Thesis Defence: Georgiana Nicoara

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 9:30 am - 9:30 am EST (GMT -05:00)

Georgiana Nicoara thesis image

Of the thesis entitled: Body, Mind and Existence Shaped by Built Form: The Strategic Creation of Affective Architecture and the Practitioner’s Role

Abstract:

This thesis takes the form of a pilgrimage to the Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Indonesia to explore the relationship between spiritual practices and physical space, in particular analyses the relationships between space, practice and affect. In this thesis space is identified as an overarching category to include the physical, social and mental environments. Practice indicates repeated engagement by the participant, and lastly, affect signifies the personal capacity to be changed by architecture beyond the momentary interaction. The potency of affective architecture relies on a careful balance between curated architectural methods and the mindful involvement of the practitioner. My experience pilgrimage through the temple of Borobudur acts as an architectural laboratory in order to investigate first hand the physical architectonic elements and methods of perception which support and amplify a spiritual encounter. The goal of the thesis is to understand the potential for architecture to encourage or promote spiritual awareness to better understand the physical space of spirituality. 

The examining committee is as follows:

Supervisor:

Rick Haldenby, University of Waterloo

Committee Members:

Andrew Levitt, University of Waterloo

Robert Jan van Pelt, University of Waterloo

External Reader:

Christie Pearson


The committee has been approved as authorized by the Graduate Studies Committee.

The Defence Examination will take place:  

Wednesday, February 14, 2018                
9:30 AM               

ARC 2003

A copy of the thesis is available for perusal in ARC 2106A.