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Virginia Tech

On Ornament: A Catholic Cemetery for Philadelphia

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The practice of architecture exists because man has sought shelter from the forces of the world he finds himself. It is wonder of this same world that has caused him to shape his rooms from age to age. In every instance, he recreates the world within the world with the materials of that world. It is the marks, the cuts, the juxtaposition, and the joining of these materials in which ornament dwells. It is present wherever man has shaped material for construction. It is a whisper when homogenized, and it is a trumpet blast when varied. This thesis will delve into the making of ornament, and my love for it. My first cognizant encounter with architecture, was my fascination with the sculpted stones of the gothic cathedrals. It was the ornament that caused me to be fascinated and to remember. So for this thesis, I sought to imagine walls worth remembering. I wanted to touch every material with my mind's eye so that it might be a gift for others. I wanted to ornate. It seemed best for the design to be sacred and to be in an urban setting. I also thought that the presence of time and aging might help the thesis. I came to choose the program of a catholic cemetery in Philadelphia. I hoped to explore what meaningful marks and arrangements of materials I could impart to this ephemeral world.

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
2011

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Dunlevy, Shane Conlan
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Feuerstein, Marcia F.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Holt, Jaan
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.
  • Emmons, Paul F.

Subjects

dc:subject × 10

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-06032011-162603
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33405

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

Dunlevy, Shane Conlan. On Ornament: A Catholic Cemetery for Philadelphia. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33405