Perspectives into the Multiple Dimensions within Architectural Space:

Dream, Memory, Imagination, Time and Place.

ARC 9008M: Critical Theory

Master of Architecture
University of Lincoln
May 2014
Samantha Loton 06039092

Contents:
List of Illustrations..p.3
Theoretical Ethos.....p.4
Building Location........p.7
Design Process......p.10
Building Function......p.11
Building Form.......p.13
Conclusion.....p.17
Bibliography......p.18

List of Illustrations
Figure 1: Jungs mandala dream imagery, subconsciously revealed within the internal
design of the Plinth Rooms.
Jung, C .G, Shamdasani, S (ed.) (2009). The Red Book: Liber Novus. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company. p.79
Figure 2: Jungs mandala dream imagery, subconsciously revealed within the
architectural design of the Awareness and Control Platforms.
Jung, C .G, Shamdasani, S (ed.) (2009). The Red Book: Liber Novus. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company. p.107
Figure 3: Jungs pixelated dream imagery, resembling many spaces within the
architecture from the Simulator to the Psychoanalysts offices.
Jung, C .G, Shamdasani, S (ed.) (2009). The Red Book: Liber Novus. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company. p.115
Figure 4: Jungs dream imagery: pixelated face.
Jung, C .G, Shamdasani, S (ed.) (2009). The Red Book: Liber Novus. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company. p.133

Theoretical Ethos
When Peter Eisenman proposes the idea of architecture as writing as opposed to
architecture as image he enacts the dialectic of the Imaginary and the Symbolic.
Architecture is always a reflection of the psychological make-up of the human subject,
because it involves both form, as it is perceived in various ways, and the organization
of form which corresponds to functional necessity, or to conscious reason.
(Hendrix, 2006)
The Oneironaut explores the dream construct as a world of potential, in which forms
can manifest from within the mind. From a pragmatic standpoint, I have carried out
research to gain both internal and external perspectives in the areas of psychoanalysis,
including the nature of reality, quantum physics, traditional meditation methods,
brainwaves and sleep cycles, in which I have applied to the architecture and the way
in which the space is used. Although I have explored the psychoanalytic work of
Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, my dominant relatable influence throughout this
project has been the life and work of Carl Jung; my design process of which has been
influenced by The Red Book, Jungs personal dream journal in which he started
writing and drawing his dream imagery from the year 1913. He developed the
technique Active Imagination To get to the bottom of [his] inner processes, to
translate the emotions into images (Jung, 2009). I have explored this technique
through my own architectural design process, which evolved through personal dream
experiments. Active Imagination is a meditation technique wherein the contents of
ones unconscious are translated into images, narrative or personified as separate
entities (Parker, 2013). So it is from the source of my own dreams, imagination and
memories from where I have conceived the building through the medium of writing
and drawing. The users within the building also write and draw their dreams, and this
transcription method is then processed back into three-dimensional form to exist
within the multiple dimensions, the portals of which are housed within the
architecture.
In order to understand this process innately, I started keeping a regular dream journal
from 3rd September 2013, and I have to date logged 103 dreams, 3 of which I would
consider Lucid something I had never experienced prior to my self-experiment.
My methods in attempting to gain consciousness within the dream construct were:
Keeping a regular dream journal, reality checks, and daily philosophical questioning

with regards to the nature of reality by being aware of and heightening my own clarity
of perception.
I was surprised by my own findings, and how I could use these to apply to the
architecture. It allowed me to:

Question how dreams can be submitted. It confirmed that a dream journal is a

good method in order to actively engage with dreams whilst conscious.

It confirmed how to transcribe dreams which is integrated in building a way

to convert narrative into two-dimensional plan into three-dimensional image.

It allowed me to view the external appearance in basic form to house a space

as perceived from interior only. Transcribing my dream journals from written
text, to plan, to three-dimensional image, revealed the external appearance of a
space I had not necessarily seen within the dream.

It allowed me to think of the user as in the centre, with the images revolving
around that central perspective.

It allowed me to get involved with the categorisation of dreams, which then

formed analysis of dreams.

Jung described a Structure of Consciousness, and the architecture is formed around

this idea. This structure is what makes up the psyche, and this is paralleled through
architecture. The outer layer is the ego; this is the conscious and awake part of the
self. Akin to the buildings faade, this is the projected personality. There are many
layers within that make up the personality of the building as a whole. The buildings
'stability personality' is the character the building wants everyone to perceive it as; the
physical structure on the cliff edge. The buildings 'stability identity' is the
personality, as the building perceives itself. The building is in itself a brain; through
'cognition processing the architecture stores dreams and memories. 'Executive
functioning' allows the building to run like clockwork; it knows the system of how
users should navigate its spaces, and is always in control, even whilst it allows its
users apparent control. 'Reality testing' is encouraged through the use of technology,
allowing users to enter various dimensions through software, and through surreal
physical spaces. The building is an entity of its own, always changing

opening/closing, revealing/concealing, and aging. Just as the users and the

environment affect the building, the building and the environment affect the
user. It is intended that the space will affect the psyche on all levels, from the
conscious through to the unconscious.

Fig 1

Building Location
Before the Internet, before mobile devices, and even before the invention of the
aeroplane, a cancellation mark on the stamp of a postcard, validating ones physical
presence at the top platform of the Eiffel Tower was the closest thing, for the
recipient of the postcard, to being there. The arrival of a card, with its image,
handwritten message, stamp, and postmark noting the time, date, and location of the
sender, shifted the recipients physical site to the place in that space between her
fingertips. The card, having been posted by the sender, travelled across space and
time to touch down at a destination elsewhere on the globe. (Hornstein, 2011)
The architecture is multi-dimensional; in addition to existing within Physical Reality,
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, the architecture transcends space and time
through spanning several eras, and therefore the surrounding physical context
naturally shifts around it.
The physical site location is highly significant to myself as an individual. Having
embarked on a journey of self-healing through the exploration of my own dreams, this
process is manifested through the architecture on a site that had a large impact on my
childhood, and therefore my life through dreams and memories. Upon returning to
this site in Happisburgh, Norfolk a caravan park / grazing field to the rear of my
childhood house I considered the effect this place has on my memory; how some
areas look just the same, and how other areas were blurry in my memory only to have
renewed details come flooding back upon my return. But apart from the way I
considered the places that havent changed and how my memory had distorted these
mental images, the site itself is undergoing a process of natural physical destruction
caused by the rampant effects of erosion against the exposed cliff face, unprotected
from the raging North Sea which lines its boundary.
There are two possible outcomes for the strategic placing of a building beside the
edge of a cliff. Outcome 1 This contributes to the saving of Happisburgh.
Currently, the government will not invest funding to repair the destroyed sea
defenses. Numerous buildings of architectural significance are at risk of being lost,
not to mention that the beach parallel to the site is of archaeological interest, with
footprints from the earliest humans dating approximately 800,000 years old having
been discovered here. This site is rich with physical history spanning millennia, and

the building would become a profound monument to the preservation of memories,

which, if it were ever constructed here, would bring in an economy to the village
through becoming a site of pilgrimage to its users. Outcome 2 Nature is allowed to
take its course, and with it, the brittle cliff face will continue to crumble into the sea.
However, the artificial building will be constructed in such a way that it is able to
withstand the power of the sea, and much like an oil rig, the building itself will
become isolated out to sea, with the building reflecting on the ever changing dynamic
of still/choppy tidal sea water. The roads leading to it will be constantly under
construction, and the building itself will be a marked reminder of the memories of the
place that once existed here, and still continue to live on across multiple dimensions.
Within the virtual dimensions of an Oculus Rift, impossible geometric spaces
can be programmed into the software using fractals. These spaces are representative
of mandalas, which are prominent within Jungs Red Book. There is potential for the
healing therapy process to be explored from within this virtual dimension. Carl Jung
himself was influenced by mandalas and was quoted to say It became increasingly
plain to me that the mandala is the center. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path
to the center, to individuation. (Bhavika, 2013) So the potential for this sort of
therapy within the architecture using impossible imagery through the medium of an
Oculus Rift is entirely possible, and breaks existing physical boundaries within
psychoanalysis, allowing the unconscious to be explored within physical
consciousness; taken from the Self and processed, analysed and understood by the
Ego.

Fig 2

Design Process

You yourself must enter into the process with your personal reactionsas if the
drama being enacted before your eyes were real Carl Jung
My design process involved amplifying the parts of the building image within my
minds eye, as if it were conceived within a dream. Because the site location was
personal to me, I have an intuitive understanding of the place, with associated
memories and dreams. Learnt knowledge was applied to the architecture, as well as
images taken from my memory store, both new and old. This building and its
influences were drawn from a collage of things I have seen before, recreating
snapshots from reality and dream. I imagined the building as if I was having a dream
about the space. I would imagine it in my minds eye, and draw a plan from that. I
would then build off this plan, and start to explore new elements I had not imagined,
because new perspectives appear from behind the scenes. This building is
essentially the physical manifestation of knowledge, image, and memory, meditated
through Jungian theory.
I have designed the building from the inside, out. I conceived the interior spaces first
and worked outwards. I zoned the space as if I was zoomed right out, and then further
detailed within. As inspired by the book The Writer As Cartographer, the building
was conceived as mapping through writing. I have entitled the narrative The Structure
of Consciousness, a tribute to Jungs The Red Book. The journey and the narrative
link; the design process links the mind journey with a written journey to create an
architectural space. It is zoned as a series of separate perspectives, within various
points of time, and therefore various environmental conditions. The narrative also
allows the reader to paint their own picture of the space within their mind, which can
be potentially applied to the many versions of the space as accessed through software.
The building has the potential to become anything, and the spaces can either reflect
the buildings personality, or the users personality, through the integration of a flexible
interior space, in which lighting and display technologies act as a blank canvas with
the potential to create numerous colour and form configurations revolving around the
user from their viewpoint through tracking their eye-level, location and speed,
restricting or admitting control, and anticipating intention.

This process of zooming in and out, working in level/layer slices/scans and

chronologically, and detaching from site, allows the building to exist within multiple
contexts; these were the observations I made from within dreams.

Fig 3

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Building Function
Carl Jungs process of Individuation looks at the progress/evolution of the individual.
The aim of exploring the building initially as a lone observer allows a process of
individual contemplation, disconnecting from the idea of the architype so that The
Oneironaut becomes their own person, and is not involved with other people; free to
make their own conclusions, and walk down the paths of their choice. The routes that
weave inside and outside of the space aim to heighten perception consciousness;
through becoming aware of the environment, you consider your positioning in
relation to this, which opens up wider philosophical and metaphysical thought; after
all, dreaming is still a mystery of life. The function is unique to the building; moving
through the space whilst experiencing the exposed/concealed natural/artificial incontrol/controlled environments, is part of the therapy.
The building aims to explore both individual conscious and collective consciousness.
Literally, a Structure of Consciousness, it gives food for thought, plants surreal
imagery in the mind, and allows a philosophical questioning, which it is aimed will be
stored by both the ego and ultimately the self; the subconscious mind, which can be
then processed by the individual within a dream. It is intended that through frequent
engagement with the building whether accessed within reality, or from any location
within the software of an Oculus Rift The questioning of reality and consciousness
will start to filter into the dream world, thus triggering lucidity within the dream.
The idea that the user is stationary, with formations manifesting around them is
literally expressed within the simulator room. Like being within a dream, the user is
presented with images they are aware of but cannot control. The other rooms within
the building take on this idea, but not so literally; the user is free to move, but bound
by the conditions of the building. It runs like clockwork, tracking users location
through the glasses, and allowing access on the buildings terms. It is intended that as
user improves their dreaming skills, they will have more control over the simulator,
can re-experience recent dreams in order to self-analyse them, and experience them
consciously.

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The ability to experience the building within many dimensions other than the physical
dimensions of time and place are thanks to exciting emerging technologies. The
physical spaces are essentially surreal exhibition spaces with the flexibility to install
screens and lighting technologies to aid the experience. New technologies which
allow you to enter another headspace can potentially be set up alongside the existing
Oculus Rifts, and ways to record, organise and store memories other than Google
Glass can be explored and tested within the space. Psychoanalysis and technology
work together to establish the ultimate function of creating an experience for the user
which allows them to question why to the point they actively engage in frequent
reality checks, bringing them into the moment; the present perspective.
The building is zoned as a series of indoor and outdoor spaces, in order for the user to
question consciousness. There are many definitions of what consciousness actually is,
and I am defining it as being aware of the environment and the self. There are four
types of people who will occupy the space:
The Oneironaut aims to achieve lucidity within the unconscious realm of the
dream primarily, with dream therapy extending into everyday life; through detaching
your self from your physical body, personal issues can be tackled, and a variety of
metaphysical thoughts may additionally be considered.
The Observer may gain an outside-in perspective into the space, with
walkways weaving through the curious spaces, admitting select views in, and creating
intrigue as to what is behind the concealed spaces.
The Psychoanalyst works with people and technology housed within the space
to explore how dreams can advance the individual, and on a collective level, studying
significant trends through analysing the collective data.
The Helper works behind the scenes to maintain the illusion. The Oneironaut
is initiated into the system on their first visit through exploring the technologies
within the memory chamber and must first collect a rucksack containing a lucidity
pack through placing a coin into a wishing well. The Helper is able to navigate all
areas, replenishing the rucksacks contained within the wishing well plinths, and
ensuring all technology is functioning.

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Building Form
Form following function:
Like a brain, the form directly follows the function in order to provide an efficient
experience. The building is a tool to aid this functional process, and there are five core
zones the Oneironauts access within physical reality:
The Memory Chamber is intended to be experienced solitarily upon the initial
visit. This space is designed to be surreal, with select glimpses into the mirrored
stairwell concealed behind the Pixel Map. A surreal dream narrative is fed into this
space through engaging with the wishing wells, whilst also introducing the idea of
dream study. The Oneironaut passes from partially concealed space, to fully
concealed space, to exposed space, introducing the debate into the privacy of
memories and dreams. The fully concealed space allows only artificial lighting from a
series of screens which reveal various forms and colours, allowing the same interior
space to reflect multiple personalities through the scenes it chooses to project on the
walls. Throughout the building parts have been duplicated, to add a sense of
disorientation through repetition and mirroring.
The Memory Data Stores can be accessed at any time and are fed into the first
visit route and are designed as a series of stacked postboxes that are accessed
vertically. This tall narrow space is designed to appear infinite from within, whilst
also moving the user to the high observation points.
The Observation Platforms introduce the Oneironaut into the concept of
augmented reality, through the overlaying of digital imagery with physical views of
Happisburgh. It is here that maps can be projected over the existing topography,
marking locations of dreams in the visible area. This space can be used to test
augmented glazing technologies and holograms allowing a complete 360
observation, so the design is kept simple to retain the primary function.
The Dream Data stores are accessed within software only, within test tube like
individual enclosures that house a single Oculus Rift headset hanging on brainwave
extraction tentacles. A single pod is situated high up on the first visit route. For those
initiated into the system, dream data stores can be accessed through the Collective
Consciousness pods. The form of this structure has been influenced by electrical

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circuit boards, signifying the shifting transition from analogue to digital; the human
brain to the artificial brain. The route of the circuit board becomes a series of repeated
digital tree branches, connecting the individuals to the collective.
The Psychoanalysts offices are designed to the same angle as the memory
chamber, linking the relationship between memory and dream study. A reoccurring
theme within my dreams, are toilet cubicles with no walls in between them. I have
represented this, not through the literal removal of walls in the bathrooms, which
would take the idea of privacy to another level, but through the linear set up of the
office space, allowing walls in between to switch transparency dependent on the level
of privacy needed. I intended for this space to be flexible and simplistic, with the
potential for new office spaces to be connected in time if needed.
The Simulator was designed to accommodate linear oscillating tracks; an
experience factory where the image is physically created through the construction of a
series of lightweight walls of screens and light which reconstruct the image of the
dream within physicality. Time is represented by a sequence of images. The
Oneironaut within the simulator stands within the present moment and simply sees the
space they are contained within. The behind the scenes are revealed; The Observers
surround the space, and gain an outside-in perspective into someone elses dreams,
but from without standing within the dream users position, they will never fully
understand or observe the dream as perceived by the dream user. The building itself is
metaphysical; through beginning to explore dream, naturally memory is explored, and
through exploring memory, consciousness is explored. It is intended for fundamental
questions to arise as the dream user stands in position at the point of present
consciousness, and questions the existence of a past and present within physical
reality.
Form following symbolism from site, dream and memory:
From an aesthetic perspective, I did not draw inspiration from one source; I used the
function and symbolism to form the architectural composition, whilst the lines of
boundaries of the site determined the angular configurations. I was influenced by a
variation of architectural works, from Philip Johnsons New York State Pavilion,
which influenced the classic yet futuristic aesthetic of my observation platforms, to

14

the works of Peter Eisenman through the idea of designing in modular components,
allowing two dimensional plan to evolve into three dimensional form, as influenced
by the idea of incorporating the digital pixelated cube. One of the earliest dreams I
can remember, was being inside my Nintendo Game Boy trapped in a game of Tetris,
neon blocks stacking up around me, and I wanted my earliest dream to be conveyed
within the architecture. The idea of pixelating the image is also influenced from my
dream map where I had dreams with unrecognized locations these became out of
context cube plane islands ready to stack together if I felt they should be placed in
parallel to one another. The pixel is also a literal expression of the digital world,
where any possible image can be created through the arranging of cubes which scale
into any configuration. The intention is that the cubes wrap around the structural posts
of the observation platforms, creating a digital cloud, and from any distance its scale
is disguised through generic cube form.
The cube is contrasted with the circle which is suggestive of infinite space, and
symbolic of observing eyes. The revolution is symbolic of the turning compass. The
shifting orientation is representative of the turning motion the observer must make in
order to view their complete surrounding. The structural core spiral staircase is
significant to the project as it mirrors the memory of the spiral staircase within
Happisburgh Lighthouse tower.
Specific areas of the site have more significance within my memory than areas, and I
aimed to capture the significant locations through the positioning of the architecture.
The simulator is the largest structure on the site, marking the locations of a four-leaf
clover patch I discovered, the lifeboat shed, and the fallen access ramp; each formed
such a large part of my childhood and now exists now only in memory. The simulator
is lined up so that fragments can fall right where the edge of the cliff used to
physically stand. Some parts will survive the fall in tact, and some parts will need to
be repaired - representative of my memory as I revisit the Happisburgh; some
memories are remembered and others are forgotten yet can be recalled back with a
trigger. Voids in physicality are representative of both the void in memory, and the
unseen within the virtual dimension.

15

Not only do the pile foundations allow the building to survive immanent destruction,
but they also become fully revealed in the same way that the well in the gardens of
houses that fell off the cliff became revealed, creating long tall structures on the
beach. Additionally the well is significant to me, as we had a well at the bottom of my
garden in my childhood house Thrums. The positive intention of making a wish whether its through the act of dropping a coin into a wishing well, or looking up at the
shooting stars in the clear night sky - which again formed such a significant part of
my childhood, is subtly revealed within the design through the foundations which
become revealed like wells (future structure), and through star-like lighting within the
glass boxes of the data stores (present proposed structure). The coin is suggested
through the use of copper applied to select elevations, which additionally represent
the physical reality of time through the changing of colour as time passes. The chosen
material palette has a symbolic rationale. Concrete is firm and cold, a reminder of
ones own physical consciousness. The use of steel represents the linear movement of
time. Smoke and light represent the incorporeal, a reminder that there is not
necessarily a connection between physicality and perception, as you cannot physically
hold light or smoke but yet you can observe it. And of course, the stereotypical
dream cloud.

Fig 4

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Conclusion
We exist within an ever shifting environment. The seasons and landscapes alter, our
physical built environment is in a constant state of flux, and our social patterns are
caught in the rift between physical and digital planes. The architecture explores this
shift, allowing the individual to question their own relationship within the world, and
ultimately, the self.
The idea of privacy is explored through the sharp distinction between solid material
mixing with open and transparent space. It is poignant to question, within todays
quickly arriving future, exactly what it is to be private; to have your own dreams and
memories whilst we are on the cusp of uploading memories to the Internet. As our
social networking profiles are set to public, and we consent to sharing our conscious
lives, we are still wary about discussing our dreams for fear of stigma. This building
allows the transition of opening up ones unconscious imagery, in which we cannot
control, to the world.
Life tracking technology is evolving, and needs a testing ground. The Oculus Rift was
established as a gaming device, and has now been given an opportunity to integrate as
a social device. The idea of the individual being the centre, and the world revolving
around them has been a central theme throughout this project. So although within the
physical reality, the user navigates the building, it is the building that is ultimately in
control, and when the user is in control, it is ultimately the building that allows it this
control. This mirrors the awareness and control we have in our everyday life. We are
rarely in control of the physical aspects of our lives, such as our bodies. And it allows
us to question, if we are not in control, who is? It allows the user to question; if I can
achieve an act in my thoughts, then this has the potential to manifest within reality.
The origin of the dream is from a source in which we are unaware of its location
within any known reality. Through an understanding of the unconscious self, we
become more attune to our physical and virtual environments, both are ever changing
landscapes which mirror the metamorphosis apparent within our own lives. Within
both physical life and dream, through setting an intention to gain awareness we are
able to take control; we then have the potential to manifest our own sensory
environments across all realities.

17

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