Abstract
There is a prevailing mindset in which built and natural are not only separate, but opposites. This dichotomy causes a rift in the humanenvironment relationship which creates a limited perception of place. The Sutro Baths in Land’s End Park, San Franscisco is a site where built and natural are fused: the original construction manipulated the site to integrate natural phenomena with its infrastructure, and today the architectural remains create conditions which are intrinsic to the current environment. However, with the destruction of the bath-house, movement through the site is fairly unstructured. Taking a phenomenological approach, this thesis designs an experiential system of movement through the Sutro Baths which re-presents both historical and natural context of the site. The design is a process-based exploration of the literal and metaphorical journey. Mapping is used both as a generator for design and as representation to communicate the multilayered complexity of the design process and provides a medium for interpreting the complex, interwoven layers of meaning which influence the relationship of process, design, and place.