Abstract:
This thesis investigation seeks the possibility of addressing and, possibly, redefining the public realm in Detroit. By public realm, I mean the type of setting in which individuals can enjoy and inhabit different kinds of spaces, both interior and exterior, with different kinds and scale of functions. My investigation proposes a built environment that can serve the multiple functions of linkages and transitions in the city of Detroit. The building engages in the city life by unfolding or blurring itself to the neighboring context and into the city as a whole. By use of the building, program functions, and sight lines people w ill become more aware of the city as an event. The building's function can connect people, both socially and economically and link SpacEvenTime. The root of my investigation is grounded in the premise of SpacEvenTime as it pertains to the public realm and how it is amplified by the ambiguities between interior and exterior spaces. While each o f the three elements of my investigation are separate, they can easily be linked together. Space can be described as a specific function in a location. Time can be objectively measured by the hour or subjectively measured through the essence of waiting for an event or by engaging in a space. An event can be formed from the interactions that occur between people and space at a specific time. The union of these three elements can result from a number of different programs; one can include implementing an innovative form of movement as seen in a transportation system. The program's interior and exterior spaces not only links the person to the event of the city and the program, but also to movement as it pertains to time as they move themselves or are moved by the transportation system.
