Terraformers for a New Atlantis. The Visual and Rhetorical Representation of the Anthropocene in Contemporary Architectural Design

Abstract

Increasingly the ‘Anthropocene’ is entering the architect’s lexicon. The notion emerges as a challenge for architectural design, encouraging it to develop new discourses and practices. However, it is problematic that the Anthropocene is ‘read’ in various ways. This thesis inquires into the discourses on the Anthropocene that architects deploy in their work. Secondly, it investigates how these are incorporated into their designs as visual and narrative representations of the Anthropocene. It concludes that new roles for the architect are emerging with an emphasis on the creative imagination.