/library/oar/handle/123456789/63107 2025-11-10T21:10:35Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/76369 Title: Emancipating the eye : the creation of atmosphere within music and architecture Abstract: Defined by a desire for impulsive production, instantaneous consumption and constant visual stimulation, the condition that our modern society finds itself in today has fostered an increasing separation of self from the world around us. Architecture, no longer driven by a desire to resonate with the cosmos, has left us inhabiting built environments that are not only of weak atmospheric quality but further devoid of any meaningful connection between body and place. This physical and psychological disassociation finds origin during modernity’s dictatorial emphasis on visual form and function. Regarded as both naive and romantic, the consideration of emotion, sensory stimuli and atmosphere were reasoned to be non-essential constituents of environmental experience. As a result, studies of our sensory engagement with the environments around us have become preoccupied with the concepts of focused perception and static gaze. This position is a reaction to the exceptional conditions of our current lived reality and continues to deny the possibility of architecture to cultivate its fundamental ability to mediate between people and place. With the aim of addressing the notion of atmosphere within the architectural design process, this dissertation draws upon the parallels between the phenomenological connection between music and architecture and the commonalities within their design processes. The study is based on an understanding that musicians are aware of their ability to evoke, articulate and sustain a specific emotion which creates a powerful progression within their narrative. Description: M.ARCH. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/71625 Title: Lost in translation : home to historic house museum Abstract: A historic house transformed into a historic house museum, undergoes significant alterations in its programme, ranging from the occasional access to public visits to the complete loss of its residential function. Phenomenological studies on places of dwelling suggest that, the experienced house, in contrast to the inhabited or newly built house, is imbued with meaning and memories and thus, has a value which is intrinsically linked to the experience of its residents. Applying this theory to the transformation of historic houses, this dissertation sets aside all other values, (related to the architectural style, the legacy of past residents or the provenance of artefacts), to consider the way the value of home may be lost or maintained in the transformation of these houses into inhabited historic house museums. Home, in this context, refers to the experienced house. Being a largely subjective and unique construct, the transmission of the value of home depends on its ability to renew itself with every new generation. Hence, three examples of inhabited house museums were analyzed through interviews, with the current residents and stewards of the house. The study looks at Casa Bernard, a 16th century noble Palazzo situated in Rabat, Malta, the Carmelite Priory in Mdina, which distinguishes itself as the only priory in Malta open to visitors and the Château de Germolles in Burgundy, France, which was transformed into a royal residence during the 14th century. The dwelling experience for each case was evaluated against a set of conditions which allow for this renewal. Through an investigation of what may be lost, the results reveal also, that which has been retained. Indeed, the presence of the current residents enabled some elements to be strengthened, thus pointing towards the relevance of retaining the residential function within the reuse strategy. Furthermore, a discussion of the results explores different ways in which the debate on the authenticity of historic house museums may be addressed. Finally, the case studies illustrate the way a living heritage approach may be adopted in the transformation of the historic house, towards a perspective that promotes continuity, change and complexity. Description: M.ARCH. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/71622 Title: Narrative(s) : a conversation between space, program & event Abstract: Are the narratives which grow into the architecture we create and inherit, not conceived by the events that have taken place within it? A space holds the ability to write its own stories, inscribed into its materiality through the catalogue of events which it hosts in the everyday. This dissertation stems from an understanding that architecture is more than the walls which it erects, it is just as much born out of what takes place within those walls, out of the performance of life itself. The intention of this research is to investigate the metaphysical conversation between a space and the events that happen in it; a perpetually violent dialogue mediated by the rhythms of the architect’s program. This conversation is illustrated upon a framework, a conceptual model which helps shed light on a topic that is so often left unrecognised. Located in a vast array of discourse concerned with the purity of architectural space, this research provokes an ulterior perspective, one which speaks precisely of the imperfections, of the events which violate the pure composition of space. Violence is adopted as a metaphor throughout the study, used as a linguistic tool that describes the very disruption out of which a narrative is born. The motivation to develop such a framework cannot be considered in isolation of the context it hopes to serve. As this dissertation develops, the socio-political events unfolding within the local scene are being extracted into its narrative; exposing the relevance of such a discourse within the contemporary condition. Set within a state of accelerated development and upheaval, the study finds that the destruction of a space which a community has grown attached to, synonymously implies the destruction of the narratives embedded within it. Void of mourning what is lost, this research entices a conversation on the architecture which now takes its place, questioning its ability to provide for the narratives that can now be. Description: M.ARCH. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/71607 Title: Urban morphology and subjective well-being Abstract: It is widely believed that the built environment can influence well-being. While this notion has been embraced for centuries it has equally been disputed on the basis that this belief is based more so on what architects hope their architecture will achieve, rather than a knowledge of social behaviour (Farmer, 1993). It is argued that the relationship between the built environment and well-being is not a simple cause and effect relationship but it is a complex phenomenon that influences and is influenced by multiple factors (Gough, 2018). This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of this complex phenomenon through an investigation of how aspects of urban morphology effect Subjective Well-Being. Through an analysis of existing research, the study develops a conceptual model that illustrates the relationship between the built environment and aspects of Subjective Well-Being. The conceptual model is built on 3 main pillars: Objective environmental attributes; Subjective Well-Being and; Personal Characteristics. Building on the conceptual model, the dissertation develops a theoretical framework that outlines indicators for each pillar. Semi-structured interviews are used to gain insight into residents' perceptions of how elements of their built environment affect their wellbeing. Participants’ perceptions of well-being are then compared to the respective objective attributes of the environment being referred to. The environments chosen for comparison are at the scale of groups of households located within the unique geographical, social and cultural context of the village of Ħaż-Żebbuġ. From the results of the study, it can be deduced that participants directly attribute aspects of their well-being to elements of urban morphology. Furthermore, the study also reveals that Subjective Well-Being is attributed to aspects of the environment that are influenced by morphology and which are related to environmental quality. While the study indicates that the built environment can influence subjective wellbeing, it also suggests that the social changes occurring within contemporary society simultaneously influence Subjective Well-Being in ways that are unrelated to the built environment. Description: M.ARCH. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z