Vilmos Katona - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Research Articles by Vilmos Katona

Katona, V., Fenyvesi, K. (2024) Analytical Design in Architecture: New Developments. Nexus Netw J, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 1-5., 2024

This letter from the guest editors introduces Vol. 26(1) of the Nexus Network Journal: Architectu... more This letter from the guest editors introduces Vol. 26(1) of the Nexus Network Journal: Architecture and Mathematics. This special issue, with the theme ‘Analytical Design in Architecture: New Developments’, presents a convergence of historical and contemporary computational methodologies in architecture. The eleven contributions to this issue harness the power of diverse forms of analytical knowledge to create new, intuitive planning platforms and offer designers constructive feedback on novel design methodologies. The topics presented in this issue range from pragmatic design algorithms to the intuitive understanding of traditional architecture, and from the abstract space to experience-oriented education.

Katona, V. (2023) A kritikai regionalizmus negyven évének elméleti összefoglalása nemzetközi és hazai nézőpontból. Építés - Építészettudomány, vol. 51, no. 3-4, pp. 321-344., 2023

The purpose of this study is to describe the international theoretical foundations and practical ... more The purpose of this study is to describe the international theoretical foundations and practical principles of critical regionalism, with the intention of providing a comprehensive summary on the subject and promoting environmental consciousness in design. Through precise definitions, we aim to apply these principles to local Hungarian architecture, and encourage a proper interpretation of critical regionalism with examining its topicality and continuity today. The study describes a unique architectural trend that takes inspiration from the Hungarian genius loci, suggesting its recognition by the domestic and the international professional communities. The author seeks to contribute to this mission without claiming it complete, however, with highlighting the most important interpretations, dispelling some popular misconceptions, and naming the most significant creators related to critical regionalism

Katona, V. (2023) The Hidden Dimension of Façades: Fractal Analysis Reveals Composition Rules in Classical and Renaissance Architecture. Fractal Fract., vol. 7, no. 3, paper 257., 2023

This study uses fractal analysis to measure the detailed intensity of well-known Classical and Re... more This study uses fractal analysis to measure the detailed intensity of well-known Classical and Renaissance façades. The study develops a method to understand their interrelated design principles more comprehensively. With this evaluation tool, one can observe intrinsic connections that support the historical continuity and point out balancing composition protocols, such as the ‘compensation rule’, that regulated design for centuries. The calculations offer mathematical constants to identify Classical and Renaissance details by plasticity rates. Finally, we base this method on spatial evaluation. Our calculations involves depth, which connects planar front views with the haptic reality of the façades’ tectonic layers. The article also discusses the cultural and urban implications of our results.

Katona, V. (2021) Relief Method: The Analysis of Architectonic Façades by Fractal Geometry. Buildings, vol. 11. no. 1, paper 16., 2021

This paper explores the working hypothesis that fractal patterns that closely match those found i... more This paper explores the working hypothesis that fractal patterns that closely match those found in nature are more likely to convey a strong sense of genius loci to humans by comparison with 'Euclidean' patterns that do not occur in nature frequently. A part of this survey is concerned with showing the pattern-conscious thinking, regarding the façade composition and material textures, of historical buildings compared to different ecological or geological scenes. We also examine the background of pattern-design from architectural theory, and extrapolate the matter to certain questions about spatial quality, tectonics, and the phenomenon of place. Our most important concern is an attempt to enhance architectural arguments regarding place and character with mathematical calculations. We introduce 'relief method' as a possible way to capture the haptic nature of architecture beyond the patterns of its two-dimensional projections. Through this approach, façades are considered as reliefs and pictures at the same time, thus reflecting the tension between their materiality and visual representation. Fractal geometry also helps to understand how architectonic layers define scale, and by which means architecture could be translated into the human level of physical existence.

Katona, V. (2021) Reinventing the Façade: Non-obvious symmetries in architectural design and urban planning. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 309-310., 2021

Katona, V. (2023) The Spirit of Vatican II: The Idealist Aspects of Liturgical Architecture in Europe. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 46-56.

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the "idealist" intellectual w... more The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the "idealist" intellectual workshops behind the 20th-century liturgical architecture before and after the Second Vatican Council. These workshops established their concepts on the intriguingly historic presumption that, in order to refresh the Catholic liturgy, one must seek and return to the origins of Christianity. In other words, their worldview was characterized by the spirit of ressourcement, which was one of the great motivators of the new liturgical paradigm brought about by 1962. Ressourcement had both monastic and secular aspects to the invocation-or recreation-of the early apostolic communities by means of new spatial and contextual programs in contemporary church architecture. These programs were conceptually compound, and were often guided or implemented by the clergy itself. The study also sheds light on some of the 21th-century interpretations and the survival of the same ideas in today's architectural culture.

Katona, V. (2017) The Spatial Dimension of Liturgy: Historical and Contemporary Accounts of Communio-Space in Europe’s Latin Rite Liturgical Architecture. Építés – Építészettudomány, vol. 45, no. 1–2, pp. 173–213., 2017

The present study focuses on the spatial aspect of the liturgy, the raison d’être of church build... more The present study focuses on the spatial aspect of the liturgy, the raison d’être of church building. The topicality of this approach is explained either by the manner of international communication about sacred architecture, or by the work of German architect Rudolf Schwarz (1897–1961), who is cited anew, very often due to his unification of architectural praxis, scientific activity and a life of a devoted man deservedly still influential in the field. A church can be understood by its operative function. Throughout the most important liturgical reform movements of the 20th century, one can get an insight into the spatial concepts of the designers, which, consciously or not, reflect the achievements of these movements even today.
In the contemporary praxis of Latin Rite liturgy, the divorce between the once close-knit aspects of the worship are palpable, thanks to these reforms on the one hand, and their late interpretations on the other. Inspired by autonomous readings, the sacrificial act of the Eucharist (sacrificium) and the symbol of the communal feast (cena) were associated with correspondent models of space. This problem shares root with the frequent contraposition of personal devotion and the communio: the former prevails in oriented spaces, while the latter appears in the central. Spatial concepts capable of respecting both religious devotion and the needs of the community in their primordial unity and theological profoundness, seldom can be found today. Following the terminology of Albert Gerhards and Walter Zahner, these are often referred to as communio-spaces (Communio-Räume). Albeit the proposition of this space type is clearly theoretical, it looks back to important antecedents from the 20th century, and defines a multiplicity of new directions. The story of communio-space spans from Rudolf Schwarz to the contemporary church architecture of Central and Western Europe as well as North America, and still influences the newest designs of liturgical spaces. In Hungary, this recent issue of spatial arrangement is not a question of a substantial debate up to now, yet even this limited number of experiments necessitate the idea and applied examples of communio-space to acquire more attention here as well.
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Jelen tanulmány a templomépítészet okára, a liturgikus térhasználatra összpontosít. E megközelítésmód időszerűségét a szakrális építészet kutatásának nemzetközi tárgyalásmódja mellett a ma újra gyakran idézett Rudolf Schwarz német építész (1897–1961) tervezői praxist, tudományos tevékenységet és hitgyakorlatot egyesítő munkássága indokolja, amelynek befolyása méltán meghatározó a szakterületen. A templom a liturgia működéséből érthető meg. A tervezők térkoncepcióiba a 20. század jelentős liturgikus reformtörekvésein keresztül nyerhetünk betekintést, amelyek tudatosan vagy tudattalanul ma is e mozgalmak eredményeire reflektálnak.
A latin rítusú liturgikus gyakorlatban – részben e reformok, részben azok kései interpretációinak köszönhetően – mára érezhetően különváltak egymástól az istentisztelet korábban szorosan összetartozó aspektusai. Az eucharisztia szakrális áldozati cselekményét (sacrificium) és a közösségi lakoma szimbólumát (cena) autonóm értelmezések mentén társították egy-egy meghatározó tértípussal. E problémával közös tőről fakad az egyéni vallásos odaadás (devotio) és a közösség (communio) gyakori szembeállítása: az előbbi az irányított, míg az utóbbi a centrális terekben érvényesül jobban. Ma már ritkaságszámba mennek azok a térkoncepciók, amelyek mind a vallásos odaadás, mind a közösség szempontjait a maguk eredeti egységében és teológiai mélységében képesek figyelembe venni. Albert Gerhards és Walter Zahner nyomán ezeket communio-tereknek (Communio-Räume) nevezi a szakirodalom. Noha e tértípus felvetése tisztán elméleti, meghatározó 20. századi előzményekre tekint vissza, és számos új irányt definiál. A communio-tér történetének íve Rudolf Schwarztól Közép- és Nyugat-Európa, valamint Észak-Amerika kortárs templomépítészetéig ér, és ma is meghatározó legújabb liturgikus tereink születésében. Hazánkban egyelőre nem képezi kellő súlyú építészeti vita tárgyát e korszerű liturgikus téralakítás, de a létező kisszámú kísérlet szükségessé teszi, hogy a communio-tér elmélete és gyakorlati példái itthon is ismertebbé váljanak.

Katona, V. (2015) From Static Space to Dynamic Architecture: The Changing Principles of Contemporary European Church Architecture. Global Built Environmet Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 21–47., Mar 2015

The issue of ressourcement has been fully re-evaluated thanks to the new liturgical guidelines of... more The issue of ressourcement has been fully re-evaluated thanks to the new liturgical guidelines of the third millennium. Instead of utopias, new architectural solutions have emerged which suit liturgy’s structure better, and depict a more understandable and realistic image of Christianity. This contemporary change has had an impact on large scale planning as well, especially where new city centres are formed as open and multifunctional meeting places for various communities. Most examples in Europe prove that the architectural framework of such religious orientation inevitably gives rise to new social platforms within urban environments.

Hungarian church architecture of the 20th century accurately reflects the European historical and... more Hungarian church architecture of the 20th century accurately reflects the European historical and artistic development processes of the given period. Though this century was typified by its enriching of the region by presenting the values of individuality, the continuity of forms, structures or
the craft itself related to foreign connections can be observed at several points. The architectural consensus of buildings designed by architects working in parallel cannot always be derived from the activity of any architectural school. However, it can be noted in general that the spirit of the modern age demanded everywhere the overcoming of
the ideals of historism bound by formalities with the help of the liberating facilities of technology, and by presenting their philosophical, aesthetical and economical values. Nevertheless, the intrinsic contradictions of the Modern Movement, which had defined itself only in an unsatisfactory
way regarding the matter of tectonics, historic and space context and architectural immanence, were manifested in an apparent break in sacral architecture rooted in liturgical traditions. Though in the third quarter of the century we can find examples of even some industrial-constructivist interpretations of sacral buildings, from the point of view of
new social demands and technology the Church’s changed role can be defined only temporarily or incompletely. We also have to take into consideration the iconological hiatus that arose from the modernist repudiation of the spatial and textual symbolic order that had previously existed in historism, in the church architecture of Art Nouveau or in the
Hungarian national movement at the turn of the century. The iconological patterns were dissolved in the expressive form, in the avant-garde reduction of liturgical arts and in the space-topography; while the liturgical spaces cleansed of narratives and allegories emphasized the independence of
holiness from space and time as well as its direct and universal aspect. Consequently, this purity of sacral spaces was attached to the development of a religious community into an intellectual centre, while the uniqueness of the liturgical word, which was just being born, was connected to
the specialty and singleness of individual spaceformation. It may seem rather contradictory that in the decades when the experimental form of modernity spread through Europe, Hungarian church architecture of the period between the
two world wars was much more connected to historical
archetypes, to ‘common taste’ and to the emphasis on the community creating the role of the church than the Hungarian state architecture of the era after World War II, in which architecture professed social realism, the will of people and communism, but soon performed a complete turn
to modernism. After the liquidation of the communist regime, the liturgical architecture of the era had the chance to take inspiration once more from studying the outstanding examples of the movements present before the world war, and to search for continuity along the curve of the broken traditions.

Katona, V. and Vukoszávlyev, Z. (2012) Place and Identity: Critical Regionalism in the New Millennium, National and International Achievements. Építés – Építészettudomány, vol. 40, no. 1-2, pp. 141–174., 2012

Twenty-nine years ago the idea of critical regionalism was presented by Kenneth Frampton in his n... more Twenty-nine years ago the idea of critical regionalism was presented by Kenneth Frampton in his non-conventional essay Toward a Critical Regionalism. Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance (1983), preceded by a list of architects considered to be answers to globalism. A return to the genius loci seeking the roots of a genuine architecture proposed the necessity of another modernism, but it proved too academic to address the architects in praxis. ‘Resistance’ could not define revolutionary alternatives to the textbook avant-gardes without revising the meaning of architectural authenticity. Critical regionalist tenets need to be returned to the discussion in order to break through the concept’s still theoretical position as an impact of, among others Walter Benjamin’s definition of the aura. Benjamin’s recognition relates to Gernot Böhme’s views on the atmosphere, which places the dispute on an empirical, however, not abstractly objective level. (...) Can we refine critical regionalism’s provisions? We need to turn to the experimental reality in order to provide an authentic basis for the architecture of renewing identity. It is also required that we broaden the application of Frampton’s ontological principals to match them with Mircea Eliade’s or Titus Burckhardt’s explanatory studies offering non-western approaches to architectural perception. Hungary may contribute to both the reinterpretation of the ‘foreign’ theory of critical regionalism, and the creation of a new identity in Europe’s regional palette. The critical aspects of the artistic approaches and the relevant analysis of some new buildings completing the historical complex of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma may play a lead role in fulfilling these missions as well.

Katona, V. (2010) Genius Loci in Contemporary Sacral Architecture. Építés – Építészettudomány, vol. 38, no. 3-4, pp. 359–399., 2010

Although it is possible to speak about contemporary ecclesial architecture in the light of the 20... more Although it is possible to speak about contemporary ecclesial architecture in the light of the 20th century liturgical change, the reasons for this change we can find immediately in the alteration of sanctity-experience of the modern human being. Sanctity-experience is connected to human life on earth through the perception, construing, and symbolic visualization of the spirit of place; therefore the alteration of sacrality fits in the ontological history of genius loci. Heideggerian ontology, the architectural phenomenology of Christian Norberg-Schulz, and the principals of the architectural turn of critical regionalism proposed by Kenneth Frampton meet. Their shared field is the concept of tectonics, which is implicit in parallel ontological and architectural-theoretic understandings of the fourfolds of Martin Heidegger, Gottfried Semper as well as Norberg-Schulz, which shed light on the inner sacredness of architecture itself. A concourse of both the immanent sanctity-experience working in the spirit of place and the religious-transcendental perception of the sacrament could be realized only in few cases, such as in the ecclesial architecture of Jorn Utzon, Mario Botta, or Peter Zumthor; about whom an outstanding consort has been achieved considering their evaluation by theorists. Each work of them introduced here evokes an aspect of modern sacrality, which, in order to comprehend, we need to root back into their architectural fundaments further below liturgy. It is a new attempt to bridge ontology, tectonics, architectural critics, and realized buildings, which in this study converge into the spirit of sacred architecture.

[Corrected English abstract. Full text is only available in Hungarian.]

Katona, V. (2010) Reconsidering the Tectonic: On the sacred ambivalence of the tectonic in the light of Martin Heidegger and relevant theoretical studies on architecture. Periodica Polytechnica – Architecture, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 19–25., 2010

Kenneth Frampton´s critical regionalist interpretation of the tectonic applies the 19th century t... more Kenneth Frampton´s critical regionalist interpretation of the tectonic applies the 19th century terms of Karl Bötticher and Gottfried Semper to evaluate its role in initiating the architectural resistance, where it seems to hold a position without further cognitive prospects. Redirecting architecture essentially to philosophy, tectonics stands rather as it is given by the language and the natural use of structures or materials: in a sacral ambiguity presenting the ontological break between the frame and the cladding of a building. The revision of the Greek origin of the term reveals a Latin root as an alternative, which sheds light on the double meaning of the tectonic inherent in the architectural manifestation of Martin Heidegger´s fourfold comparable to the similar modalities of Semper as well as Christian Norberg-Schulz. Based on its poetic and ritual characteristic, contemporary sacred architecture provides significant examples for both the analysis and the understanding of the symbolic debate of immane nce opening up in the spatial occupation of the human being.

Today, the practice of energy efficient architecture has demanded not only a technical change in ... more Today, the practice of energy efficient architecture has demanded not only a technical change in the building industry but also the acquiring of sustainable design methods and the development of a new architectural image based on a specifically ecological way of thinking. The aspects of environmental calculations are best presented by the examples of high standard public investments developed with respect for the environment, the use of renewable energy by minimising pollution and energy consumption. These criteria are not eligible to satisfy the socio-cultural compactness of an artificial environment which has communal or intellectual functions. Despite their integration into local topography, the difficulties of structure and insulation, or the use of industrial materials often reveal the contradictions between the unnatural facts and the clarity of the buildings’ architectural language. Such contradictions are especially warning in contemporary liturgical architecture, however, the spiritual requirements of local communities are capable of encouraging an environmentally more conscious planning. The goal of this study is prospecting solutions for both a physically and culturally sustainable design in this very specific field.

Katona, V. (2022) Szentföldi felmérések II. András király nyomában: Castellum Regis, Milia, Izrael. Utóirat - Post Scriptum, vol. 22, no. 125, pp. 67-71., 2022

In the early spring of 2022, the author of this study was asked by the Hungarian Chapter of the O... more In the early spring of 2022, the author of this study was asked by the Hungarian Chapter of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem to carry out a survey of a section of the medieval fortress in Milia in Israel with the help of a local archaeologist. The target area was the section of the wall behind King Andrew II’s monument erected by the Order in 2019 with a purpose to prepare for its later restoration with the help of the Hungarian state, based on the results of the documentation. The mission, however, was not actually about the potentials of preserving this solitary wall section, but about exploring the regional and international strategic importance of the castle and the settlement uniquely rich in archaeological sites. This study is an enjoyably readable extract from the Israeli documentation, and simultaneously an invitation, an open, unended story, which needs to be continued by Hungarian architects and researchers. There are several reasons to justify the rediscovery of Milia. It is the most important settlement in Israel, and perhaps the only one the identity of which is based on Latin or Western Christianity in its entirety in its present form. Thanks to its sheltered location it could evolve into a popular destination for travellers visiting the northern part of the Holy Land, and its proximity to other monuments could also have a positive impact on diplomatic peace processes. Much like a twin settlement to Jerusalem, a new Galilean centre could easily develop here, creating a new kind of history based on cultural communication instead of ethnic and religious tensions.

Katona, V. (2021) 30 years of transdisciplinary research: A letter to Springer. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 301-303, 2021

Katona, V. (2018) Symmetries and Proportions in Architecture. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 325–327., 2018

Katona, V. (2020) Geometry and architecture: Parametricism, morphology, design methodology. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 31, no. 3, p. 229., 2020

Architecture has its roots in geometry, which is drawn etymologically from "earth measuring". Geo... more Architecture has its roots in geometry, which is drawn etymologically from "earth measuring". Geometry was originally used for drawing ground plans in order to create bases for buildings. The Pythagorean theorem furnished us with a practical way to employ the right angle, the quintessence of architecture. However, despite its benefits during planning and construction, geometry, as an independent discipline, has its own rules and possibilities that facilitate morphologies free from the ties of gravity and matter. Starting from Platonic and Archimedean solids, architecture has been applying many of the free forms of a "celestial" geometry in order to reconnect them to the physical level.

Katona, V. (2019) Bauhaus 100: Symmetries and proportions in modern architectural composition. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 261–263., 2019

The architects' community is now celebrating the first centenary of Bauhaus. The famous design sc... more The architects' community is now celebrating the first centenary of Bauhaus. The famous design school of post-World War I Germany combined crafts with the fine arts, heralding a new architectural paradigm for modern life. Based on pure geometry and functionalism, it relied upon a scientific approach to re-create the human environment, to liberate the same from historical allusions, and to redefine culture as a product of rational thinking. Bauhaus changed the structure of the education of applied arts, and placed architectural master planning at the hub of all major specializations. However, those specializations were each progressive actualizations of traditional crafts due to the needs of industrialized construction. Materials were processed and objects were fashioned accordingly in the Werkstatts of the old campus at the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar, then in the southern wing of the new school in Dessau. Light penetrating through the great curtain wall of the new building was an achievement that presaged the age of transparency.

Plócz, K. and Katona, V. (2021) The applicability of gamification in architectural design education, Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 489-505., 2021

Gamification is an innovative method that applies game-design elements and principles in non-game... more Gamification is an innovative method that applies game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts in order to increase users' involvement and motivation or provide experiences. The purpose of the paper is to outline trends and patterns in 'gamification' research and to explore how digital interventions can affect the process of collaborative architectural design. The analysis of the ModRule model is followed by modelling its practical application in a public educational environment. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that participatory planning strategies encourage valuable interaction through gamification techniques, as well as instilling a greater sense of belonging in the people by the enhanced integration of bottom-up and top-down approaches.

Palócz, K. and Katona, V. (2019) The applicability of geometrical games in designing modular housing solutions. Symmetry: Culture and Science, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 25-41., 2019

The purpose of this paper is to outline an innovative modular housing system based on geometric r... more The purpose of this paper is to outline an innovative modular housing system based on geometric regularities, which responds to the issues raised by urbanization, the principles of environmental awareness, and the model of a sustainable city. The starting point of the analysis of wood-based systems is analysing the variations of elements obtained by repeating and assembling regular flat joints for filling the planar and the spatial. The following step is to model real spatial situations. According to the principal idea, geometric principle based logic games provide a pattern for designing modular housing units or systems. Although inherent in the classification and variation of the same elements, the system has a high degree of freedom and flexibility due to its nature. Multidimensional vertical spaces provide the opportunity to maximize the space given, while the openness and the flexibility of the system, the current character of the city, neighbourhood features remain-moreover, its implementation is flexible, adaptive, and customizable.