Jim Santos

Advisor: Eduardo Aquino 

The image is a composite architectural presentation depicting an urban landscape with a focus on movement and public space design. The central section shows a detailed top-down view of a planned area with curved structures, which appear as modern buildings seamlessly integrated with pathways and greenery, suggesting a public space. Overlaid are transparent, large-scale diagrams, including an intricate site map in light gray, showcasing the layout of the surrounding buildings and streets. The layout is borde
The image displays a sequence of frames showing a person performing various physical activities in a gym, including walking, weightlifting, squatting, and sprinting. The overlapping frames capture the progression of each movement.
Performing the fundamental movements.
The image shows a composite of motion sequences, with overlapping frames capturing subtle variations in posture and movement. A person in dark clothing is silhouetted against a light background, with a ghosted effect emphasizing fluid motion.
Movement drawings.
The image is a digital collage divided into four sections, each with distinct textures and abstract strokes in black, greenish-yellow, and white. The dynamic composition uses contrasting textures and lines to create a sense of movement.
A collage of the movement drawings.
The image is a grid of 15 grayscale photographs showing light trails, including squiggles, letters, and abstract patterns. The bright trails contrast with a dark drapery backdrop.
Long exposure photography with light to showcase movements.
The image features architectural concept sketches and physical models, with hand-drawn sketches of abstract shapes and structures on top. The bottom half displays scale models made from wood and cardboard, showcasing geometric and modular designs.
Extracted forms from the light photography to build the models.
The image displays a series of conceptual architectural models in three rows, with small models in the top row and larger, more complex models below. Human figures interact with the models, emphasizing scale and design elements like ramps, roofs, and stairs.
Model engagements. The models accommodate each of the fundamental human movement.
The image features an aerial view of an architectural model, a topographical map, and wooden model pieces. It showcases diverse buildings, landscape features, and geometric patterns.
Situating the models on the site to produce an architectural landscape.

Movement Grounds

In the contemporary world, sedentary behavior has become predominant. In Canada, it significantly contributes to the economic burden of illness.1 Sedentary behavior is any behavior that revolves around sitting, reclining, or lying posture.2 Canadians have an average of nine to 10 hours engaging in sedentary behaviors daily.3 Any Adult who engages in sedentary behavior for more than 8 hours per day is excessively sedentary time according to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults, and two of the most prevalent and expensive diseases due to sedentary behavior are cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.4  

The total costs of excessive sedentary behavior in Canada in 2021 were 2.2 billion dollars for people who spent eight hours sedentary, while for people that spent about nine hours of sedentary behavior cost Canada 1.8 billion dollars.5 According to Chaput, “It was found that 87.7% of Canadian adults accumulate eight hours per day of sedentary behavior (85.3% in men and 90.0% in women) and that 69.8% accumulate nine hours per day (70.4% in men and 69.2% in women)”.6 A reduction of excessive sedentary behavior by ten percent, would have saved Canada 219 million dollars per year.7 Multiple factors cause a lack of physical activity participation. For instance, environmental factors such as traffic congestion, air pollution, shortage of parks or pedestrian walkways, or a lack of sports or leisure facilities.8 Behaviors such as watching television and cellphone use correspond to a growing sedentary lifestyle.9 

The proposed project aims to improve physical health and minimize the growing sedentary behavior. The project utilizes architecture to encourage movement and exercise, shaping a culture of physically healthy individuals. Furthermore, the project promotes a learning environment and a sense of community and togetherness that will persist for many generations.  

Minimizing the sedentary lifestyle starts with movement, but understanding the fundamental human movements is crucial for informing the appropriate elements for the project’s design process. To have a better quality of life, free of restrictions, and able to perform everyday tasks, an individual must perform the fundamental human movements such as squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, pulling, carrying, jumping, running, walking, rotating, and lateral movements. When these movements are consistently performed, the individual’s fitness is improved.10 The project is not limited to physical activity, programs such as the library, the playgrounds, and the project’s environment promote a learning environment for people of all ages through movement and seeing. 

Lastly, the project intends to shape a sense of community through activities for people of all ages. However, the project encounters a challenge of engagement during the winter season since it is situated in Winnipeg. Designing the landscape that allows engagement in warm and cold seasons is explored for this project. And since the chosen site is dormant during the colder season, a project that engages the public during winter will help minimize sedentary life during winter months.