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.

Music, it has been shown, has the potential to both create social cohesion and encourage conflict resolution (Koelsch, Offermanns, & Franzke, 2010). In a city with deep roots in slavery, music may be more powerful than language or the toppling of monuments to help create a cultural identity that every demographic can fit. Not only can music improve mood in an individual, but musical contagion affects large groups at once. Creating a space to equalize access to and share the experience of music—both making and appreciation—would give the city an opportunity for reconciliation and community bonding. While a universal quality of humanity, music is unfortunately not equally accessible to all races and ages. Children in low socioeconomic schools and aging adults are two populations that are less likely to engage in musical opportunities due to prohibitive costs, lack of resources, diminished support, reduced funding, insufficient skills for participating in organized groups, and no access to spaces for playing (Deisler, 2011; Hallam, Creech, Varvarigou, & McQueen, 2012). A public music library could remove many of the prohibitive factors for marginalized populations outlined in prior research. To ensure that these populations are being served, a team of community members who lead a bi-weekly music-workshops for musicians of any age or level will be interviewed. Literature reviews of acoustics and spatial organization will help to inform design choices and practical considerations. Researching methods to reduce attrition in musical settings as well as projects that have successfully encouraged community engagement will be important aspects for design development. Determining and analyzing case studies via research and site visits will reveal tested solutions and offer feedback for how to improve upon existing examples. Touring the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts would be useful, and an application for funding will be submitted for traveling to New York. In an independent study class, design details specific to music libraries are being investigated with the assistance of an internationally recognized library design firm, which in turn is applying this research into current projects utilizing similar acoustical and storage needs. To ensure that these populations are being served, a team of community members who lead a bi-weekly music-workshops for musicians of any age or level will be interviewed. Literature reviews of acoustics and spatial organization will help to inform design choices and practical considerations. Researching methods to reduce attrition in musical settings as well as projects that have successfully encouraged community engagement will be important aspects for design development. Determining and analyzing case studies via research and site visits will reveal tested solutions and offer feedback for how to improve upon existing examples. Touring the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts would be useful, and an application for funding will be submitted for traveling to New York. In an independent study class, design details specific to music libraries are being investigated with the assistance of an internationally recognized library design firm, which in turn is applying this research into current projects utilizing similar acoustical and storage needs. The research methods outlined will support the design of a public music library for the immediate community. To address the imbalance in musical engagement, the space will accommodate renting instruments, checking-out scores, listening to audio recordings, and collaborating with other musicians. There will be practice studios available for use by individuals and ensembles, stacks, a café and lounge space to encourage leisure, and a community concert hall for performances. Music is a shared human experience, and access to learning and creating music should be accessible to all.

Rural towns often do not see community developments geared towards creating public spaces for multi-cultural experiences, the arts and recreation. Instead small towns are more exposed to commercial properties coming in and out the area. Introducing public spaces that offer various community activities and events will benefit people’s human and social capital. Human capital meaning skills and knowledge. Social capital meaning advantages and skills that come from interpersonal engagements (Anderson, 2004). Community centers designed for the unique needs of small towns can house programming to introduce new and rewarding opportunities for community engagement and personal development. Existing buildings within the community hold the potential to serve as community centers and adaptable interior spaces can add to a variety of programming options. The problem is the lack of community development geared towards creating public spaces for multi-cultural experiences, the arts and recreation. Small towns have limited exposure to diverse activities, events, skills sets and knowledge, along with limited spaces to support such. However older public building within small towns exist that are not being occupied or utilized to serve the community. People within small towns therefore are often restricted from acquiring a broad range of experiences and skills. To address this problem, evaluation of the current community state is necessary. This will reveal what opportunities are present and which are missing in terms of community engagement. Interviews, focus groups, and surveys are methods to gain information from the inhabitants of small towns. A diverse selection of participations will allow information to be more reflective of a wide range of ages groups, racial groups, and economic gr2wwoups. I plan to reach out to local schools for the students and staff member for participants in interviews, focus groups and electronic surveys. Examination of unoccupied buildings in small towns will reveal what facilities are available to house a potential community center. From that also assess if the interior spaces could incorporate adaptable design systems. Altogether this research will support the importance of community art centers in rural areas that offer adaptive reuse of historical building. In addition expose how the design of these building and programming show seek to support the unique needs of small towns.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Robert Charest.; submitted to the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-104).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Computer Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR38843

Thesis (M.A.)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis defines the discipline of Interior Architecture from an academic perspective, from a professional perspective, and through a series of case studies on various building types. The primary building type, which is studied in this thesis, is the university setting, with specific emphasis placed on the "social spaces" within the university, where people interact and collaboratively engage one another and the environment around them. Interior architecture is explored through a study of numerous design elements and psychological phenomena, including proxemics, control of one's environment, response to technology, location of social spaces, permanence versus flexibility, provision of spatial variety, public versus private realms, and multisensory perceptions of three-dimensional space. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (MInt.(Prof)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

A spontaneous act is done because of a sudden urge to do something. I am interested in creating a space that exists with the purpose of hosting opportunities and action that are not predefined. My point of departure is a green area in Axelsberg where I have created a proposal for a type of public space, that differs from current ones. In my process I have actively worked with the site by physically being there to experience it. I have transformed the space in various ways both by combining improvisational and performative techniques with more planned actions. Afterwards, I have analyzed and learned from people’s reactions and behaviors towards the changes.

The aim was to investigate the perception of whiteness in Nordic architecture and analyse the reasonsbehind the pale colour scheme in a public space context. The word pale was used alongsidewith white, since it gave broader possibilities to ponder over the topic. The geographical researcharea was framed to cover Sweden and Finland, although the search for underlying reasons extendedbeyond the borders of the North. Architecture was viewed as an entity, including both exteriors andinteriors. The focus was on reasoning around the question “why” to arouse professional discourseabout the often-unquestioned topic. Analysing the background of a commonly acknowledged phenomenonstrives to make architects more conscious of the background of their aesthetics so thatfuture decisions can be based on a more complex set of knowledge rather than leaning on tradition.Because of the wide demarcation of the research question, the project started with self-formulatedhypothesis, after which they were thoroughly analysed. The formulated pre-assumptions were, thatthe Nordic paleness is, firstly, a consequence of misinterpreted past architecture. Moreover, naturalcircumstances of the North, the symbolism connected to white and the tradition of canonisingmodernism were established as hypothesis. Lastly, architect education, combined with the tendencyof prototyping with white materials were assumed to endorse the pale colour scheme. The misinterpretations’possible implication in the perception of whiteness was also examined as a part of the research.Justification for the hypothesis was found, although broad framing meant that the referencematerial was splintered. Personal reflection was used as a means for cohesion. The paper includes aconcise artistic element in the form of an introductory poem to each chapter. / Batchelor's thesis for Aalto university