A "Measure" in Architecture: A Medical-Architectural Theory by Simone Stratico, Architetto Veneto

Gottfried Semper is often credited with originating the concept of the building as skin in architectural theory, but an alternative trajectory of this idea can be found in the mid-nineteenth-century science of hygiene. In Skin, Clothing, and Dwelling: Max von Pettenkofer, the Science of Hygiene, and Breathing Walls, Didem Ekici explores the affinity of skin, clothing, and dwelling in nineteenth-century German thinking, focusing on a marginal figure in architectural history, physician Max von Pettenkofer (1818–1901), the “father of experimental hygiene.” Pettenkofer's concept of clothing and dwelling as skins influenced theories of architecture that emphasized the environmental performance of the architectural envelope. This article examines Pettenkofer's writings and contemporary works on hygiene, ethnology, Kulturgeschichte (cultural history), and linguistics that linked skin, clothing, and dwelling. From nineteenth-century “breathing walls” to today's high-performance envelopes, theories of the building as a regulating membrane are a testament to the unsung legacy of Pettenkofer and the science of hygiene.

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Architectural Theory and Analytic Philosophy in the Interwar Period

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae European and Regional Studies ◽

10.2478/auseur-2018-0010 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 41-53

Author(s):

Borbála Jász

Keyword(s):

Interwar Period ◽

Vienna Circle ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Analytic Philosophy ◽

Le Corbusier ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Form And Function ◽

Language Of Science ◽

Architecture Theory ◽

The Aesthetic

Abstract The basis of the connection between analytic philosophy and architecture theory was developed in the interwar period. The results of analytic philosophy – especially the neo-positivism of Vienna Circle – and modern, functionalist architecture theory were utilized in an interdisciplinary approach. The comparison was based on language puzzles, science-based building processes, the method of justification and verification, and designing an artificial language in order to express the theoretical (philosophical) and the practical (architectural) approach as well. The functionality was based on the modern way of architectural thinking that relied on the results of Carnapian neo-positivism. Interpreting modern architecture is possible by referring to the keywords of logical positivism: empiricism, logic, verification, unity of language, and science. In my paper, I first list the bases of the comparison between the philosophy of the Vienna Circle and the architecture theory of the interwar period – the Bauhaus and Le Corbusier. In the 2nd and 3rd sections, I show the dialectical succession between form and function. After that, I discuss the aesthetic verification of the turn of the century and the scientific justification of the interwar period. I focus on the interwar period with the positivist approach and the theory of the ‘new architecture’. I emphasize the importance of the language of science and the machine paradigm – in contrast to historicism.

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Spaces of Wellbeing; A Framework for Tertiary Environments

10.26686/wgtn.17151365.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Tessa Lynch

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

New Zealand ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Real Life ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Real Problem ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Maori Health

Generally, one in five New Zealanders experience mental illness. Majority of lifelong mental illnesses begin before the age of 25, presenting a real problem for youth. In 2018, young people of New Zealand called for more help as they rallied outside parliament. The government responded by allocating more money towards student mental health. Yet, employing more counsellors, which is necessary, is not the only way to contribute to an urgent need for a new approach towards supporting mental health and wellbeing. This research portfolio responded to this complex situation by developing ‘a guide’ for the design of tertiary spaces supportive of wellbeing. One of the most important goals of this work was to align the research closely with user needs and views, therefore research methods involved including students views in more than one phase of development. The work draws on evidence based design, geography, health and architectural theory and the existing wellbeing knowledge. Engagement with the users, observation, experiments and real life interventions were critical in refining a conceptual framework which kept the users at the centre of the process. The outcome of this research was a resource to guide the design of tertiary space for wellbeing, using five intervention points, which could have a positive effect on the student wellbeing if implemented as a system. New Zealand must shift the current model of mental health care towards more holistic understandings of health, which better incorporates Māori health and wellbeing. Despite New Zealand’s bicultural values, Māori experience significantly higher rates of mental illness. This prompted to design with the same understandings of hauora (health). As a result, the conceptual framework presented a multi-dimensional, interconnected understanding of wellbeing through an integrated framework exploring physical, cultural, social, learning and spiritual environments. While it is acknowledged that environments can affect our mental health, this is an under researched field requiring motivation to stimulate discussion and change. This research advocates wellbeing as a central focus in the design of our built environments and explores the opportunity for architecture to facilitate our student and national wellbeing goals.

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« L’espace indicible »: conceptions et textualités

Le Corbusier, 50 years later. Conference proceedings. ◽

10.4995/lc2015.2015.470 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Mickaël Labbé

Keyword(s):

Le Corbusier ◽

Central Place ◽

Spiritual Experience ◽

The Other ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Mots Clés ◽

The Past ◽

Other Hand ◽

The One ◽

Experiential Quality

Résumé: La notion d’« espace indicible » occupe sans conteste une position centrale dans la théorie architecturale de Le Corbusier après 1945. Loin d’être un simple mot-valise ou un signifiant vide de sens, le concept d’espace indicible vise à penser le sommet de l’expérience esthétique et spirituelle dont est passible l’architecture, cela tant pour rendre compte de l’émotion plastique ressentie face aux chefs-d’œuvre du passé que pour décrire la qualité de l’expérience que l’architecte cherche à produire par ses propres œuvres. Ainsi, dans l’œuvre de Le Corbusier, l’expression « l’espace indicible » désigne non seulement un concept, mais également un ensemble textuel dans lequel la notion est thématisée et au travers duquel elle se constitue progressivement. L’objectif de cet article est double : d’une part, proposer une description des déterminations principales du contenu donné par Le Corbusier à la notion d’« espace indicible » ; d’autre part, à partir de l’examen des archives, faire le point sur les textes dans lesquels ce concept se formule. Abstract: The concept of “ineffable space” unquestionably occupies a central place in Le Corbusier's architectural theory after 1945. Far from being a portmanteau or a signifier devoid of meaning, the concept of ineffable space is aimed at conceiving the height of aesthetic and spiritual experience rendered possible by architecture. This is as much to realise plastic emotion felt in front of masterpiece from the past as to describe the experiential quality that the architect seeks to produce in his/her own work. Thus, in Le Corbusier’s oeuvre, the expression “ineffable space” not only denotes a concept but also a textual whole in which the concept is thematised and through which it is progressively constituted. The aim of this article is two-fold. On the one hand, I propose a description of the principle determinants of the content that Le Corbusier assigns to the concept of “ineffable space”, and on the other hand, analysing the archives, I wish to take stock of the texts in which this concept is formulated. Mots-clés: Le Corbusier; espace indicible; théorie architecturale. Keywords: Le Corbusier; ineffable space; architectural theory. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/LC2015.2015.470

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Existential Experiences of Human & Nature Symbiosis: Experiential Architecture for Motivation of Environmentally Responsible Behaviour

10.26686/wgtn.16907146.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Harrison Rainger

Keyword(s):

Industrial Revolution ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Natural Environments ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Human Beings ◽

Environmentally Responsible ◽

Global Demand ◽

Emotional Dimensions ◽

Higher Purpose

The deterioration of natural environments since the industrial revolution is a consequence of humanity’s ignorance of their symbiosis with broader biological ecosystems and the behaviours that have arisen from this lack of awareness. Today, there is urgent global demand for societies to address this issue by shifting toward pro-environmental systems and behaviours to ensure natural resources are secured for future generations. This research proposes that there is a potential for architecture to contribute to this shift by providing an experience that raises awareness of the symbiosis that human beings exist within and motivates people to behave with greater responsibility toward the environment. Taking an interdisciplinary approach by exploring principles of psychology and architectural theory, this work engages with architectural concepts of transcendence, phenomenology, atmosphere, memory and emotion, sense of place and biophilia in ways that positively affect intellectual and emotional dimensions of the human psyche. A design framework is developed from this, and a subsequent range of methods are developed and tested at various levels of resolution. Ultimately, this research arrives at a design methodology that can shape an architectural experience that serves a higher purpose of motivating behavioural change in society toward greater environmental responsibility. It speculates on a potentially new form of public architecture that unifies the human spirit with nature and interrelated systems.

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An Architectural Dialogue with the Eleatic Stranger

10.26686/wgtn.17000326 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Christian Jacob Squire

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Design Research ◽

Urban Life ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Architectural Form ◽

State Of Mind ◽

Eleatic Stranger ◽

A Site ◽

The Mind ◽

Theory Of Forms

Reports throughout New Zealand have highlighted a chronic and growing problem in our urban centres – the effects of alcohol abuse and binge drinking leave our youth vulnerable and unprotected. The results can sometimes be catastrophic. Makeshift paramedic tents have recently been erected in Wellington to provide aid and retreat, but these are temporary structures and only available two nights per week. The vulnerability of New Zealand’s youth occurs not only on nights with too much alcohol, but also in response to the daily stresses brought on by contemporary urban life. New Zealand youth suicide rates are the highest out of 30 OECD nations and more than twice the OECD average (Chapman). Likewise the secularization of contemporary urban society has resulted in the loss of spiritual retreats previously found within churches and religious centres. This thesis examines the need for a permanent urban retreat for all those who are temporarily vulnerable. The thesis investigates how architectural form can provide a new approach to urban retreat by critically engaging analogous theories found in the writings of Plato and Louis Kahn. Both Plato’s theory of Forms (discussed in Plato’s “Dialogues”) and Louis Kahn’s 1961 essay “Form and Design” are centred on the idea of achieving an enlightened state of mind, freeing the mind from the physical realm. Plato’s theory of Forms posits that the universe is separated into two realms: an intelligible realm and a sensible realm. All objects that exist in the sensible realm – perceivable to us by our senses – are merely imperfect shadows of their essences or Forms. By understanding this, we can free our minds from the distractions of life which so often lead to stress and despair. Plato’s theory of Forms has many parallels with the architectural theory of Louis Kahn, as evidenced in Kahn’s “Form and Design”. Kahn describes the ‘measurable’ and ‘immeasurable’ realms, which are analogous to Plato’s sensible and intelligible realms. This thesis critically engages these analogous theories of Plato and Kahn – achieving an enlightened state of mind, freeing the mind from the physical realm – to establish how architectural form can provide urban retreat for those who are temporarily vulnerable. The site for the design research investigation is the nameless alleyway in the Courtenay Place precinct which separates Wellington’s historic St James Theatre from The Mermaid bar and brothel – a site which symbolizes the conflicting stimuli to which our urban residents are now continually exposed.

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The notion of limit in architectural theory. Two case studies in Portugal

ZARCH ◽

10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.2020144293 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 58-69

Author(s):

Tiago Lopes Dias ◽

Rui Jorge Garcia Ramos

Keyword(s):

Case Studies ◽

Modern Architecture ◽

Right To The City ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Critical Approach ◽

History Of ◽

Founding Principle ◽

The Right ◽

Transition Space ◽

The City

Modern Portuguese architecture has been seen as the result of an eminently empirical and intuitive practice, dissociated from any effort of theoretical structuring. This paper intends to contradict that predominant view, presenting the notion of spatial limit as a subject that earned particular consideration from a younger, more critical and intellectually demanding generation of architects. Firstly, it introduces two notions directly related to limit - ‘extensions of the dwelling’ and ‘transition-space’ - presented in theses by Nuno Portas (b. 1934) and Pedro Vieira de Almeida (1933-2011) respectively, two highly innovative works in the academic panorama of early 1960s. Next, it focuses on the fundamental role each of the notions taken in investigative works that are parallel in time but substantially different. The first, Habitação evolutiva, is a typological study reflecting the spirit of its time by claiming the ‘right to the city’ as the founding principle of a model critical of CIAM urbanism. The second is an essay stemming from a critical reflexion on the work of an eclectic architect that eludes categorization (Raul Lino, 1879-1974) which sheds light on the need for a critical approach to the history of modern architecture.

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Revisiting Architectural Structuralism: Archi-Cultural Pattern as a Method to Read the Meaning of Tamkesi Vernacular Architecture

Journal of Design and Built Environment ◽

10.22452/jdbe.vol21no2.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Reginaldo Christophori Lake ◽

Antariksa, Purnama Salura

Keyword(s):

Deep Structure ◽

Vernacular Architecture ◽

Survival Strategies ◽

Architectural Theory ◽

Architectural Form ◽

Cultural Traditions ◽

Rigorous Research ◽

Architectural Patterns ◽

Cultural Pattern ◽

Composition Properties

The widespread tendency to combine vernacular with modern architecture has led to the need for an in-depth understanding of the concepts that underlie the form of vernacular architecture. Unfortunately, there has been no systematic and rigorous research method aimed explicitly at reading the architecture of vernacular settlements that do not have written data on local traditions and culture. This study puts forward the theoretical-methodological steps to read the meaning of architectural patterns in the context of vernacular settlements by elaborating Levi-Strauss' structural analysis of myths with Salura and Alexander architectural theory. This study resulted in structuralist-inductivist steps to describe, analyse, and interpret vernacular architecture. The methodological framework consists as three significant parts: Firstly, to describe the activity and form of vernacular architecture in-depth based on the anatomical scope and architectural composition-properties. Secondly, to explore the surface structure of local myths, activities, and architectural form. Thirdly, to disclose the deep structure that underlies the relationship between local myths - activities - architectural form. These steps can be applied to read the meaning of vernacular settlements with no written sources on cultural traditions. Thus, this research contributes to the development of the theory and methodology of architectural scholarship. This research also acts as a source of knowledge for architectural practitioners and a significant input for the survival strategies of vernacular architecture.

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