Yusif Al-Shekly
VENA CAVA HALL THESIS PROJECT
Environmental Design
2026
What happens when the human body becomes the foundation of architectural design? This thesis proposes that architecture can move beyond static functionality by treating the body as both a generator and active participant in space. Rather than replicating anatomy literally, the project draws from it as an abstract spatial system, using principles of circulation, compression, and release to shape how people move through and experience their environment.
“Architecture can extend beyond static functionality by positioning the human body as both a generator and participant in space. This thesis draws inspiration from human anatomy not as a direct formal replication, but as an abstract spatial system using principles of circulation, compression, and release to organize form and movement at HTO Park on the Toronto Harbourfront.In contrast to the openness of the waterfront, the project introduces a dense, immersive interior landscape composed of continuous, curved geometries that evoke bodily conditions without explicitly representing them. The proposal brings together art exhibition spaces and a concert hall centered on human anatomy and performance, where movement is structured through sequences of constriction and expansion. Occupants navigate these spaces as active elements within a larger system, experiencing moments of pressure, release, and flow that heighten bodily awareness.By transforming the relationship between body and space into a visceral spatial experience, this thesis proposes an architecture that is unfamiliar, intense, and physically engaging—redefining how space is perceived, inhabited, and felt without relying on literal representation.”
