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Emerging Public: The Public Library's Role in Building Community

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Media Architecture in Architecture Studio Education capturing dynamics in the process: Exploring how architecture students design with virtual design environments tools

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• Küçükkara M Özacar K Ortakcı Y (2024) Mimarlık Öğrencilerinin Sanal Gerçeklik Ortamında Safranbolu Tabakhanesinde Rölöve Alma Deneyimi Fırat Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi 10.35234/fumbd.1322782 36 :1 (35-47) Online publication date: 28-Mar-2024 https://doi.org/10.35234/fumbd.1322782
• Suarez Villasís M Espinoza Polo F (2023) Competencias digitales para talleres de diseños intermedios en estudiantes de arquitectura Trujillo, Perú, 2022 EVSOS 10.57175/evsos.v1i3.19 1 :3 (123-147) Online publication date: 1-Mar-2023 https://doi.org/10.57175/evsos.v1i3.19
• Lyu Q Watanabe K Umemura H Murai A (2023) Design-thinking skill enhancement in virtual reality: A literature study Frontiers in Virtual Reality 10.3389/frvir.2023.1137293 4 Online publication date: 4-Apr-2023 https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2023.1137293

Index Terms

Applied computing

Computing methodologies

Computer graphics

Graphics systems and interfaces

Virtual reality

Human-centered computing

Social and professional topics

Professional topics

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Information

Published in.

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Utrecht University

Ryerson University

The Bartlett, University College London

Queensland University of Technology

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney

Media Architecture Institute

University of Plymouth

University of Munich

UNSW Sydney

Delft University of Technology

Digital Placemaking Institute Sydney / New York

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

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• Design Education
• Design Studio
• Immersive Design Environment
• Media Architecture
• Work in progress
• Refereed limited

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Interdisciplinary Master Course

Most recent activities of the Media Architecture Programme.

Get an overview of all the master thesis done in the programme.

The interdisciplinary masters course, MediaArchitecture reacts to the continuing structural change in society and the increasing importance of the reciprocal influence of media and architecture. The aim is to open up the growing cross-section between the architectonic and medial space for study and research, as well as new professional fields. Based on the increasing medialisation of public space and everyday culture the master’s course is not lastly a reaction to the ever higher demand for highly-qualified university graduates in the interdisciplinary area between media and architecture.

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Constructing The Image: Architecture through Media, Marketing & Political Communication. (Le Corbusier – Rem Koolhaas)

This writing sample is comprised by excerpts from my master research project for the school of architecture. I chose to translate and include what I think to be the most important parts, in the sense that they mostly reflect my original thinking. According to the school's curriculum this research project is normally intended to provide theoretical support for the thesis design project –in my case a new Greek national library. I chose to disconnect the topic of my research from my design thesis in order to pursue my interest in media theory.

Related Papers

Ephemeral Architecture in Central-Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries, ed. Miklós Székely. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2015, 171–184.

Ágnes Anna Sebestyén

Antonio Polainas

We live in an age where communication becomes of major importance and where the boundaries between different languages used in communication are blurred and co-related. The objective of this work is searching for common ground between architecture (as communication) and audio-visual language (in television), namely:  Finding links between contemporary architecture and the audiovisual, analyzing their areas of convergence and intersection.  Comparing the evolution of Architecture according to cultural, social and economic movements with the gradual and determining influence of audiovisual universe.  Developing a historical sequence of past decades regarding architecture as communication and trying to find common points with the audiovisual.  Contextualizing the importance of television in the consumer society as the ideal means of disclosure to a global scale.  Understanding the connection of contemporary society with new Technologies, through the relationship between man and image. Considering these results, we also intend to identify the basic concepts of communication which become common denominators, not only for these areas of knowledge but also to other areas of communication.

The Journal of Architecture

Hannah Lewi

Duygu Hazal Bezazoğlu

Increasing permeability of disciplinary boundaries results in the theoretical and conceptual mobilities among different disciplines. Architectural theory has a unique position within these transactions since it transformed into an ever-expanding knowledge terrain via interdisciplinary perspectives. By undertaking different modes of appropriations in the architecture-media relationship, this study aims to disclose the directions and extents of these transactions. For this reason, a comprehensive literature survey was performed on certain databases. From these searches an examination list is created by selecting the studies focusing on media and architecture. Next, these studies are categorized based on their dominant themes and analyzed via Michael Ostwald's model, which is composed of uni-directional, hybridization, and multi-directional appropriation modes. The study found that architecture predominantly and more easily engages with media in the uni-directional mode since this mode does not affect the basic premises of the discipline and just expands its knowledge domain. Yet, hybridization and multi-directional appropriations are also observed, resulting in more significant impacts on architecture's disciplinary knowledge. This significance is primarily due to the interpenetration of the concept or theory appropriated from media and the transformations it suggested for architecture's premises. Specifically, in multi-directional appropriation, architectural theory and media theory intertwine preeminently. The study concludes that it might be the shared origin of two knowledge fields as revealed in the concepts of extension/prosthesis that underlie the convenience of these conceptual transactions.

Muhammad Syazwan

The digital vanguard's much touted campaign to " dematerialize " our physical bodies and environments wasn't nearly as extensive as many early cyberculture theorists had predicted. We have not traded in our corporeality for virtuality—nor have we exchanged all of our brick-and-mortar schools, churches, and communities for virtual versions. In fact, many architectural theorists, sociologists, psychologists, geographers, and scholars in related disciplines argue that as our media have become ever more virtual, the design and development of our physical spaces—through architecture, landscape design, and urban and regional planning—have become even more important. If our media and our built spaces do not follow parallel evolutionary patterns, what is the relationship between these two human productions? This course examines the dynamic and complex relationship between media and architecture. We will look at architecture as media, symbols and embodiments of particular ideas and values—and at the impact that communication media have had on the practice of architecture and the way we experience our environments. In laying the groundwork for the course, we will first address theories of architecture as text, as language or semiotic system, and architecture as mass media. We will then turn our attention to models of production and consumption that apply to both architecture and media. After equipping ourselves with a vocabulary and a theoretical framework, we will trace the contemporaneous development of media and architecture from the scribal era in the Middle Ages to the digital era of today and tomorrow. In the process, we will find that underlying and inspiring these two systems of cultural production throughout history are certain foundational elements—particular value systems and stages of consciousness, epistemologies and ontologies, cultural perspectives and worldviews. Throughout the course of the semester, you will be asked to attend class regularly and contribute meaningfully to class discussions; complete challenging weekly reading assignments composed of several short texts, which you will be expected to synthesize; compose two short papers; write a review of an art or architectural exhibit addressing issues relevant to the class; and develop and complete a rigorous final research paper or creative project.

AM Journal of Art and Media Studies

Milica Stojsic

Besides representing a border dividing interior and exterior spaces, one of the primary functions of the facade is communication. What used to be inscribed in stone, concrete, wood or glass, is now communicated via digital media, which became an integral part of architecture in the information society we live in today. Even though this research includes an investigation of media-supported facades as architectural elements, a much broader discourse oriented toward relational aesthetics in urban spaces will be employed in order to analyze the new media potential of communication layers in architecture.

Laura Martínez de Guereñu

Maria Diamandieva

Conference paper-30.05.2019 Maria Diamandieva, m.a. arch, PhD This text is about contemporary architecture. It speculates on its prerogative to influence the functioning of the urban environment and to operate as an energizer, provoking economic, social and cultural revitalization. And also how in the course of this potentiality, it could critically rethink itself, extracting vital essences, which shape and stipulate its future role in the values conspectus of the society. The focus of observation in this particular case is the segment of small towns and urban structures. Our time at the turn of the 21 st century established as the Post-paradigm era in the history of culture. Culture is subordinated to the whims of the market, it is a function of the market. As Bauman writes, "it(culture) manifests itself as a repository of goods intended for consumption, all competing for the unbearably fleeting and distracted attention of potential clients, and trying to hold that attention for more than just a blink of the eye". Prohibitions and norms are substituted by offers and propositions (Bauman, 2011:13). The visionaries of the 20 th century have foreseen and elaborated on the logic of this phenomenon. The culture of "liquid modernity", dissolving everything that is solid, we reed, has no populace to enlighten and ennoble; it does however have clients to seduce. The function of culture is not to satisfy existing needs, but to create new ones. Its chief concerns are to prevent a feeling of complete satisfaction and gratification in the clients, which would constantly require new and unfulfilled needs and whims. And this will feed the market with the constant insatiable hunger of the customers for new more and more attractive propositions. "Culture today is engaged in laying down temptations and setting up attractions, with luring and seducing, not with normative regulations; with production, sowing and planting of new needs and desires, rather with duty" (Bordieu, cited in Bauman, 2011:13). In his/her cultural expectations the global citizen today is overwhelmed by the desire for constant change and originality. The actuality of the product is the criteria for quality, the short shelf life and the anticipation of next much more original cultural entertainment formulates the general flow of the never ceasing new culture propositions without distinctive purposeful direction. Undoubtedly architecture as a major culture factor is subordinated to the mighty general processes, defining contemporary culture. It has always served as an expression of the spirit of the time-currently the zeitgeist of the dominance of the global market and unconditional adaptation to consumer tastes of the contemporary neo-nomadic Homo Ludens. Quite explicably, the architectural avant-garde of the first decades of 21 st century devoted to the creation of sophisticated artificial worlds of endless spectacular and more memorable experiences.

Grid - architecture, planning and design journal

Silva Kalcic

A media façade – here understood technologically, primarily as light or animated pictures generated by electronic devices (although there are examples of kinetic, that is, mechanical media façades) is not an ornament, that is, its function is not merely decorative, but, with its potential as metaphor and for interaction, it is a mode of communication between architecture and environment, that is, the observer/passer-by and the city.

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People’s Media- An Alternate Media Network through the Postal Infrastructure | Architecture Thesis

Information

• Project Name: People’s Media- An Alternate Media Network through the Postal Infrastructure
• Student Name: Rashmi Varma
• Awards: Finalist at KRVIA Design Colloquium
• Softwares/Plugins: Rhinoceros 3D , AutoCAD , Adobe Photoshop , Adobe Indesign , Adobe Illustrator
• Discipline: Architecture
• Level: Bachelors Design Thesis
• Institute: Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA)
• University: University of Mumbai
• Location: Mumbai
• Country: India

Excerpt: ‘ People’s Media- An Alternate Media Network through the Postal Infrastructure ’ is an architecture thesis by Rashmi Varma from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA) that aims to discover a network of spaces that allow public engagement in real-world situations. By studying network-based public institutions, the thesis explores the structure of the postal network and its infrastructure, aiming to create democratic media spaces.

Introduction: The thesis explores various facets of media ecology, which examines media as an environment people live in and consistently shapes how people perceive the world and interact with its political systems. In this era of hyperreality and information overload, it is critical to recognise and examine the factors influencing our thought processes, particularly for those of us who live in democratic societies that are divided along media lines. Beyond ideological differences, the alienation starts with physical access to a medium that then shapes an experience based on its design. The thesis poses the question of whether the medium’s design influences how information is produced and used. 

Through the architecture of a medium, the aim is to discover a network of spaces required to create accesses that bring the public to a collective level of real-world engagement . A study of network-based public institutions led to exploring the structure of the postal network, tapping into its extensively deep-rooted infrastructure, and revamping it for the creation of democratic media spaces. To foster a bottom-up approach by creating agency at multiple levels and in autonomous mobile formats, where the medium is both a space and an event .

Site Context

The postal network is essentially a structured prototype that offers the same services across various administrative levels. These were studied with the intent of designing a network intervention responding to all scales. The Thane Region was selected due to its diverse population, varied geographic conditions, and range of settlement types, from metropolitan to tribal. 

The head post office, located at the district level, is ranked highest in hierarchy, followed by the sub post office, located at the Taluka level. The branch post office located at the panchayat level is the lowest point in the chain. The sites chosen were a metropolitan setting in Thane, a temple town in Vajreshwari, and a rural setting in Dabhad for the three levels.

Design Process

The primary program is a parallel media network designed for alternate media organizations, citizen journalists, students, scientists, researchers, freelancers, sociologists, etc. It provides two main programs: the digital publication, which comprises workspaces for both individuals and organizations, and the digital archive, which includes interactive areas and displays of all the material generated, including more. Secondary programmes have been created in accordance with the context. The project explores a state-to-people partnership in which already-existing public institutions tear down their barriers to foster greater participation and flexibility, which in turn helps them reclaim their roles and reach.

A hybrid design that included both static and mobile components was the larger intervention strategy.

1- Static: The redesigned post offices serve as the static, to which mobile systems can be added to provide better accessibility and coverage. They are intended to serve as the motherships from which the mobile components spread out.

2- Mobile: Modules for the mobile component were created that could be assembled on-site after being transported as a kit. The project takes a complete package of programs, technologies, ways of harnessing energies to places.

Final Outcome

Mobile Interventions

In order to provide wider coverage, assembled modules can be mounted onto vehicles, or the mobile components can be packaged and transported to sites as needed, as seen in the first case. The structure can be assembled and installed by the public, and in a town with hills, it could be placed in a nature park. 

There are already community plinths in smaller villages where people can record their traditional songs and add information about native agricultural systems, among other things, to the project’s digital archive. They can obtain information about the soil characteristics, building materials, worker conditions, etc., in the vicinity of mines. 

The cubes function in two ways: they can be used as a portal to access data from around the world and as a receptor for local data. Because of its universality, the cube can be assembled to fit any location’s climate requirements. 

Static Interventions

Larger strategies that work on all three of these scales were developed as a result of the study. For example, at Head Post, the existing one can be enhanced. At Sub Post level, a postal land can be taken up where an independent structure is made with provision for alternate programs. While at Branch Post, a collaborative infrastructure can be created between state bodies.

• Thane – Head Post

The site is an existing post office and the land behind it. Keeping this notion of a parallel institution in mind, the design started by expanding the edges and adding extensions. Since the site is dense, the larger media functions are underground, freeing up public space and facilitating traffic flow. As a result of the extension, the highlighted infill walls with minimal openings will be removed, allowing much more natural light and ventilation into the existing building.

Programmes at the organisational level occupy the extension and underground areas, which are separated from community-level activities by public areas. Individual cubes can be inhabited within the pavilion created by the media modules. The workspaces are intended to be occupied by a range of sociologists, researchers, students, online agencies, and independent contractors.

In an effort to maintain seamless transitions to the newer spaces, binding programmes like the canteen are kept flexible to promote interaction among all types of public. The lower floor is an open grid that can have individual spaces created within it according to need and opened up for larger gatherings. These workstations can be temporarily occupied by various media groups in need of space, allowing them to expand this alternative digital media network. 

The first-floor extension connects the postal space with a lounge, workspaces and a view of the pavilion and plaza beyond. The extension is intended to be a bright, airy area that enlivens the existing structure. The community media functions underground and the public plaza on its terrace which can be occupied for a variety of public events.

Sectionally, the idea was to not add to the load of the existing.  So use of light steel members in a way that it cantilevers out to the old, creating an expansion joint and not tampering with existing foundation systems. While the openness is also maintained. The goal of this renovated post office is to serve as a neighbourhood catalyst by offering easily accessible public functions and seating spaces at the junction. To cater to pedestrians searching for places to pause in the city, the canteen and public toilets are placed thoughtfully.

• Vajreshwari- Sub Post

Postal land next to the gram panchayat is selected for the intervention. It is bordered by lodges and hotels and faces the Tansa river. The plan was to build a larger structure that could house the media functions and include the post office as part of a public project. The department could generate income by utilising the same structure for other programmes when it’s not in use. Entering the project through the post office leads to a canteen where media modules are parked on either side of the long bar. When these modules are placed together, they create a digital archive space. The canteen turns into an attraction for tourists staying in the vicinity and visiting the nearby hot springs.

The bar on the upper floor is the digital workspace occupied by organisations, followed by storage space for extra mobile panels. When not in use, it can be transformed into a source for information about the surrounding hot springs, geology, and national parks, keeping it relevent throughout. Every part of the project is open for occupancy; people can work in the cubes, learn how to write as citizen journalists, or just relax on the plinths. 

The project aims to establish spaces where individuals engage in civic discourse, debate opposing viewpoints, and facilitate cross-generational learning. The roof is upturned to allow greater quality of light to enter throughout the day  that can also be moderated using the pivoting fenestrations. The plinth and the edges are designed with pedestrians in mind. Several opportunities for gathering and pause can be found.

• Dabhad – Branch Post

A site next to the village’s gram Panchayat and zilla Parishad school is chosen, which is a fairly recent extension of the village. This level adopts a collaborative approach, relocating the post office into the Gramme Panchayat premises as was customary up until about 20 years ago. The site currently has a number of buildings that were all constructed under Yojanas. A lack of funding or neglect on the part of the state has left many abandoned. They were still classified as functional structures even though they were in a state of ruin. 

To enhance the public spaces on site, plinths were created  that run across the project binding all the trees together. Then, in response to the older structures, the newer ones were positioned to create two clusters that receive the most north light. After the plinth work became crucial for energising the compound, additional functions were added to the existing buildings. Here, the mobile units improve the space and serve as study areas for children. The women’s centre is redesigned to be public and open. Stairs can be taken to the upper level where for the post office.

Meeting space can hold all the town meetings and larger programs. The canteen can function along with the mid day meal kitchen, whereas the digital media space can be used as a computer lab during school hours. The archive can be converted into digital classrooms. The post office is designed to adapt to the essential role that it plays in villages. In this context, it can serve as a vital public institution that provides information about different schemes and acts as a conduit for bottom-up feedback regarding their implementation. All these institutions gain from the shared infrastructure. Conversations regarding the town’s issues, betterment can be enhanced when major institutions operate through the same compound. 

Through its design, the architecture seeks to enhance civic engagement and foster a sense of community. Children from the existing school can spill out onto the courtyards, which turn the areas around the trees into essential play areas.

Conclusion: The thesis acts on the simultaneous urgency of revitalising state-backed institutions and the state of the media. The goal is to bring about agility in monolithic institutions at a time when we direly need physical spaces to reconnect and exercise basic rights to expression. The project hopes to discover ways of creating more informed and evolved media environments and making the production of information more transparent and participatory. It aims to decentralise voices and power through the creation of an alternate media network to ultimately have more control and say in our collective media environment , truly making it the “people’s media.”

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Architecture Thesis Projects: A Comprehensive List of 30 Topics to Pick From (Updated 2024)

Neha Sharma

13 min read

March 18, 2024

Table of Contents

Architecture Thesis: A culmination of all those years of intense training, sleepless nights, countless submissions and unforgettable memories. The grand finale!

It is a real test to showcase all the skills you’ve gained over the years in a single project. Naturally, choosing the right topic from an ocean of architecture thesis topics is one of the biggest challenges you can face as a final year student, as the topic itself may define the trajectory of your thesis!

To ease your conflicted mind, we have curated a comprehensive list of popular architecture thesis projects you might want to explore in your final year, along with links to relevant theses across the internet for your ready reference.

Go on, have a look! What sparks your interest?

Housing/ Residential Projects

1. Affordable Housing

“Housing for all” is a major goal developing countries are striving to achieve. Not everyone has the resources to own a house or even rent one out. Conscious and well-planned housing design can turn cities into places where owning a house is not merely a dream. And architects can play a pivotal role in achieving this noble goal.

2. Gated Communities

With the city centres choking with pollution, traffic congestion and over-population, many people are now moving to the suburbs in closed, secure and private gated communities. These colonies circumference almost every major city now, with more emerging as you read. A gated community design could be an interesting (though slightly controversial) architecture thesis topic to explore residential neighbourhood planning.

3. Modular/ Disaster Relief/ Emergency Shelters

Land and resources are limited but the demand for them only keeps increasing giving rise to environmental hazards like deforestation, pollution and depletion of natural assets. In a rapidly changing, calamity-prone world, the design of modular, mobile, disaster relief shelters is the need of the hour!

4. Slum Redevelopment

Urban informality may be a fascinating, complex issue to tackle for your architecture thesis projects. Many people have varied opinions on the dense, informal urban developments popularly known as ‘slums’ , but few are willing to tackle the difficult issue from top to bottom (or bottom up!). Are you one of the few?

Institutional Projects

5. Educational and Skill-Training Institutions

Schools play an important role in shaping a person and are key in bringing up generations of bright individuals. Educational and skill-training institutions have vast options, ranging from kindergartens to higher-education institutes; schools of dance to special-needs institutes ! Ready to shape minds?

6. Rehabilitation and Wellness Institutions

A sound mind and sound body are key to a happy life!

Unfortunately, sometimes individuals have to be institutionalised to get their health back on track. Rehabilitation centres and centres for people with depression or trauma aim at people’s mental wellness, while public gyms and civic sports centres aim at people’s physical wellness. If healing architecture and landscape is something you like, this could be the best architecture thesis topic for you!

7. Research Institutions

Progress in science, technology and humanities improves our way of living and ensures our well-being. The Sheldon Coopers among us wouldn’t be happy to see any fewer research centres and laboratories than there are!

Public Infrastructure Projects

8. Hospitals

Healthcare services are undoubtedly the most important services any region needs. The pandemic has made us understand how under-equipped even the best hospitals can be and so there is an even bigger reason for every hospital, be it multi-speciality/ speciality , maternity, special needs, public or private , to be as well designed as possible. This, more than ever, is the need of the hour and can make for a pressing architecture thesis project.

9. Transit Hubs

Airports , Bus Terminals , Railway Stations , Inland Waterways, Seaports.

Do you love to travel? Have you ever waited for a train and imagined how much better that railway station could be? Then what are you waiting for? Be the change!

10. Sports Stadia

Remember that first stadium experience of watching a cricket or football match? The energy of the crowd, the adrenaline rush! Most group sports stadia ( Cricket , Football , Hockey, Baseball, etc) and sports cities require meticulous study before designing, making a very suitable architecture thesis project for students.

11. Urban/Street Redevelopment

How often do we walk the streets of our cities and almost die because a bike passed within inches of us? Street redevelopment projects catering to pedestrianisation are proven to improve the lives of millions and are rapidly gaining urgency in the urban design domain.

These projects often require extensive site study. Not sure what all to cover in your site analysis? Read - Site Analysis Categories You Need to Cover For Your Architecture Thesis Project .

12. Waterfront Development

Rivers are considered sacred and life-giving across the world. The pitiful conditions of water bodies today have led urban designers to take up River/Canal-front Development Projects which aim at minimising water pollution, a smooth transition from land to water, and ultimately encouraging visitors for leisure and fun activities.

13. Public Parks and Plazas

Parks are the lungs of the concrete jungles many of us live in. After a day of intense work, all we need is some greenery and fresh air; or to grab a beer at that corner cafe in the city square! The design of public parks, plazas and playgrounds could be the best architecture thesis topic for an urban/landscape enthusiast.

14. Social Infrastructure

A robust, well-functioning society accommodates and facilitates the wellness of all its citizens and living beings. Infrastructure like orphanages , nursing homes , animal shelters , night shelters , daycare centres, banks, prisons , juvenile schools, community development centres , and many more tend to those social needs of the society which cannot be overlooked. Inclined towards public welfare? Look no further!

Socio-Cultural Projects

15. Community and Convention Centres

Humans are social animals. Now and then, we crave a meet-and-greet. Community and Convention Centres cater to this very need, and exploring the design angles for human interaction may be something worthy of your architecture thesis project. Be ready for competition though, this is one of the most popular architecture thesis topics students undertake!

16. Museums and Libraries

The culture-lovers among us would understand the value of a good museum or library and appreciate a well-designed one. Be it a museum of arts and crafts, culture, architecture , history or science, if the give and take of knowledge through some entertainment and delight (infotainment) is something you see yourself doing, then this could be the best architecture thesis topic for you.

17. Memorials

Memorials are the physical manifestations of the struggles endured, victories earned and life-changing events in history. They remind us to never forget the past, hoping for a better future at the same time, making memorial design both a fascinating yet weighted exercise.

18. Places of Worship/ Spiritual Centres

One cannot separate a human from their faith. Having a place to worship or connect with one’s spiritual self is as important to a human as going to school or a cinema hall. Places of worship like temples, churches, masjids, gurudwaras, monasteries , etcetera; and spiritual or meditation centres serve as places for gathering and become important landmarks in a settlement.

Conservation and Heritage Projects

19. Conservation of Heritage Structures

Conservation of the priceless built heritage like palaces, monuments, places of worship, ancient settlements, etc has always been on the agenda of organisations like UNESCO and the Archeological Survey of India. If historical significance gets your heart rate up, hi history nerd! Help in conserving our heritage structures !

20. Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings

History nerd, if you’re still here, here’s another architecture thesis topic for you. Some heritage can be conserved to attract tourists and some that are too out-of-order could be modified and reused for a different purpose, generating economy. Converting royal palaces into heritage hotels, a king’s court into an emergency ward for covid patients or factories into community spaces, adaptive reuse of the built form requires fine skill, respect for heritage, and an active imagination!

Offices/ Corporate Projects

21. Government Buildings

Workspaces for all government officials are mandatory for smooth administration. The scale of government buildings is diverse, from the Central Vista Redevelopment Project (*ahem*) to a district-sessions court. Some common categories are high courts, government-owned banks, secretariat and corporation buildings , income-tax offices, assembly and gathering centres , media offices and so on.

Sounds boring? Don’t be so sure. What originally sounds typical is where there is maximum potential to surprise your critics!

22. Corporate Office Towers

We all have seen or at least talked about the famous corporate jungles of our towns. They not only serve as important landmarks but help in increasing the economic value of a region (Very SEZ-y!). If you wanna tame the jungle, you could explore corporate office-building design for your architecture thesis topic.

23. Co-working and Remote-working Spaces

A popular trend before COVID was sharing workspaces, which now have the potential to be thought of as remote-working spaces! Rethinking the design of co-working spaces is very relevant to the times and has great scope for innovation.

With the times we live in, this could be the best architecture thesis topic!

Entertainment and Commercial Projects

24. Theatres and Auditoria

Who doesn’t like good showtime with family and friends? Theatres, auditoria and performance centres are the core of spaces showcasing and witnessing talent, and fall under another typology which has the potential to be reworked post-pandemic. The design of such entertainment stations can test the knowledge of large-span structures without losing a strong grip on creativity and functionality.

25. Multiplexes and Malls

Malls and multiplexes are very popular among the masses as they possess multiple brands of shopping, entertainment and food centres. Whether or not you agree with the mall typology, more keep coming up in growing towns every year. So why not study how they work and improve the concept for your architecture thesis project? The consumerist urbania will thank you!

26. Marketplaces

Shopping for groceries and essential commodities is a frequent need, and most people head to a single marketplace for all their essential goods shopping. A place with a high frequency of movement requires meticulous and thorough design, but can also be one of the most fun challenges to take up! Think farmer markets, community-owned produce markets, mandis, harbour fish markets, and flea markets, the possibilities are endless!

27. Mixed-Use Hubs

Taking your design challenge up a notch is by taking up a mixed-use hub . This is a high-density area that caters to more than one function and has mega economic value. It could be a combination of residential, commercial, institutional, or hospitality, commercial and public space, or much more. This concept is taken to another level by bringing transit hubs into the fray with transit-oriented development!

28. Film, Photo and Animation Studios

The use of digital media has increased multifold in the past couple of decades. A lot of creatives express themselves through digital content, increasing the need for more film , photo, animation and integrated studios . Since these functions can be highly specialised, there is a lot of potential to do impressive research for your architecture thesis project!

Hospitality and Tourism Projects

29. Eco-Tourism Resorts and Visiting Centres

Imagine spending a weekend at a secluded place, close to nature, with all the facilities you need to relax and just de-stress! Ecological resorts and tourist visiting centres aim to cause as little damage to the environment as possible. Keen on environmental sustainability, eco-tourism resorts should be encouraged in the tourism and hospitality industry and make for very relevant architecture thesis topics.

Landscape architecture enthusiasts, where are you all at?

30. Backpacker Lodging/ Youth Hostels

While the question of travel arises, not everyone can afford finely kempt hotels or resorts to lodge at. The youth may opt for backpacking trips to save money as well as to have an interesting experience! Backpacking/ youth hostels like Zostel and Nomads World are buzzing for their affordability, convenience and prospects of networking with like-minded people. If this is your jam, consider creating innovative spaces for it!

Futuristic/ Sci-fi/ Conceptual Projects

How about a settlement on Mars? Or a concert hall in the air? A transit hub of 2050? A forest within the city? Perhaps a residential colony on the water!

Such futuristic or conceptual architecture thesis topics are all the more enthralling as they might not have any precedents. They stretch a creative brain to its limit, and in the process may transform into a brilliant idea. Challenging conventions, thinking out of the box and taking up a futuristic architecture thesis project could be your achievement (both in design and in convincing the faculty) as a young designer!

Having read about some common architecture thesis topics, it is important to know that you must not be limited to the above list. Your architecture thesis is your own brainchild, and it does not need to conform or even fit within a category.

A great architecture thesis is also a key ingredient in creating a kickass architecture portfolio ! So give your all. Who knows, you may even end up receiving an award for your architecture thesis !

Hoping you found the inspiration you were looking for!

Need more guidance with your architecture thesis project? Head straight to our A-Z Architecture Thesis Guide !

Learn how computational design can help your career

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Media Architecture as Innovative Method of Urban Environment Organizing

• Conference paper
• First Online: 13 August 2022
• Cite this conference paper

• Olga Semenyuk   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8822-1611 3 ,
• Assem Issina   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6157-3943 3 ,
• Rakhima Chekaeva   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4991-2604 3 ,
• Zhazira Bissenova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4242-0751 3 ,
• Timur Yensebayev   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7469-9761 3 ,
• Askar Kalikhin   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7486-8951 3 ,
• Bayan Ozganbayeva   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2052-048X 3 ,
• Madi Zhussupov   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-9449 3 ,
• Zhansaya Ashimova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8869-7487 3 &
• Aida Slyamkhanova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7009-2949 3  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies ((LNDECT,volume 146))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Conference on Geometry and Graphics

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The paper considers the aesthetic characteristics of architectural objects formed using media facades, features of the created artistic images on the examples of a number of implemented projects of the Nur-Sultan city. Another area of ​ ​media design research is aimed at highly developed structures of cognition and their regularities: the tendency to completeness, harmony, symmetry, simplicity. The socio-psychological mechanism for the formation and assimilation of stable aesthetic stereotypes - “archetypes” can be interpreted as fixing social experience in the subconscious. This should include the formation of style, artistic image of media design, taste. The image of the city develops in the process of its everyday perception. The authors revealed the conditions for visual perception of the media design of the architectural and spatial environment of the city.

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New Media in Architecture: Media Façades

Social Interaction Design Patterns for Urban Media Architecture

Formation and Influence of New Media Art Form in Public Space

McQuire, S.: Media City: Media, Architecture and Urban Space. Sage Publications, London (2010)

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L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan

Olga Semenyuk, Assem Issina, Rakhima Chekaeva, Zhazira Bissenova, Timur Yensebayev, Askar Kalikhin, Bayan Ozganbayeva, Madi Zhussupov, Zhansaya Ashimova & Aida Slyamkhanova

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Liang-Yee Cheng

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Semenyuk, O. et al. (2023). Media Architecture as Innovative Method of Urban Environment Organizing. In: Cheng, LY. (eds) ICGG 2022 - Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Geometry and Graphics. ICGG 2022. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, vol 146. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13588-0_39

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Media houses : architecture, media, and the production of centrality

Available online, at the library.

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Creators/contributors, contents/summary.

• Contents: Staffan Ericson/Kristina Riegert/Patrik Aker: Introduction - Staffan Ericson: The Interior of the Ubiquitous: Broadcasting House, London - Kristina Riegert: The End of the Iconic Home of Empire: Pondering the Move of the BBC World Service from Bush House - Patrik Aker: Ostankino TV Tower, Moscow: An Obsession with Space - Peter Jakobsson/Fredrik Stiernstedt: Googleplex and Informational Culture - Shannon Mattern: Edge Blending: Light, Crystalline Fluidity, and the Materiality of New Media at Gehry's IAC Headquarters - Sven-Olov Wallenstein: Looping Ideology: The CCTV Center in Beijing - Helena Mattsson: Real TV: Architecture as Social Media.
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• Office Buildings

Mediasambre Media Center / V+

• Curated by Paula Pintos
• Architects: V+
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  2750 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
• Photographs Photographs: Maxime Delvaux
• Structural Engineer : Greisch
• Environmental / Sustainability Design : Daidalos Peutz
• Acoustics Consultants : Daidalos Peutz
• Project Management:  Valentin Bollaert
• Project Authors:  Valentin Bollaert, Thierry Decuypere, Jörn Aram Bihain
• Interior Design:  Valentin Bollaert
• Architecture Execution:  Bureau Bouwtechniek
• Interior Carpentry:  Dumay
• Couverture:  Orlando
• Facade Work:  Trendeco
• General Contractor :  BPC Hainaut
• City:  Charleroi
• Country:  Belgium
• Did you collaborate on this project?

Text description provided by the architects. The building hosts a new audiovisual pole that offers a powerful tool allowing a synergy between RTBF Charleroi and Télésambre. It works the duality of the program between the bubbling workplace of the newsrooms and the will of transparency of the media towards their public.

The project includes a 200m² TV studio, a 70m2 visual studio for radio and television recordings, and a duplex space hosting the newsrooms of the two editorial offices and the offices of Télésambre. It is located in a cavity on the recently renovated Place de la Digue. 

It is crossed by a passage allowing the staff to reach the RTBF headquarters and the Place Saint Fiacre.

Neither a public monument nor a simple tertiary architecture. An architecture that would not deny the expression of its particular program without losing sight of the fact that the very role of this program is to clarify the reading of its environment rather than to cover the noise.

The project is characterized by the generosity of the interior spaces and the care given to the design of the façade on the Place de la Digue. The sober and largely glazed design gives a view of the company's operations, including the studio dedicated to the Radio and the TéléSambre news program located on the façade.

The building meets very high energy criteria and has the Breeam Very Good label.

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Address: charleroi, belgium.

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Media Architecture Institute

Media architecture summit 2016, toronto, canada, 30 september – 1 october.

MAS2016 explores the role of urban screens, interactive media façades, and large-scale public projections in architecture, public art, civic engagement and urban renewal. Presented in collaboration with York University's School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts & Technologies.

Media Architecture Biennale 2016, Sydney, Australia, 1-4 June

MAB16 brings together architects, designers, artists, academia, government and industry in a shared exploration of how technology and digital media as part of a 'Smart Cities' approach can lead to more liveable city environments.

Connecting Cities Network

MAI is part of the CONNECTING CITIES NETWORK , an EU project with 17 organisations in 14 cities

Media Facades Summit 2016, Frankfurt

Smart Media Architecture - enabling sharing and open access for connected cities and neighborhoods. - The Media Architecture Summit 2016 brings together a mix of industry speakers with academics and experts presenting projects and discusses approaches for designing and building media architecture. The summit is part of the Luminale 2016, which runs in parallel to the Light+Building event taking place in Frankfurt in March 2016.

Media Architecture Compendium iPad App

The MAI compendium is a collection of 63 unique projects exhibited at various media architecture events, featuring stunning photos and videos. Download for free from the iTunes App Store. or open the catalog web version .

Media Architecture Biennale 2016

We are very excited to bring the Media Architecture Biennale to the Southern Hemisphere! The next Biennale will take place in Chatswood, Sydney, Australia, on 2-4 June 2016 in conjunction with with Vivid Sydney and DIS’16 . The theme will be ‘digital placemaking’. See more here .

Media Architecture Compendium

The MAI compendium is a collection of 63 unique projects exhibited at the Media Architecture Biennale 2012 in Aarhus, Denmark, featuring stunning photos and videos. Download for free from the iTunes App Store. or open the catalog web version .

The Institute

The Media Architecture Institute was designed to complement the work of established universities and research institutions with light weight and flexible but very focused research activity. Read more.

Sponsored Articles

Mf-c62 leds.

The MF-C62 LED modules produced by Media Façade are a light-weight, robust, and scalable solution for large-scale outdoor LED installations. The LEDs can be programmed via the Media Façade’s control system and software solution.

• by Juan C. Carvajal B.
• in Projects
• Comments Off on Pix2City

What did we do at the Media Architecture Institute during the recent lock-down? We tested the potential of artificial intelligent to engage citizens. The result is Pix2City .

Pix2city is a proof-of-concept that uses artificial intelligence to propose a new form of participation that understands citizens as co-creators. The proof of concept uses artificial intelligence to translate the input from the citizens into visualizations of the result. People can freely express their visions for the city and see for example how this would affect the amount of shadows on the streets. All this without the need for any expertise in urban planning or simulations. Here AI is the “magic” building block as it allows to translate graphical inputs and predict the results.

With this tool, we want to help authorities to find common ground between long term plans and the sentiment of the citizens. Here, we need tools that allow people to express freely their ideas -without any expertise in urban planning. Pix2City enables people to transform their visions into a realistic visualization of the result. It shows for example how planting trees would increase the amount of shadows and trigger a cooling effect in the city.

This is made possible thanks to an AI-model trained using image to image translation with conditional adversarial networks. The model of pix2city was trained using orthophotographs and a custom rendered map that highlighted green areas and trees. This allowed to improve the method described in the paper in two ways. First the orthophotographs allow to reach a higher level of detail compared to satellite pictures. Secondly it helped to customize the elements that should be considered during the training process. The map contained the building blocks, pedestrians ways, green ares, trees, zebra crossings and parking spots.

The interface uses the custom rendered map as a canvas where the people can draw by hand changes for the city. This data will be sent upon request to the server which will translate the image using the pre-trained model. The model showed a good performance in predicting the introduction of green ares and green elements. Other features, such as zebra crossings were translated with less accuracy.

If you are interested to use pix2city as part of an ongoing or future project, you can write us at ask at mediaarchitecture.org

The Media Architecture Biennale returns to Europe

• by Martin Tomitsch
• Leave a comment

After Sydney in 2016 and Beijing in 2018 , the Media Architecture Biennale will return to Europe in 2020. We are very excited to announce that MAB20 will be hosted by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with Utrecht University 23 to 27 November 2020. 

Originally, media architecture was most concerned with the integration of displays and interactive installations into architectural structures, such as media facades and urban screens. Over the years, the discipline has grown much broader, as new technologies such as digital platforms and smart city technologies have increasingly made their way into the experience, management and design of cities.

None of these technologies brought into the city are neutral enablers, mere decorative structures or just simple market places connecting demand and supply in fields as diverse as energy and transport to commerce and leisure. They are built upon numerous spoken and unspoken assumptions about urban life, each with their own implications for both social relations as well as their effect on the natural ecosystem.It is time therefore for the discipline of media architecture to address the implied futures of new technologies.

MAB20 calls for media architectures that move beyond the mere spectacular; as well as beyond the design of individualized services comforting human customers. MAB20 calls for media architectures and urban interaction that dare to take on a more-than-human approach: aiming at the well-being of the natural ecosystem as a whole; For urban media art and design that bring implicit and explicit bias within technology and culture to light, and provide the means for ongoing discussion, debate, and societal change; For digital platforms that strengthen citizen’s digital rights in democratic societies.

To find out more, visit the Media Architecture Bienalle 2020 website . For updates, follow us on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram . 

Calls for participation will be announced soon. 

Publications , Theory

Resources for research on media architecture.

• in Publications , Theory

Since some of our readers have asked for articles about media architecture, we thought it might be useful to share this here on our website. There is a large number of academic articles available through our Media Architecture Biennale conference series. The articles are published in the form of poceedings available through the ACM Digital Library . Here are the direct links to all the proceedings published to date: 

• MAB 2018 conference proceedings
• MAB 2016 conference proceedings
• MAB 2014 conference proceedings
• MAB 2012 conference proceedings  

The proceedings include a table of content and free access to all article titles and abstracts. Downloading the full article as a PDF requires a subscription to the ACM Digital Library, which is available through most universities and some libraries. Sometimes, authors also make “author versions” of their article available, which can be found e.g. through Google Scholar . 

2018 Media Architecture Awards Winners and Nominees

MAB Beijing 2018 Awards

cultural , Projects , Urban

Citymaking.wien – pop up parklets.

• in cultural , Projects , Urban

Important information: Please do not forget to answer our survey (6.5 min). Thank you!

• Basic information about parklets and what should be considered for the conception and construction of a parklet in Vienna, regarding the security, the design and other aspects.
• A parklet potential map that shows where would be possible to build a parklet, by showing in red the different restrictions that apply for the use of parking places. The map simplifies the understanding of the regulations and offers a new understanding about public spaces.
• A design tool that facilitates the creation of the required drawings for the submission. The tool is very simple to use, yet it has considered many of the requirements regarding dimensions and security. People can also download the drawings and edit them according to their own visions.
• An online submission tool that facilitates the contact with the authorities and the submission of the required documents to obtain a permit for the use of parking places.

Media Architecture Panel in NYC

• by Dave Colangelo

Jacques Cartier Bridge, Montreal Interactive Illumination by Moment Factory

Media architecture transforms urban spaces by seamlessly embedding digital media into the built environment. It uses new, responsive technologies such as the internet of things, big data and other spatial sensing techniques to transform the urban landscape through the imaginative use of digital screens, interactive media facades and large-scale public projections. A “responsive city” embeds increasingly sophisticated data gathering elements into the urban environment. In this conversation we will hear from experts in the field who are creating the most complex responsive projects across the globe.

Publications

New book: media architecture compendium – digital placemaking.

• in Publications

We proudly present our newest book by the Media Architecture Institute, now available via av edition, the  Media Architecture Compendium .

This compendium explores how digital media is shaping cities today and in the years to come. It illustrates ground breaking use of light and media in urban environments through 36 projects that were finalists for the Media Architecture Biennale awards in 2014 and 2016. The projects span five categories: Animated Architecture; Money Architecture; Participatory Architecture & Urban Interaction; Spatial Media Art; and Future Trends & Prototypes. The projects range from autonomous drones by Ars Electronica, shopping centres in China by UNStudio, art installations visualising climate change by Roosegaard Studio, to many more temporary and contemporary media architecture interventions.

Media Facades

Fed square’s new digital experience initiative.

• in Media Facades

Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, which is known globally for its urban screen program, has announced an upgrade of their iconic digital screen. The current digital screen will be replaced with a wall of interactive LED panels that complement the form of Fed Square’ s unique architecture. At the centre is a 5k resolution, high-definition event screen with a 6mm pitch, which ensures high-quality display from a distance.

From the official announcement :

The additional electricity required to power the screens has been factored into Fed Square’s overall environmental sustainability management plan and will not negatively affect the carbon neutrality of the city precinct. There will also be a number of interactive touchscreens constructed and located throughout Fed Square.They are currently in the design phase. The Digital Experience Initiative is a $5.4 million investment funded by Fed Square Pty Ltd. It will be driven by a program of user-generated content, commissioned artwork and community engagement, whilst retaining the capacity to broadcast live sport, current affairs and films. The designer and collaborator is sound and light firm, Ramus ( ramus.com.au ), whose digital works range from rock concert lighting for U2 and David Bowie to public precinct redevelopment in several Australian capital cities. The free on-site Wi-Fi will be dramatically improved as part of the initiative, which will help enable real-time, user-generated content and interaction with the screens. The construction of the new screens will commence in October 2017 and are expected to be finished in late April 2018.

Theory , Urban

Call for chapters: designing smart for improving place.

• in Theory , Urban

Alessandro Aurigi, Professor of Urban Design at the University of Plymouth, and Nancy Odendaal, Associate Professor in City and Regional Planning at the University of Cape Town, are putting together an edited book publication, titled “Designing Smart for Improving Place”:

This book will challenge scholars, practitioners and thinkers to look at smart from the point of view of the inhabitable, and inhabited, culturally-informed, digitally-enhanced place. We propose a contextually grounded approach that examines the notion of the ongoing (co)production of the localized smart city: innovative, emergent and situated initiatives that substantively connect to the specifics of place. As such, the book aims at the difficult but necessary target of allowing a joined-up approach on smart, with the permanent improvement of place in mind. This means informing the present and future shaping of smart place by architects, designers and urban planners.

Extended abstracts are due Friday 27 October 2017. More details are available on their  book website .

Projects , Sponsored Articles

Shanghai pearl tv tower.

• in Projects , Sponsored Articles

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Past Events

• Media Architecture Biennale 2014
• Media Facades Summit 2014, Frankfurt
• Media Architecture Biennale 2012
• Media Architecture Biennale 2010
• Media Facades Summit, Frankfurt 2010
• Media Facades Festival 2008
• Media Architecture Conference, London 2007

Our Projects

• Flederhaus, 2015
• Orchestrating the depth of light, 2014
• City bug report Aarhus, 2012
• Media Facade Concept, Musiklandestheater, Linz 2010
• Media Architecture Toolbox, 2009
• Dynamic Ornament 1.0, Vienna-Karlsplatz
• Media Facade Industry Consortium, 2006-9

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full cv is here

• MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF  TECHNOLOGY Master Of Science In Architecture Studies,Urbanism
• MOSCOW ARCHITECTURE INSTITUTE Bachelor Of Architecture
• STRELKA INSTITUTE OF MEDIA, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Postgraduate program New Normal, Project Common Task
• MOSCOW ARCHITECTURE INSTITUTE Specialist Of Architecture, Thesis Moscow-Intervals

academic appointments

• MIT future urban collectives lab Lead Researcher
• MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab Research Analyst, (un)Real Estate

publications

• Politics of the Virtual in Voices (Towards Other Institutions); ed. Ipollito Pestellini Laparelli and Erica Petrillo
• The city as a Videogame Perspectives in Metropolitan Research; ed. by Raphael Shweigmann
• RT3DDT: poetics of synchronization in CARTHA Magazine
• The city in the Age of Remix Media-N: Journal of the New Media Caucus; ed. E Navas, x Burrow and O Gallagher
• Professional Distortion PLAT Journal, 8.5 TL;DR; ed. Lauren
• (un)Real Estate MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab Series on Medium

exhibitions

• Russian Pavilion at Venice Biennale of Architecture 2021 The politics of the Virtual , video-essay, commissioned by the curatorial team of Russian Pavilion
• Open Collectives Station at Venice Biennale of Architecture 2021 An installation by the MIT future urban collectives lab team, comissioned by the curatorial team of the Biennale
• MIT SA+P Gallery 9 group exhibition Screening of the videoessay Virtual Social
• MIT Media Lab Show, Screening of the videoessay Content
• Moscow Architecture Biennale Personal exhibition; Moscow-Intervals

Alina Nazmeeva is an artist and educator currently based in Detroit. Alina creates simulations and worlds that analyze the intra-actions of physical and digital spaces and objects, and their cultural, economic and political ramifications. Using XR, gaming engines, CGI software, machinima, and physical installations, their creative and research practice examines the oscillations and murmurs between virtual and concrete, cities and videogames, life and animation, organic and the engineered.