Reintroducing the Existential Dimension of the Public Square: An attempt to design a place in relation to its natural environment

A public square provides for a social cultural life to take place. The square ought to be located in the part of the city where human activities are the most intense. The edges of the square consist of the buildings that define its space. The architectural style of these buildings shapes the character of the square and embodies the social cultural circumstances of a society. The experience of a public square goes beyond its structured aspects. In fact, each man-made place is located within a natural landscape that changes its appearances during the rhythm of the day and the seasons. It is the combination of the natural phenomena and the architecture that creates the atmosphere of a place. A total integration between these two elements constitutes the "spirit of place" or genius loci. According to Heidegger, human settlement has an enclosure and any enclosure has a boundary. This is also true for the square, the boundary of which is formed by its surrounding buildings. However, this boundary is not continuous, as it is interrupted by pedestrian paths and streets that lead to the square. The quality of a square’s enclosure is related to the characteristic of the openings. The aim of this design thesis is to conceive a public square for today’s social-cultural environment; a public square that is located within a cultural center at Shirlington, Arlington County, Virginia. The buildings of the center form an architectural unity that sets the stage for community events to take place. The articulation and the form of the buildings related to the natural environment make people feel that they were designed for them. This means a place where people can experience a strong feeling of location.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Landscape Architecture

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Landscape Architecture

Department dc:contributor.department

Landscape Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Mili, Judith E.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Emmons, Paul F.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Yglesias, Caren L.
• Holt, Jaan
• Feuerstein, Marcia F.

• phenomenology of place
• concrete space
• genius loci
• public square
• urban morphology
• Shirlington

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-05122006-170346

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32643