denotation and connotation are one means by which language provides for the declarative knowing of all things; denotation is a naming by means of indication, whereas connotation is that which incites the specificity of meaning to a particular thing. Where the denotative assumes a recessive posturing of a formal ambiguity, the connotative proceeds towards a greater clarity with the intention of potential certainty and separateness in meaning. In the same manner as with language, the denotative in architecture responds to the elemental analogue operatively as a background within a field of signification, whereas the connotative responds to the elemental analogue exemplifying an objectification through categorical distinction. The use of the term denotation as the title of this exploration is to instate the accompanying text within the resonance of the denotative background in an attempt to circumvent a connotative, architectural objectification, at times operating under the guise of evidential justification. This circumvention, by means of the denotative positioning, is not meant as a vindication of the architectural object; rather, it is meant as a critique of the autonomy of the object and the foreground that it inhabits. This use of denotative background (not as a dialectical or teleological response to the connotative object) is to provide for an ungrounding in the work to the primacy of object as architectural edification. / Master of Architecture

τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ νοεῖν ἐστίν τε καὶ εἶναι ...for it is the same, to think as it is to be. Parmenides, fragment 3 These pages are a presentation of an architectural activity. It is the activity of the architectural sketch. By architectural sketch, I mean free hand drawing. Primarily, this is a presentation of the sketch as a generator of form and idea. With intent to clarify this activity, this way of thinking and working, there are also several short essays on the sketch. These essays will discuss certain aspects of the sketch which are intellectually intriguing (food for thought) and relevant to the fundamental question: what is it to sketch? A few supplementary questions posited at this point will help direct the viewing (IΔ) of the sketches and also serve as a background for the subsequent discussion. 1) Of what importance is the sketch? 2) What is the activity of the sketch? 3) How does the sketch differ from other ways of drawing? 4) What is the relationship between drawing and seeing? And thinking? 5) What is revealed (unconcealed) in the sketch? 6) Is there an aesthetics of the sketch? Secondly, this is an architectural project, a masters thesis. It is a library project for an academic environment. Inherent in the sketches is a movement of form and idea (εἶδoς). This movement in the sketches lead to the architectural pieces which become the library. The question then becomes how to order the pieces, how to situate them with respect to one another. Through a study of geometry, proportion, and regulating lines the pieces are brought together into a rational order, that is, made intelligible to the mind. This ordering elevates the pieces which have been formed by the sketch to another level. A series of studies on regulating lines will be presented as well as some hard-line drawings of the pieces and the library. / Master of Architecture

This was a project undertaken to express my desire for a return to the libraries of grand reading rooms. lt was as well a project to try my hand at juxtaposing large masonry piers or walls with light steel trusses. In retrospect, though these two ideas remained my motivating forces, it became a project by which to begin to understand the difference between a well defined idea and willfulness. / Master of Architecture

The two libraries and studies that follow are the products of an exploration into the problematic relation of man to nature. The work specifically examines the fact that while we are unquestionably a part of nature we are, at the same time, separated from it by our self-awareness. We exist as both symbolic and physical beings. As Christian Norberg-Schulz notes, we are precariously situated between the earth and the sky. Focusing on the fundamental elements of light and shadow, the projects explore the issues of separation and inclusion. It is hoped that a glimpse of the innate terror, wonder and beauty of our daily existence may be revealed. The work deals specifically with the making of layers and edges while accentuating spatial flow and continuity. The desire is to bring the library patron into close contact with nature while simultaneously emphasizing a profound separation. Complementary to this is an interest in highlighting a perception of leaving and returning. Reading involves leaving one's present awareness in order to pursue another that is revealed through the pages of a book. One may gain a new perspective on the world through one's literary ventures. Regardless, however, of the distance one may symbolically travel one must always return to the immediacy of one's present situation. Seemingly endless possibility is balanced by the confinement imposed by one's own mortality. In each project the visitor moves through layers of light and space, crossing a small, enclosed courtyard before reaching the main body of the library. Once inside, he regains a view of the courtyard as he sits down by the window to read. By emphasizing distance through layering, the visitor is withdrawn from the hectic cityscape and focused on the subtle interplay of light and shadow on simple concrete walls and on the fluttering leaves and branches of a tree. It is hoped that by withdrawing the visitor from the city and reminding him of his peculiar relation to nature he may renew his awareness of the human condition. / Master of Architecture

Siu Wun Nam Jo. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2008-2009, design report." / Includes bibliographical references.

Zhong Jing. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2010-2011, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / Thesis Inception --- p.P1 / Case Study --- p.P8 / Topographical Analysis --- p.P17 / Program --- p.P27 / Initial Design --- p.P35 / Special Study --- p.P45 / Architectural Design --- p.P49

Yu Pik Ki Peggy. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 1996-97, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leave [55]). / Synopsis / Existing State / Chapter 1 --- program brief / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- background --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Client Profile --- p.3-5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Program Requirements of Hong Kong Central Library --- p.6-10 / Chapter 2 --- Site Analysis / Chapter 2.1 --- Site Selection --- p.11-15 / Chapter 2.2 --- Site background --- p.16 / Chapter 2.3 --- Physical Conditions --- p.17 / Chapter 2.4 --- Site Context --- p.18-19 / Chapter 2.5 --- Site Information --- p.20-24 / Chapter 2.6 --- Site Analysis Conclusion --- p.25-26 / Future state / Chapter 3 --- design brief / Chapter 3.1 --- Mission Statement --- p.27-28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Outline of Planning Facilities --- p.29-30 / Chapter 3.3 --- Planning Strategy --- p.31 / Chapter 3.4 --- Concepts --- p.32-33 / Chapter 4 --- Conclusion / Appendix / Chapter 5 --- Precedent studies / Chapter 5.1 --- Cranfield University Library --- p.35 / Chapter 5.2 --- "Central Library, Phoenix" --- p.36 / Chapter 5.3 --- "Library and art gallery, France" --- p.37 / Chapter 5.4 --- "Pompidou Center, Paris, France" --- p.38 / Chapter 6 --- Research / Chapter 6.1 --- Library Planning & Organization --- p.39-40 / Chapter 6.2 --- Operations Pattern in Library --- p.41 / Chapter 6.3 --- Automatic Conveyance System --- p.42 / Chapter 6.4 --- Other Design Considerations --- p.43-46 / Chapter 6.5 --- Climatic Control --- p.47 / design / Chapter 7 --- Preliminary Design / Chapter 7.1 --- Site Plan --- p.48 / Chapter 7.2 --- Site Section --- p.49 / Chapter 7.3 --- Section --- p.50 / Chapter 7.4 --- Ground Level --- p.51 / Chapter 7.5 --- Information Center --- p.52 / Chapter 7.6 --- Library Services --- p.53 / Chapter 7.7 --- Open Stacks --- p.54 / Acknowledgments / Biblography