An Introduction To Architectural Theory

A sharp and lively text that covers issues in depth but not to the point that they become inaccessible to beginning students, An Introduction to Architectural Theory is the first narrative history of this period, charting the veritable revolution in architectural thinking that has taken place, as well as the implications of this intellectual upheaval. The first comprehensive and critical history of architectural theory over the last fifty years surveys the intellectual history of architecture since 1968, including criticisms of high modernism, the rise of postmodern and poststructural theory, critical regionalism and tectonics Offers a comprehensive overview of the significant changes that architectural thinking has undergone in the past fifteen years Includes an analysis of where architecture stands and where it will likely move in the coming years

A sharp and lively text that covers issues in depth but not to the point that they become inaccessible to beginning students, An Introduction to Architectural Theory is the first narrative history of this period, charting the veritable revolution in architectural thinking that has taken place, as well as the implications of this intellectual upheaval. The first comprehensive and critical history of architectural theory over the last fifty years surveys the intellectual history of architecture since 1968, including criticisms of high modernism, the rise of postmodern and poststructural theory, critical regionalism and tectonics Offers a comprehensive overview of the significant changes that architectural thinking has undergone in the past fifteen years Includes an analysis of where architecture stands and where it will likely move in the coming years

The aim of the book is to provide teachers, students, practising architects and curious readers with a set of ideas that will enrich their conversation, their writing, and above all their thinking about architecture. It's divided into eight chapters, each covering a particular aspect of architecture, and introduces difficult concepts gradually.

Building Ideas An Introduction to Architectural Theory This book is an essential text for students of architecture and related disciplines, satisfying the demand for an accessible introduction to the major theoretical debates in contemporary architecture. Written in a lucid and user-friendly style, the book also acts as a guide and companion volume to the many primary theoretical texts recently made available in reprinted collections. Whilst architectural monographs, collections of building precedents and polemical manifestoes are growing more and more numerous, Building Ideas is the first book to provide an introduction to such a broad range of issues in architectural theory. This text therefore serves to fill a widening gap between the everyday practice of architecture and the often bewildering field of academic theoretical debate. Beginning with a general introduction to the field of architectural theory, covering the interface between philosophy and technology in the production and interpretation of buildings, the book presents the major theoretical positions in contemporary architecture through a series of thematically structured chapters. Each chapter deals with a specific approach to the theory and criticism of architecture by presenting a series of related buildings as illustrations of a key theoretical position, as well as setting this position in a cultural and historical context. Under the five broad headings of 'Architecture as Engineering - The Technological Revolution', 'Architecture as Art - Aesthetics in Philosophy', 'The Return of the Body - Phenomenology in Architecture', 'Systems of Communication - Structuralism and Semiotics' and 'Politics and Architecture - The Marxist Tradition', the book presents a wide but critical survey of the central questions in the current theoretical debate. Providing the theoretical tools necessary for an understanding of the history of philosophies and technologies in architecture, this book is essential reading for undergraduate architectural theory courses as well as a first point of reference for anyone wishing to understand the complex connections between architecture and related fields of cultural enquiry.

This is the most accessible architectural theory book that exists. Korydon Smith presents each common architectural subject – such as tectonics, use, and site – as though it were a conversation across history between theorists by providing you with the original text, a reflective text, and a philosophical text. He also introduces each chapter by highlighting key ideas and asking you a set of reflective questions so that you can hone your own theory, which is essential to both your success in the studio and your adaptability in the profession. These primary source texts, which are central to your understanding of the discipline, were written by such architects as Le Corbusier, Robert Venturi, and Adrian Forty. The appendices also have guides to aid your reading comprehension; to help you write descriptively, analytically, and disputationally; and to show you citation styles and how to do library-based research. More than any other architectural theory book about the great thinkers, Introducing Architectural Theory teaches you to think as well.

"Offers an intense scholarly experience in its comprehensiveness, its variety of voices and its formal organization... the editors took a risk, experimented and have delivered a much-needed resource that upends the status-quo." - Architectural Histories, journal of the European Architectural History Network "Architectural theory interweaves interdisciplinary understandings with different practices, intentions and ways of knowing. This handbook provides a lucid and comprehensive introduction to this challenging and shifting terrain, and will be of great interest to students, academics and practitioners alike." - Professor Iain Borden, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture "In this collection, architectural theory expands outward to interact with adjacent discourses such as sustainability, conservation, spatial practices, virtual technologies, and more. We have in The Handbook of Architectural Theory an example of the extreme generosity of architectural theory. It is a volume that designers and scholars of many stripes will welcome." - K. Michael Hays, Eliot Noyes Professor of Architectural Theory, Harvard University The SAGE Handbook of Architectural Theory documents and builds upon the most innovative developments in architectural theory over the last two decades. Bringing into dialogue a range of geographically, institutionally and historically competing positions, it examines and explores parallel debates in related fields. The book is divided into eight sections: Power/Difference/Embodiment Aesthetics/Pleasure/Excess Nation/World/Spectacle History/Memory/Tradition Design/Production/Practice Science/Technology/Virtuality Nature/Ecology/Sustainability City/Metropolis/Territory. Creating openings for future lines of inquiry and establishing the basis for new directions for education, research and practice, the book is organized around specific case studies to provide a critical, interpretive and speculative enquiry into the relevant debates in architectural theory.

This book presents a new take on the evolution of digital design theories in architecture from modernity to today, as they have been inspired both by contemporary philosophy and the emergence and access to advanced computation. It focuses on how concepts of difference in philosophy transformed architectural design theory and takes on even more significance with the introduction and ubiquitous use of computers within the discipline, changing the architectural design paradigm forever. Beginning with a presentation of American Pragmatism’s push towards process, the book continues on to Husserl’s influence on the modern movement, mid-century phenomenology, post-structuralist Derridean exchanges with architects, the Deleuzian influence on the smoothing of form and finally contemporary architectural references to speculative realism. Analyzing the arc of design theory as influenced by philosophical and computational logics, this book presents the transformation to contemporary design approaches that includes more biology, more data and more information, moving from "less is more" to "From Less to More!" Philosophical Difference and Advanced Computation in Architectural Theory is an influential read for students and academics of architectural theory, computational design and related areas.

Introduction to Architecture: Global Disciplinary Knowledge provides students with a holistic exploration of the history of architectural discourse. The anthology features select readings in architectural theory, which are supplemented by clear introductory remarks to help guide students through critical concepts and themes. The book expands the repertoire of traditional Euro-American based theory anthologies by presenting texts from an explicitly global perspective. It engages a diverse range of debates on the built environment throughout history and around the world. The collection addresses the what, how, and why of architecture and architectural theory, specifically addressing the following questions: What is architecture? What are the ideas behind some of the most significant buildings in history? How does architecture manifest cultural values and aspirations in different contexts? Why is all of this important in the first place? To answer these questions, the anthology offers students readings on architectural thought and theory from some of the most renowned and revered architects and theorists of their time. The text also provides students with case studies and images of exemplary buildings to help them connect the dots between theoretical concepts and constructed works of architecture. Designed to serve as a supplementary text, Introduction to Architecture is a cross-disciplinary anthology well suited for foundational courses in architectural history, architecture, theory of architecture, cultural studies, anthropology, and urban studies. An architectural theorist, historian, and practitioner, Joseph Godlewski earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in architectural history and theory from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an assistant professor at the Syracuse University School of Architecture, where he teaches courses in theory and design. His writing has been featured in various forums including CLOG, The Plan Journal, MONU, ArchDaily.com, Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, and the book The Dissertation: An Architecture Student's Handbook. He's a member of the Global Architectural History Teaching Collaborative (GAHTC).