Architecture of Scars

Abstract

Architecture is often regarded as a symbol of permanence and progress, yet the built environment is equally defined by vulnerability, by its exposure to time, trauma, and change. This thesis begins with a question: How can architectural scars, as markers of history and transformation, be interpreted and reimagined through site specific interventions to preserve their emotional and cultural significance?

To address this, the thesis approaches architecture as a living organism composed of interdependent systems. Like the human body, buildings can suffer injury, decay, and loss. Their systems, structural, circulatory, respiratory, and more, can collapse or adapt. When failure occurs, the response should not be erasure or nostalgic restoration, but systemic care. This work proposes that architecture, like the body, can benefit from prosthetic intervention: a strategy that supports what remains and reactivates what has been lost.