Date of Submission
Spring 5-12-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Zamila Karimi
Abstract
This thesis explores how adaptive reuse and spatial organization can transform a typical high school experience into spaces that support collective belonging and organic interaction. Located in Clarkston, Georgia, a city recognized for its diverse immigrant populations, the project expresses the transition from literal cultural representation to the formation of unified space, without assimilation.
The proposal reuses the existing structural framework of a former school building. Reorganized through a central atrium strategy with the addition of elective class learning to facilitate the natural gathering of students within the spaces they love and choose. Elective programs, commons, library spaces, and shared breakout areas are positioned to encourage informal and formal interaction between students in different levels and disciplines. Cultural study of geometry abstraction, collective meanings, and color representation informed the development of the exterior and interior building skin that acts both as a lighting device and an architectural expression of unity and connection.