Mythos in the Massing

Mythology is a rarely drawn-upon spring of knowledge and culture. In having the narratives of these various cultures brought forth through the medium of architecture, the understanding and importance of these stories can be experienced on a larger scale. That begs the question; how can the narrative of mythology be experienced by the general layperson through an architectural medium?

In answering this question, much historical research was to be done. This required research into the past texts and building examples based around the existence of mythology in architecture. It was found that the resources were fairly scarce; many examples and references had little relevance to the relationship between mythology and architecture. The oral tradition of mythology is important, and so the visual tradition of architecture should complement that same sentiment.

There are, however, many narratives to research in the Japanese, Māori, and Norse mythologies, and many of those stories may be transformed into a built learning experience.

By creating a space where mythology is at the forefront of the design process, the architecture that follows becomes a built monument to how buildings should be experienced. The end goal of this thesis is to turn this idea into a standard and a legitimate way of constructing architectural pieces. Mythology in architecture should not be an outlier, but a way of expressing narrative through a built artform.