The edge observed : island landscape for a marine biology facility

Abstract

This thesis explores the concept of edges through observation and design. The intent of the observation/design is to understand and to illustrate possibilities for design that will enrich the experience of the built environment. For a building to start having reciprocal relationships with inside and outside territories, its structure and skin configurations must not be only one sided containments, but begin to engage in two-sided dialogues between interior and exterior spaces. The possibility of overlap between individual parts, between the relationship of inside and outside and between the object and the ground it occupies is observed through Japanese vernacular buildings and their gardens and through the buildings and canals of Venice. Plans, sections and photo images are used as a way to become conscious of the characteristics that help make these places a total assemblage, with pieces in a coherent relationship to one another and to their site. The design of a Marine Biology Facility on an island affords an opportunity to test out and explore the observation studies. The island exists in a landscape context that has clearly defined edge conditions. A harmony is sought that interprets the natural landscape and transforms it in such a way that there is a reciprocity and interaction with the built. Orientation, views and landscape considerations all provide generators for an architectural response that engages the built world and the natural world in a tensioned relationship that defines the edge zones.