Informing Form: When Graffiti Meets Architecture

Abstract

Graffiti-writing and architecture are design interventions within the urban environment. During the design process, considerations to intent, site, approach, and identity translate into the final design. I have analyzed the history and process of graffitiwriting and by recognizing a pattern in ideas, have assembled this information as the Principles of Graffiti. The importance of graffiti is its ability to interpret and form the contextual and social issues of the site. In this dissertation, I have conducted a design experiment that infuses architecture with these ideologies of graffiti. In an effort to voice the message of Chinatown as it prepares for the future, three sites will create examples of tackle the need to reconsider the process that determines the purpose of the site.