Spirit of place : an environmental learning and research center

The thesis will explore architecture as a means to express the spirit of place (genius loci). It will explore the idea of place and what creates it, how the people of a region can come to understand their connection to the natural environment around them, and what we all can do to make our world healthier to live in. This project will entail a study of the many levels of a place (where the building will stand), its culture, its climate, its heritage – what gives it spirit. It will also deal with how a region’s natural resources can and should affect and shape the design, and how best to use “healthy” materials in an innovative and conserving way. The facility will be an Environmental Learning and Research Center. It will contain spaces for learning and studying, spaces for gathering and growing, and a dwelling place, all for the purpose of celebrating the natural phenomena that give Lubbock its spirit. The context of this center is Texas, The South Plains, Lubbock, and its site in the Yellowhouse Canyon. It is also the history, culture, and psychological contexts that exist in Lubbock and the surrounding areas.