Queer(ing) ___ : an experimental writing for liberation

Abstract

This thesis examines contemporary architectural culture through the lens of queering - a theoretical framework that challenges normative spatial practicesand social structures. It critically analyses how modern architecture has shifted from human-centred design to profit-driven development, and explores whether queering methodologies can offer transformative solutions to the challenges facing architecture, society and the environment. The research explores how rapid technological development has mechanised architectural practice, potentially diminishing its creative and humanistic elements. Through experimental writing that takes the form of a personal diary, this thesis traces architectural discourse from early modernism, beginning with a critical examination of Adolf Loos’s anti-ornamental stance and its unintended consequences in contemporary practice.The analysis extends through various queer theoretical frameworks, examining how concepts of masking,performance and authenticity manifest in architectural space.The work culminates in a deeply personal examination of contemporary architectural practice, exploring how current working conditions and institutional structures affect designers, architects and students.Drawing on diverse methodological approaches including historical analysis, queer theory and autoethnography,the thesis examines how queering can functionas both critique and creative practice in architecture.It analyzes specific case studies, including the Villa Müller, architectural spaces in Seville and Athens, and the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, to demonstrate how queering can be manifested in both built form and cultural events. Ultimately, the research proposes that queering offers potential strategies for liberating architecture from current constraints and suggests pathways towards more inclusive, expressive and humane spatial practices.

Die Diplomarbeit untersucht mithilfe queertheoretischer Ansätze, wie Architektur von normativen Zwängen befreit und als inklusivere, kritischere und kreativere Praxis neu gedacht werden kann – sowohl durch theoretische Analyse als auch durch persönliche und autoethnografische Reflexion.