THE LIFE UNDER THE TREE CONCEPT INSPIRATION FOR A THEATRE AS A COMMUNITY CENTRALITY

ABSTRACT

THIS DISSERTATION EXPLORES THE ROLE OF NEGATIVE SPACE IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF MACAU'S NEWLY RECLAIMED ZONE D. IT INVESTIGATES HOW THE THOUGHTFUL APPLICATION OF NEGATIVE SPACE CAN ENHANCE COMMUNITY INTERACTION, FOSTER CREATIVITY, AND IMPROVE SPATIAL FUNCTIONALITY WITHIN MULTIFUNCTIONAL BUILDINGS. THROUGH A ""RESEARCH BY DESIGN"" METHODOLOGY, THE STUDY COMBINES THEORETICAL EXPLORATION WITH PRACTICAL DESIGN EXPERIMENTATION, RESULTING IN A COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PROPOSAL THAT INTEGRATES MAKER SPACES, EXHIBITION AREAS, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL HUBS. THE RESEARCH IDENTIFIES KEY DESIGN STRATEGIES THAT UTILISE NEGATIVE SPACE AS A DYNAMIC ELEMENT, TRANSFORMING VOIDS INTO ENGAGING ENVIRONMENTS THAT PROMOTE SOCIAL COHESION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. BY EXAMINING CASE STUDIES AND CONDUCTING SITE ANALYSES, THE STUDY PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN MACAU, ADDRESSING ISSUES OF LAND SCARCITY AND THE NEED FOR INCLUSIVE SPACES OF PUBLIC USE. THE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NEGATIVE SPACE AS NOT MERELY AN ABSENCE BUT AS A VITAL COMPONENT THAT ENHANCES THE COMPREHENSIVE AESTHETIC, FUNCTIONALITY, AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISCOURSE ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND THE CREATION OF DYNAMIC, ADAPTABLE COMMUNITY SPACES.