| dc.description.abstract | History reveals the human body in a way that differs greatly from today’s understanding. Through the artefacts of ancient architectural constructs, art, and literature we can see that the body was once articulated as an integral part to the world as a body of perception. It was and still is the case that through our bodies we are able to sensually touch and translate the world into thought, imagination and dreams. Our environments and their ability to shape our movements through them have an immense impact on how we come in contact with one another, perceive ourselves, and engage our bodies. I do not believe that our bodies sensually have changed all that much throughout history, we still hold the same ancient qualities that allow us to perceive our surroundings in a holistic manor. However, I do believe that our perception of the body has been drastically contorted. Today, our bodies have become increasingly separated from the world through our devices, media, and mechanization. Gridded circulation and efficiency plagues our modern urban environments where fast transportation takes its toll on the body and its ability to engage the world on a personal, mental, and physical level. Our culture has become increasingly visual as we find ourselves seeing the world through our digital displays rather than experiencing the world through our bodies. I would wager that our bodies have become so distracted from the world that our architectural environments have begun to reflect this nature; simultaneously influencing the bodies progression to become even more disconnected and sedentary. I believe that Architecture holds the power to allow us to uphold a more meaningful and engaging relationship between our bodies and the built environment. It is when this power is ignored or negated that we lose a sense of our body and find ourselves in stressful, lackluster situations. By engaging the body physically, mentally, and socially my thesis project focuses on the proper integration of a 75,000 square foot Fitness Center as means to establish a new sense of center, community and body image in the modern urban context of Minneapolis Minnesota. | en_US |
