Holes in architecture

This thesis begins with two 18th century architectural projects by Giambattista Piranesi : the Pianta di ampio magnifico collegio, a plan of an imaginary center of learning, and I Carceri (The Prisons) a series of etchings depicting interior architectural spaces that have been referred to as dark, fantastic, and the product of a madman by some, of genius by others. Proceeding from these projects as vehicles for exploration and invention, the thesis, through a series of graphic investigations, addresses the notions of time and space in architecture. The investigation proceeds through seven layers of such ideas, which are interwoven through the process and residue of the architectural project; but which are dissected and presented as isolated from one another in the written portion of the thesis. The layers are: cosmology (and architecture\u27s traditional relation to it), projective geometry, contemporary digital animation, the nature of surface in architecture, and the constructed nature of history as it encounters the construction of architecture itself. The resulting project is represented by a combination of traditional architectural drawing and modeling along with digital modeling through animation software