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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI May 30, 2008 Date:___________________ Katelyn Cooper I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Architecture in: Architecture It is entitled: There's No Place Like Home: an exploration of how the idea of home and architecture coalesce This work and its defense approved by: Elizabeth Riorden [First Chair] Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________G. Thomas Bible _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ There’s No Place Like Home: an exploration of how the idea of home and architecture coalesce A thesis submitted to: The Division of Research and Advanced Studies ot The University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Architecture In The School of Architecture and Interior Design Of The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning 2008 by Katelyn Cooper B.S. Arch., University of Cincinnati, 2006 Committee Chairs: Professor Elizabeth Riorden Professor G. Thomas Bible Abstract In America today the idea of home and attachment to home place is becoming less prevalent through the increase in suburban sprawl and the decrease in the importance of quality residential construction. Having a full and clear concept of home is essential to the definition of self, and the location of oneself within the context of the world. This thesis examines the concept of home at both the general level and the individual level to prove that the built environment can encourage attachment to home place. This is done through research, individual interviews, and finally through a design project involving the design of a house (for no one in particular) and neighborhood interventions in an existing neighborhood context in Cincinnati, Ohio. Table of Contents i Committee approval form 119 Section 4: Towards a Design ii Title page 119 4.1 The House for Anybody iii Abstract 119 4.2 Site Description and Analysis v Table of Contents 112 Section 5: Project Description and Design vi List of Illustrations Outcomes 112 5.1 Design Methodology and Outcomes 1 Introduction 128 5.2 Program 3 Section 1: Achieving a General Definition of 129 5.3 Reflection Home 3 1.1 Social Characteristics of the idea of home 130 Bibliography 4 1.2 Temporal Characteristics of the idea of home 6 1.3 Spatial Characteristics of the idea of home 7 1.4 Home as a Representation of Self/Identity 7 1.5 Section Summary 9 Section 2: Achieving a Specific/Individual Definition of Home 9 2.1 Methods for Determining Individual Definitions/Ideas of Home 11 2.2 Description of my Method for determining individual ideas of home 12 2.3 Interview Transcripts 101 2.4 Analysis of Current Home of Subjects 105 Section 3: The Concept of Home and Design 105 3.1 The “Pattern Language” 106 3.2 Saarinen’s House at Cranbrook 112 3.3 Usonia 114 3.4 Seaside 115 3.5 Martha’s Vineyard List of Illustrations Introduction Title Image: www.ronshoots.com figure 3.2.6: pp. 94 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total Work of Art” Section 1 Title Image: www.ci.loveland.co.us/WP/power/ Conservation/main.htm figure 3.2.7: pp. 28-29 and 148 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total Work of Art”, graphic by author Section 2 Title Image: by author figure 3.2.8: pp. 126 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Section 3 Title Image: pp. 52 “Saarinen House and Total Work of Art” Garden: A Total Work of Art” figure 3.2.9: pp. 133 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Section 4 Title Image: by author Total Work of Art” Section 5 Title Image: by author figure 3.2.10: pp. 136 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total Work of Art” figure 1.1.1: by author figure 3.2.11: pp. 53 “Saarinen House and Garden: A figure 1.2.1: pp. 7 “Temporal Aspects of Homes” Total Work of Art” figure 1.3.1: by author figure 3.2.12: pp. 28-29 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total Work of Art”, graphic by author figure 2.1.1: pp. 111 “House as a Mirror of Self” figure 3.2.13: pp. 69 “Saarinen House and Garden: A figure 2.1.2: pp. 243 “House as a Mirror of Self” Total Work of Art” figure 2.1.3: pp. 244 “House as a Mirror of Self” figure 3.3.1: pp. 27 “Usonia New York: Building a Community with Frank Lloyd Wright.” figure 2.1.4: pp. 182 “Some Place Like Home” figure 3.3.2: pp. 143 “Usonia New York: Building a figure 2.4.1: by author Community with Frank Lloyd Wright.” figure 2.4.2: by author figure 3.3.3: pp. 144 “Usonia New York: Building a Community with Frank Lloyd Wright.” figure 2.4.3: by author figure 3.4.1: pp. 101 “Seaside: Making a Town in figure 2.4.4: by author America” figure 2.4.5: by author figure 3.5.1: by author figure 2.4.6: by author figure 3.5.2: by author figure 2.4.7: by author figure 3.5.3: by author figure 2.4.8: by author figure 3.5.4: by author figure 3.2.1: cover page “Cranbrook”, graphic by author figure 3.5.5: by author figure 3.2.2: cover page “Cranbrook”, graphic by author figure 3.5.6: by author figure 3.2.3: pp. 114 “Cranbrook” figure 3.5.7: by author figure 3.2.4: pp. 49 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total figure 3.5.8: by author Work of Art” figure 4.2.1: by author figure 3.2.5: pp. 28-29 “Saarinen House and Garden: A Total Work of Art”, graphic by author figure 4.2.2: by author figure 4.2.3: by author List of Illustrations cont. figure 4.2.4: by author figure 4.2.5: by author figure 4.2.6: by author figure 5.0.1: by author figure 5.1.1: by author figure 5.1.2: by author figure 5.1.3: by author figure 5.1.4: by author figure 5.1.5: by author figure 5.1.6: by author figure 5.1.7: by author figure 5.1.8: by author figure 5.1.9: by author figure 5.1.10: by author figure 5.1.11: by author figure 5.1.12: by author figure 5.1.13: by author figure 5.1.14: by author figure 5.1.15: by author figure 5.1.16: by author figure 5.1.17: by author figure 5.1.18: by author figure 5.1.19: by author figure 5.1.20: by author figure 5.1.21: by author figure 5.1.22: by author figure 5.1.23: by author figure 5.1.24: by author figure 5.1.25: by author Introduction: The Problem with Home In American society today even though people (“homes for sale”), the building in which one lives, the have more things, bigger houses, better jobs, nicer cars, location where one lives, the location of one’s nuclear and an all around higher (monetary) quality of life; it family, the social unit that is a family, a country, a state, a seems that something is missing. People are socializing city, and a multitude of other things. In fact each person less, becoming more sedentary, and the overall outlook on has their own idea of what home is, and each person can life today appears rather bleak. Depression and obesity have multiple “homes” and ideas of home, or no home at are major issues in the U.S. and the number one killer is all. heart disease. This decline in society seems to correlate The best definition of home and home place that with the recent increase in suburban sprawl (the rapid relates to the built environment and improving society expansion of metropolitan areas in the form of suburbs through the built environment is an “emotional and low-density development). The reason for this decline attachment to place”. This is purposefully vague because in the perceived quality of life is not the boom in housing, the idea of home has a mythic quality that cannot be but the lack of quality construction, and community nailed down. There is no clear definition. Many theorists planning in housing developments. from many different backgrounds have tackled the While suburban development cannot be blamed concept of home and none have come to a clear entirely for all of society’s problems, it does play a large consensus. There are generalities that can be identified part. The lack individuality and diversity in housing within the concept of home, but there is no way to reach a makes it is very difficult to identify and locate oneself general definition of home that is specific enough to apply within the world. The reason for this is that without a to individual design projects. What must be done is that strong sense of place or “home” we have no anchor in for each individual design project an individual definition society and cannot define ourselves in relation to the rest of home must be understood. of the world. The reality is that typical American suburban The thesis I propose is that the built environment development and house undermines the psychological can (if the concept of home is carefully considered and depth and complexity of the idea of home and home applied) encourage attachment to home place. As an place. architectural problem this is a bit tricky. The concept of To understand this problem first we must come to home is not fixed in scale; therefore an individual person’s a consensus on what the definition of home and home definition of home may apply to something larger than a place is.