A place of refuge

As members of a collective whole, each of us, as a necessary event, must interact with others for our livelihood as well as the prosperity of society as a whole.

However, just as we are part of a collective whole, we are also solitary individuals. As such, we need places which do not express community values, but rather, affirm our own identity and offer security and separation from the public realm.

This thesis explores the historical precedents and generative principles for achieving refuge by varying the architectural character of spaces along a processional path to generate a subtle progression from the public to private domains. Following this, a design for a residence is presented which explores the potentials of the principles discovered.