Abstract:
The building-body analogy, which used to be crucial in the designing of buildings, to the
exception of a few, is fading. This broken link leaves us with a melancholic yearning; a sense
of loss. Reactivating Dynamic Architecture readdresses the use of the body in architecture
by the application of an intervening design process. The processes we undertake in order
to design architecture are too often assumed, and go unchallenged. In this thesis the design
process is seen as a protagonist for change. Representation, both architectural and artistic,
is a central theme as the thesis guides images of the human body through abstraction.
Both the dynamic body and fragmented body are investigated for their potential to create
a relevant expression for the human condition. Dalibor Vesely’s theory of the positive
fragment is identified as a way forward for bodily fragmentation, and Analytical Cubism,
which resonated with this theory, is explored.
The thesis initially moves through the investigation of historical interpretations of the
body before drawing on contemporary theory. Past depictions of the fragmented and
dynamic body are assessed in order to establish what they can offer us for future analysis. A
representational mode is established, based on Cubism’s methods, from here the transition
from drawings to architecture begins. Rowe and Slutzky’s text Transparency: Literal and
Phenomenal is used to unravel the intricacies of Le Corbusier’s Villa at Garches, and their
reading of this building is used to channel a successful conversion process.
The resulting architecture was created as a trial of the strategy and is posed as an expression,
or speculation, for what can be achieved through this method. Three different scale
interventions are explored within the chosen site of Ava Train Station, Wellington. Carlo
Scarpa’s techniques guide the last transition to architecture, as his processes are recognised
for their ability to fold meaning into design.
The described design process gathers complexity as it gains momentum; there is much
to negotiate through the realms of bodily perception, modern art and architectural
representation. However, the architectural expression carries that density of meaning in
a simple expression
