Body, Threshold, Architecture

In architectural contexts, the human body and the built environment are often viewed as separate and disconnected. Historically, the body has been reduced to a symbolic role rather than an active participant in design, and modern architectural imagery further reinforces this separation. Despite this divide, connections between the body and architecture exist psychologically and spatially, particularly through thresholds which engage the senses and perception, as explored in Peri Bader’s concept of the ‘edge’ which describes the sensual experiences of engaging with threshold or “in-between” spaces. Thresholds challenge boundaries—spatial, functional, social, and temporal—through bodily movement, which explores the connection between the body and architecture. This research investigates how bodily movement through thresholds can inform architectural design to strengthen the connection between body and built environment. Using a design-as-research approach, this research uses the concept of “edge” as a design catalyst to explore bodily movement and thresholds through three iterative design interventions: installation, mid-scale, and public-scale. The installation examines the sensory qualities of thresholds to prompt bodily movement through changing perspectives. The mid-scale project translates these ephemeral qualities into architectural design, focusing on public/private thresholds of co-housing. The public-scale intervention integrates site, program, rhythm and structure, building on earlier findings to propose a public art gallery. In conclusion, this thesis uses design to explore provoking bodily movement using thresholds as a design tool to explore connection between the body and architecture.