Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0959-7061
Date of Graduation
5-15-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Publish
yes
Degree Name
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Department
School of Art, Design, and Art History
First Advisor
Jori Erdman
Abstract
This thesis explores how preservation can reconnect ecological responsibility with cultural continuity through material and spatial care. Architecture is placed as a mediator between environmental systems and cultural ethics, where existing structures are not treated as static relics but as active participants in transformation. Rather than responding to sustainability as a purely technical practice, preservation is framed as a deliberate process that allows space to evolve while maintaining its historical and environmental presence across both United States and Japan. Through ideas of restraint, transience, and a relationship with nature, this thesis examines how materiality shapes atmosphere over time. Drawing from Japanese understandings of material aging, impermanence, and texture, the work observes how light, shadow, and absence defines spatial experience through gradual change rather than visual assertion. These principles inform a design approach in which material expression is subtle and responsive, reinforcing continuity through care rather than dominance. In contrast, preservation in the United States often prioritizes material practicality, durability, and reuse as environmental strategies. Materials are repaired, replaced, readjusted, and reassembled to extend the lifespan of buildings. This approach will frame material as a structure that is shaped by human interaction, use, and inevitable aging and how it can emerge through adaptation rather than a replacement. Ultimately, this thesis argues that preservation can generate meaningful architectural strategies through minimal intervention and material longevity. Through focused material studies and deliberate building strategies, the work seeks to repair relationships between people, place, and environment, restoring cultural meaning through texture and time.
