Experiential Hallway - Thesis project

By Andrew Wyne

I have yet to talk about my thesis project. So I just wanted to talk a little bit about my main idea driving my thesis. Architecture is primarily visually based, which makes sense considering we experience most of our surroundings with our eyes. However, there are still all the other senses that I feel can be utilized to their fullest potential. The image that goes along with this post is a diagram of an experiential hallway that will be a main function of my building. The hallway is not finished but is far enough along I think you can get an idea of what I’m trying to do. At first once you reach the level of the experiential hallway there is an educational movie that everyone who is going through the hall would watch and learn about the hallway and its purpose. They would also be warned of the decreasing light and other things that I’m about to explain. Giving them the option to then back out if need be. This hallway is long enough that it will take about twenty minutes to walk through the space. It has varying degrees of light. This is to help with the dependence of sight. A lot of people who have been able to see their whole life would be distracted by what they see and by taking away sight it will help them to rely more on their other senses. This is done in a gradual effect. The next idea is the varying width of hallway; this is used to separate one person from another in the hopes that one would become solely reliant in developing their other senses to maneuver the space. Also in compressing the space people are more likely to become uncomfortable and will need to use their other senses if they want to get out of the hallway in a timely manner. The hallway also has water features. These are used as guiding devices as well as used to enhance the experience. Look to the sketches to see how and where the water will be used within the space. That is it for the description as of now. I will probably post again later when the project is finished so you all can see how it has grown and been accomplished.