An Architecture of Happiness: Home in Harry Potter

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the architectural value of fantasy spaces, their ability to create home places for their audience, and the design insights they offer to the discipline of architecture. Any home, whether imagined or physical, exists to evoke emotional comfort, human connection, and positive experiences, ideas which are central to the larger field of architecture and design. Fantasy worlds have often been overlooked by architectural scholars, despite that storyworlds have always created home refuges for their audience: freeing stifled imaginations, touching hearts and minds with deep emotion, and providing relief from real-world conflicts, agitation or boredom. This thesis begins to bridge the gap between architecture and fantasy worlds by evaluating the architectural setting in Harry Potter as a legitimate home place, one which can bring real emotional and psychological benefits to its dwellers. By investigating the use of narrative emotions and the imaginary construction of settings, the world of Harry Potter can reveal new design perspectives which evolve and broaden the potential of real-world architecture and home design.