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Virginia Tech

The Presence of The Absent

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Life is a series of illusions; everyone creates their own life with their personal mindset. We all have our own story. My thesis is part of my story. It was influenced by my life, my illusions, my fears, and my beliefs. This project is dedicated to my brother, whom I lost five years ago. This hardship made me reflect on my passion and my fear: architecture and death. The perspective I gained from studying different cultures and their beliefs about the after life was critical for my project and enlightening on a personal level. For some, death was the end of everything, for others it was just the beginning. Some would grieve and some would take the time to cherish and celebrate death. The synthesis between the knowledge I gained studying these beliefs and that of those I held personally gave rise to this project. Throughout the process the body of the building changed often, but its main structure and soul remained consistent. The essential details of this project were driven from translating the rituals and beliefs of varying cultures regarding mourning and burial into an architectural language. The building consists of a cemetery, columbarium, crematorium, chapel, as well as different spaces for praying and remembering loved ones.The site is located in Old Town, Alexandria. What makes this building different from the others is its emphasis on dead bodies. The more dead bodies enter the building, the more alive the building will become.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Shayanfar, Azar
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Emmons, Paul F.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Holt, Jaan
  • Feuerstein, Marcia F.

Subjects

dc:subject × 9

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:4201
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/51260

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Shayanfar, Azar. The Presence of The Absent. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/51260