Architecture Commons^™

Between Art And Architecture: Curating Space For Creatives, Mahari Kitt

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Art is an inherent human right, woven into the fabric of society since ancient times. Its profound impact on individuals and communities, as a source of reflection, inspiration, and joy, is undeniable. From serving as a medium for political expression to encouraging introspection and reflecting emotions, art stands as a cultural cornerstone. Yet, its significance extends beyond mere existence; it is deeply intertwined with the environments in which it is presented and experienced.

Growing up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, there was a noticeable absence of spaces for artists to thrive, which negatively affected the growth of artistic talent in the …

The Sacral Museum: An Analysis And Application Of Design Within Museum Architecture, Derek Shultz

Theses

This research focuses on the similarities between museum architecture and architecture found in religious, spiritual, and sacred structures around the world. Personal experience and academic research will be used to help convey and understand the effects of architecture on its occupants. This thesis examines how architectural design can facilitate a profound internal journey through learning, contemplation, and connection. Through analysis of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, it is shown that traditional and contemporary architectural elements can achieve these effects by creating a sacred, ritualistic experience, thereby enriching the cultural, educational, and emotional value of the museum visit.

Rehabilitating El-Sakakini Pasha’S Palace As A Museum Of Architecture, Souzan Ibrahim Hassanein

Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists

إعادة تأهيل قصر السكاكيني باشا كمتحف يروي تاريخ العمارة[Ar]

يُعاني قصر حبيب السكاكيني من الإهمال السيئ الذى كان حافزًا كبيرًا للباحث لإيجاد حلول قابلة التنفيذ لإعادة تأهيله وإعادته للحياة مرة أخري. يهدف هذا البحث إلى تحويل القصر إلى متحف. يُعتبر قصر حبيب السكاكيني من أهم القصور المصرية لإتباعه لأسلوب فني يُعرف باسم »الروكوكو«. يتسم هذا القصر بموقعه الفريد بحي الظاهر والذى كان مليئًا بالحياة حتى وفاة السكاكيني باشا الذى فُقِدَ ميراثه . يُعد استخدام الأدبيات السابقة لجمع وتحليل البيانات حول القصر نقطة الإنطلاق لهذا البحث. علاوة على ذلك، تهدف الدراسة الميدانية للقصر إلى زيادة …

From Vault To Platform （Democratizing Museums Through The Lens Of The Metaverse））, Zhaoyang Cui

Masters Theses

The modern history of art viewing moves from private collections to public museums, and the modern museum arises with an intention to encourage a broad range of visitors. However, if we look at the reality of museum access, especially in the digital era, when the methods of attaining knowledge and information have grown ever stronger, it is easy to notice the single-direction circuit of information in the operation of museums from curators to the public, which seems outdated in the times of social media, AI and metaverse. Even if a broad range of visitors enter the museum, the information they …

Evanescent: Animating Space, Kyle Servando

City and Regional Planning

A redesign of the open space of The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA into an plein air gallery for the public to be their own artists.

Restitution: Restoration Of A Post-Colonial Identity Through Memorial Architecture, Toyin Olurebi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Nigerian Diaspora use the Pidgin phrase, “Naija no dey carry last”, is a constant reminder to generations to succeed no matter how far you are from Nigeria and creating opportunities from the ground. The impact of colonialism has tainted the rich history of Nigeria for generations through implanting a conceptual Terra Nullius (No Man’s Land) as a right to claim land. The Europeans’ Scramble for Africa forced neighboring ethnic groups into colonies and separated generations through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, growing the Diaspora. Slowing, West Africa was being exploited for its rich resources as well as its cultural identity, …

Connections Through Contrast The Built Environment Embracing Art Exhibition, Josilyn Welch

Capstone Projects

An emotionally immersive experience within a museum setting can foster feelings of belonging, engagement, exploration, understanding and connection. Providing an environment where empathetic immersion can be achieved through physical, psychological, and social enablers lead to transformative experiences for the visitor. To promote physical, psychological, and social enablers within the museum setting to promote empathetic immersion within its visitors, this museum will consider the following strategies:

Physical Enablers: The museum space will address physical enablers by including environmental features such as diverse opportunities for seating, immersive lighting techniques, and curated finish selections for individual exhibit spaces as well as interactive displays …

A Survey Of Universal Design At Museums: Current Industry Practice And Perceptions, Jennifer K. Fortuna, Kayleigh Thomas, Jenna Asper, Laura Matney, Kyra Chase, Stephanie Ogren, Julia Vandermolen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Museums are key educational and cultural resources in the community, yet many are not accessible to visitors with disabilities. Universal design promotes products and environments usable to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of ability. This study explores current industry practice and perceptions of accessibility and universal design in a small sample of American museums. Suggestions for how occupational therapists can help museums go above and beyond ADA guidelines are provided.

Method: An 17-item cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Twenty-five museum associations assisted with recruitment. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative analysis were …

Nashville Trail Of Tears Museum, Emily Schiedemeyer

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Architecture is the manifestation of artistic expression which can serve as both a storytelling device and a mechanism to evoke an intentional emotional reaction of its occupants. The Nashville Trail of Tears Memorial is intended to reflect the story of the Cherokee nation and give visitors the opportunity to consider the horrific journeys taken. The Trail of Tears was the route taken by many Native Americans following the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of their lands, leaving many dead and families separated. Native to the southern part of the Appalachian chain, the Cherokee tribe is the group of people that …

The Museum As Object Of Display: Experiencing The Ashmolean, Jack Z. Chen

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Conventionally, museums are most often considered as a series of objects displayed, but I argue that the museum itself should be seen, first and foremost, as the object on display. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, built at the high tide of British Imperialism, is a very interesting case study. Interested in its engagement with its own past, I do not seek to investigate the actions it takes as an institution, for instance, as regards to the politics of repatriation. Instead, I want to explore the whole experience it facilitates as an object in its own right.

This experience begins with …

1068 Museum, Eric Tapia

Kean Quest

THE SEMESTER BEGAN WITH APPLYING OUR UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES. MY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING CORRELATED TO WHAT IS EXPOSED AS TO WHAT IS BUILTIN THE PROJECT. THE PUBLIC SPACES ARE OPEN WITH NO DISCIPLINE AND NO CONTAINMENT; AS OPPOSED TO THE PRIVATE SPACES WHICH ARE FORTIFIED AND SECLUDED FROM ITS CONTEXT AND ITS ENVIRONMENT. THE DEFINTION OF TERMS DROVE THE PROJECT AND TRANSLATED INTO ITS FORMS, SPACES, AND LANGUAGES. I ULTIMATELY DESIGNED A MUSEUM FOR THE ARTISTIC AND INDUSTRIAL LONG ISLAND CITY IN QUEENS. THE PROJECT'S SITE IS ON A BLOCK THAT SHARES SPACE WITH APARTMENT …

The Material Light: Exploring The Relationship Between Contained And Container, Oliver Brown

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Many buildings around us use the same ubiquitous boundary materials that fall short in directly influencing the disposition of the space it defines. There are many different opportunities to explore myriad material compositions to present the ambient qualities of space in a manner the puts the constructed boundary to the task to acclimatize the interior it envelopes. This thesis will explore a series of material compositions, with a focus on natural light, and how the articulation of the spatial boundary can bring out the strong qualities of daylight for visually sensitive activities. With this exploration, I will examine ways to …

Culture Confluence, Nhan Luu

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The goal of this Museum is to provide the community with an identity based in Vietnamese culture and heritage. The Museum strives to develop a secure connection with the community, providing confidence and helping people to grow as individuals and as members of their community. This engaging Museum aims to attract a diverse crowd to reflect the complexity of a changing society and to represent the community through various exhibits and programming. The Museum in the twenty-first century is not just a place to enjoy art, but also a place to raise questions and stimulate new thoughts and provoke discussion.

Experiential Learning: Museum Of Ontario Archaeology And The Vindolanda Field School, Victoria Burnett

SASAH 4th Year Capstone and Other Projects: Presentations

Focusing first on the Museum of Ontario Archaeology, the slides are meant to illustrate the program PastPerfect that I had learned how to use during my time there, as well as a snippet of the Maple Harvest blog post I had written, wherein I would explain the value I had found in writing it and the comments that the Curator made in returning it to me before publishing it. After that is a slide where I would explain the Google Arts and Culture page, what the plans were for me to contribute to it a bit as well as the …

Museum Design As A Tool For A City, Cunbei Jiang

Masters Theses

With the financial growth and international acclaim brought about by Guggenheim Museum for Bilbao, the media started to talk about the so-called “Bilbao Effect”. For the next two decades, the general public has been more and more convinced and accustomed to the positive results landmark architecture might brought for their cities. Thus it is worthwhile to explore the root of the Bilbao Effect and to dig into the effects of Guggenheim Museum so that similar industrial cities may select and apply strategies basing on their own conditions.

Transformation And Revitalization Approach Of Cultural Heritage In Prizren In The 20th Century, Bekim Ceko, Jusuf Xhibo

UBT International Conference

It is well known that cultural heritage is said to have never reached to now its source state. Over time they have undergone changes depending on the circumstances of the time. Changes and modifications that affect the monuments can be divided into two main groups. The first group comprises mainly privately owned buildings, especially residential buildings where the owners have made various arbitrary modifications depending on their needs. The second group includes state-owned public buildings or various religious-social communities that have served the general public.

Interventions in this group (second) were mainly carried out by the competent institutions that were …

Reconceptualizing The Urban Artifact, Ricardo Rodriguez Huerta

Architecture Senior Theses

This is a study of the architectural and historical construct of the Urban Artifact. For the purposes of this exploration, an Urban Artifact is to be understood as the physical manifestation of the city and its collective memory. It is the product of the history and character of its place and the embodiment of an idea of its type and the memory of its lineage. In contrast to the fixed intention and permanence of a monument, an Urban Artifact has its own autonomy and value gained over time until it ultimately becomes also identified as a monument. These concepts, defined …

Interpreting And Presenting Intangible Heritage: Concepts And Designs For The Buffalo Italian-American Heritage Museum, Michaela Worosz

Museum Studies Projects

The purpose of this Master’s Thesis Project is to provide insight to important practices in the museum profession in relation to interpreting and exhibiting intangible heritage, and provide detailed steps on incorporating community involvement and participation in a museum setting, specifically for this paper, Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo (CCI). Through the practices learned in the Museum Studies MA program, exhibits and programs were designed to suit CCI’s goals. This research resulted in the development of a new mission statement, collections policy and oral history interviews were conducted to assist in their collection and provide CCI with a presence in …

The New Urban Artifact, Ricardo Rodriguez Huerta

Architecture Thesis Prep

This is a study of the architectural and historical construct of the Urban Artifact. For the purposes of this exploration, an Urban Artifact is to be understood as the physical manifestation of the city and its collective memory. It is the product of the history and character of its place and the embodiment of an idea of its type and the memory of its lineage. In contrast to the fixed intention and permanence of a monument, an Urban Artifact has its own autonomy and value gained over time until it ultimately becomes also identified as a monument. These concepts, defined …

On Being A Good Neighbor, Kathren M. Cutshall

Theses and Dissertations

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 …

Wal-Seum, Maya Chandler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Designed as a museum of contemporary American history, Wal-seum proposes a new prototype museum that re-presents the commodities of today’s America as historical and cultural artifacts of our time. The museum’s design also borrows from the spatial and organizational techniques of Wal-mart, a place that so many Americans visit time and time again, and which is truly American architecture.

In the final proposal, each department of Wal-mart becomes redesigned as an exhibit in the museum, showcasing ordinary objects, taking cues from the cultural agendas of those items, and calling into question the values therein (i.e. the endless cycle of comparison …

The Museum Of Ideas: Fantastic Wilderness Park, Alyssa Goraieb

Architecture Thesis Prep

The history of wilderness is the history of an idea. A missing element of the natural history museum is the human attitude within which nature is captured and displayed. This project wants to put the historical displays of the museum within a context by making an addition to the natural history museum that archives the historical attitudes, experiences and perceptions towards wilderness.

The Motor City – Stimulating Architecture, Jacob Levine

Architecture Theses

Iconic architecture around the world is defined by the impact it has on the patrons. The goal of this thesis is to use architecture to capture the feeling of motion and movement. Motion is inherit in the concept and exploration of this architype. The program for the architecture is a car museum in Detroit Michigan. Detroit is one of the most historic cities in America – and the last thirty years have been rough on Detroit. A modern powerful work of conceptual architecture could change the city of Detroit and begin to build a brighter future. The creation of destination …

Museum Studies: Exhibit Designs, Nicole Duperre, Brendan Quirk, Margaret Zecher, Traci Costa, Cindy Nanton, Kathleen Wilson, Loren White, Derek Dandurand, Zachary Tatti, Christopher Usler, Arnold Robinson

American Studies

To remain functional museum professionals must remember that museums are businesses like every other enterprise, striving to exchange a good or a service on terms previously bargained for. As such, museums too must understand that branding is the golden rule for success in business. In order to brand itself the museum must echo one unified vision and voice, and that message ought to be made tangible. Museum labels are the heart of each item on display, and must resonate all that the museum hopes to convey about its enterprise.

Boston_Sound_Center, Michael Frase

Architecture Theses

This thesis questions the connection between what we hear and what we see with regards to spatial conception. The purpose is to discover the importance of sound in spatial representation and to understand the implications of sound based design.

Slimplexity: A Glimpse Inside The Hive Mind Of Snohetta, Noel Brady

Articles

Simplexity is an interview with Craig Dykers cofounder of Snohetta. The firm has a unique structure in Architecture circles with a Hive Mind like structure. In addition its parallel interests in Architecture and Landscape Design has meant that both professional strands have equal parity in the firms operation.

Universality And Its Discontents: The Louvre And Guggenheim Abu Dhabi As A Case Study In The Future Of Museums, Catherine R. Skluzacek

Art and Art History Honors Projects

The contemporary museological community faces increasing competition in the global marketplace to prove its relevance. Accordingly, franchises of leading institutions will now appear in Abu Dhabi, UAE, that approach this problem by presenting art in a comparative international perspective rather than as fragmentary narratives of disparate cultures. Furthermore, shifts in state financial support and the purposes of collecting within museum institutions have led to the adoption of administrative policies like those used by multinational corporations. This new model of museological practice presented by the Louvre and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi resolves the paradox of protecting cultural diversity within universal museums.

Blending Architecture With Nature: The Old Man In The Mountain, Rick Hamme

Architecture Theses

The project is centered on the blending of tectonics, social context and nature in order to create a piece of architecture that becomes part of nature and part of the social fabric of the area. The site is located at the base of the Old Man in the mountain in Franconia notch, NH. It is nestled in a valley within the White Mountain National Forest. The Old Man fell off the cliff face in 2003 but for the purposes of the project I will assume that a proposed design for a replacement made of steel and glass will be built. …

Tourism As Modern Pilgrimage: A Museum In Bruges, Belgium, Johanna A. Vandemoortele

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Arguing that one of the multiple dimensions of a Museum’s role is as a landmark of cultural pilgrimage, this Master’s Thesis uses notions of pilgrimage and journeying to develop a Museum of Medieval and Contemporary Art in Bruges, Belgium.

Construction For Art, Will Fellis

Architecture Thesis Prep

"When museums draw large crowds and display large collections, there is a lack of personal relationship and understanding of the art.

Small scale museum architecture, in the form of single galleries or pavilions housing only a few pieces by a specific artist or simply expressing the concepts of a certain artist's work, offers and opportunity to create a more intimate relationship between the artwork and the viewer.

The design of a pavilion according to an artist's philosophy will be manifested within the construction. Therefore the detailing of the pavilion will be the point at which the occupant engages the principles …