Romanticizing the site: creating a good place to live at Texas Tech University

Abstract

The role of the signified and the signifier in the creation of a monument. There are two essential elements in the creation of a monument; a being which signifies the monumentality of the work and the other element is the signified being- the monument itself. The signifier is the most powerful force in the definition of a monument- it ac\s as the basis from which one may recognize a monument. The signified becomes a more passive being which attains importance from that which signifies its importance. Under this definition, monumentality is not limited to a particular scale of being- it can become the door-handle or the skyscraper. This project aspires to explore this dual relationship of signified and signifier in the campus of Texas Tech University; specifically as a student apartment complex located between the architecture building and the business administration building. The apartments should become a catalyst for campus development at Tech; bringing more students onto the campus and also by rethinking the nature of Texas Tech's campus at a time when current development imitates the mere images of Watkin's vision. The site is rich with opportunities for defining what exactly is a monument because of the twin towers currently looming over fields. These apartments con become the thing which gives significance to the current site.

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Keywords

Apartments -- Design

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