A

AIA CES Credits
AV Office
Abstract Publication
Academic Affairs
Academic Calendar, Columbia University
Academic Calendar, GSAPP
Admissions Office
Advanced Standing Waiver Form
Alumni Board
Alumni Office
Anti-Racism Curriculum Development Award
Architecture Studio Lottery
Assistantships
Avery Library
Avery Review
Avery Shorts

S

STEM Designation
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Scholarships
Skill Trails
Student Affairs
Student Awards
Student Conduct
Student Council (All Programs)
Student Financial Services
Student Health Services at Columbia
Student Organization Handbook
Student Organizations
Student Services Center
Student Services Online (SSOL)
Student Work Online
Studio Culture Policy
Studio Procedures
Summer Workshops
Support GSAPP
Close
This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors' experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Columbia University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Columbia University Website Cookie Notice Group 6
Arch pham anniean fa23 1churchtonightclubsection cover

Geographies of the Urban Night

Nightlife spaces are a form of escape from the mundane, and where people can explore other modes of being. These spaces often encourage and challenge what the respective society considers “normal” during the day. To encounter this exact phenomenon, my design juxtaposes the two environments in which accepted activities and illicit activities occur – the church and the nightclub.

A close comparison conducted between the church space and nightlife reveals that there are many similarities in both space and activity. Philosopher Emilie Durkheim’s concept of collective consciousness can be seen as a linkage between the two - the collective consciousness of society used to be religion as a common belief, as society becomes more secular, this collective consciousness becomes more diluted – but many do find common worship in the even more abstract feeling obtained from being in nightclubs and the phenomenological experience the environment evokes. The design proposes a network of adapted churches - the re-functionalization of peripheral urban structures as night time escape spots. The design strategy to convert these into nightclubs in the evening uses simple intervening methods in order to highlight the similarities between the two, and the ease of conversion between two seemingly different programs.