Back to results

Virginia Tech

Framing the Edge of Time: Disaster Architecture and Change

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

In this dissertation, I conduct a reflection on the effects of disaster on time perceptions and their consequences on architecture as a vessel of social and individual values, through a study of two major paradigmatic disasters spaces – Post World War II Japan and Post-earthquake Haiti. While on the surface these two cases do not have many points in common, both are instrumental to establishing the manifestation of disasters' impacts on the culture of construction and on the architectural theories that ensue from them. The first case, Japan after the Second World War, establishes the long term influences and changes in social and architectural thought that occur after a disaster, while Haiti, examines the role of the architect in the reconstruction phases and attempts to register the immediate impressions of local architects on the disaster's impact on their practice. I show that both cases exhibit manifestations of the importance of the architect's role of not only building back, but moving forward while capitalizing on the events and social changes that happened.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture and Design Research
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2016

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Benbih, Karima
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Krimgold, Frederick
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Stephenson, Max O. Jr.
  • Feuerstein, Marcia F.
  • Emmons, Paul F.

Subjects

dc:subject × 11

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:7609
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/82500

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

Benbih, Karima. Framing the Edge of Time: Disaster Architecture and Change. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/82500