Hotel archiphilia

Abstract

Jean-Francois de Bastide's mid-eighteenth century novel, The Little House, describes an erotic encounter between a persistent man, and a reluctant woman. More remarkably, the novel introduces a third character, the estate where the seduction takes place. The house not only serves as setting, but as an active aphrodisiac, the male's invaluable teammate in the game that unfolds. The suburban retreat helps the characters escape from their concerns in nearby Paris. It inserts itself into the narrative as an active participant. But, in this day and age, can anyone really take this claim seriously? Is it even viable beyond the realm of literature? Can architecture really perform as a character, rather than as mere backdrop in the narratives that unfold around it? This thesis examines architecture's role as a participatory agent within the bounds of a multi-program escape in Boston's Chinatown, serving as a prototype test case.