Architecture that Transforms History: Reframing the Birth Place of the Atomic Bomb for a More Critical Future
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Abstract
Can architecture serve as a critical reminder to our present and future societies of
the horrific potential of mass destruction?
Throughout history human beings have consistently engaged themselves in the
act of destruction. Improvements continue to be made in our destructive methods,
and when looking at where are at today, we can see that we exist in a dangerous
state of potential mass destruction. If we want to salvage our existence and
avoid becoming nothing more than a trace on this planet, we must remember
our mishaps and destructive behavior from the past as a collective, continuous
species, rather than individual countries or specific groups of people and have
a critical perspective of history. Learning from our past has tremendous power
to teach us a lot about who we are now and where we might be going in the
future. My thesis seeks to explore bringing forth historical references and various
destructive elements through metaphors in the architecture to serve as a critical
reminder of the past, a sort of warning to the human race, as well as the potential
for peace.