Christian Norberg-Schulz

Attempts to develop a theory of understanding architecture in concrete, existential terms, following the guidelines of Heidegger

Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture

Genius Loci

Through an original reflection on the history of architecture and modern building practices, Norberg-Schulz analyses man's capacity to perceive, experience and inhabit space.

Presence, Language and Place

Architecture

Clear explanation of the basic tenets of the new architecture.

Principles of Modern Architecture

Presence, Language, Place (Skira Library of Architecture)

The chief focus of the book is on the symbolic and linguistic. The purpose is to develop an integrated theory of architectural description and architectural intention (and this includes the intention of the user as well as that of the designer), insofar as architecture is an art. Norberg-Schulz is a practicing architect; his buildings stand in several countries; and he elucidates the nature of architectural reality with a practiced eye and from a practical viewpoint. Although the methods and theory that his book develops are uncompromisingly rigorous and tightly formed, they are everywhere related to actual building, through specific examples and through the use of over 100 photographs. The structure that Norberg-Schulz has fashioned is surely one of the most impressive intellectual edifices that any architect has ever produced. The materials that are organically worked into it include Gestalt psychology, the mechanics of perception, information theory, modern analytic philosophy, and in particular, linguistic analysis, and the general theory of signs and symbols. The result, however, is not an eclectic hodge-podge; all these materials have their place and purpose; none is applied extraneously for "show" or purely decorative effect. And all this divergent material had to be joined according to plan within formal bounds in order to produce a theory with equally divergent applications: one that can treat not only of the aesthetics of architecture but equally well of its social, psychological, and cultural effects. The chief focus of the book is on the symbolic and linguistic. The purpose is to develop an integrated theory of architectural description and architectural intention (and this includes the intention of the user as well as that of the designer), insofar as architecture is an art.

Intentions in Architecture

Publié pour la première fois en 1974, La signification dans l'architecture occidentale s'est imposé comme un classique qui a permis, partout dans le monde, à des générations d'architectes et d'étudiants de découvrir ou d'approfondir leur connaissance de l'architecture occidentale.Grâce à une iconographie de plus de 550 photographies, cartes et plans, cet ouvrage passe en revue toutes les grandes époques de l'art occidental, depuis l'Égypte ancienne jusqu'aux dernières décennies du XXe siècle. Cependant, bien qu'il demeure un guide inégalé par l'ampleur de la matière et des thématiques qu'il présente, cet ouvrage, davantage qu'un simple exposé introductif, est un véritable essai qui livre la vision synthétique de son auteur. Fort de la conviction que les styles ou l'organisation des édifices sont motivés par des causes profondes, comme le besoin d'exprimer matériellement les croyances, les convictions ou l'imaginaire d'une époque, Christian Norberg-Schulz s'attache à décrypter les édifices majeurs des différentes périodes. Dans une perspective marquée par la philosophie existentialiste, son analyse des plus grands chefs-d'œuvre de l'architecture occidentale lui permet de montrer comment, au-delà de la protection physique et spirituelle qu'ils représentent, leur rôle ultime est de permettre aux hommes de façonner leur environnement pour s'intégrer au monde et pour l'habiter

La signification dans l'architecture occidentale

Surveys the ways in which man has symbolized his search for order in his environment through architecture in such cultures as ancient Egypt and modern America

Christian Norberg-Schulz

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