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Virginia Tech

Architecture as Living Memory: Building Across Borders

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Border delineations and walls have been used to protect cities and towns throughout history. In the present age of modern surveillance and advanced military technology however, physical walls have much less significance for the protection of present-day states and nations and have become artifacts of mostly symbolic significance. In an increasingly connected world with the potential for becoming more compassionate, the symbolic significance of the border wall, barrier, and delineation demands to be reassessed and reapproached. This opens the possibility of designing a new binational border typology with functions of business, tourism, cultural education, hospitality, and public assembly that can mutually benefit bordering regions. The site of this thesis is the 1949 Armistice Agreement, or Green Line, on the perimeter of the West Bank of Palestine – a prolonged border conflict of our time and a powerful example of spatial injustice. Through a combination of ancient and modern materials, this thesis explores the potential of hospitality through the design of a roadside inn to recognize the history of its place and create a physical and symbolic bridge for future cooperation. In addition to lodging for travelers, the program incorporates a museum, artist workshops, dining areas, gift shops, and gathering spaces. Straddling the Green Line along the Dead Sea shoreline, it is designed to carry the memory of the land, but also to symbolize a future that joins divided communities.

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
2021

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Khurshid, Maheen
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Emmons, Paul F.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.
  • La Coe, Jodi Lynn

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:27589
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/101941

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

Khurshid, Maheen. Architecture as Living Memory: Building Across Borders. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101941