Architecture Moriendi: Designs for the Art of Dying Well

Architecture Moriendi: Designs for the Art of Dying Well
Presented by Christy Haig, B. Arch., M. Arch.
June 1, 2024
Performing Arts Center, Brewster, MA

About the Lecture
Recent graduate Christy Haig, (Bachelor of Science in Architecture 2023, magna cum laude, Master’s in Architecture 2024, with distinction) will share her research and project showing that architecture holds the power to transform the end-of-life journey. Hospital care often translates to a solitary and sterile experience, both for the terminally ill and for their loved ones, while domestic environments can fall short of the increasing and intricate needs of palliative care. Drawing inspiration for design from phenomenology, spirituality, and nature, this lecture proposes a small-scale hospice in Cape Cod as a “third place” to die; an intimate residential facility that allows a person to prepare for death within a supportive community presence. The design departs from the perspective of the terminally ill, to consider ways in which architecture can address the gradual diminishing of the dying person’s world, prioritizing their emotional, spiritual, and social welfare through sensorial and community- conscious gestures.
A method of iterative physical models and photography of miniatures produces a sequence of cinematic moments. These images tell a story from the experience of a dying person, with particular attention to sensory perception and human scale. Design ideas focused on light, shadow, movement, and perspective can be tested in real space, time, and material.
Part of Christy’s research was a study of dying in the Western world which included the medieval text Ars Moriendi, written by a Dominican friar in the 14th century.
About Christy Haig
Christy Haig, B.Arch, M.Arch, is a recent graduate from Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, who has been a part of Arts Empowering Life since it began in 1988, singing with the choir Gloriæ Dei Cantores for over 25 years. She also has experience in the healthcare industry, caring for seniors as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Returning to the academic world in her sixties, Christy pursued a new interest in architecture, specifically in the area of phenomenology and sensory experiences. Graduating this spring with a Master’s degree (with distinction) she was given the Design Excellence award for her studio.