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About Thesis: talks and Ideas
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NEO
Wed Aug 16 2006, 09:07pm Print
Admin Registered Member #4 Joined: Thu Aug 04 2005, 04:54am
: Dhaka
Posts: 666
 Different architecture schools guiding their students in thesis in different ways.
In Bangladesh most of the schools focus on 'real proposed large scale projects' as thesis. But this is a bit contradictory when we do 'projects' in 'thesis'. Still i'm confused about how the 'thesis' should be in undergrad level? Should it be a 'project' or should it be a real experimental 'thesis'?
According to our Professor Shamsul Wares sir "the undergrad thesis should be nothing but a large scale real life project". He always strongly discourages about taking an experimental or hypothetical project in the thesis of undergrad level.
Often people don't have their freedom to choose their thesis project freely by themselve, (may it should have!). In our school senior teachers advise and select the projects for thesis for the students. Don't know what happens in other schools of the world.
Ar.Marwa
wrote a chatbox post asking help for the selection of his thesis project. it would be very good... if we talk about the thesis project selection systems in different schools first... then we may share our ideas about taking a thesis.
As Ar.Marwa wrote he wants to take a project like an art musium. Here i want to add something: if someone take a project like gallery or musium.. its a real good choice for undergrad thesis. but this is a bit tough to handle in the terms of philosophical, aesthetical and pcychological aspects. If someone takes a project with tight fucntions like office building, institutions or hospitals... then it would be tough to handle in terms of functionality but not in terms of contept.
Now the student has to decide... whether he's capable or friendly with conceptual or fuctional projects?
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Unknown
Sat Aug 26 2006, 02:50pm
thank u for ur advice...by the way im female...
the reason i wanted to do a museum is so i could experiment with forms more than function since contemporary museums themselves have now become expressions of art... i wish to look more into the aesthetic part than planning ... i was wondering how far this kind of topic holds good today
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NEO
Sat Aug 26 2006, 03:38pm
Admin Registered Member #4 Joined: Thu Aug 04 2005, 04:54am
: Dhaka
Posts: 666
 Expressions of art this is a good point.
The architect should manipulate the mental condition of the visitors of a museum. He/she should try to manipulate the psychology of the visitors in their every foot steps. And to do so the experience through forms and spaces is only tool.
Before evolving the form and spaces the architect's intention is to be fixed at a point that 'what type of experience he/she's going to give to the visitor'.

Marwa, I expected some information regarding the thesis process of your school...
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Unknown
Wed Sep 06 2006, 03:37pm
thesis is in the 10th sem wher i study...MES SCHOOL OF ARCH, india...we have to decide on our topics this sem..the 9th..and prepare a seminar and reports on topics related to wht we will incorporate in our design...could be anything like glass const or steel etc...i ve picked contemporary art and will be doing a detailed study on that.
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mujtaba
Thu Sep 07 2006, 08:57am
Registered Member #14 Joined: Tue Sep 20 2005, 08:54pm
: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 35
 Neo, I would most likely agree with Wares sir that an undergrad level thesis "in general" should be a schematic design exercise with a somewhat broader scope than typical class projects. It must clearly show that the student is capable of solving a design problem that has a considerable degree of complexity.

Al.Marwa. I had the opportunity of inviting a guest speaker to my class of architecture students. He is a museum curator in the USA, quite well known for setting up appropriate display themes for various works of art. According to him, architects try to promote their own work rather than what is being displayed inside the museum. Visitors are drawn and overwhelmed by the building rather than what it is supposed to display. Therefore, according to him, a museum interior should be a pretty regular flexible space which would provide the display-designers with an opportunity to create the appropriate theme and ambience of the space to accentuate the experience of the art work, rather than let the visitors get distracted by sculptural spaces and forms of the building itself. He seemed strongly against the efforts by architects to dramatize the shell of the museum rather than its core. The house should not be given more importance than the man who lives inside it, that was basically what he was trying to say. People go to a museum to see cultural products (art) they don't go there to see the building. If it is an exhibition pavilion representing a country, in an international fair, then perhaps such a symbolic importance of the building becomes paramount. But for a museum to draw attention to the building itself and de-signify or delegate the displayed art work as a secondary or less important entity than itself, may seem self defeating.

On the issue of light - natural light is typically difficult to control and may damage paintings. Therefore, artificial lighting is preferred. The clear heights for light tracks and for the setting up of flexible vertical surfaces to create an appropriate ambience of the display require large open flexible interior spaces covered from direct sunlight. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the user, the general architect's attitude to dramatize the museum building may not be appreciated by the user. Of course this is one opinion that is hard to accept, simply because it discounts the approaches of some of the world's renowned "hero" architects of our time. The question is, are you ready to follow what the heroes tell you or are you going to decide what it should be? Creative people take decisions of their own.

Perhaps, if you want to work on a project that provides you with the opportunity to create sculptural spaces, you may want to explore materials and structural systems as a basis for unusual forms, that provide a much more legitimate ground, I personally think. What about monuments or cultural complexes?
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NEO
Sat Sep 09 2006, 10:59am
Admin Registered Member #4 Joined: Thu Aug 04 2005, 04:54am
: Dhaka
Posts: 666
 Our jury week is going on now…
Yesterday it was a big fight with Wares sir and Jumu sir (arc. NR Khan) in the jury of 4.1 in an urban project.
From the very beginning Shamsul Wares sir was trying to prove that all these projects are invalid for the students of 4.1. The studio instructors were Shaila Jowarder and Jumu sir himself. Jumu sir tried to oppose… but Wares sir somehow got furious and shouted against him. But this is also true… that some urban issues should be introduced to the students in that very undergrad level. My opinion is it should be some ‘urban issues’ not some ‘urban design projects’.

However, we were talking about museum… in general practice museum, art galleries etc are the projects where students open their hands to draw unconventional forms. Only in these projects they get the ultimate freedom. And obviously most of the students don’t miss the chance to show some extraordinary forms and structures in these projects.
And in professional life things are different. Though, most of the architects cherish a dream to get a commission of a museum or art gallery at least once in a life. These are the projects get the soft corner of architects.
No doubt, the practical functional issues you said are true.
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Unknown
Fri Oct 27 2006, 05:18pm
i feel mr. mujtaba has the same opinion that some critics do about art museums... but at the same time alot of critics do appreciate al the work and thinking that goes into designing a sculptural building...
an art museum itself has become a symbol of urbanism and culture... a well designed sculptural style to art museums gives it an image that potrays the place where it is located... i feel the building form has a lot to do with its popularity
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Unknown
Fri Oct 27 2006, 05:23pm
the one reason why i wish to do this project is so as to experiment with form which i dont think will be a very rare opportunity while practising!!...

ur rite..ill have to concentrate more on the structural systems and working ...
creative people do make their own rules!
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