ARCH5112 Fall 2024 / Spring 2025 Thesis - Chris Mancia

ARCH IX: Thesis Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Healing By Design - Program The Art Colony will serve as an important part of the New City Center. Recognizing it's importance to the School of Art, we have separated the full program into three individual buildings, each with their own identity but expressing communal values seen in local landmarks such as the Central Market. Program Precedent - Powerhouse Arts - Herzog and de Meuron As part of the program investigation, we have referred to the Powerhouse Arts building located in Gowanus, Brooklyn by Herzog and de Meuron. This building encompasses a ceramics studio, wood and metal shops, print studio, classrooms and performance spaces. Program Organization  As we would look to introduce collaboration between the park and the proposed buildings, we look to create building identity by the art produced.  The first building is dedicated to the Sculpture and Painting Studios, bringing in Galleries and Classrooms a...

ARCH IX: Thesis Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Healing By Design - Project Precedents In order to solve the School of Art's need for a home, we look at a variety of existing projects understanding potential program, biophilic capabilities, and aesthetics. These precedents express potential development within the existing site and propose new ways to think about its circulation and dynamism. The first set of precedents understand the potentials for an art colony, how they have been set up historically, their programs, the senses they expand upon, and issues they have encountered. The second set of precedents understand how biophilia can be expressed within an urban context, how we can expand upon Guatemala City's climate within the project. The third set of precedents introduces local materiality, connecting local context into public program and establishing place through form. These precedents introduce individual concepts to be brought into the design phas...

ARCH IX: Thesis Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Healing By Design - Thesis Abstract Recently, the Department of Communications has asked for the Post Office Building, a space adapted for the School of Art back. This comes to the shock of residents and artists as they have been utilizing the space for the past 20 years. Residents are now looking to extend their stay within the space for another five years but it appears the Department of Communications intends to utilize the space for offices as it looks to bring its department back closer to the historical city center. This thesis proposal looks to design a new center for art and design within the Historical Center of Guatemala City. Across the city, the art infrastructure is set up within a pay to play mindset with studios being required to be rented to be utilized on a consistent basis. Within this design, we consider the ways in which the space can be accessed by artists during all times of day fostering crea...

ARCH IX: Thesis - Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Site Investigations Site Investigations: To better understand how the site conditions can express the intended program, a trip to the intended project location was required. Within this week, the existing site was documented through photo and video to understand the needs of the site and potential pieces of the program required by local residents. Interviews were had with artists and curators within the city to better understand current local issues. Each Workday is itemized below as a means of reference. Site Investigation - Day 1 - Photos and Walkthrough To comprehend the history of the project site, the National Library was visited. It was vital to understand which issues have caused the area to change, how the area is being viewed, and whether there was any intention to develop additional buildings within the site. The locations for potential infill programs were visited and analyzed, understanding whether these ...

ARCH IX: Thesis - Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Site Investigation Site Location: Parque Centenario, Zona 1, Ciudad de Guatemala Site Coordinates: 14.641984, -90.514381 Site Synthesis: Economic development in areas outside of the historical city center has pushed local residents to search for financial stability externally. This has created an issue where the historical city center has become socially inactive, leading to poverty, homelessness, and crime coming to the forefront. As part of this thesis, we look to propose activation of Parque Centenario through the creation of a new cultural center expressing the city's arts, heritage, and ecology. Main Plazas Site A - Parque Central - Historical Independence Plaza - Utilized for Parades, Demonstrations and Gatherings Site B - Parque Centenario - Constructed in Commemoration of the 100th Year of Guatemala's Independence. Palace Located in the Park Fell During the Earthquakes of 1917 and 1918 Site History...

ARCH IX: Thesis Professor Lia Dikigoropoulou - Christopher Mancia - Healing By Design - Is This Enough? Healing imposes the idea of a restoration, a process in which one understands the trauma that one has been through and works to push through it, eventually getting to a place where we comprehend what has happened and its effect on us. Can we look at healing as the baseline, developing a new standard for the way in which we move through trauma? Placing trauma as a tool for empowerment, looking at trauma we’ve worked through with the intention of deep understanding, and reinforce the values that have allowed us to push through.  I believe trauma is a case study in which we can develop ourselves as individuals, as members of a community, and as members of society. Recognize that this trauma is present and allow it to establish connections with those around us. Instead of placing individuals into isolation, can we bring them together? Can we not only teach individuals the skills requ...