Architecture Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2743
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Item CRAFTING CONVERSATIONS: ARCHITECTURE AS A MEANS AND A VENUE FOR EXPLORING CONTEMPORARY,POSTCOLONIAL, JAMAICAN IDENTITIES(2017) McKenley, Joseph Stephen; Lamprakos, Michele; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis will explore the relationships between postcolonialism, the formulation of identities, architecture, fine art and folk art, making and craft-making. It will delve into postcolonial discourse to understand what postcolonialism is, how it is defined, and what it means in the Jamaican context. It will explore how identities are defined and what factors are considered in the creation or unearthing of identities. It will explore what role making and craft-making have in creating and/or expositing identities as well as the relation between making and craft-making with architecture. Ultimately, the research will lead to the question, in what ways can architecture manifest cultural identity and how can architecture illustrate a Jamaican, contemporary, postcolonial identity.Item Race, Riots, Real Estate, Architecture(2017) Grooms, Robert; Cronrath, David; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis examines inequalities in the use of, the management of, and the opportunities provided to the built environment, specifically through the context of race, riots, and architecture. By investigating the history and context of racially charged riots in the United States, this thesis seeks to understand the role that architecture has played in exacerbating the perceived oppression through the physical environment, and seeks solutions where architecture may play a role. Architecture is a form of cultural communication, and therefore it can be “read” and understood as a spatial expression of the values and beliefs of a dominant perspective (the cultural hegemony) for a particular time. Culture divides space and time as a means to communicate to others within the society what is important, significant, and “natural.” Cognizant of the overarching complexities concerning race, this thesis does not seek to provide a solution to the problems concerning race. Rather, this thesis attempts to argue that the lack of identity and connection to place is a common denominator between many of the communities plagued with a history of racially charged riots. It is a problem that stems from the issue of race, a problem in which architecture can be used as a medium to construct a distinct sense of identity, as well as a helping to create a sense of connection to place. To achieve a sense of “place-ness” architecture divides and circumscribes space in a particular way to foster this goal.Item Architecture in Defense of Dignity(2008) Derenick, David; Noonan, Peter V; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Architecture can help people defend dignity when they most need it. This thesis investigates three areas in which a place may offer support: identity, or personhood; liberty, or control over environment; and vitality, or sense of purpose. The thesis proposes a design for an inpatient rehabilitation center, for people who have suffered from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Challenges to dignity are not limited to health care settings, but TBI highlights these challenges by impairing a patient's own defenses and straining a family's ability to cope. Among proposed architectural elements are rooms allowing self-expression yet offering respite; luminous shafts providing for control of daylight, fresh air, and information; and empowering dining and garden spaces. Rehabilitation is transitional, occurring after acute hospital treatment and ideally leading to a return home. A site in Philadelphia near hospital campuses, but rooted in a residential neighborhood, is an ideal for a place of dignified transition.