TRAUMA CONCEPT APPLICATION IN ARCHITECTURE

KURDISTAN SALAM  NASER; AHMED ABDULWAHID  DHANNOON

KURDISTAN SALAM NASER *Dept. of Architecture, College of Engineering, University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region–Iraq
AHMED ABDULWAHID DHANNOON **Dept. of Architecture, College of Engineering, University of Mosul–Iraq

Keywords: Trauma, Uncanny, Absence, Semiotic, Inhumanization, Unhomely, Lack of orientation.

Abstract

Trauma refers to the psychological, emotional, or physical response to traumatic events. The concept of 'trauma' has appeared in all fields of science. It is no longer just a medical condition or theory, therefore, we cannot limit it to psychological studies only, and from here, the importance of researching this term more broadly appears in architecture. The research question is: What is trauma, its types, and related concepts in architecture? The study answered this question by reviewing previous studies in this field, which showed that architecture, like humans, can be traumatized, and the concept of 'trauma' has many types and purposes in architecture. Furthermore, it turned out that the concept of ‘trauma’ is theoretical and not measurable, which cannot be directly applied to architecture, and there is no detailed approach that clarifies the trauma application in architecture. It also turned out that trauma strongly relates to the concept of 'uncanny' which has a role in its achievement. The present study aims to solve the research problem that says: how can we achieve trauma in architecture through the concept of 'uncanny'? To solve this problem and fill this gap, we looked at the theoretical framework of the concept of 'uncanny' and its variables. The results showed that uncanny has many indicators: 'absence, semiotics, inhumanization, unhome, and lack of orientation'. Also, each has several secondary variables. The research methodology was identified to determine the ratio of use of each indicator of the 'uncanny' by architects to achieve trauma in architecture. On this basis, international case studies were identified as a measurement tool based on qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a wide range of analyses, supported by references. The results showed that each variable has a certain level of influence; the indicator of 'lack of orientation' is the most influential, and the indicator of 'unhomely' is the least influential. To conclude, the concept of 'uncanny' contributes to trauma achievement in architecture. Designers should follow the indicators of 'uncanny' outlined in the theoretical framework, with applying the proportions specified by the study results.

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