Design criteria for purposefully ambiguous expression : proposal for a theater / performing arts school in Kenmore Square

Abstract

Inclusion of zones which possess sufficient ambiguity to provide multiple use, character and meaning, generating an environment supporting freedom of interpretation and expression, is explored in this thesis. Conceptually, examples are borrowed from ecology, Futurist painting , and humor. A new theater / performing arts school complex is designed for Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts, to interpret and communicate ideas. Creating forms which have the character of overlap, lack of fit, and incompleteness allow for physical architectural expression which may be purposefully ambiguous. To be purposefully ambiguous presupposes an underlying, and often subtle, level of conflict. The potency of architectural ambiguity is suggested by the amount of humor or surprise generated. This thesis explores the nature and character of regions of overlap. Such regions can be generated by introducing design elements which suggest their opposites and lead to confrontation. Disturbance can be both external to the design (allogenic) and internal (autogenic). It is my contention that this condition of dissonance is as beneficial in the architectural world, as it has been to the growth of artistic expression in painting. Rather than primarily relying on historical precedence, the principles of hierarchy, subordination, proportion and inflection are used within an environment of instability to generate relationships for the design of a theater school complex. Architectural comparables and conceptual models have been utilized to illustrate design intentions.