Degree Type

Honors Capstone Project

Date of Submission

Spring 5-1-2014

Capstone Advisor

Sinead MacNamara, Assistant Professor

Honors Reader

Kyle Miller, Assistant Professor

Capstone Major

Architecture

Capstone College

Architecture

Audio/Visual Component

yes

Audio/Visual Location

Honors Library Drawer

Capstone Prize Winner

no

Won Capstone Funding

no

Honors Categories

Creative

Subject Categories

Architecture | Other Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning

Abstract

I posit that architecture can serve to expose the vital immigration, labor, and consumption processes underlying food production in the United States through a clear narrative made evident by techniques of sequence, mimesis, and composition in a functional monument containing an Immigration Advocacy Center, Community Garden, and Farmer’s Market for the city of Sacramento.

In architecture, narrative is the observation, interpretation, and implementation of ideas developed through stories. The architect formulates an observation about something in a society that exists or should exist in the form of a story, finds a time and place where the narrative is applicable, and uses architectural techniques to express this interpretation.

This project uses the narrative architectural tools of sequence, mimesis, and composition to guide immigrants and the broader public through the sequence of interrelated programs, evoke familiar contemporary symbols through mimesis, and participate in the creation of meaningful public space and the artful composition of the city of Sacramento.

Architecture that can express culturally relevant narratives is able to benefit society by making issues apparent and accessible to the public. This project demonstrates how architectural tools can be implemented to provoke this change.

Sacramento, California marks the greatest point of overlap between the four processes of this American Narrative (Immigration, Labor, Transportation, and Consumption). Therefore, this is the right place for the project to expose this narrative and function as a vital interface between different socio-economic groups with the intention of promoting public understanding of and participation in the production of food and the importance of immigration.

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The site is the Capitol Park in Sacramento. This is centrally located within the city, is essential to a formal urban promenade of governmental buildings and monuments, and is near the commercial center. These factors make this an ideal site for a symbolic monumental work of architecture that has the capacity to manifest this American Narrative.

Here, I am designing a functional monument containing a community garden, market, and immigration advocacy center. It will connect consumers of agricultural produce with the means of production and will promote an acceptance of and appreciation for the immigrant workers who support our economy.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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