The filmic narrative, due to its spatialization of both time and space, has the potential for establishing meaning beyond representation. Both the optical nature of the medium itself as well as an intentionality towards plot construction defines the interchange between the positioning of the spectator with the constructed image. When filmic gaps disrupt the continuity of spectatorship, the viewer is confronted with a multiplicity of readings that are both subtle and oftentimes simultaneous. By translating these filmic strategies into architectural sequences, the built realm can begin to mediate the relationship between spectator and spectacle in a manner that triggers new spatial awareness in the user.
Through the design of the hybrid typology of a multi-modal transportation center and shopping arcade, this thesis is an investigation of the architectural translation of filmic gaps. The multiple user groups inherent to this typology allows for an interweaving and juxtaposition of both user sequences and programmatic conditions. Thus the city, the program, and the users become reframed in a continually shifting relationship of temporal and spatial manipulations. In an architectural setting that is utilized both habitually and occasionally, a strategy of gaps provides layers of experience that can be unfolded with each repeated use, denying a cohesive and static view of the design.