Syntax, Juxtaposition, and Non-Hierarchical Space: A Monastery in Hell's Kitchen

Abstract

This thesis follows a desire to understand what makes a successful communal housing project, with the assumption that more and better communal housing can lead to more resilient communities. In this case, a monastery in Manhattan is a dual condition to study and explore how space held in common should express openness while acknowledging the diversity of groups which dwell within. In short, communal architecture should communicate its intent with honesty: coexistence in spite of difference. Duality and juxtaposition both denote multiplicity, and thus are apt qualities for the honest expression of communal architecture. Duality, defined as "an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something", speaks to an implicit two-ness of contrasting elements. Juxtaposition, defined as "the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect", also speaks to two-ness, but implies contrast as an intentional effect as opposed to an implicit quality. The primary design goal of this project is to articulate the implicit duality of the Monastery-Manhattan condition through an architectural juxtaposition, so as to create non-hierearchichal community within the resulting space. Duality is implicit in the site and programmatic conditions. Manhattan is recognizable for its tartan grid, rowhouse volumes, repetition, frontality, and cardinal orientation. The Monastery is recognizable in its axial progression, centrality, iconic primary volume, symbolic forms, and solar orientation. Differentiation of these systems is achieved in the implementation of corresponding syntactic elements, such as the cruciform column and directional beam system. The ground floor market and the upper floor workshops comprise the hybrid communal zone of the complex. In this multi-level zone, the contrasting syntactic languages of the Monastery and Manhattan overlap. This juxtaposition generates non-hierarchy and thus makes space suitable for multiplicity. Instead of one syntactic language regulating space, fluctuating spatial and atmospheric conditions predominate, allowing the Monastery and Manhattan to coexist in an evident experiential mixture. In summary, each member of the community has identifiable, pre-existing characteristics, including geometric order, hierarchical system, formal language, architectural detail, and orientation, which exist as a duality but through juxtaposition create an architecture of multiplicity and mixed-use spaces where a diverse community can co-exist.