Abstract:

In commercial architecture the building form as well as its facade serves as a symbol or a sign to portray a certain message to the public. One can argue that a building has an inherent associated meaning aimed towards the passerby. This image can serve as political, cultural, social, and/or economical propaganda. The gas station through its evolution illustrates a very carefully designed American icon, creating an interplay between popular culture, corporate image, and architectural form. It has become a symbol of our fast-paced culture and constantly evolving image of ourselves and the built environment.

Roadside landscape may be the most important cultural bi-product of our age. This evolving commercial landscape sets a new architectural standard that embraces the culture of mobility, speed, and progress. The gas station has become a permanent feature of our landscape and a manifestation of our mobile culture, car-created, and car-owner "designed."

By using the evolution of a gas station as my field of study, I demonstrated the relationship between an evolving image and our changing perception of it. The final product consists of a bound volume of research and analysis, a set of analytical as well as final drawings and models. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)