DESA1002 'Continuous City' Noa Hackett

Abstract

This semester I realised the importance of meaning making and narrative in the construction of a building and how it is communicated to the viewer. The progress of my design throughout the semester revolved around the building’s cultural context of Dubrovnik. My attention was first drawn to the narrow streets and alleyways that wind through the old city, allowing pedestrians to explore, discover and lose themselves in the architecture and culture. These elements became crucial to how the labyrinth was shaped, and how it would be used and perceived by those who visited it. I decided to recreate the external paths of the city internally to see what kind of space would be created. However, the space needed to have depth, a meaning beyond a simple path. When researching I came across an old Dubrovnik legend and so unravelled the story behind the labyrinth. The fictional narrative of the Dubrovnik legend became intertwined with the building’s spatial arrangement in the hope of creating a memorable experience for the viewer. During this process it was vital for me to understand the act of perceiving the space I was creating. How would I feel if I was in this space? How would the light, verticality and narrowness of the path through the building affect my senses? The legend describes a great fire which erupted in the city and was then extinguished by Saint Benedict, providing the townspeople erected a monastery in the Saint’s name. Later, a French general closed the monastery and consequently the monks served one last mass to God, circumnavigating the island on which the monastery was built. As they did this they cursed whoever claimed it by turning their lighted candles upside down, leaving a melted trail. There was a succession of deaths after this curse was placed upon the building.