Both in practice and theory, the focus in architecture is often largely about growth. Architecture is, therefore, a tool that we largely use to accommodate growth. However, whilst many cities are experiencing growth, many are facing population decline. Latvia’s capital Riga is one example of this. So while architecture often fixates on growth, the discourse on decline does not normally involve architecture. With this project, I sought to investigate the question: ‘How can we use architecture as a tool to accommodate decline?’ Through the study of an empty site in Riga, in an area which has lost 60% of its resident population since 2000, the project envisages a building designed to slowly consolidate the functions of a shrinking city over an extended time span. The proposal, a ‘House of Everything’ (Latvian: Viskautkā Māja) is developed in two main ways. First, through a strategy for the site, delineating the rules and parameters for the anticipated building and its functions. Second, with a detailed test, using the strategy to develop a completed building.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:kth-277845 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Gray, Richard |
| Publisher | KTH, Arkitektur |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | TRITA-ABE-MBT-2084 |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds