Architecture Program
Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses
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First Advisor
Matthew Miller
Date of this Version
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
A design thesis presented to the faculty of The College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture
Major: Architecture
Under the supervision of Professor Matthew Miller
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026
Abstract
This thesis investigates how architectural remnants evolve from sacred or civic monuments into global spectacles and how these transformations reveal the relationship between architecture, power (be it political or otherwise), and cultural memory and significance. Through studying cycles of sacredness, destruction, and spectacle, this thesis explores architecture’s role as a living record of cultural transformation.
This thesis proposes that architectural remnants do not passively exist after their moment of rupture, but are actively shaped through systems of preservation, authority, and cultural framing. While remnants appear to operate as historical artifacts, they are in fact continuously rewritten through intervention, restoration, and narrative control.
Preservation is not neutral, but rather a selective process that privileges certain histories while suppressing others. Through this lens, remnants lose autonomy and instead become instruments through which cultural memory is constructed, edited, and maintained.
Advisor: Matthew Miller
Comments
Copyright 2026, Elizabeth Pernicek. Used by permission