| dc.description.abstract | This design thesis will address the question: how do combinations of our senses influence the way we interact with our surrounding built environment? The typology chosen to evaluate this question is an addition to an existing museum. The claim to this thesis question is as follows, “A built environment can raise an occupant’s consciousness and awareness by revealing how the senses respond to that environment.” The direction of this research will be guided by the theoretical premise/unifying idea: “The built environment can trigger and or stimulate the senses, creating a more holistic experience of one’s surroundings.” In justification of this project, “As humans, we are visually dominant creatures and it is important that we as designers address, not only this visual sense, but all of the senses, for people experience a space or environment with different sensory strengths, and this differentiates their experience and or understanding of that space.” The narrative looks at the significance of the project and addresses why we as designers need to look at how our building designs engage our senses and acknowledge more than just our visual sense. The project client is the Chicago Park District and the main users will be students and teachers, tourists, Chicago citizens, as well as employees and volunteers. The major project elements of this museum are: exhibits, a restaurant, entry, education spaces, multipurpose amphitheater, offices and small conference rooms. The site of this project is the Museum Campus in Chicago, Illinois, which is on the lakefront of Lake Michigan. The project emphasis is to look at how the built environment triggers and stimulates our different senses. Research for this project will be completed for the unifying idea, project typology, historical context, site analysis as well as programmatic requirements. The process of this thesis design will be preserved and compiled in a thesis book which will be accessible in the digital repository. | en_US |
