The Dialogical Architecture of Westgate

As Kenneth Burke once mused, “Conversation is not a way of transmitting information: it is a way of establishing a social bond.” This thesis endeavors to unravel the ways in which conversations shape the built environment and impact the everyday experiences of people. While architecture is often revered for its design and innovation, its influence on social dynamics remains largely unexplored. This project hopes to delve deeper into the role of conversations in shaping the built environment and to examine their impacts on the lived experiences of the people of Westgate.

Methodology: Drawing from William Leddy’s theories on dialogical architecture, this project sets out to explore the complexities of conversations within the built environment. Through a multi-faceted approach that includes the perspectives of passers-by, university students, and workers, we seek to unravel the intricate web of social interactions that shape the site. The study is enriched by the diverse perspectives of passers-by, university students, and workers, each offering unique insights into the social dynamics of the site.

The project weaves together a tapestry of interrelated dialogues of the surrounding architecture, culminating in a proposal that artfully blends elements from the surrounding architecture, while remaining steadfast to the ethos of the environment. The dialogue of time is reflected in more sutle relationships like its conversation with its nearby building (the UK Government Hub) as well as its opposition to the once known history in temperance town. The final project proposal aims to serve as a reminder of the constant evolution and exchange of ideas that occur within a city. These ideas are only possible from the conversations had within the city making this building a project of the people for the people.

This project hopes to create an element of the urban landscape that seamlessly blends the past and present, while lending itself as an extension of the street. The beauty of the informal appropriation of the site as well as lost conversations about its history was uncovered. This design proposal seeks to honor these conversations, while serving as a testament to the power of dialogue in shaping our built environment.