How color and light change our perception of space, time and movement in architecture

Abstract

This thesis explores the way in which color and light change the way we understand our built environment. The site for this thesis is at the west end of the Esplanade. The Esplanade is a recreational park along the Boston side of the Charles River in Massachusetts. The park has built facilities for sailing, concerts, and eating that detour off to one side or the other of the park's system of paths. The topography of the site is quite flat. Movement through the park is seemingly timeless as one walks parallel to the water, past unremarkable landmarks. The west end of the Esplanade is a long, narrow strip of land between the Charles River and a small lagoon. Through the exploration of color and light, this thesis tries to recover a sense of time at both a large and small scale as one moves through the site. The sense of time is revealed through the constantly changing interaction between light and materials as the sun moves from east to west. It also tries to introduce a new spacial understanding of the site by breaking away from the existing parallel movement both physically and visually. The vehicle for this exploration is a proposal for a recreational building that includes a swimming pool with changing facilities, cafe and community art gallery.