Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This paper argues that reliance on the plan drawing as the primary generator of architectural space has had a limiting effect on the human experiences of many modern buildings. It suggests that dependence on a two-dimensional diagram to generate habitable space is an example of objectivism, the “view from nowhere” that priviledges theoretical abstraction over direct experience, which phenomenology exposed but which has nonetheless remained prevalent in architectural design. The reseaarch presented examines a reverse approach, in which desired perceptual experiences are used to generate building plans rather than vice versa. This process is explored in the work of a leading member of the “other tradition” of modern architecture, Hans Scharoun, the overtly phenomenological contemporary designer, Steven Holl, and two architectural design studios that were used to test the effectiveness of this approach in producing more humane environments.