Date of Award

Spring 6-2-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Department

Architecture

First Advisor

Amy Kulper

Second Advisor

Aaron Forrest

Third Advisor

Hansy Better

Abstract

For my thesis, I worked on transporting, or perhaps translating, the lavash practice. An Armenian flatbread cooked in a tonir •. A hearth symbolizing the sun in the ground. My disciplinary positioning is one of conservation and preservation.

I looked at the practice of Lavash at three horizontal levels: The land, the refectory and the table. Each of these levels informed me on where and how I would be transporting the practice. The village women, when making lavash, were living next to the field where the wheat is grown and harvested. They were using stone mills, which allowed the grain to be grind at a low temperature. This guaranteed freshness and preserved the grains’ all nutrients.

I also looked at the Haghartsin monastery in the Tavush region of Armenia because it had a refectory next to a bakery and a big stone mill. Again, the bread was consumed in proximity to where the grain was harvested, milled and the dough was baked.

These analysis lead me to choose a site that would allow me to plant and harvest the wheat. A site that would include big stone mill(s) and a place/silos where grain could be stored. My proposal’s objective mainly allows people to observe and understand the practice, to participate in the making and consuming of Lavash. Ultimately it would be a site for human interaction and gathering through a practice.

Included in

Architecture Commons

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