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Contemplative Craftsmanship: In Dialogue with Sacred Architecture

Teng, Emily
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1367934922

Abstract Details

2013, MARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture.
Focusing on building design, detailing, and construction, this thesis is an examination of a particular meaning of the concept of workmanship. It explores the tensions among man, his work, his technology, and what can be described as contemplative craftsmanship in contemporary society. The study departs from the proposition that a nostalgic approach of doing all things by hand based on tradition and reliant fully on human labor is not possible in our contemporary technologically adapted society. Modernity has provided humanity with technological innovations to exploit and manufactured goods. Yet, the predominance of ideas of progress for progress’ sake by throwing off meaningful craftsmanship traditions and knowledge has the tendency to push humanity towards a physical and social environment lacking satisfaction derived from the art of constructing buildings. The craftsman must recognize the physiological limitations and the psychological tensions that exist between the process of making and the maker, and make salubrious decisions, depending on the situation and the nature of the work at hand. The maker who connects with his work along the lines of thought proposed in this study can be understood as the contemplative craftsman. Insights about craft, rest, and creativity are exercised in this thesis through the design of a Meditation facility on the University of Cincinnati campus – place where a variety of "rest"and "pause" moments, both structured and free, both communal and individual, both sacred and secular, can take place. The design will incorporate existing pathways, the steep slope, and the campus' existing fabric to create an orchestrated passageway from Clifton Avenue before entering the center of campus at McMicken Commons. The two components are a Meditation Chapel that presences itself above ground and a sunken courtyard that acts as a void below ground; both are tied together by an underground passageway. The process of design is guided by sensitivity to the meaning of crafting an architectural object, considering bodily engagement through materiality, detailing and natural phenomena, such as the presence of water and light. The geometry of the buildings are considered as creation of the L's that form a space "in-between," creating a fluid transition in non-enclosed space and highlighting moments of craftsmanship in those key moments where the body engages the building. Those key moments of detailing are custom door handles, the casework in the meditation "kilns" the structure and integration of the undulating roof and the insertions of bronze and limestone within the site-cast concrete walls. The design of the Meditation Chapel acknowledges the act of making as a constant questioning of the transition from profane to sacred space, opportunities for bodily and mental engagement, and the integration of construction techniques.
Michael McInturf, M.Arch (Committee Chair)
Aarati Kanekar, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
152 p.
Architecture
Architecture; Hermeneutics; Phenomenology; Craftsmanship; Sacred Space; Meditation;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Teng, E. (2013). Contemplative Craftsmanship: In Dialogue with Sacred Architecture [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1367934922

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Teng, Emily. Contemplative Craftsmanship: In Dialogue with Sacred Architecture. 2013. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1367934922.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Teng, Emily. "Contemplative Craftsmanship: In Dialogue with Sacred Architecture." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1367934922

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1367934922
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.