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TRANS-CULTURAL SPACE: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP OF PLACE & IDENTITY IN ARCHITECTURE Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors AUBRY, ALEXANDER WALEED Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 13:46:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/555404 libra ry YARP ARC . 9 a 3 9001 04363 3786 Arch it Reserve *■ ' .5 MASTER’S THESIS y TRANS-CULTURAL SPACE: EXAMININGTHE RELATIONSHIP OF PLACE & IDENTITY IN ARCHITECTURE BY ALEXANDER WALEED AUBRY UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA TRANS CULTURAL SPACE: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP OF PLACE & IDENTITY IN ARCHITECTURE by Alexander Waleed Aubry Copyright Alexander Waleed Aubry 2001 A Master’s Report Submitted to the Faculty of the COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2001 Table of Contents I. Acknowledgments C hapter!: Defining Trans-culturalism and the Factors Leading to its Development ................... 1 1. Introduction 2. Shattering the Binary Myth 3. The Global Soul 4. Technology 5. Travel 6. (Trans-culturalism) As Perceived in Academia C hapter!: The Characteristics o f Trans-cultural Spaces ................. 12 1. Comprehending the Architectural Mind-Block 2. Transience 3. Decontextualization ChapterS: Perception of History and Culture in the United S tates ............. ... 22 1. Historic Preservation 2. The TablaRasa Heritage 3. Adaptive Reuse, an Alternative C hapter 4: Understanding the Functions found within Trans-cultural Spaces ......................................... 43 1. The Birth of the Cultural Center ..................... 45 I. The Neighborhood Cultural Center n. The Large Cultural Complex HI. The Cultural Embassy 2. The Cosmopolitan City. ........ ........................ ........ 58 I. Mission and Propose II. Attracting Diversity. HI. Public Life IV. Opportunity 3. The Parisian Cultural Center 64 Table of Contents 4. The Survey ....................................................................................................... ................ 65 l. The Swedish Cultural Center and the Tessin Institute n. The House of Latin America m. The House of Japanese Culture IV. The Centre George Pompidou V. The Arab World Institute 5. Results of the Survey. .... ........................................................................................... 155 Chapter 5: Design Case S tu d y .......................................................................................................... ... 161 l. The Five Characteristics of Trans-Cultural Spaces H. Proposed Design Case Study: Trans-Cultural Laboratory m. Design Process TV Results ofDesign Case Study V. Conclusion B ib lio g rap h y ........................................................................ ... .................................................... 204 Illustrations 206 Acknowledgements Attempting a graduate dissertation can be a challenging task when taking into account the amount of work and effort involved. It requires you to state clearly from the beginning what your research will encompass, and to persevere even when you are at times unsure o f the outcome. The process o f completing this thesis has been both a passion and a challenge simultaneously. But it could not have been achieved without the help and support ofthe following individuals: I would like to thank my parents Mr. Antoine Aubiy and Dr. Safia Dowaigher Aubry for instilling in me the value of education as the key to freedom and success in life, as well as endless support and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. I would also like to express profound gratitude to the members ofmy thesis committee, whose constant support and guidance helped shape this thesis. As well as working tirelessly to edit chapters, their discussions also helped sharpen the text considerably. Prof. Annie Nequette for showing interest in my thesis topic early on and agreeing to take on the responsibilities of becoming my thesis chair. Her enthusiasm and insightful observations helped make the research process an enjoyable and enriching experience. Dr. Laura Hollengreen, under whom I served as a teacher’s assistant during my graduate studies at the University of Arizona, for her tireless efforts in proofreading chapters and showing an interest in my thesis topic. As well as serving as a mentor, her encouragement and advice have been instrumental in the shaping ofmy graduate experience. Dr. Fred Matter, Director of the Graduate Program at the College of Architecture and a member ofmy thesis committee, for his generous support and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. During much ofthe research process his helpful comments and critical eye helped narrow the focus o f this thesis considerably. I must also gratefully acknowledge Dr. Carol Flores, Prof, of Architecture History at Ball State University, who was instrumental in planting the first seeds for this thesis during my undergradu ate studies. During this period she provided me with unlimited support and encouragement in pursuing my graduate degree. I would also like to mention with gratitude the help and support I’ve received from profes sors, fellow students, and friends throughout my graduate studies. I Chapter One Defining Trans-culturalism and the Factors Leading to its Development Introduction Words such os globalism, multi-culturalism, and inter-culturalism, have become increas ingly visible terms today. Advertising agencies have jumped on the global bandwagon, attaching such labels to products as diverse as automobiles and sleeping pills. In so doing, what is being promised is an instantly accessible product that crosses borders and is available to everyone. In reality though, what we see on our TV screens and in many publications, is nothing more than a superficial attempt by many companies and individuals to cash in on what is seen as a global moment or trend. According to the travel writer Pico Iyer, “Globalism has become a convenient way of saying that all the world is a single market”. (Iyer, 14) By doing so they are merely relegating globalism to a place in popular culture, thereby diminishing its importance as a significant global issue. The very issue being addressed here is not about how globalism can sell products, but instead understanding how our gradually shrink ing world is changing previously held notions of identity, nationalism, and shared culture. In addition, there has been very little documented or seriously written about this phenomenon, which has led to the subject being trivialized as a mere trend. Furthermore there has never been a clear definition provided for words such as multi-culturalism and globalism. Thus many people have felt free to use them in whatever context they deemed appropriate. An advertisement for Pepsi shows a woman from Rajasthan, India, drinking from its famous beverage. (8) 1 For this reason Trans-culturalism will be the only term used throughout this work, and shall be defined as follows: Any individual, space, or object which exhibits characteristics o f blurring boundaries or cultural ambiguity. It is important that a solid definition of trans-culturalism be stated early on, in order to establish the focus o f this thesis and explain what this phenomenon implies. What popular culture has done is to make people aware of such a change, through what could be considered the by-products of a global way of thinking. Walk into a CD store and you’ll find an entire section devoted to a hybrid musical style that mixes various elements from different cultures to create another form of music. Switch on your TV and you’re beamed directly to Paris where a de signer sends out his vision of a global tribesman, a street urchin who is a cross between a Mogul princess, a Fifties Beatnik, and a Masai warrior. Enter a restaurant and you are offered a menu of fusion cuisine, splicing the culinary traditions of both East and West. All ofthese are o f course superficial manifestations o f popular culture. But what they do serve, is to familiarize a world dependent on categorization with the idea of cultural ambiguity, which may lead one to rethink notions of cultural identity. What makes all ofthese expressions valid, when compared with the mere juxtaposing of elements, is the fact that a mix took place to create something new, different, and modem. There is a feeling o f something other, yet it cannot be identified directly. Such products are not confined to past traditions, but are very much a part of what is happening today. This is an important point to make since global issues, and those who are defined by them, are not faded memories of past traditions, which is the type o f subject matter usually offered at cultural exchanges. Alex Locadia, aNew York industrial designer ofHaitian and Venezuelan parentage, put it best when asked about the influence of his African heritage on his work by saying, “Africa is not something to wax sentimental over, it is a place of cultural contemporaneity and dialogue.” (Metropo lis, 65). Global issues are in fact contemporary issues that deal with the here and now. They are never static and always evolving. They are those issues that touch all individuals, regardless ofrace, nation