Sanctuary

In 2003, architectural historian and lecturer K. Michael Hays authored the book Sanctuaries: The Last Works of John Hejduk in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City. Sanctuaries catalogued the later architectural works of American academic and architect John Hejduk, which were comprised of a series of intimate and allegorical architectural constructions that pose as sanctuaries where urban dwellers might escape the tragic history that still defines the war-torn European city of Berlin. However, while Hejduk’s ‘sanctuaries’ act as witnesses to the historical tragedy, they provide no solace—only a didactic and allegorical recognition of the horrors of the past.

This design-led thesis investigation explores how the dark historical lens that underpins Hejduk’s Sanctuaries can evolve in a positive direction to focus on contemporary issues of environmentalism, particularly for children as they grow into adulthood. This thesis explores how architectural ‘sanctuaries’ can be conceived as special places allegorically imbued with our deep-seated connection to the natural realm rather than embodying didactic recognition of the horrors of the past. My personal experience of childhood, growing up in a semi-rural area, established the natural realm as an important sanctuary, where I weathered the rites of passage we all struggle through as we grow into adulthood. The paddock and childhood home form the research sites for the thesis’s allegorical architectural outcomes.

American specialist in comparative mythology Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero’s Journey defines the universal rites of passage we all experience. This design-led thesis investigation uses The Hero’s Journey as a framework for an allegorical architectural project that frames sanctuaries as didactic architectural experiences that reinforce the importance of our intimate connection with the natural realm. Unlike Hejduk’s architectural interventions that remind us of a tragic past, these sanctuaries are conceived as invitations to renew our connection to the natural world through play, learning from nature and about nature in the process while confronting the most significant issue facing us in the 21st century: our connection to a thriving and sustainable natural environment.

This thesis asks: How can John Hejduk’s framework for Sanctuaries be re-presented as an allegorical architectural project that teaches children about our deep-seated connection to the natural realm?