Cultural Reform

Rethinking Cultural Manifestation in the Urban Environment

Master thesis (2022)

Authors

M.R. Grech Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

H. Smidihen History, Form & Aesthetics - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
H.L. van der Meel Architectural Engineering - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Eline Blom (supervisor 1)
C.H.E. van Ees Education and Student Affairs (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2022 Martin Grech
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

24-06-2022

Language

English

Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Across a period of multiple crises and a structurally instable government, amongst other things, there has been a strong national decline in cultural activity, production, and presence in the city of Beirut. With this, national identity is faltering, and citizens begin to give up on their home nation. Who can is emigrating, and the rest lay abandoned and discouraged in an increasingly privatized and unwelcoming environment.

What role can culture play in the complex transitions cities are currently going through? What aspects can be combined in order to suggest architecture appropriate for a scenario of hardships, which also strengthens national identity and the image of the city? Ultimately, how can a building complex informed by cultural production contribute to the narration and revival of cultural activity?

The task at hand is the design of a productive building which revolves around a culturally relevant produce and manages to evoke the social rituals and greater historic context which go with it. This should strengthen and reinstate pride towards local produce, reform ties to the country and its rich lands, and also support the citizens and the complex urban life which surround it. The design of an urban winery and arak distillery shall be the assignment utilized as means of researching and exploring this challenge.