Type of Document	Master's Thesis
Author	Saito, Ryohei
Author's Email Address	rsaito@vt.edu
URN	etd-01172009-021225
Title	Inhabitants Within Threshold (Threshold as Antidote for Urban Density)
Degree	Master of Architecture
Department	Architecture
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Holt, Jaan Committee Chair Emmons, Paul F. Committee Member Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C. Committee Member
Keywords	Hostel Threshold Ma Intermediary Intermediate In-between Urban Density Territories Inhabitants Dwellings
Date of Defense	2008-10-31
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The objective of my thesis is to explore and re-define the relationship between threshold and urban density. Threshold is an architectural medium, which divides and bridges spaces with certain meanings. Density is the defining character of the urban condition expressed consistently at different scales: from a city to a block, to a building and to the human habitation. My design project is about an application of threshold in architectural design within the context of urban density. The efficacy of threshold is tested in both external and internal conditions: the existing condition of the site and the internal workings of the program. To test the thesis, a design of a youth hostel in Washington D.C. was undertaken. The experiment was carried out with the following hypotheses: 1) that threshold is an architectural instrument that mitigates the urban density. and 2) that threshold negotiates the territories among the inhabitants. The design experiment demonstrated the hypotheses and therefore, confirmed the relationship between threshold and urban density.
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