Showing papers on "Architecture published in 1979"

Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture

Abstract: PREFACEqLogic is doubtless unshakable, but it cannot withstand a man who wants to live.q Franz Kafka: The TrialThe present book forms a sequel to my theoretical works Intentions in Architecture (1963) and Existence, Space and Architecture (1971). It is also related to my historical study Meaning in Western Architecture (1975). Common to all of them is the view that architecture represents a means to give man an qexistential footholdq. My primary aim is therefore to investigate the psychic implications of architecture rather than its practical side, although I certainly admit that there exists an interrelationship between the two aspects. In Intentions in Architecture the practical, qfunctionalq, dimension was in fact discussed as part of a comprehensive system. At the same time, however, the book stressed that the qenvironment influences human beings, and this implies that the purpose of architecture transcends the definition given by early functionalismq. A thorough discussion of perception and symbolization was therefore included, and it was emphasized that man cannot gain a foothold through scientific understanding alone. He needs symbols, that is, works of art which qrepresent life-situationsq. The conception of the work of art as a qconcretizationq of a life-situation is maintained in the present book. It is one of the basic needs of man to experience his life-situations as meaningful, and the purpose of the work of art is to qkeepq and transmit meanings. The concept of qmeaningq was also introduced in Intentions in Architecture. In general, the early book aimed at understanding architecture in concrete qarchitecturalq terms, an aim which I still consider particularly important. Too much confusion is created today by those who talk about everything else when they discuss architecture! My writings therefore reflect a belief in architecture; I do not accept that architecture, vernacular or monumental, is a luxury or perhapsnsomething which is made qto impress the populaceq (Rapoport). There are not different qkindsq of architecture, but only different situations which require different solutions in order to satisfy man's physical and psychic needs.My general aim and approach has therefore been the same in all the writings mentioned above. As time has passed, however, a certain change in method has become manifest. In Intentions in Architecture art and architecture were analyzed qscientificallyq, that is, by means of methods taken over from natural science. I do not think that this approach is wrong, but today I find other methods more illuminating. When we treat architecture analytically, we miss the concrete environmental character, that is, the very quality which is the object of man's identification, and which may give him a sense of existential foothold. To overcome this lack, I introduced in Existence, Space and Architecture the concept of qexistential spaceq. qExistential spaceq is not a logico-mathematical term, but comprises the basic relationships between man and his environment. The present book continues the search for a concrete understanding of the environment. The concept of existential space is here divided in the complementary terms qspaceq and qcharacterq, in accordance with the basic psychic functions qorientationq and qidentificationq. Space and character are not treated in a purely philosophical way (as has been done by O. F. Bollnow), but are directly related to architecture, following the definition of architecture as a qconcretization of existential spaceq. qConcretizationq is furthermore explained by means of the concepts of qgatheringq and qthingq. The word qthingq originally meant a gathering, and the meaning of anything consists in what it gathers. Thus Heidegger said: qA thing gathers worldq.nThe philosophy of Heidegger has been the catalyst which has made the present book possible and determined its approach. The wish for understanding architecture as a concrete phenomenon, already expressed in Intentions in Architecture, could be satisfied in the present book, thanks to Heidegger's essays on language and aesthetics, which have been collected and admirably translated into English by A. Hofstadter (Poetry, Language, Thought, New York 1971). First of all I owe to Heidegger the concept of dwelling. qExistential footholdq and qdwellingq are synonyms, and qdwellingq, in an existential sense, is the purpose of architecture. Man dwells when he can orientate himself within and identify himself with an environment, or, in short, when he experiences the environment as meaningful. Dwelling therefore implies something more than qshelterq. It implies that the spaces where life occurs are places, in the true sense of the word. A place is a space which has a distinct character. Since ancient times the genius loci, or qspirit of placeq, has been recognized as the concrete reality man has to face and come to terms with in his daily life. Architecture means to visualize the genius loci, and the task of the architect is to create meaningful places, whereby he helps man to dwell.I am well aware of the shortcomings of the present book. Many problems could only be treated in a very sketchy way, and need further elaboration. The book represents, however, a first step towards a qphenomenology of architectureq, that is, a theory which understands architecture in concrete, existential terms.The conquest of the existential dimension is in fact the main purpose of the present book. After decades of abstract, qscientificq theory, it is urgent that we return to a qualitative, phenomenological understanding of architecture.n n n n

Architecture form, space and order

Abstract: What's on the CD This CD is an experimental supplement to the printed material in the Third Edition of Architecture: Form, Space and Order. Organized into modules corresponding to the book chapters, the series of digital presentations relates the conceptual to the perceptual aspects of architecture by overlaying photographs and drawings with diagrams. The selected examples are, of course, limited in number and scope, but it is hoped that the vignettes will help the viewer identify elements and abstract principles from what is seen in a book or on a monitor, and be able to see similarities in the environments experienced in real life or imagined while designing.

Cognitive Strategies in Architectural Design

Abstract: The paper describes one of the series of experiments studying the nature of the architectural design process and how design skills are acquired by students. An experimental situation is described which models some central features of design problems in the abstract. This allows comparisons to be made between groups of first and final year students of architecture as well as sixth form school pupils and post-graduate science students. Significantly different problem solving strategies are shown by the final year architecture and post-graduate science students. It is suggested that these results have implications for the nature of design legislation, design tools and particularly computer aided design systems, many of which currently in use appear to be based on the scientists' rather than designers' cognitive strategies.

The aesthetics of architecture

Abstract: Introduction to the 2013 Edition ix Acknowledgments xxi Preface xxiii 1 Introduction: The problem of architecture 1 Part I 2 Architecture and design 21 3 Has architecture an essence? 34 4 Experiencing architecture 66 5 Judging architecture 96 Part II 6 Freud, Marx and meaning 127 7 The language of architecture 146 8 Expression and abstraction 165 9 The sense of detail 190 10 Conclusion: Architecture and morality 218 Part III Summary 239 Notes 243 Bibliography 275 Index of Names 277 Index of Subjects 283

Meaning in the urban environment

Abstract: Part One: Current ideas and theories about the meaning in the urban environment 1 Introduction 2 Review of the literature 3 State of the theory Part Two: Empirical Studies in the Psychosemiology of Architecture 4 Pyschosemiology and the recognition of different functional building types 5 Empirical studies of connotation in architecture 6 Synopsis of research as a whole

Introduction to architecture

Abstract: DESCRIPTION A survey of the built environment distills the work of legendary author and illustrator Francis D. K. Ching into a single volume Introduction to Architecture presents the essential texts and drawings of Francis D. K. Ching for those new to architecture and design. With his typical highly graphic approach, this is the first introductory text from Ching that surveys the design of spaces, buildings, and cities. In an easy to understand format, readers will explore the histories and theories of architecture, design elements and process, and the technical aspects of the contemporary profession of architecture.

Structural Symbolism in Medieval Castle Architecture

Abstract: (1979). Structural Symbolism in Medieval Castle Architecture. Journal of the British Archaeological Association: Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 73-90.

A concise history of American architecture

Abstract: * The Land and First Homes * Transplantations in the New World: 16001785 * Building a New Nation: 17851820 * The Lure of the Past, the Promise of the Future: 18201865 * Age of Enterprise: 18651885 * Urbanism and the Search for Order: 18851915 * Dichotomy: Tradition and Avant Garde: 19151940 * Pure Function, Pure Form: 19401970 * Epilogue: Pluralism in the 1970s

Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture

Abstract: Nearly Everything to Learn 1867--1893 The Art and Craft of Success 1893--1901 A Radically Different Conception 19O1--1909 Thinking and Working Along Original Lines 1901--1909 Affinity Tangle 1907--1912 Spiritual Hegira 1910--1914 A Regular Life Is Cunningly Ambushed 1914--1932 Little Experiment Stations in Out of the Way Places 1932--1938 Usonia: Shelter in the Open 1936--1947 Characteristically Modest Projects 1936--1945 Organic Architecture 1930--1959 The Boldest Buildings of His Career 1946--1959 A Giant Tree in a Wide Landscape 1946--1959 How Do You Speak to a Divinity? After 1959 Appendix Bibliography Index

English Architecture: A Concise History

Abstract: Every generation needs its own history of English architecture: new facts are discovered and time's perspective brings different facets into prominence David Watkin here provides a concise and highly readable outline of the whole story, from Saxon times to the present, centered on buildings that people can actually see today 309 illus

The Story of Western Architecture

Abstract: When this survey of Western civilization was first published in 1979, the executive editor of the "Architectural Review" said, "I find it one of the most remarkable books on the subject that I have ever come across. . . a tremendous achievement of Pevsnerian dimensions." With the second edition, the author took the reader back to ancient Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and also extended it to include postmodernism and urbanism, the New Right ideology of the 1980s, and the rising environmental concerns of the 1990s. The third edition includes a new sixteen-page section that brings the story up to the twenty-first century and adds many new drawings. The author views the history of architecture not as a chronology of styles but as an expression of social and economic conditions; he tells us not only what was built and when, but also how and under what cultural incentives. The author's hundreds of clear and informative drawings and diagrams add to the lively, informal nature of the book.

The architecture of Erik Gunnar Asplund

Abstract: "Wrede's book is both timely and significant, for it offers a critical assessment of Asplund's work while at the same time increasing our awareness of one of 20th century architecture's more enigmatic figures." - AIA Journal

S-1 architecture manual

Abstract: This manual provides a complete description of the instruction-set architecture of the S-1 Uniprocessor (Mark IIA), exclusive of vector operations. It is assumed that the reader has a general knowledge of computer architecture. The manual was designed to be both a detailed introduction to the S-1 and an architecture reference manual. Also included are user manuals for the FASM Assembler and the S-1 Formal Description Syntax.

The Kingston, Ontario Penitentiary and Moral Architecture

Abstract: The expression of the purpose, for which every building is erected, is the first and most essential beauty; and should be obvious from its architecture, altogether independently of any particular style; in the same manner as the reasons for things, are altogether independent of the language in which they are convoyed. As in literary compositions, no beauty of language can ever compensate for poverty of sense; so, in architectural composition, no beauty of style can ever compensate for the want of expression of purpose. Every reasonable mind must feel this; for, as we have said before, the foundation of all true and permanent beauty is utility. J. C. LOUDON (1833).