Space, form and process in architectural science (original) (raw)

Introduction to Architectural Theory

2018

“Architecture is a thoughtful making of space” -- Louis I. Kahn If theories are a set of systems or suppositions that undergird how a certain thing operates, the theory of architecture, according to the architect Louis I. Kahn, must entail a thoughtful making of space. So, what then constitutes a “thoughtful making of space?” And a thoughtful making of space for whom? Many scholars, architects and thinkers have been trying to answer this question. The fundamental problem with answering this question lies in the nature of architecture as a “practical” rather than a theoretical discipline. What does it mean for space to be thoughtfully made – comfort, function, and aesthetics? All of these qualities are not merely architectural: Comfortable buildings can be designed by engineers who understand conventional and artificial ventilation; in a similar way, aesthetic edifices only need to be designed by those trained in the fine arts of composition and motif replication. Is there mere theory of architecture? It is an accepted norm that architects “make” things -- buildings, spaces, landscapes; yet, the difference between “simply making something” and “thoughtfully making something” is enormous. Unlike the natural sciences or mathematics, architectural can hardly be undergirded, explained, or experienced by a set of fixed ideas or suppositions. As the historian and theorist Stanford Anderson argues, architecture is “quasi-autonomous,” which may explain why any attempts to see architecture as something else often, if not always, fail. The prime example being that any architectural approaches that end, stylistically, with “-ism,” such as modernism, postmodernism, deconstructionism, to name a few. In this course, we will focus on this very quasi-autonomous quality of architecture in its capacity to “make space” thoughtfully.” In the spirit of skepticism, we will investigate the claims that (a) architectural theory exists and (b) the central elements of such claims are humans and their social relations. By oscillating between reading closely related ideas and oppositional ideas, students will be exposed to a selected range of concepts developed by philosophers, historians, and social theorists in their attempts to come to terms with what they believe to be architecture. These attempts are something we may call “architectural theory.” Chronologically, we will examine socio-cultural ideas in which architecture plays a role as either the source or the outcome. In this course, we will seek to understand architectural theory through the exploration of the economic, political, and cultural roles of architecture. Two sets of readings will be introduced for each topic: classic theoretical and philosophical writings, and writings specific to architecture.

STRUCTURAL AND GEOMETRIC CONCEPTS FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROCESSES

The actual trends in architecture show more and more complex, irregular and seemingly “non-geometric” forms. It seems that the digital tools seduce the users to create anything possible. The more spectacular a building appears, often without perceptible structures, the better and more innovative it is evaluated. Therefore we are asking for fundamentals for design processes, in order to escape from an arbitrary design and finding a rational basis for design processes. When we look back in the history of architecture, we can find the background of geometric structures as important fundaments for designing, for example in symmetry concepts or using transformations. There is a tradition of using structural thinking for design disciplines referring to a mathematical-geometric basis. Structural thinking can be seen as a method and tool, especially with the help of digital tools. It is also the background for an aesthetic foundation of design processes. This way gives the chance to create dynamic architectural design processes, working with the formulated relations and interactions between geometry, material, construction, and other components in multidisciplinary interrelations with an integrative role for geometry. This theoretical background for architectural design processes with an important role for geometry will be illustrated by examples and some experiments by our students.

Mutual Impact Between Building Form and Structure

JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences

Many architects pay little attention to the structural issues when determining the form of a building. This paper aims at increasing architects and structural engineers' awareness about the importance of aesthetic value derived from structural systems and elements in the architectural design form. It also focuses on showing professionals how to read the structure of a building architecturally or at least as parts of an architectural composition rather than seeIng it only as the building load carrying parts. The research reviews several literatures to introduce the relationship between architect and structural engineer during the design processes. The review also focuses on understanding the relationship between structural and architectural form through illustrating various classifications and definitions. The review moves into an analytical study on different structural types in accordance with architectural form and style across periodical time. An assortment was concluded from the study to identify the degree and type of this relationship in different architectural styles and movements. Finally, the research concludes through the recommendations; the importance of maintaining the existing strong and mutual relationship between the structure and architecture form for a better built environment.

Structure as Architecture, Architects as Engineers

2013 UBT International Conference, 2013

The construction challenges and opportunities demand a new kind of professional, with expertise in structural analysis, architectural design, systems engineering, information technology, and management. A decision has to be made regarding the extent to which structure should be exposed in an architectural design. For doing the right choice the architects should have a very good knowledge of structural engineering concepts and materials applications. Structural exposure should be limited to buildings where structure integrates with and clearly strengthens the expression of architectural ideas. Having a huge number of structural possibilities, designers and architects have considerable freedom of choice. In this article we try to make a short description of the potential of structure that is beams, columns, frames, struts and other structural members, to enrich architecture. We try to raise architects' perception of structure and materials as integral elements of architecture rather than applie d technologies.

Architectural morphogenesis Towards a new description of architectural form

crai.archi.fr

Introduction of computational techniques and numeric potentials to the process of architectural design has significantly challenged the process of form generation. Architectural morphogenesis denotes the generation of architectural form via its geometric adaptation to materiality and constructability. This work is presented as a part of a research activity which investigates integration of construction information as well as material properties to geometric description of the architectural form. Different aspects of architectural form are explored. Basic issues of the research were examined through a one week workshop experiment with architecture students.

Handbook of Research on Form and Morphogenesis in Modern Architectural Contexts

Advances in Media, Entertainment, and the Arts, 2018

After nearly three decades since their first appearance in architectural practice, digital design tools are increasingly pervasive in nearly every aspect of the profession and throughout the building life cycle, from project development to construction administration to demolition and recycling. While an integrated approach to building information management is becoming the key to winning projects, the creative attitude of an earlier generation of computational designers is being quickly replaced by new tools and protocols geared toward achieving efficiency targets and boosting profitability. The author reflects on the evolving nature of the digital practice and the potential for a new generation of architects to resolve diverging aspirations towards creative freedom and efficient use of resources. The chapter draws on a few experimental projects by the author that combine traditional design tools with computational techniques to explore a direct correlation between building form and energy performance while forging a new vocabulary for sustainable design.

The undefinable space of architecture

Conference: Theory for the Sake of the Theory: ARCHTHEO '11, 2011

It’s a possible assumption that today at the most of the architectural schools the concept of space is built as an anachronistic and quasi-homogeneous element. Especially through architectural history lessons and architectural design studios, the concept of space is being established with only traces of certain periods of the history of Western thought disregarding its complex and obscure nature. It’s also thought-provoking that in an educational system, introducing space as one of the integral parts of the discipline, there is a huge ambiguity and recklessness about the history and nature of the concept of space. It can be argued that after the intensive interest of architects to the concept of space between 1890-1970 and finally after the stabilization of the concept as a key stone of architecture, the discipline has begun to shift out of the spatial studies (excluding ‘place’ theories between 1970-1990). Although space has become the dominant paradigm particularly in social sciences with the spatial turn after 1980s, it seems like that this socio-political transition of the concept of space has not so much affected the architectural theory deep inside its epistemology. Herein it may play a role that in a Cartesian/capitalist direction matured and freezed epistemology of space of the architectural practice, which has to take part directly in the market being used by whether public or private sector as an economic/politic regulatory, is not exactly corresponding to the spatial approaches which were shifted from aesthetic to social, building critical thinking in subjects like social injustice or bio-politics and hence organizing directly or indirectly resistance against present power and political institutions. In order to trace the way how the concept of space positions itself inside the epistemology of architecture and how this position configurates the discipline, it must be asserted first that space is a historical (1980s) and spatial (Germany) early modern concept diffused into the discipline of architecture rather than being an essential part inherent to it. Therefore the concept of space in architecture has to be read as a historical phenomenon within Western history and in relation with modernity.