Abstract:
As countries become more closely linked, traveling and communication throughout the world becomes more efficient. Global integration is providing new opportunities for professionals throughout the world to work in countries other than the ones in which they grew up. More specifically, in the field of architecture, it is now possible for an architect in the United States to design in a country such as France. Not just is it possible, but there are clients around the world that are willing to hire an architect from a country other than their own. As a result, questions have emerged as to what makes architecture of the place.The thesis project explores the idea of how to better understand the values of a culture in order to inform and direct the design of architecture that is responsive to that place and people. The definition of culture used in this exploration comes from the book Invitation to Anthropology, by Luke Eric Lassiter, which defines culture as "a shared and negotiated system of meaning informed by knowledge that people learn and put into practice by interpreting experience and generating behavior." Cultural values are understood through the use of a cultural inventorying process derived using anthropology research methods. Those methods include, but are not limited to: interviews, observation, and comparative analysis. The cultural values are then translated into an architectural language which serves to inform and direct the design process.The testing of these ideas in culturally responsive architecture was done through the design of a community center in Mexico City. The site is located in a middle class section of Mexico City called Arboledas. A trip was made to Mexico City in the first week of December. This trip was the basis for the selection of a site and building type. The main criteria for the building type was that it focus on social issues and allow for both private and public spaces. A community center seemed the most appropriate program to explore given these needs.Cultural values were derived from the cultural inventory by breaking the information down into three main categories. Those three main categories are social values, cultural history, and environmental context. This inventory process provided a better understanding of the shared and negotiated system of meaning of the middle-class Mexicans in Arboledas. Those values then served to direct and inform the final design of a community center in the area.
