Architectural Discourse Research Articles

Spatial speculation through John Conway’s Game of Life: fostering creativity with autonomous algorithms

This article seeks to present an experiment involving a cellular automaton inspired by John Conway's Game of Life. The developed algorithm uses simple composition rules to generate viability diagrams of single-story single-family homes, considering the amount of social, private and empty spaces. The objective of the experiment is to illustrate a line of thought that seeks to use AI as a creative, aesthetic, imagery, stylistic, linguistic and critical stimulus for the development and advancement of architectural discourse. Through the experiment, a co-authorship relationship was observed in which the algorithm generates a contingent event represented by the feasibility diagram, and the architect reacts to this event by maturing it into a less abstract solution.

Architectural typology of water infrastructure: Case study of green open space and heritage site of perigi pekasem in Bangka Belitung

Indonesia as the top 10 countries in extensive groundwater extraction, has fallen behind in providing basic water services infrastructure. While the water utility in Indonesia only provides 35.15% coverage nationally. As case, Bangka Belitung as the lowest province in water management provision with only 17.26% coverage faces tremendous sustainable issues because of its massive exploitation of water usage for domestic, industrial, and especially tin mining activities. Indeed, in spite of fact that water infrastructure is always an essential part of the history of the built environment such as the Roman aqueduct, India’s Stepwell, and Nasqa Puquio. In Indonesia has shown that the number of architectural studies focused on improving the water services is small. In response to Sustainable Development Goals number 6 on clean water and sanitation, this study aims to contribute and mainstream the discussion of green infrastructure in the architecture discourse by analyzing and identifying its typology and design elements using the heritage-built environment of Bangka Belitung’s perigi as the case study. The result of identified design elements and typology on the cultural landscape can further be used to enrich the architecture discussion and design vocabulary on Indonesian cities’ urban fabric and contribute to the expected achievement progress on sustainable development goals.

Architectural References within Émile Zola’s Novel, The Ladies’ Paradise

The depiction of space in literature is crucial to every story as it guides the reader’s imagination regarding the story’s location and the characters’ surroundings. This paper studies the relationship between architecture, interiors, and literary spaces by using a methodology that draws on architectural literary analysis, a methodology that uses literature as a medium to define and analyze architectural spaces and cues. Specifically, it investigates the connections between architectural and spatial references and their influences on societal concerns in literature – the literary space within The Ladies’ Paradise (1883), a novel by Émile Zola (1840-1902). The retail space portrayed within the novel dominates the narrative. Thus, the architectural spaces are described to support the storyline. These spatial cues indicate a specific overall theme, namely capitalism – an important issue to discuss within architectural discourse. Zola reveals a new perspective on the social and architectural impacts on society under capitalism through the public interior space of Ladies’ Paradise. The research also indicates the correlation between architecture, public space, and retailing culture through the birth of the “department store,” thus forever altering society’s ideology on retail culture. Although the novel is categorized as fictitious, the representation of 19th-century retailing culture, women’s role within society, and the significance of architecture are shown to be realistic to that time. In conclusion, this paper reveals the dialogue between architecture, societal gender issues, and the evolvement of retail culture through the medium of literature and derives lessons from this dialogue.

Dash Kasan; an imperial architecture in the Mongol capital of Sultaniyya

The village of Varāy (Viyar) is located at the foot of Āq Dāgh Mountain in the southeast of Sultaniyya, Iran, and is known for its impressive rock-cut architecture called Dash Kasan. The history of Sultaniyya, which later became the Ilkhanid (Mongol rulers) capital, began with the issue of an order by Arghūn Khan (1258–1291 CE), to build a huge city enclosed by stone walls and fortifications. According to many in the field, Dash Kasan occupied a prominent place in the development of Arghūn’s architectural project; first as a stone quarry, and then as a Buddhist monastery. This building is unique in its architectural design and decoration. The site’s two large-scale dragon snakes carved out of cliffs, and the development of a vast open space by cutting the solid rock are the only examples of their kind in Iranian art and architecture. Although most of the debates on the identity of this site to date are centered on its religious function during the Mongol period, there is little architectural evidence to support this idea. Hence, the nature and the scope of earlier studies are not sufficient to substantiate the architectural discourse surrounding this monument. The aim of this paper is to study this enigmatic rock-cut complex to provide a more detailed description of the current remains. According to the results, the architectural layout of this building suggests it was originally designed as pre-Ilkhanid Mongolian ceremonial halls and reflects a Chinese, East Asian architectural influence that was evident and pervasive throughout the Mongol territories.

Spatiality of the urban commons: Typo-morphology of the open common spaces in New Belgrade mass housing blocks

The article examines the existing infrastructure of open common spaces within two New Belgrade mass housing blocks (Blocks 23 and 70a) through a typo-morphological analysis. These spaces between the buildings, although the most neglected, underused, and deteriorated components of mass housing neighbourhoods, are at the same time crucial to the quality, vitality and integrated governance of these neighbourhoods. They represent the primary tangible commons in cities and neighbourhoods. The question of urban commons is increasingly present in scientific literature, urban and architectural discourse. Nevertheless, approaches exploring the spatiality of the urban commons are scarce, leading to insufficient understanding of the spatial aspect and potentials of the already existing commons. Therefore, this study includes (1) identification, typological decoding and classification of the common spaces, focusing on the case of New Belgrade blocks, followed by (2) analysis of the spatial patterns and integration of the identified spaces within the blocks. The study confirms the complexity and diverse typology of the common spaces. It finds that the in-between, common spaces contribute to higher integration of different segments of the blocks. The open common spaces have an essential role in humanisation of the blocks, and thus the quality of life in the blocks as integrated neighbourhoods. The findings indicate that the spatial setting of the open common spaces in New Belgrade blocks allows for (re)emergence of collective practices, leading to inclusive and integrated rehabilitation of the neighbourhoods.

Adaptation of architectural education pedagogy in addressing COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. As a result, it has been mandated that all educational institutions complete the 2019-20 spring semester online. Despite the importance of distance education, it appears that online education has not assisted architecture education adequately. This is due to the fact that it has higher learning objectives, is taught via coaching approaches, and incorporates nonverbal communication. Architects are trained through a method focused on the ‘studio course’. In this environment, students’ decisions are unintentionally affected by the unanticipated backtalk and discussions that arise from the design development process. In other words, criticism, which is a graphic and oral communication between the students and the instructor, is one of the most frequent learning strategies utilized in the design studio. The necessity for new educational frameworks in architecture has been sparked by the pedagogically distinctive consequences of digital design. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to monitor and document current trends, benefits, and limitations of online architectural discourse and learning ecosystems from both students’ and tutors’ perspectives. It also investigates alternative pedagogical agendas in order to address the requirement to integrate different levels of students with online education. In this regard, the effects of the design medium, knowledge-based or theoretical courses, and practical courses are three common types of influences on educational system adaptability and inertia. Finally, in this research, authors attempt to formulate a theoretical framework and didactic principles for the modification of architectural online education by using multiple methods of data collection, primarily based on a systematic observation of the experiments, questioning the participants before and after the experiment, and evaluate of the descriptive results of the experiment.

Nationalizing the International Style

Abstract In Nationalizing the International Style: The Formation of British Identity in the Architectural Criticism of P. Morton Shand, Alborz Dianat considers the critical role played by architectural journalist P. Morton Shand (1888–1960) in the debate that took place in the interwar period as British architecture grappled with the seemingly irreconcilable ideas of nationality and modernity. Drawing on an archive of correspondence only recently made public, Dianat shows how Shand assumed a position of leadership in efforts to nationalize architectural modernism in Britain. Shand’s journalistic output contributed to a broader movement calling for a return to Georgian precedents alongside international models, and British architects heeded that call. Shand promoted a new identity for British architecture internationally through his formal and informal networks, and Britain’s leading role in architectural discourse into and beyond World War II was bolstered by his work.

The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985

The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985

Space within the Space:

In Manto’s stories about prostitutes, set in Mumbai (then Bombay), the city is presented with a kaleidoscopic projection of space. In the story, “Ten Rupees,” the volumetric space of the city, conventionally dominated by the male characters – Kishori, Kifayat, Anwar, and Shahab, is overshadowed by the abstract space created in it by the female protagonist – Sarita. Sarita, a fifteen-year-old prostitute, is presented in the story as an Object (the Other in the Subject-Other dichotomy) of men’s desire. However, she switches to the Subject position in her interactions with her customers Kifayat, Anwar, and Shahab in a car ride, and, as a matter of fact, she creates a gynocentric space of her own in the phallocentric space inside the car. In a theoretical framework drawn from both Simone de Beauvoir’s notion of the Subject-Other dichotomy, and from the prominent ideas of space in the twentieth century architectural discourses, this paper, with a qualitative method, shows how Manto portrays the character of Sarita as the Subject rather than an Object within the spaces she inhabits.

Review: Architecture, State Modernism and Cultural Nationalism in the Apartheid Capital

Review: <i>Architecture, State Modernism and Cultural Nationalism in the Apartheid Capital</i>

Passive house design in temperate continental climate for increasing indoor comfort conditions

In the last couple of years, we have witnessed dramatic changes in the fabric of our society, with great impact on cities, neighborhoods and living conditions. Therefore, the contemporary architectural discourse tries to shift its attention towards these social, cultural and climatic changes, while trying to better respond to the challenges that occur in our society at different levels. The present paper analyzes a project for an energy efficient single-family house that integrates into a heterogeneous urban context, with specific constraints pertaining to local regulations and climatic regional conditions. The chosen site is situated in a historical area of Iasi, Romania, aspect that must be taken into account when proposing the overall volumetric concept. The passive design strategies have also been implemented in order to achieve the nZEB status. Among other energy and cost efficient solutions we mention: use of renewable energies along with a very efficient constructive system for an airtight house configuration; natural cross ventilation strategies and maximizing the daylight factor for all indoor spaces. Simulations in DIALux provided very good values for daylight factor, an important aspect for minimizing the energy consumption for electricity, especially during winter. For increasing the overall indoor comfort hours during summer and winter, additional systems/features were proposed for direct solar intake, shading and increase of thermal mass.

Architekturgeschichte der ›Aachener Schule‹

Abstract The ›Aachen School‹ of architectural history analyzes and interprets built structures with the holistic perspective of a trained architect. The first step is a very detailed investigation of the building, using the methods of Historical Building Research. At the same time, archival sources and structural considerations help to develop a clearer picture of a building’s original design concept and its development during the process of planning and realization. Based on this preparatory research, the focus is broadened, applying methods and discussing topics from the perspective of art history and architectural theory and integrating, if necessary, further interdisciplinary collaboration. The overarching premise is that architecture, beyond its time-bound historical condition, is also determined by essential timeless or metahistorical characteristics. These form an important level of knowledge for architectural historians as well as for architects. Architectural history, thus, is not a mere historical science, but also makes an important contribution to the general architectural discourse.

The architecture of academic libraries in Israel: Knowledge and prestige

The accepted definition of the academic library states its primary purpose of supporting the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students; however, the essence of the academic library as embodied in its architecture is much more intricate. Academic libraries in Israel are unique in having more intellectual planning processes and more financial support and funding resources.This paper examines the architecture of stand-alone academic library buildings in Israel and their development and evolution over time, especially in the decades after the establishment of the State in 1948. The research investigates their appearance and conceptual reflections, inquiring whether they integrate with the surroundings physically and conceptually or are considered ‘ivory towers.’ Moreover, this paper scrutinizes the influences that affected the architectural environment these libraries came to embody.The discussion on the architecture of academic libraries analyzes the changing influences of Israeli politics and society upon the architectural discourse. Architects were searching for new methods in design, which led to the transition in the architecture of academic libraries: from modesty to complexity in design.

William Heath Robinson &amp; K.R.G. Browne

When living in tiny apartments without proper ventilation, sunlight, contact with nature, or the possibility of social interaction, people tend to generate creative and flexible design strategies to overcome these difficulties. Private and public spaces can be reconfigured into multifunctional areas by using simple but effective means to create links between home and nature. This text-based essay identifies existing and historical architectural discourse that addresses social, cultural, and perceptual issues as a means to locate conceptual solutions suitable for buildings and flats. An inquiry into William Heath Robinson’s (1872–1944) drawings indicates that these images, while satiric, were inspired by complex issues that crossed disciplinary boundaries, taking architectural narrative into the political, cultural, economic, aesthetic, and social discourse. The satirical engines created by Robinson constitute a socio-political critique through the representation of biting solutions to the difficulties found in new settlements in the post-industrial city. During this period, many people living in the United Kingdom (UK) moved from the countryside to the cities, and consistently found themselves living in small apartments. The difficulties arising from the lack of space were addressed by Robinson’s unbalanced and hypothetical design solutions that included proposing indoor space fabulations that would extend traditional forms of users’ occupation. Though an engineer who identified problems and then invented solutions, his creative work was a strange contraption rooted in impossible ideas. He illustrated the possibilities of bringing life to the common areas of shared housing by transforming tiny apartments by adding mobile solutions with the aim to improve the lives of inhabitants. The concepts behind these creative solutionstraced back one century ago can be seen as a counterpart to contemporary transformative interior design strategies.

Learning from Contextual Material Practices in Architecture: Exploring Nature-Based Materials in Indonesia and Thailand

This paper outlines pedagogical strategies in architectural design studio to construct awareness of local material practices towards architecture which rooted in its environmental context. Current architectural discourse perceives the notion of material as something separate from its environmental context. Through a joint design workshop conducted between Universitas Indonesia and Kasetsart University, this paper explores existing material practices happening in the local context of Indonesia and Thailand and how it informs material-driven architectural programming. In a group, students were tasked to reconstruct their understanding of materiality, and develop collections of material practices from both countries which revealed various local knowledge, spatiality, and environmental understanding. The workshop then demonstrates important lessons in the ways material triggers programmatic relation between architecture and its surrounding environment. Among these relations are shown in the way nature-driven community events triggers specific material craftsmanship, the connection between material utilisation in the community’s spaces and natural cycles of seasons, and the interdependence between material practices and different geographical positions. Strategies in reconstructing the material knowledge towards material-based programming cross-culturally enables students to reflect on the unique material possibilities, as well as build awareness of local community strategies toward sustainable and material-driven architecture.

An analysis of Rem Koolhaas's discourses on architecture and urban design using a corpus-based model

This paper explores the networks of thoughts behind words by reading architectural texts in the context of linguistics. Using a corpus-based model, our main interest is what the collocational data contribute at an architectural level. The notion of “collocation identification in architecture” was drawn from an analysis of the use of the data for Rem Koolhaas. The data for this study were collected from Rem Koolhaas's articles from 1977 to 2014. An analysis of Koolhaas's ideas about architecture and urban planning was conducted using the AntConc 3.4.4.0 corpus analysis toolkit. The corpus-based model reduced selected articles to words and lexical bundles using the corpus analysis toolkit. This paper explores Koolhaas's thoughts on understanding architecture and the metaphors he uses by analyzing articles using the corpus-based analysis model. The discourse codes in the texts of Koolhaas are examined. A corpus-based model proposal tested on architectural texts has the potential to create new areas of knowledge for architectural discourse. Deciphering the texts and analyzing the codes contribute to the development of new models.

The third formalism: A study on the Arter building in İstanbul

Two major formal approaches have governed architectural discourse over the last century: formal autonomy and formal engagement. While formal autonomy disengaged architecture from its social, political, cultural, and physical context, formal engagement of current architectural new-pragmatism hardly offered a critical evaluation of these contextual features. Another approach is possible, which we will name here as third formalism alluding to Anthony Vidler’s seminal article “The Third Typology” (1998). This third formalism discusses the possibility of an architecture that realizes both the separation from and engagement with the external contextual conditions via the form. Without naming it as such, this alternative approach has been articulated by Pier Vittorio Aureli in his book The Possibility of an Absolute Architecture (2011). This paper aims at discussing this third alternative by analyzing the Arter building in İstanbul. Designed by Grimshaw Architects and opened in 2019, Arter’s new building is located in Dolapdere, Beyoğlu, which witnesses a rapid urban transformation. Arter is a good example of the third formalism since its finite and definitive form neither directly follows the external forces of its urban surrounding nor disregards its context by solely focusing on the intrinsic formal elements of architecture.

‘You don’t have to feel trapped’: architectural discourses of youth engagement in a community-based learning environment

The rigid architectures inherent within formal schooling continue to influence young people’s disengagement from education. Globally and locally, policy makers have proposed education reform and innovation, politicians have legislated for education change, yet still the problem of disengagement remains. This paper investigates one community’s effort to support the reengagement in learning of young people aged 15–18 years in regional Australia through a flexible, online, community-based education program. Theoretically, this study used critical discourse as a way in to expose so as to explain dimensions of power and ideological positions as to what counts as learning. Critical ethnography as a methodology extended critical discourse’s explanatory authority to a naming of spatial and social architectures and their impact on the young people’s lives. Discourses of a braided curriculum, structural conviviality and emotional well-being were found to reduce some barriers to reengagement in learning; develop a shared, multi-disciplinary approach to reengagement; and be inclusive of young people’s emotional well-being as central to the reengagement process. At this time of pandemic induced online learning as the new normal on a global scale, young people who are already vulnerable due to individual, school, and socio-cultural marginalising conditions deserve research processes with outcomes valorising their voices and those who work with them.

Living with Smoke: A Fluid Domestic Environment

This article examines the experiences of living with smoke in the context of traditional domestic food-smoking enterprises. Smoke is largely discussed in architectural discourse as a pollutant that must be removed from the built environment. This article argues that the investigation of traditional food-smoking practices potentially shifts such discussions, positioning smoke as a driver of the domestic living system. Understanding the notion of living with smoke requires a twofold discussion between the spatiality of food-smoking driven by the environmental, cultural, and social aspects of the community; and the material fluctuation of smoke that define the body experience and movement. This research explores the experiential narrative of living with smoke in traditional fish-smoking dwellings in the Brebes neighborhood of Central Java, Indonesia. The study identified three intertwined experiential food-smoking narratives: (1) the activity flow of smoke, (2) fluctuating smoke behavior and the bodily response, and (3) smoke traces. These narratives suggest a fluid programming system that is driven by the spatial and material arrangements and maneuvers of living with smoke. In this system, dwellings no longer exist as conditioned spaces but are instead shaped by transactions between materials, bodies, space, and the surrounding neighborhood.

Built of Earth: The Casona and Vernacular Earthen Architecture in Oaxaca, Mexico

This article discusses Built of Earth, an artistic research project by the author in collaboration with Mexico City-based architect Octavio Castro Gallardo. The work-in-progress—an experimental documentary project consisting of a short film, a publication, and a site-specific installation—explores the restoration of Castro Gallardo’s 200-year-old adobe family home in the town of Jamiltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, that was damaged by an earthquake that shook the Pacific coast in February 2018. This article situates the restoration of the Casona within the discourses of vernacular earthen architecture and performance studies, describing how, in addition to being the site of various cultural performances, the Casona itself performs cultural memory. Heyn-Jones discusses the relationships—among humans, more-than-humans, and other actants—that permeate and haunt the adobe walls of this spectacular ruin. Heyn-Jones’s essay offers a provisional discussion of local seismic cultures, aspects of architectural material culture that reactively or preventively resist earthquake damage, and the way these manifest in the Casona. In contrast to the centuries-old adobe Casona are the concrete-block dwellings that surround it and that are ubiquitous across Mexico. This article situates this vernacular within the discourse of the ‘remittance house’ and discusses the materialities and temporalities of these ‘dream houses’ in the context of the Casona. Finally, this article offers some thoughts on architectural animism and how it might manifest in the Casona, this singular dwelling, built of earth.