Site Based Phenomena

Abstract

With the perpetual advancements in technology and communication the focus and obsession of architectural critique has become surfi cially focused on building “image”. This focus on image of architecture has taken away from the true meaning and focus of what architecture is, space and experience. Although most talks today are focused on image, there are a handful of architects that push for a more phenomenological approach. In the design process, they think more of how a space will feel and stimulate the senses, enrich a viewer’s experience and strengthen the relationship of the space to the context beyond. This thesis attempts to develop methods and concepts that focus on the study of site based phenomena. This thesis attempts to fi nd design processes that will see buildings conceptually conceived from their sites rather than merely placed upon them. The development of these methods and processes is the primary concern of the thesis. It uses Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia as a laboratory for testing.