Architecture that Transforms History: Reframing the Birth Place of the Atomic Bomb for a More Critical Future

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 My thesis seeks to explore bringing forth historical references and various destructive elements through metaphors in the architecture to serve as a critical reminder of the past, a sort of warning to the human race, as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.