The Possibilities of Impossible Forms
Open Access
- Author:
- Wong, Jonathan
- Area of Honors:
- Architecture
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Architecture
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Christine Lee Gorby, Thesis Honors Advisor
Yasmine Abbas, Thesis Supervisor - Keywords:
- Architecture
Mathematics
Topology
Transportation Hub
Mobility - Abstract:
- Close your eyes and imagine a space of complexity not founded in contradiction. A space where a father may drop his son off at daycare as he commutes to work. A space which also may host a market for local vendors and at the same time, afford travelers a place to meet, work, and relax. In essence, imagine a space where a multiplicity of functions occurs simultaneously as well as independently. Such a space is challenging to conceive, particularly through the lens of space in the traditional sense. Yet, we may easily envision such a space if we were to consider the world around us not through Euclid’s five axioms, but instead more generally through topological notions of continuity, connectedness, and openness. Topological spaces free architects from the notion of the physical world as a frozen Euclidean space. Thus, this thesis explores topological spaces in the context of modern mobility, where hyper-connectivity has neutralized space and time. Through such an exploration, this thesis seeks to understand how, architecturally, we may create spatial arrangements and forms which augment a sense of temporality amongst travelers. Through the design of a transportation hub at Secaucus Junction, New Jersey, this thesis demonstrates the potential for a topological understanding of space to enable architects to re-imagine the ways in which we navigate and inhabit space.