Maria Khozina

Average Place

Agency of Architecture in Authoritarian State
 

This project investigates an architect's role and architecture's language in an authoritarian state. How can architects use their skills and knowledge to contribute to social change, and what role can architecture play in the political agenda?     

While "Average place" is a political issue, it also has personal consequences and implications. It is about grief, the lost feeling of home and belonging. It is about a loss of understanding of one's role as an architect and citizen within their homeland. Through this project, the architect wants to explore how they can engender positive change by using their craft and professional role. This work is not just about traditional design methods; it's about finding a different language of architecture that can be used to explore the possible roles of architecture and to define my role as an architect.     

This project began with an exploration of new relationships between architecture and power in authoritarian states. The project's overarching goal was to explore the potential of architecture to interact with people, examining how architectural tools can engage users in interaction and deepen the comprehension of their experience.     

By integrating elements from the plastic arts, the utilitarian nature of architecture, and the constraints faced by architects, the Architectural Machine, a formal embodiment of a social issue was conceived.     

The project was not only about the physical embodiment of architecture, but also about the formation of questions and the search for the right words to describe architecture's current state and possibilities. Simplistic perceptions can lead to homogeneity and limit healthy development. The project aimed to promote diversity and expand awareness of reality, even if formal results were not yet known.  
 

Graduation date: 26 April 2023
Graduation committee: Marc Schoonderbeek (mentor), Rick ten Doeschate, Michelle Provoost, Arna Mačkić
Additional members for the exam: Tom Franzen, Txell Blanco Diaz