Defining home : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

Architecture used to be a word that made me think of bricks and buildings. I have recently encountered many terms that relate to architecture that do not have anything to do with the conventional built environment. Words like "addict," "squatter," "demolition," and "immigration" all relate to architecture because of the social implications that architects must be conscious of to accomplish good design."Beauty is the rudiment of human dignity."-Michael Lehrer principal architect of Lehrer ArchitectsSpecifically, I would like to define the term "home." I feel like home is a word that is simply accepted by most people including myself, yet there are many meanings that are overlooked. As an architecture student I have been taught about every aspect of how a home is constructed, yet the term itself has never been very clear. I want to state my initial ideas of home and how they change through my semester at the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry with Virginia Ball fellow, Wes Janz. Through our study of people, places, and material, I would like to focus on how my own personal definition of home differs from those we come in contact with as a result of the seminar.