Space of mind The Hidden Architecture in the Time of Pandemic

The thesis sets its background in the current and post pandemic context, where cognitive activities have outranged the imagination of static architecture. The virtual work environment raised a lot of questions to the physical rooms we are inhabiting in. The definition of location and space are blurred and gradually disconnected from programs, productivity and memories. In this project, Architectural spaces are envisioned to be the echo of actions and the extension of one’s state of mind. With the approach of Worldbuilding based on cognitive activities and accumulated work traces, three virtual scenes are proposed to reveal the spatial construct we are not aware of: Follies of Cognitive Labor, Field of Imagery, and Garden of Data. Each of the scenes starts with a different type of digital material and adopts its own growing mechanism. After the process of recording, work traces and cognitive activities are translated into spatial notations and Loci that represent the richness and dynamics of cognitive realm. In a similar way to making physical architecture, the methodology of making virtual architecture addresses three questions. Firstly. How to collect building materials? Secondly, what and how to construct? Thirdly, how can the built objects be perceived and navigated? The method of digital construction provides the potentials of enhancement or decay of the created Loci (built objects) based on interactions such as refocusing, and recalling. Essentially, the work aims to explore general ways and tools to materialize productivity and memories and the design part will be presented through the lens of my perception as an example. The project envisions infinite recording and formation of spaces as results of irregularity of mental activities. The behaviors of working, browsing, pausing depict the infinite making and collapsing of spaces. Architecture is gaining another dimension and thus should be described differently.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Xu, Ziyu

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kilian, Axel

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Copyright retained by author(s)

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138957

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/138957