Thesis Defence: Siobhan Allman

Tuesday, November 12, 2019 9:30 am - 9:30 am EST (GMT -05:00)

Of the thesis entitled:For Every Line Casts A Shadow

Allman thesis image

Abstract: 

The blank page represents a void, an open area of space that holds the potential for architecture. Through a process of drawing points, lines and planes, the void of the paper is cut to become an arrangement of curated, smaller areas of architectural space. There is a moment of self reflection and inquiry about how to begin, where to place the first line. What is the specific method for reasoning to break the wall at two meters to create space for a window? If there are two or more buildings, what predicates their position in relation to one another?

At the height of Modern Architecture, the graphic environment of geometric abstract paintings participated in a reflexive exchange with the architect. Abstract painting acted as a tool for spatial inquiry for the architect, providing compositional solutions that informed architectural space.

A series of compositional studies explore how abstract, geometric compositions provide new avenues for spatial inquiry and can act as an active participant in the development of architectural ideas. As the point becomes the line and then the plane on the page, its final iteration is the translation into the third dimension. Each line contributes to the walls, beams, screens, doors and apertures that compose the experience of light within a building; these lines catch sun and cast a shadow.

The examining committee is as follows:

Supervisor:

Anne Bordeleau, University of Waterloo

Committee Members:

Dereck Revington, University of Waterloo
Tara Bissett, University of Waterloo

External Reader:

Sukaina Kubba


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

The Defence Examination will take place:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 9:30am in the loft.

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