Faculty of Design

Environmental Design - Interior Design Specialization

Nara Chamas

Extending Time

In my thesis project I am using time as a metaphor to explore and embrace third cultures and spaces in suburban communities. When you contrast work life-balances in eastern cultures to western cultures, you will notice a difference in how time is treated. In the west, time is treated more linear, while in the east time is treated as a cycle. In Canada, particularly in Ontario’s suburbs, there are large communities of first and second generation immigrants who almost feel stuck in the in-between of the two cultures. In this project I am focusing on western suburbia and discovering how to embrace the in-between by designing a social hub/plaza sponsored by Spotify, that consists of varying third spaces. Finding a way to extend time and treat it cyclically while also adapting to the western routine and lifestyle, is a part of embracing that third culture/identity, a challenge so many Canadians are tasked with. I am going to utilize music as a tool to extend time since music has always been a critical component of every culture in the world, and serves to create opportunities for shared experiences. Ultimately, my goal is to investigate third spaces so that I can truly understand how to extend time in order to create better work-life balances in the west. This is necessary because people have been craving a place of belonging. Having a place that embraces the in-between and tracks time in a refreshing way will create more opportunities for future and present communities. I hope this will be helpful for future generations as it will encourage people to feel comfortable with their third culture, and to feel a sense of community.