Slide 1
Diorama with interactive furniture panels
Slide 2
Initial projection drawing
Slide 3
Film still: Hallway perspective
Slide 4
Film still: Detail of unit facade
Slide 5
Film still: Lobby perspective
Slide 6
Film still: Building entrance

COMMUNITY Breaking Boundaries

My thesis explores the notion of community development within residential buildings. If one views barriers as metaphor, then community is formed when walls are broken, commonalities are discovered, and differences respected. Transitional spaces such as lobbies, hallways, stairwells, and elevators, break the walls within which space is defined in the built environment. By framing moments of interaction, I intend to blur the context of these interactions such that notions of interior/exterior and public/private are questioned.

With the advancement of technology, and an increased connection to other people, the afore mentioned dualities have become antiquated and must be questioned. By noting the similarities of the evolution of both our perception of community and space, my thesis is an exploration of how these ideas can begin to change how we think, design, and ultimately support human interaction within the built environment.

Thesis Advisor: Deborah Schneiderman