Atmospheric Archetypes: The Architecture of the Unconscious

This research aims to translate the process of imagination into a digital procedure to produce tangible outputs. By exploring the psyche, and examining the connection between architecture and the unconscious mind, the study investigates how dream consciousness can shape architectural environments and atmospheres through the use of archetypes. The cause-and-effect relationships of archetypes, and the conscious dreaming technique “active imagination”, inform the project’s method, which employs antifragile procedural systems to generate emergent phenomena. These phenomena seek to replicate the surreal, spatial, and atmospheric qualities of dream experiences. This thesis recognises the crucial role that visual narratives and atmosphere play in generating meaning and feeling in architectural design. By leveraging atmospheric archetypes - which have strong connections to unconscious thought and sensory experience - the final architectural outputs are imbued with a sense of presence and identity. These outputs are presented as a filmic experience, an interactive game, and a virtual reality experience. This allows for a fully immersive and engaging exploration of the designed spaces. The use of atmospheric archetypes allows for a deeper understanding of the relationships between unconscious thought, sensory experience, and architecture, exploring how they can be harnessed to create meaningful and impactful designs