The Unacknowledged Status of Applied Ornament in Contemporary Architecture

This article examines the long-standing debate in architectural theory and practice regarding the primacy of abstract architectural concepts versus interaction with the surrounding context. It traces the evolution of this tension throughout the 20th century and its modern development in the 21st century, beginning with the modernist movement's detachment from local conditions and a critical reaction that followed with the rise of contextualism and postmodernism, both aiming to reconnect architecture to its historical roots. Further, the article examines the critique of contextualism, which was focused on the limitations of design creativity and an inclination towards superficial visual imitation of a surrounding context, without a real deep engagement with its cultural and physical aspects. This also requires mentioning the opposing vision of architectural autonomy, which advocates for an architecture driven by its own internal logic and disciplinary knowledge, sometimes in contradiction to external contextual demands. Addressed are the prerequisites for the shift in a public favor from postmodernism to deconstructivism and the concept-oriented paradigm it brought, and their subsequent domination that is still manifested in the current architectural discourse. The article does not overlook the attempts to bridge the divide between concept and context, which call for an architecture created with both a strong and distinctive vision and, at the same time, through critical engagement with the broader physical and cultural context. Furthermore, presented are the modern thoughts on the problematics of the dominance of conceptual thinking and arguments for a broader inclusion of contextual methodologies into the workflows of architectural practices. As a conclusion, the article reflects on the enduring relevance of the discussed tension in contemporary architectural discourse, and possible departure beyond simplistic “either/or” outlook, towards a more integrated understanding of the complexities encompassing the design process, that values both conceptual vision and contextual sensitivity.

The text is concerned with the analysis and theorization of dirty realism as one of the topics of minor regard in the contemporary architectural discourse. Defined by the most theorists as a kind of architectural production created on specific grounds of European urban reality in the mid-eighties of the past century, historically speaking, dirty realism coincides with the beginning of the Postmodern Era. The text aims to shed light on the spatial-economic and cultural context in which dirty realism was constituted as a movement, tendency or theoretical construct, as well as to make detailed reference to the typical theories of its protagonists - architects and theorists of architecture who participated in it. Given the fact that the reception of dirty realism in architectural discourse is based on a reductionist approach, the text will focus on the analysis of primary sources which point to several different possibilities to deal with this topic. On the one hand, the analysis of diverse visual manifestations shows all that dirty realism can be in a formalistic sense of the word. On the other, the text pays special attention to the comparison of theoretical models that were used in deriving and establishing the initial poetic and critical premises of dirty realism. Appropriation of theories of vastly diverse artistic, literary, film and philosophical-aesthetic provenience is what makes the architectural dirty realism one of the rather unstable and controversial topics in the history and theory of contemporary architecture.

The term or concept of realism seems to be recurring in recent theoretical inquiries, from debates in philosophy and aesthetics to those in theory and practice of architecture. Since 2000, the architectural discourse has been concerned with a wide range of related issues coming from its own post-critical debates on utopianism and realism and the possibility of an 'utopian realism', as suggested by Reinhold Martin (2005). The debates on realism resonate in the architectural theory anew as a reflection on the Manifesto of New Realism by the philosopher Maurizio Ferraris from 2011. The questions of realism vs. postmodernism, "new realism" on the ashes of post-modernism, critical and operative notions of realism and the like, have been asked both through practices of contemporary architecture and through reconsideration of the socialist realism in history and theory of architecture. The thematic issue of SAJ: Architecture Utopia Realism aims to further the ongoing discussion on the relations of architecture with realism and utopia

The interaction of history and modern thought in the creation of Iran's architecture by investigating the approaches of past-oriented architecture

Design academics and practitioners are facing a multiplicity of challenges in a dynamic, complex, world moving faster than the current design paradigm which is largely tied to the values and imperatives of commercial enterprise. Current education and practice need to evolve to ensure that the discipline of design meets sustainability drivers and equips students, teachers and professionals for the near-future. New approaches, methods and tools are urgently required as sustainability expands the context for design and what it means to be a 'designer'. Design activists, who comprise a diverse range of designers, teachers and other actors, are setting new ambitions for design. They seek to fundamentally challenge how, where and when design can catalyse positive impacts to address sustainability. They are also challenging who can utilise the power of the design process. To date, examination of contemporary and emergent design activism is poorly represented in the literature. This book will provide a rigorous exploration of design activism that will re-vitalise the design debate and provide a solid platform for students, teachers, design professionals and other disciplines interested in transformative (design) activism. Design Activism provides a comprehensive study of contemporary and emergent design activism. This activism has a dual aim - to make positive impacts towards more sustainable ways of living and working; and to challenge and reinvigorate design praxis,. It will collate, synthesise and analyse design activist approaches, processes, methods, tools and inspirational examples/outcomes from disparate sources and, in doing so, will create a specific canon of work to illuminate contemporary design discourse. Design Activism reveals the power of design for positive social and environmental change, design with a central activist role in the sustainability challenge. Inspired by past design activists and set against the context of global-local tensions, expressions of design activism are mapped. The nature of contemporary design activism is explored, from individual/collective action to the infrastructure that supports it generating powerful participatory design approaches, a diverse toolbox and inspirational outcomes. This is design as a political and social act, design to enable adaptive societal capacity for co-futuring.

Design academics and practitioners are facing a multiplicity of challenges in a dynamic, complex, world moving faster than the current design paradigm which is largely tied to the values and imperatives of commercial enterprise. Current education and practice need to evolve to ensure that the discipline of design meets sustainability drivers and equips students, teachers and professionals for the near-future. New approaches, methods and tools are urgently required as sustainability expands the context for design and what it means to be a 'designer'. Design activists, who comprise a diverse range of designers, teachers and other actors, are setting new ambitions for design. They seek to fundamentally challenge how, where and when design can catalyse positive impacts to address sustainability. They are also challenging who can utilise the power of the design process. To date, examination of contemporary and emergent design activism is poorly represented in the literature. This book will provide a rigorous exploration of design activism that will re-vitalise the design debate and provide a solid platform for students, teachers, design professionals and other disciplines interested in transformative (design) activism. Design Activism provides a comprehensive study of contemporary and emergent design activism. This activism has a dual aim - to make positive impacts towards more sustainable ways of living and working; and to challenge and reinvigorate design praxis,. It will collate, synthesise and analyse design activist approaches, processes, methods, tools and inspirational examples/outcomes from disparate sources and, in doing so, will create a specific canon of work to illuminate contemporary design discourse. Design Activism reveals the power of design for positive social and environmental change, design with a central activist role in the sustainability challenge. Inspired by past design activists and set against the context of global-local tensions, expressions of design activism are mapped. The nature of contemporary design activism is explored, from individual/collective action to the infrastructure that supports it generating powerful participatory design approaches, a diverse toolbox and inspirational outcomes. This is design as a political and social act, design to enable adaptive societal capacity for co-futuring.

The Visible and Invisible of Thai Architecture Culture concern with the fundamental problem of theory and concepts developed in contemporary Thai architectural culture. Traditional Thai architecture is characterized as a high gable with elevated terrace, a floor, and a courtyard [1], thus, with this perspective; to be genuine traditional ‘Thai’ architecture is to be constructed within this framework. This notion is, however, needed to be re-thought, and re-defined whether it is enough in the development of contemporary Thai architecture. Since, architecture is a dynamic organization, through built form, which brings together human behavior, sociology, economics, social hierarchical order, etc. [2]. Architecture, therefore, cannot be valued merely at its formal representation. It is, itself, life, unfortunately that along the history of architectural development, architecture is mainly perceived merely as a formal representation and leaves out what have generated those particular built forms. Through this; architecture becomes static which leads to nowhere but a museum where is preserved for spectacles, and separated from everyday life. This phenomena has happened in the development of contemporary Thai architecture in which built form is perceived as passive given seperatecy from social factors which lends its body. Thus, many of contemporary Thai architectures have lost its connection, not with the past but, with its time. This established notion is, also, found in most of the cultural studies in which culture is perceived as static and characterized as a symbol of the state or nation, which could not be changed. It becomes problematic since, as soon as culture is reduced to a merely representation, it looses not only its dynamism, but also its force and power. This paper is mainly concentrated on the construction of ‘Thai’ architecture. Attention is given to: - the social mechanism of the ‘Thais’ – the invisible, - how the invisible effects the construction of architecture, and its organization – the visible, and finally, - how architecture, and its organization, both the intangible (space, volume, proportion, scale etc.), and the tangible (form, wall, roof, floor, ornaments, material, etc.) functions in the construction of ‘Thainess.’ This paper is, however, not intended to criticize, nor to put the question of (Thai) Architecture to the conclusion, but rather it is intended to re-think, re-question, and re-define how architectural functions might be, by deferring a thought to the other fields of knowledge to which it might introduce different notions to the development of theory and concept in contemporary Thai architecture. Although the concentration is on the context of Thai, it is hoped to extend the discussion across the divided line between states and nations to the more broader sense which is what might be the development of theory and concept in architecture also, what architecture can do, to what extent do architectural academic and practices could bring about the value of its creation.

In this commentary the author discusses why Christopher Alexander remains on the margins of contemporary architectural discourse despite his original, important, and lasting contributions to the field. Being a somewhat controversial figure in architecture and architectural theory, Alexander has occupied the status of a seminal albeit not always adequately understood and interpreted author. The rejection and misinterpretation of his ideas are due to multiple reasons, including his refusal to act and write as a standard scholar and his lack of interest in appealing to his professional community. While his attitude perhaps explains the neglect of his intellectual legacy, it does not justify it. A reconsideration of his legacy could benefit from rethinking his intellectual identity. This commentary suggests that Alexander should be approached as an original architectural thinker rather than a standard architectural academic. Thus, he could be comparable to other renowned figures of the modern era, including such influential yet often misunderstood social thinkers as Ivan Illich or Jacques Ellul.

The object of research in this article is formed by the mobile forms in 20th architecture, sculpture, painting and music which appeared in the art and the lives of humanity in connection with the changes of conceptual foundations of science, philosophy and culture. The issue of the research consists in determining the universal foundations, regardless of whether or not all of these experimental forms are united by a common paradigm based on a fundamental reevaluation of the world. The innovative discoveries of science in the 20th century formed a new, ambivalent, multilevel method of thinking which generated a complex polyvalent artistic epi-system. The mobile forms turned out to be the expression of a new perspective of the modern world. The methodological basis for the world is comprised of the study of the history and theory of contemporary art and architecture, philosophy and science. The methodology for the research was comprised of the polyvalent analysis of scholarly literature on the theory and history of 20th century architecture, art, science and philosophy; the graphical-analytical of the compositional structures of works of art and architecture, as well as the capaciously spatial modeling; a comparative analysis of the compositional techniques and methods of the 20th century avant-garde trends in the visual arts, architecture and music. This research has shown that the expression of profound and mobile perceptions of human consciousness, reflections on the world, self-realization in the cosmic space, and the perception of the instability and polyvalence of the image of the Universe, in which everything changes rapidly and everything is ambivalent, has also begun to attract the attention of art. The scholarly novelty of the subject is present in the systematization of the mobile forms in the various arts, the disclosure of the connections between them and the scientific and philosophical foundations, the recognition of the common organizational and constructive ideas of the mobile forms, as well as the determination of the future perspectives of application of mobile forms. Keywords: mobile forms, architecture, open plan, painting of action, sculpture, mobile forms, aleatory technique.

The central question and purpose of the thesis is to understand how landscape as a design concept is changing our understanding of architecture. It explores the ways in which landscape is relevant for design strategies in architecture. Buildings that have been designed like landscapes have become a topic in contemporary architecture and in the recent literature about it. The apparent distinction between architecture and landscape is questioned in exemplary theoretical works and building designs with increasing interest in landscape as a phenomenon of contemporary architecture. To understand this phenomenon this thesis first explores the term of landscape and its design. The introduction focuses on the exploration of the idea of landscape and how it is applicable in architectural design. Strategies of landscape design as they are discussed in contemporary landscape architecture are defined and illustrated with specific examples. This view is contrasted with the idea of nature in architecture. Architecture's concepts of nature reveal some crucial problems that lead to the polarity of 'wild' nature and 'human' architecture. With a critique of these common architectural theories and within the methodological differentiation the thesis reveals the necessity of research through analysis of landscape spatial composition in architecture. The core of this thesis is three case studies of architectural designs that approach a building like a landscape. A selection of analytical techniques is applied to key cases in three central chapters. The main analytical model for landscape architectural composition that Steenbergen and Reh (2003) developed for the European Gardens of the Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment is applied as a drawing analysis of the formal composition of three selected contemporary architectural projects in a period from 1992 to 2015. Each of the three building designs is studied with the same four-layer method of design analysis. In conjunction with this comparative analysis, a project specific method that reveals unique aspects of each design has been developed. The first case is OMA's unbuilt Jussieu design for two university libraries in Paris. In 1992 Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his collaborators at OMA proposed the Jussieu project at a turning point of the discipline, where new forms of architecture with landscape design strategies were being explored. Though this project has not been realised, this thesis makes it possible to describe the building in a guided walk-through. This visualisation of the design as it could have looked if built is also the specific analytical method chosen for this example. The second case, the Rolex Learning Centre at EPF Lausanne, has been clearly declared 'landscape' as architecture by its designers. This competition winning design from 2004 and opened in 2010 is the largest scale international building of Japanese Architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA). The specific analytical method used for this case is a visual space analysis of the project using 3D-isovists. The third case is the City of Culture of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela by American architect Peter Eisenman. This project was initially designed in 1999 in a process of layering - in principle, similar to the layer model analysis of this thesis. However, the four tenets of the thesis layer model - ground form, spatial form, metaphorical form and programmatic form - will alter the reading of this project. This execution of the giant public project of "City of Culture" was interrupted half-way in 2015, with great political difficulties fo Galicia. The specific analytical method used for this case is an experiment that uses the ruins of unbuilt architecture as the base for a landscape architectural design. This design of a temporary garden mimics the design principles of architect Peter Eisenman. This experiment shows that landscape strategies developed for the design of a building can be applied in reverse for designed landscapes. In conclusion, this thesis will compare the three case studies of architectural designs with each other. While some design instruments, strategies and methods are specific, others are commonly applied in several or all of the projects. In a broader scope, the analysis is transposed into the greater societal and theoretical realm to explore whether landscape design strategies change architecture. For the discipline of architecture in general, the thesis explores how far landscape could lead the profession further as a new concept to build a sustainable human environment. Evoking potential applications and the reach of landscape in architecture in the perspective of future development, the thesis ultimately discusses unexplored potentials for landscape design strategies in the architectural discipline.

The central question and purpose of the thesis is to understand how landscape as a design concept is changing our understanding of architecture. It explores the ways in which landscape is relevant for design strategies in architecture. Buildings that have been designed like landscapes have become a topic in contemporary architecture and in the recent literature about it. The apparent distinction between architecture and landscape is questioned in exemplary theoretical works and building designs with increasing interest in landscape as a phenomenon of contemporary architecture. To understand this phenomenon this thesis first explores the term of landscape and its design. The introduction focuses on the exploration of the idea of landscape and how it is applicable in architectural design. Strategies of landscape design as they are discussed in contemporary landscape architecture are defined and illustrated with specific examples. This view is contrasted with the idea of nature in architecture. Architecture's concepts of nature reveal some crucial problems that lead to the polarity of 'wild' nature and 'human' architecture. With a critique of these common architectural theories and within the methodological differentiation the thesis reveals the necessity of research through analysis of landscape spatial composition in architecture. The core of this thesis is three case studies of architectural designs that approach a building like a landscape. A selection of analytical techniques is applied to key cases in three central chapters. The main analytical model for landscape architectural composition that Steenbergen and Reh (2003) developed for the European Gardens of the Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment is applied as a drawing analysis of the formal composition of three selected contemporary architectural projects in a period from 1992 to 2015. Each of the three building designs is studied with the same four-layer method of design analysis. In conjunction with this comparative analysis, a project specific method that reveals unique aspects of each design has been developed. The first case is OMA's unbuilt Jussieu design for two university libraries in Paris. In 1992 Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his collaborators at OMA proposed the Jussieu project at a turning point of the discipline, where new forms of architecture with landscape design strategies were being explored. Though this project has not been realised, this thesis makes it possible to describe the building in a guided walk-through. This visualisation of the design as it could have looked if built is also the specific analytical method chosen for this example. The second case, the Rolex Learning Centre at EPF Lausanne, has been clearly declared 'landscape' as architecture by its designers. This competition winning design from 2004 and opened in 2010 is the largest scale international building of Japanese Architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA). The specific analytical method used for this case is a visual space analysis of the project using 3D-isovists. The third case is the City of Culture of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela by American architect Peter Eisenman. This project was initially designed in 1999 in a process of layering - in principle, similar to the layer model analysis of this thesis. However, the four tenets of the thesis layer model - ground form, spatial form, metaphorical form and programmatic form - will alter the reading of this project. This execution of the giant public project of "City of Culture" was interrupted half-way in 2015, with great political difficulties fo Galicia. The specific analytical method used for this case is an experiment that uses the ruins of unbuilt architecture as the base for a landscape architectural design. This design of a temporary garden mimics the design principles of architect Peter Eisenman. This experiment shows that landscape strategies developed for the design of a building can be applied in reverse for designed landscapes. In conclusion, this thesis will compare the three case studies of architectural designs with each other. While some design instruments, strategies and methods are specific, others are commonly applied in several or all of the projects. In a broader scope, the analysis is transposed into the greater societal and theoretical realm to explore whether landscape design strategies change architecture. For the discipline of architecture in general, the thesis explores how far landscape could lead the profession further as a new concept to build a sustainable human environment. Evoking potential applications and the reach of landscape in architecture in the perspective of future development, the thesis ultimately discusses unexplored potentials for landscape design strategies in the architectural discipline.

PurposeThe study aims to explore factors affecting stilt construction and the possibilities of using innovative materials and construction methods to re-establish the traditional stilt structures.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative research method using an in-depth interview with selected architects to document experience and insights of the architects on the challenges and possibilities of using innovative materials and construction methods to re-establish the traditional stilt structures. Purposive sampling was used to determine the respondents for the study. Architects with experience designing stilt houses in architects' architectural practice were selected to take in the study.FindingsStudy revealed that generally architects are keen on using stilt structures. Building materials and costs associated with designing and constructing stilt structures were identified as the key challenges. However, architects suggest using recycled building materials as possible solutions to encourage the construction of stilt structures in Malaysia. The architects also preferred to use hybridized recycled materials for stilt structures as hybridized materials have improved structural properties and functions. Additionally, the study identified “psychological hesitation” or “accessibility” as a factor affecting the construction of stilt buildings.Research limitations/implicationsThroughout this study, some limitations have been dealt with. The first is the limitation of sample size. Contemporary stilt architecture is not very common in Malaysia today, and not many architects have experience in designing stilt houses. Although the method of purposive sampling was used, a larger sample size could have generated a more diverse result. The second limitation is the dearth of research on contemporary stilt houses in Malaysia. As stilt construction is uncommon in Malaysia and the existing material focuses primarily on traditional Malay houses, this has been one of the major challenges. Finally, most of the literature on stilt construction is from Southeast Asia, limited or insufficient studies and literature on local stilt construction would have a greater benefit to the study.Practical implicationsThe outcomes from this study would benefit the scholars who have an interest in exploring stilts construction in contemporary architecture as well as innovative construction materials and construction methods. As the study brings forth the challenges and possibilities of restoring the traditional stilt constructions, the study can be used as a reference by designers to garner a deeper understanding of the traditional stilt construction and encourage designers to focus on possible innovations for stilt construction from the aspects of materials and methods in ensuring the traditional element is present in future design and construction.Originality/valueThe study is a response to an obvious dearth body of knowledge in stilt construction in the Malaysian context. The study identifies the key challenges and possible and practical solutions. The findings of this study represent a scholastic effort that can be used as a reference by academics and scholars.

The article demonstrates how Jean-Luc Godard’s Deux ou trois choses que je sais d’elle (1967) contributed to the contemporary critical discourse on (social) housing estates (grands ensembles). With his work, the filmmaker aimed to show the grand ensemble, or ‘the big(ger) picture’ of what it meant to live in contemporary consumerist oriented France. The protagonist Juliette Johnson represents the French citizen and simultaneously the metaphor of the Paris Region that underwent a huge transformation. The main interest of the text lies in the use of the 360-degree pan shot and the notion of cadre (frame), as they connect film theory and the contemporary discourse about how the décor, i.e. the (built) environment, influences people’s cadre de vie (living conditions). A close reading of two film sequences and a historical contextualisation of architectural discourses and theories is completed by a comparison with documentary TV programmes. While they had fostered the critical discussion about housing estates already before, they used the panorama shot only after Deux ou trois choses…

The field of ’paper architecture’ has always existed on the margins of ‘real’ architecture. Architects perceived this genre as a form of sharing their ideas as well as saving architectural impressions. In the 20th century, paper architecture morphs into conceptual architecture, becoming a language of communication between architects and viewers. The number of conceptual projects has increased in the 1970s and 1980s. The architecture of the postmodern period which may be viewed as an offshoot of the French ‘architecture parlante’ movement has brought a sense playfulness into a real building process. The ‘double coding’ of architectural images, as manifested by Charles Jenks, allowed the architecture to communicate with the viewer on many levels of perception. Conceptual projects have become a much-needed link between the architecture and architectural theory. The Soviet ‘paper architecture’ of the 1980s has a lot in common with the postmodernist system. ‘Paper’ projects are easy to understand due to its language partially shaped by the rules of Japanese concept competitions. Soviet ‘paper architecture’ was largely created using this language. Although eloquent descriptions of projects have lots of highbrow quotations and references, ‘paper’ architects also used comic strips with characters to illustrate their ideas. The names of these projects usually describe some scenarios of how the structure transforms or how the user interacts with it. These traits allow discussing a certain language of ‘paper’ projects with its own logics and a set of images that are commonly associated with such projects.

This article reviews and evaluates some aspects of the semiotic heritage from a fundamental treatise on architecture. It shows how the system set in place by Vitruvius at the dawn of our era is being today brought up to date by contemporary architects, yielding a projection know-how that can contribute to the design of virtual worlds. The question is therefore, how can space make sign. According to the Saussurean conception of the arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified and Hjelmslev's concept of connotation, the semiotic of space answers this question and clarifies the various approaches to description of meaning production developed in the theory of architecture. In this way the semiotic theory can give an explanation of the modernist function-oriented conception of the world, as well as of the post-modernist communication-oriented one. For this purpose it questions the concept of generative grammar that the contemporary architects have developed starting from the works of Chomsky.