Thesis proposal v1

Thesis

The automobile culture that has developed over the past century combined with environmental and socio-economic pressures has primed Americans for a shift toward existence minimum.

Thesis topic outline

Theme

My investigation will involve an exploration of the history, as well as contemporary applications of existence minimum movements outside of the United States. This will be tied back into the American lifestyle through research into changing attitudes toward living spaces with a discussion of the impact of the automobile on American culture as well as the growing concerns over environmentalism and socio-economic trends. I will pursue three major urban ideas: urban infill, suburban infill, and “wireless” architecture. The urban ideas will be investigated primarily in theory, as the majority of the application of the work will be invested in organizational and architectural studies.

Vehicle

In order to ascertain whether or not existence minimum is a probably trend, a series of small projects will be pursued to test the needs and limitations of this lifestyle. Three types of buildings will be developed: residential (single family and apartments style living), retail (cafes, clothing stores, etc), and business. In addition to architecture based on site, a portion of the investigation will be dedicated to mobile architecture. I will pursue two types of investigation. The primary one will be a re-thinking of the traditional RV. The second will center on the manipulation and renovation of existing vehicles (cars, trucks, and SUVs).