Experience and Activity, Architecture is Attraction: Using Phenomenological Architecture and Activity Based Planning to Ignite the Urban Community

This thesis explores the notion that “architecture is attraction”. Architecture exerts an attractive force, compelling human interaction and habitation. Insight is sought as to what compels this “attraction”. People value architecture through two primary assessments: their visceral experiences, and the activities performed at a given place. A “perpetually attractive site” is designed for these attributes through phenomenological devices, and activity based planning. This methodology is executed in a statement building, impacting the urban fabric. The project culmination is the “Steel City Hotel & Venue Complex” in downtown Youngstown, Ohio. Youngstown was a once booming steel town stifled by outsourcing. Recently the city has been reviving, embracing it’s identity. The mixed use development offers lodging downtown, while the venue/rink performs interactive urban tasks drawing in multiple demographics. The downtown district becomes an “urban magnet” for entertainment, dining, and nightlife, creating a backdrop for the memories and actions of the city