This thesis is a study of architectural language for a place through the design and development of a citizen parking and plaza project. The site is located in the downtown Blacksburg area and not far from the Virginia Tech main campus.  By utilizing the idea of a lifted groundmass, the project creates a new place both for the town and the university. The space underneath the mass is a parking garage embedded in the ground, while the top surface of the mass is designed to be a hard pavement citizen plaza.

This thesis aims to create more than just a space alone, but a memorable place that people will use and care about for years. The design of the groundmass addresses the issues of its boundary, materials, structure and other issues in an architectural language.