Qualities of Relations in Time and Space - Factors Shaping Time and Space in Architecture

Contemporary Japanese architecture has achieved great success and has been widely accepted by the whole architectural field. What is the driving force for the contemporary Japanese architectural creation is worth of thinking carefully about. In this study, some famous Japanese architects, including Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando, Arata Isozaki, Kengo Kuma, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and their architectural studiess are analyzed and studied from the angle of nationality. These architects keep up with the step of the world architecture and always pursuit the aesthetical taste of nationality. They proposed some special architectural theories that profoundly reflect the nationality of Japanese and make great influence on the architectural forms, architectural space and architectural aesthetics of Contemporary Japanese architecture. In the architectural form, they pursuit the simplicity, pureness, lightness and finesses; in the architectural space and behavior, they pursuit the shadow of the ma space and nature existence; in the architectural aesthetics, they pursuit the beauty of animism, dreariness and substance sadness. Through conjoint analysis of the architectural examples and the theory of nationality, this study proposed that the contemporary Japanese architectural creation is directly derived from the profound traditional culture and firm nationality and nationality is the cornerstone of the Japanese architecture and always promotes the progress of the Japanese architecture.

The project represented an initial attempt to record how the visual experience of architecture is influenced by various formal-geometric characteristics such as size, contrast, direction, symmetry, closure, etc., and how these factors may alter individual visual scan paths and affect awareness and appreciation of architectural designs. Results indicate that the eye does not trace shapes completely, but focuses on the overall arrangement of visual centers, major masses, and on objects with distinct formal differences from the overall set. Elements indicating spatial depth such as vistas receive special attention. There is a clear preference for the left area of a space. Redundant elements draw less attention than solitary shapes. Vertically and horizontally oriented objects are explored less than obliquely oriented shapes. More work using the methods of this study might provide important findings in the following three areas: scientific analysis of certain characteristic properties of architectural form and space long described by writers on architectural aesthetics; exploration of discrepancies in the perception of two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of architectural form and space in the design process; and an evaluation of differences in the perception of architectural form and space by architects and non-architects.

With the continuous development of rural tourism, the sound environment of public spaces in tourism villages has been receiving increasing attention. To optimize the soundscape of public spaces in these villages, this paper studies five typical tourism villages in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, the largest urban agglomeration in northern China. Through fields surveys on the audio-visual landscape factors and Virtual Reality (VR) experiments, the soundscape and visual landscape of the typical public spaces in these villages are evaluated. Correlation analysis and Structural Equation Model (SEM) are employed to analyse the influence of visual landscape factors on soundscape evaluation. The results indicate that, among the three types of public spaces surveyed (i.e., squares, parks, and pavements), human sounds and natural sounds are the primary sound sources in squares, whereas natural sounds prevail in parks and pavements. Moreover, the sound pressure level in parks is relatively high. The pleasantness results in squares, parks and public spaces along the streets are positive, and the eventfulness results in squares and parks are mostly, positive, whereas the pleasantness results in the public spaces along the streets are mostly negative. Furthermore, the results indicate that greenery satisfaction, architectural aesthetics and space openness are significantly positively correlated with soundscape pleasantness, however greenery satisfaction, environmental cleanliness, sky visibility and space openness are significantly negatively correlated with soundscape eventfulness. Using SEM, we found that architectural aesthetics and space openness had positive effects on soundscape pleasantness, with standardised path coefficients of 0.196 and 0.152, respectively (p < 0.05), whereas environmental cleanliness and architectural aesthetics had significant effects on soundscape eventfulness, with standardised path coefficients of -0.242 and 0.151, respectively (p<0.05). This study provides a scientific basis for improving the public space environment in tourism villages.

The modernist idea of monumentality derived its inspiration from the imagery of late-nineteenth century industrial structures. In the 1960s, this monumentality and modernist 'total design' was criticised by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown who proposed the 'ugly and ordinary' architecture and 'vital mess' of commercial populism instead. On the background of these two approaches, I will read the art works of Gordon-Matta Clark, Robert Smithson and Bernd and Hilla Bechers as giving voice to all that is forgotten, excluded or unacknowledged in architecture. The importance of these artists lies in their exploration of negativity in architecture. Their art works stage the contras, first, between the inevitable continuity of architecture as a process and its discontinuity when it is reduced to a set of objects, as well as the contrast, secondly, between the continuity of urban and architectural space and its discontinuity when our perceptions reduce it to its monumental and important parts. Negativity stands for the time 'before' and 'after' of what is commonly understood as an architecture, as well as for the 'invisible' materiality parts of urban space and buildings that are usually ignored. Today, it is in obsolete industrial architecture that negativity finds its purest expression: in the words of Walter Benjamin, the Modernists' imaginary monuments are recognised as ruins even before they have physically crumbled.

Understanding the factors influencing the aesthetic experience of architectures is an important topic in empirical aesthetics. In this study, we examined the effect of three architectural factors, i.e., ceiling height, openness, and contour, on viewers’ aesthetic appreciation through a series of experiments. In previous studies on architectural aesthetics, participants were usually asked to view an image of an architectural space for a few seconds. The long viewing time allows them to focus on different parts of the architecture and then make an aesthetic judgment. The long viewing time, however, also makes it difficult to obtain viewers’ aesthetic scores for a large number of architectural spaces in a short period. In this study, we shortened the visual presentation time to 200 ms, which allowed the viewers to have only one fixation on the image, and asked the viewers to make an aesthetic judgment. It was found that the experiment with a 200-ms viewing time could establish how the three architectural factors influenced aesthetic judgment as well as previous experiments with a 3,000-ms viewing time, suggesting that aesthetic judgment could be made within one fixation. Additionally, we investigated the impact of color on architectural aesthetic judgment by presenting grayscale images. We found that the three architectural factors influenced aesthetic judgment in similar ways for both color and grayscale images. In summary, we found that color was not a main factor modulating viewers’ architectural aesthetic judgments, and we also presented a way to quickly obtain aesthetic scores for architectural spaces.

Chapter 6—Daylighting

The Austrian architectural team Coop Himmelb(l)au conveys the fluid meaning of architecture through innovative forms inspired by dynamic cyclones, transforming architecture into a dynamic and engaging narrative system that drives the passion for life and the spatial appeal. The design of BMW Welt embodies the whimsical and imaginative qualities of dynamic architecture, creating a sensorially vibrant aesthetic experience through the design syntax and compositional aesthetics of fluid architecture. This research through the methods of literature review and field investigation to analyze Coop Himmelb(l)au's architectural design methods. Taking Noble Schulz's theory of Genius Loci as the framework and theoretical basis of analysis, it analyzes the composition method and design mode of the architectural design. The research found that BMW Welt designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au has the following compositional characteristics: A. The design method of the rhythm of the fluid architectural space composition; B. The self-evident and pioneering characteristics of the automotive dynamic art venue; C. The innovative design methods and characteristics of the exhibition and interior space; D. The innovative dimension of art and emotional architectural experiments. Through the combination of architecture and mobile space atmosphere, shape the architectural contagious car fluid image and the new spiritual aesthetics experience of mobile life.

Two architects, Adolf Loos in 1908 and Walter Gropius in 1924, and the architecture critic Alexander Schwab in 1930 (under the pseudonym Albert Sigrist) all advocated for the austere aesthetics of modernist architecture. For Loos, ornamentation was a sign of regression and criminality; for Gropius, removing ornamentation was a matter of honesty and of creating an architectural aesthetics for the mechanized present. For Schwab, too, the removal of ornamentation was a question of honesty, but with the goal of direct proletarian architecture, that, while still capitalist in character, nonetheless pointed beyond capitalism. Despite their differences, all three offer versions of the same line of reasoning, an understanding about architectural space as a critique of those parts of society that appear to be constituted abstractly and a celebration of those parts of society that appear to be constituted concretely. The article explores this opposition between the abstract and the concrete in this architectural discourse and attempts to account for this dualism with reference to a theory of capitalism.

This paper is devoted to the process of shaping of urban pedestrian public spaces in new revitalised urban structures of European cities in the early 21st century upon the example of a new revitalised centre of Bjørvika Barcode in Oslo. New public spaces emerge, creating a new spatial context. The paper also focuses on some aspects of the creation of space, particularly from the perspective of pedestrian users of the ‘ground floor’ of these spaces and the perception thereof connected with – without limitations – composition and aesthetics of architecture, and its relation towards the surrounding area and nature. Creation of urban spaces has a significant effect on the process of shaping of the surrounding synergic architecture and synergic urban pedestrian public spaces, as well as creates a new spatial identity of the place and its architecture.

Structural art should not be marginalised as an integral part of structural design. By reviewing historical understandings of structural art, this article discusses the ambiguous and neglected perspective of structural art on architectural design and human perception dimensions, concentrating the attention of structural art on the question of human aesthetic perception. Based on significant changes in how art is perceived due to recent neuroaesthetics research, this article introduces recent findings from cognitive neuroscience regarding embodied perception principles, sheds new light on the aesthetic experiences inherent in the built environment, and clarifies and expands previously held beliefs about structural art. Finally, while emphasising the significance of structural art, this article attempts to provide a body-informed perspective on structural art that can aid in incorporating human neuroaesthetic perception principles during the conceptual phase of the structural design process, thereby redefining the effect of structures on architectural space and aesthetics, thus redefining structural art.

Parametric Design has aroused the innovation in the architectural form creation, space conception and technology conception as a sort of new thinking mode. Coming along with this situation, architectural aesthetics has already started a new step in the influence of parametric design. Using the basic principles of philosophy, aesthetics, information technology, from the Multidimensional Vision systems theory, information theory, behaviour psychology, philosophical thinking and logical induction dual perspective of parametric architectural beauty philosophical connotation, aesthetic principles, aesthetic value and artistic regularity analysis, so as to construct a theoretical framework parameterized Aesthetics. Proposed integrity and process, interaction with equality and pluralism and individuality is an important aesthetic value principle parametric architectural aesthetics. And from complex parametric building phenomenon, summed parametric architectural aesthetics content evolution include: aesthetic dimension in the form of expansion of the connotation of spatial variation in the type of aesthetic and technical aesthetics extend and so on. Expanding the creative vision of today's architectural and aesthetic theory could provide new ways of thinking, and provide a theoretical basis for aesthetic parametric building program evaluation.

The stilt house is one of the most representative of Chinese architecture among national minority traditional dwellings, most of which are located in mountainous regions whose climate is characterized by hot summers and cold winters. Moreover, it is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, etc., as well as tropics like Hawaii, Guam. These kinds of dwellings have unique architectural aesthetics as well as high climate adaptability. However, because of their remote locations and rapid disappearance in urbanization, few studies have focused on their real indoor environment and thermal comfort. More studies were engaged in their architectural aesthetics and space patterns. In this study, based on the measurement and evaluation of residential natural lighting, ventilation, air quality, and thermal comfort in traditional stilt Dong village houses, the air temperature, humidity, CO2 and PM2.5 concentrations, wind speed, direction, and other variables are monitored and analyzed. Results show that the inhabitants have a higher thermal comfort adaptation than urban residents under natural ventilation. Meanwhile, the humidity of Dong stilt dwelling can reach a satisfactory level within 24 h except for the morning period. The satisfaction of the acoustic environment needs to be improved via reasonable structural maintenance.

In any society governed by religion, each activity performed in the society is closely associated with religious factors. In an Islamic society where Islam is the basis for the elements of the society, various arts including architecture are the most important manifestations of Islamic principles. After emergence of Islam in Iran and introducing the Islamic worldview to Iranians, it changed the Iranians' way of thinking and beliefs. This worldview affected Iranian architecture in constructing different buildings such as mosques, houses, tekye, caravanserai, and other buildings based on Islamic theoretical foundations. Different parts of these places, such as the dome, minaret, entrance, vestibule, and other parts, were built according to Islamic principles and foundations and formed an architectural style that is currently known as the Islamic architecture of Iran. This style, like other existing architectural styles, has been influenced by local and historical characteristics and is considered one of the most important and successful Islamic schools. The investigation of architectural principles in different Islamic buildings, including the meanings of dome, hijab, mihrab, and aesthetics in Islamic architecture of Iran was the purpose of the present study. The study sought to examine the principles formed based on religion in the Islamic architecture of Iran. The results indicated that the Islamic spaces of Iran were built based on Islamic religious values.

ABSTRACTThe capital city of Cyprus, Nicosia, has been the seat of government and administrative authority throughout the island's history. The Lusignan reign in the twelfth century (1192–1489) was followed by Venetian (1489–1571), Ottoman (1571–1878) and British (1878–1960) rule until the establishment of the independent state of Cyprus (1960–1963). Today, Nicosia is the last divided capital city in Europe, serving the Turkish Cypriots in the north and the Greek Cypriots in the south of the island. The palaces, monuments and governmental centres illustrate how territorial belonging and power were defined and reflected in the buildings of the city itself. The way in which the power of individuals, communities and nations is organized can be traced through the organization of space and the architectural forms of administrative buildings. This paper elaborates on the ideas and experiences of architects with regard to the ideational background, symbolic significance and relationship between art form and political power put forth in these buildings. Within this context, the paper reflects on the impact of divisiveness in architectural forms and aesthetics, the political use of urban space, the constructional aim of official buildings, the architectural styles that affected their design and the extent of the political authority's involvement in planning and design. Drawing on the oral testimonies of architects and archival materials, the paper highlights the connection between political power and the architectural processes that allowed for the contextualization of divisiveness that has dominated the architectural forms on the island particularly in the contemporary history of the island.

Despite three decades of postcolonial critique and repatriations, most collections of displaced cultural objects are still hosted in the controversial architectural spaces of Western museums whose design shifts from an allegedly neutral ‘white cube’ to questionable forms of recontextualization. The contradiction between exhibited cultural objects and gallery space is primarily embodied by the history of the host buildings, and in this setting, the Western aesthetics of architecture and exhibition design practices embed a subtle form of neo-colonization reinforced by the rhetoric of the impossibility of repatriation. Through a critical review, this paper discusses the equivocal use of both ‘neutral’ aesthetics and recontextualized spaces for displaying African art/artifacts in Western museums. I offer not a solution but a set of derived principles through which we can start a conversation on decolonized design practices. If aesthetics are by-products of a specific cultural, political, and socio-economic context, how could the hosting architectural space respond to the aesthetics of cultural objects – if a response is even possible.