Building On Controversy : Developing Architectural Dialogues on Controversial Sites

Abstract

This thesis explores how controversial sites that are in stasis, like the old memorial library in Halifax, can be transformed into architecture. As the public becomes more involved in architectural design process the occurrence of sites in stasis like the Old Memorial library are increasing. Through the perspective that buildings are not passive objects, but collections of historic, political, social, and contemporary actors, buildings become autonomous actors that must be engaged with directly. Methods that engage with the site as an autonomous agent can transform the controversy into an architectural response. Using traditional and contemporary techniques, The actors of the controversy are collected and analysed to defining moments. New moments are generated using architecture as the mediator, and the actors recollected and re-analysed, to defined new narrative moments. Through these steps, the controversy is transformed into an architectural response, one of many potentials.