The Metaphoric Thinkingin Architectural Representation

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/342589077
The Metaphoric Thinking in Architectural Representation
Article · March 2012
CITATIONS READS
0 2,908
3 authors, including:
Maged Youssef
Beirut Arab University
46 PUBLICATIONS 37 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
All content following this page was uploaded by Maged Youssef on 01 July 2020.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Maged Nabeel Aly Yousef/ Engineering Research Journal 133 (March 2012) A1-A28
The Metaphoric Thinking in Architectural

Representation
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Medhat Dorra
Professor, Dept. of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
Prof. Dr. Amr Farouk Algohary
Professor, Dept. of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University
Maged Nabeel Aly Yousef
Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Architecture,
Modern Academy for Engineering & Technology
Abstract:
This paper focuses on the relationship between metaphor and architecture.
Linguistically, metaphor is a figure of speech used in arts of rhetoric and literature.
It considers a linguistic phenomenon whereby we talk and think about something in
terms of something else. Speakers who use metaphors purpose rhetorical goals.
They thrill audience’s perceptions with certain metaphorical words forcing their
minds to travel far away to gray zones. During 1960s, there was a ‘crisis’ of
meaning in architecture due to the widespread practice of the ‘International Style’
which applied the concept of ‘Functionalism’. The world, therefore, witnessed the
rise of postmodernism calling for a revolutionary changing in architecture from
‘Functionalism’ into ‘Semiotics’. This concept led to a new architecture, a new
language and a new theory of design. Postmodernism is a double coded language
based on metaphors and historical imagery. Postmodern architecture is invented and
perceived through codes influenced by a semiotic community and various taste
cultures, hence the need in a pluralist culture for a design based on ''Metaphors''.
Postmodern architects used metaphor as a powerful design tool to produce new
architectural languages. They aimed to resurrect the feeling of nostalgia to history
and locality. In order to understand this sensitive relation between metaphor and
architecture, the paper will explain the meaning of metaphor, its importance, its
components, its hosts, and will detect when, why, and where did architecture use
metaphor. Then, the paper will analyze the metaphoric thinking used in designing
three postmodern projects. Finally, it will hold a detailed comparison between these
case-studies to reach the final conclusions…
Keywords: Architecture, metaphor, abstraction, postmodernism, double-coding
Maged Nabeel Aly Yousef Mobile: 01224885337 Email: Maged_alyyossef@yahoo.com
A1
Acknowledgments:
I would like to express all my gratitude and appreciation to my PhD supervisors,
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Medhat Dorra
Prof. Dr. Amr Farouk Al-Gohary
They gave me supports, encouragements, and motives to explore many secrets
underlying the postmodern architecture, which was crucial for the outcome of this
paper. In addition, I would like to thank that group of postmodern architects who
produced valuable works attracting users' minds and eyes through meaningful forms
and distinguished architecture.
1- Introduction
The word „metaphor‟ appears in Post Modern Architecture – the form of protest
to modernist architecture. As visual language, architecture has its own
grammatical structure to state the mind. The architecture, based on metaphors,
crosses boundaries, merges categories, and concentrates on itself – its own
internal world. When the language analogy is used in architectural discourse,
„The language of architecture‟ becomes no more than a metaphor. In order to
understand the critical relation between metaphor and architecture, the paper
will be divided into two parts. The first will be theoretical presenting the
'theories of metaphor', displaying the historical overview of how, when, and
where did architecture use metaphors. Then, the paper will explain the
revolutionary changing happened in architecture from „Functionalism‟ into
„Semiology‟ by interpreting theories of Eco, Lefebvre, and Jencks. The second
part will be applications analyzing the metaphoric thinking of three architects
through presenting one project for each one of them. Finally, it ends with
holding a comparison between the selected projects to be able to read the
metaphoric thinking and recognize the architectural representation of each
architect…
2- The Meaning of 'Metaphor'

The word metaphor derived from the 16th century Old French métaphore, in
turn from the Greek Latin metaphora (carrying over) or (transfer). The Greek
verb Metaphero, (to carry over) or (to transfer), is consisted of two words. They
are Meta (between) and Pherō (to bear) or (to carry). [1]
The 'Metaphor' is a linguistic phenomenon whereby we talk and think about
something in terms of something else. It varied in its textual manifestations,
versatile in the functions it may perform, and central to many different types of
communication. In the cognitive linguistic view, metaphor is defined as
understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another conceptual domain.
Means in metaphor are comprehended as paths. The understanding of the word
requires the notion of path. Metaphor is used by writers, poets and philosophers
to mean something that differentiates with its more basic meanings. The
A2
contextual and basic meanings of a metaphorical expression belong to different

conceptual domain, and it can be understood in terms of the basic meaning. [2]
The British thinker Wendy Sullivan put a specific definition for the 'Metaphor'
as follows:
“The 'Metaphor' is the thought in different things active together
and supported by a mark, a sign, or an evident whose meaning is a
resultant of their interaction.” [3]
3- The Importance of 'Metaphor'

Metaphor is a widely distributed phenomenon that encompasses all our cultural
reality including material culture and physical events. Making sense of our
world can‟t take place without metaphor. Speakers who use metaphor purpose
rhetorical goals, which go beyond expressing their opinions in an effective way.
They thrill audience‟s perceptions with certain metaphorical words forcing their
minds to travel far away to gray zones. In fact, these mental zones are related to
the audience‟s memories. Aristotle famously described metaphor as the mark of
genius. It represents abilities and skills of the speaker. Any metaphor has a
structure defined as a systematic set of correspondence, or mapping. In present,
the age of media, we can define the 'metaphor', used in rhetoric, as a video clip
without any electronic device because it leads the audience into a serial journey.
A chain reaction, metaphorically, is created between speaker and audience. [4]
4- The Components of 'Metaphor'

According to the Italian scientist of linguistics Elena Semino, any 'Metaphor' is
expressed by four components [5] as follows:
4-1 Target Domain / (The Intangible Intention)
Rhetorical authors derive metaphors from their own desires. Circumstances
of grown up, culture, and background-knowledge are the important factors
forming their desires and their intangible intentions. Target domains are
abstract, subjective, diffuse, and lack clear delineation. They fall into higher
groups as psychological, mental states and events, social processes, and
personal experiences.
4-2 Source Domain / (The Tangible Idea)
They are the metaphorical words used by the rhetorical speaker. Source
domains are concrete, strong effect, less abstract or less complex than target
domains. They are the way to understand the intangible target domains.
4-3 Abstraction / (The Intellectual Process)
This component is the intellectual process of transformation from the
hidden target domains to the concrete source domains. The rhetorical
speaker does this process, automatically, according to his skill, tactics and
intelligence.
A3
4-4 Representation / (The Final Product)

It is the show produced to the readers/audience. The most important
character in representing any metaphor is to be unique and unrepeatable. In
this component, rhetorical speakers differentiate between their own themes
in representation. The most common themes of metaphors are: (polysemy
and multiplicity of meaning, irony, playfulness, black humor, exaggeration,
trace, difference, always-already, pastiche, metafiction, fabulation, mystery,
slander, attraction, compliment, and magic realism. These themes stuck to
audience‟s minds for a long time especially metaphors touching their daily
life and their social and religious beliefs.
The following example explains the four components of the 'Metaphor':

“Most of us are machines with flaws inside that can’t be
repaired, flaws born in, or flows beat in over so many years”
Said by Bromden, the narrator of Ken Kesey’s novel
(One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
In this example, the narrator, Bromden, provided a metaphoric description of a

category of patients in a mental hospital. The author omitted the word (patients)
and used a metaphorical word (machines). He used the word (flaws) because
flaws are existed in both entities (patients) and (machines). It can be concluded
that, the target domain here is (patients) /omitted. The source domain is
(machines) /added. The abstraction here is the same adjective of both of them
(flaws). Finally, the representation is the novel‟s text itself.
The shown diagram represents the relationship between the components of

'Metaphor'…
Source Abstraction Target

Domain Domain
(added) Similarity (The Path) (omitted)
Representation: (Image of context: Text in poem, article, novel, myth or prose)
Fig (1): The relationship between the components of 'Metaphor'

Source: [2], p. 175
A4
5 Where can we find Metaphor?

The shown diagram represents the fields where we can find metaphor…
History
Architecture Language
Metaphor
Art Philosophy
Literature
Fig (2): The fields of Metaphor
5-1 Metaphor in History

Greeks and Arabs were the first civilizations in using metaphor. They were
different in reading its meaning. In the Dark Age, Europe lived in barbarian
traditions. The use of metaphor was grown into the language of occult,
magic, and superstitions. The wizards and barbarians used it to interpret the
natural phenomena. In the Middle Ages, allegory devices were underpinned
much of French and English writings. In 1690, the British philosopher John
Locke said: (Metaphor is an evidence of how much men love to deceive and
be deceived). [6] In the Enlightenment Age, the age of believing in science
and discoveries, Adam Smith, the Scottish thinker, thought that, language
has to be neat, clear, plain and clever manner. Metaphor, therefore,
chronically supposed to be disappeared. But the pendulum swings back..!
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, writers and artists were increasingly
exploring the murky depths of human motivation. Freud was working with
psychiatric patients, trying to come up with metaphorical theories to explain
what they seemed to be finding. The Freudian Unconscious was supposed
to use (Primary Thinking) which was largely metaphorical in nature, as in
dreams. In the 20th century, the linguistic scientists claimed for using
metaphor as a sneaking way to attract audience to use their minds and to be
more interactive with the main context. [7]
5-2 Metaphor in Language

In language, Metaphor is a vehicle of communication between people. It
enables us to think and talk about abstract, complex, subjective and
delineated areas of experience in terms of concrete, simpler and physical,
often connected to our own bodies. Linguistically, it appears in terms of
vocabulary i.e. (words, texts, and syntactics/grammar). [8]
A5
5-3 Metaphor in Literature

There is a widespread notion among people said that, the real source of
metaphor is in literature and its branches. It‟s believed that it‟s creative
genius of the poet and the artist that creates the most authentic examples of
metaphor. The literary containers of metaphor are (Myths, Poetry, Novels,
Play-scripts and Speeches). [9]
5-4 Metaphor in Philosophy

Metaphor has become of interest in recent decades to both analytic
philosophy and continental philosophy. Philosophies of (Max Black, Kant,
Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Derrida) differentiate in using 'metaphor'
from different points of views. [10]
5-5 Metaphor in Art

Artists use metaphor as a secret way to express their deep intentions and
hidden desires. They produce forms that referred to certain meanings. The
observers understand these meanings as enigmatic, subtle and metaphorical.
Throughout history, art schools as (Classicism, Expressionism,
Abstractionism, Surrealism, and Pop Art) were varied in using metaphors.
Some of them were frankly; shallow, non-valuable and others were
enigmatic, and highly idiosyncratic.
th
6 Metaphor in the 20 Century
In the first half of the 20th century, the main common theme all over the world
was representing power of modernity, globalization, idealism, utopianism and
high technology. The world was moving clearly in this direction. But,
unexpected events had completely changed this direction as: (World War I & II,
The Holocaust, Vietnam War, Disaster of atomic bombs in Japan, fall of
communism). After these extraordinary events, particularly after 1950s, the
world witnessed the risen of new movements for the first time as: (anti-
ideological ideas, anti-globalization, feminist, racial equality, gay rights,
anarchism, the explosion of psychedelic, youth cultures, the fight for minority
rights, protest against hierarchy in general and anti-war movements in USA).[11]
These movements produced new trend in style, literature, philosophy and art.
The world described that trend as Postmodernism. This kind of openness, in
media, in literature, in art, allowed people to think free using Freud‟s skeptical
approach to believe or not believe in what they see and what they hear. People,
therefore, no longer think in a superficial way but they become multiple in their
way of thinking. Thus, the rhetorical tools had been resurrected to be used
among societies again. Metaphors, metonymies, puns and icons became the
main letters of the neo language of this period. Specifically, among these
A6
rhetorical tools, metaphor became a foundation of thinking, rather than being

merely the superficial decoration in language. According to the critics‟
investigations, Postmodernism is the main movement that used metaphor as a
secret code to achieve polysemy in reading any context. [12]
7 Metaphor in Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a hybrid language. It is doubly coded, mixed, abstracted,
ironic, and based on fundamental dualities and the mass dialogue. Sometimes it
stems from juxtaposition of new and old. Metaphor, therefore, is playing a
fundamental role in postmodern philosophy. It is the way to achieve the double-
coding. Linda Hutcheon assured that, works of postmodern literature are
narrative, historiographical, and metafictional. She thought that, it made a new
ground for rethinking and reworking of the forms and contents of the past. In
postmodern literature, all things are composed; the subject is dead, there is no
reality, only representation. Postmodern literature relies on fragmentation, irony,
parody, paradox, black humor, interextulaity, pastiche, metafiction, fabulation,
temporal distortion, magic realism, and playfulness in its narrative text.
According to theories of Hutcheon, the core of postmodern literature is based on
the concept of metaphor. [13]
8 Metaphor and Architecture

Metaphor enters architecture in many ways, from the conceptual „messages‟ it is
made to stand for design through different representational forms. This
expression is relevant to narrative as representation. It concerns the
metaphorical meanings of buildings and places, and the contribution of
architecture to the expression of social and cultural messages. [14] Certainly,
architecture is a form of visual art and communication. It brings visual language
of communication. Becoming a part of visual language, architecture contains of
grammatical structure which is sending its impulse of messages. Grammatical
structure builds the proper visual language to transfer the idea and body of
concept from its author. [15] According to the English architect and theorist Neil
Leach, the definition of the „Architectural Metaphor‟ is: “A rhetorical figure
existing in the relationship between architecture and figure or between
architecture and thematic content. In the relationship between architecture and
the other cultural systems, a necessary condition for the regeneration of sense,
architecture takes part in a game of substitutions, which thought of in terms of
metaphorical operations.” [16] The English critic Chris Abel suggested that it
might be possible to have architecture both ways: as „architecture‟ and as
„something else‟. Abel displays architecture not only as a semi-autonomous
language game, subject to its own rules and criteria, but also to influence from
external sources. In referring to architecture as a language, Abel says: we
A7
embark upon a voyage of discovery into the unfamiliar territory of architectural

meanings. Metaphors have a way of „taking over‟ our perceptions, to the point
where we begin to forget, if we are not careful, the differences between the two
halves of the metaphor and begin saying that architecture really is a language.
There is no way of advancing knowledge other than by something like the
metaphorical thinking. [17]
9 Historical Background of using Metaphor in Architecture

(Ancient Civilizations Age, Enlightenment Age, First half of the Twentieth
Century, and Age of Modernism) are the four historical periods witnessed
interaction between metaphor and architecture as follows:
9-1 Metaphor in Architecture of the Ancient Civilizations

It can be discovered that the most important buildings in history were
conceived as architectural metaphors in its explicit symbolism. For
instances:
- The Babylon Ziggurat was conceived as the „Stairs of Heaven‟. It was
the physical vehicle to transport the metaphysical soul of any dead man
from earth to the sky. [18]
- The Egyptian Pyramid was conceived as the „The Great Storage of
king‟s corpse with his own treasures till the time of resurrection‟.
- The Greek and Roman Temples were conceived as the „Houses of Gods
on Earth‟ and their builders sculpted holy statue for each God in the end
of the temple as a physical avatar for the unseen upper one in the heaven.
[19]
- As the same, Christian churches were conceived as „The House of God
on Earth‟. The ideas of Vitruvius, Da Vinci, and Francesco di Giorgio
contributed in embodying the church‟s form to be anthropomorphic
abstract of the crucified body of the Christ. [20]
- The Domes and Minarets of Muslim mosques can be conceived as the
constellations of the seven skies about which the Qur'an has been so
specific. Muslims considered these vertical elements as the connecting
link between the mortal world living on earth and the unseen eternal
entity existing in the sky. [21]
9-2 Metaphor in Architecture of the Enlightenment Age

Architecture of this period, inspired by the classic forms of Rome and
Greece, gave rise to a styling that conveyed influence, power, and wealth.
Clients wished to embody the ideology of Roman power and exhibition into
their own homes and public buildings, conveying to the observer metaphors
expressing virtue, wisdom, and harmony. Buildings were obvious
A8
interpretations of Greek and Roman architecture, an attempt by leaders of a

young struggling country to convey structure and the power of the
government.
9-3 Metaphor in Architecture of the 1st half of the 20th Century

The beginning of using metaphor in this
century goes back to the early German
Expressionist architects and had Nietzschean
origins. Otto Wagner and Bruno Taut
inspired their ideas from Nietzsche‟s „Thus
Spake Zarathustra‟, a philosophical work
filled with architectural metaphors. It
described hero living in solitude over a Fig (3): Otto Wagner,
Imperial Hietzing Pavilion,
mountain.
Vienna, Austria, 1896.
This certainly appealed to architects; the Building influenced by the
result was a series of projects evoking Nietzschean conception of
mountain images. Wagner created Zarathustra.
architecture using the metaphor of the Source: [22], p.54
mountain expressing the Nietzsche's concept
of the superhuman controlling the world. [22]
Another group of architects such as Eric
Mendelsohn and Vladimir Tatlin used
metaphor expressing the rethinking in
cosmos and time-factor. [23] After the
Fig (4): Works of
openness to the infinite space, many
Mendelsohn and Tatlin
architectural ideas tried to use metaphors reflected metaphors of
expressing this infinity of the flowing space. rethinking in cosmos,
For instance: The Endless House of Fredrick particles, crystals, and the
Kiesler was an imaginary project drawn at Einstein‟s theories of time
1947. [24] and energy.
Source: [23], p.122
9-4 Metaphor in Architecture of Modernism
Le Corbusier described the house as „a machine for living in‟. High Tech
buildings do look like machines. The explicit metaphor of Modern
movement is the machine which is the main source of technology and
imagery. It has become the reference point of High Tech architecture. The
architects considered it as a holy doctrine. By looking at (Piano‟s George
Pompidou Center, it lays on the ground like piece of equipment as huge
refrigerator. The spirit of the Age of Modernism was inspired from the
technological components as electronics, computers, silicon chips, robots,
and wires. [25] It can be concluded that the High Technology happened in
A9
the fields of science, mechanics, astronomy, and computers, at the

beginning of the second half of the Twentieth Century, provided
architecture with new language full of metaphors expressing machines and
its components. That was the main theme of the metaphor of the Modern
Architecture.
According to Jencks, architecture of modernism did not respect the spiritual and
social needs of the ordinary people. It aimed to achieve functionalism and
benefits of the elite. Therefore, the concept of „Functionalism‟ was vanished
and new concept has arisen under name of „Semiology‟. It was announce for
reuse of metaphor but in new architectural representation.
10 Changing from „Functionalism‟ into „Semiotics‟

Semiotics is the study of signs, indication, designation, likeness, analogy,
metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication. ''All is meaningful'' is
the pivotal concept in semiotics. [26] During 1960s, there was a „crisis‟ of
meaning in architecture due to the widespread practice of the „International
Style‟ which applied the concept of „Functionalism‟. Both of the Italian
semiotican Eco and the French sociologist Lefebvre produced important
theories of changing from „Functionalism‟ into „Semiotics‟ as follows:
10-1 Theory of Umberto Eco: “Architecture and Semiotics”

Eco explained why architecture is a particular challenge to semiotics. He
emphasized that, most architectural objects do not communicate (and are
not designed to communicate), but function. Eco considered the
architectural objects as significative forms. They may transfer
metaphorical meanings. Then, the architectural metaphors are denotative
and connotative according to codes and sub-codes implying certain
meanings.
10-2 Theory of Henri Lefebvre: “Form follows Meaning”

Lefebvre explained that the abstract forms of Modernism dissociate
architecture from „figures‟, carrying meaning by cultural association.
Alternatively, meaning is socially constructed rather than described by
forms in any determinate way. The world of Post-Modern architecture
disappointed from the functionalism, turned from the „form-function‟
relation to „form-meaning‟ relation. For Lefebvre, functionalism was
preventing us from understanding how spaces are „directly experienced‟.
The English architect Adrian Forty agrees with Lefebvre and explains that
if architecture does not create order by arranging conceptual relations,
there would be no need to have architectural at all. [28]
A01
11 Postmodernism and New Paradigm in Architecture

Postmodernism is a mass-corpse of codes and a set of resolutions with many
forms and shapes. Each position within the postmodern context is marked by a
historical agenda. It is best conceived as a conflict between new and old,
present and past. Architecturally speaking, postmodernism is a historical
revival. It arises as a counter practice not only to the culture of modernism but
also to the critical deconstruction of tradition and historical forms. This concept
has led to a new architecture, a new language and a new theory of design.
Postmodernism is a double coded language, one part is modern and other one is
something else. It developed a new language of architecture based on
metaphors and historical imagery. It was announce of beginning a new
paradigm, the postmodern paradigm. It is an attempt to go beyond the
materialistic world that epitomized modernism. Postmodernism sends complex
messages, ones that carry ironic, dissenting or critical meanings, and those that
challenge the status quo. According to Jencks, postmodern architecture is
invented and perceived through codes which are influenced by a semiotic
community and various taste cultures, hence the need in a pluralist culture for a
design based on ''Metaphors''. [29]
12 The measuring table used in analyzing the case-studies

After presenting 'theories of metaphor' and their effect on architecture of
postmodernism, the theoretical part can conclude this table…
Sources of Metaphor
History Language Philosophy Literature Art
Western History
Abstractionism
Expressionism
Play-Scripts
Continental
Philosophy
Philosophy
Classicism
Surrealism
Of Greeks
Syntactics
Speeches
Of Arabs
Analytic
Pop-Art
Novels
Words
Poetry
Myths
Texts
Components of the Architectural Metaphor

Architectural
Abstraction Representation
Target Domain - Source Domain - The Intellectual
of building
3D Form
Elements
Light
Omitted Added Process of

Plan
Transformation
Tab. (1): The measuring table of analyzing the „metaphoric thinking‟ in the
architectural representation
In the next part, the previous table will be the measuring tool used to analyze the
metaphoric thinking of the selected postmodern architects. The paper selects
three architects; (Reima Pietilä, Carlo Scarpa, and Stanley Tigerman) to
A00
experience one project for each one of them. By following a schematic

methodology, the study will use the measuring table shown in tab. (1). In the
context of analyzing each project, two variables will gradually be searched for as
follows:
1- Sources of metaphor 2- Components of the architectural metaphor
These items will be presented according to the interpretations of critics or the

architect himself.
13 First Case-Study: Kaleva Church, Tampere, Helsinki, Finland, 1966

This project was designed by the Finnish architect
Reima Pietilä. In Tampere, the Finnish government
decided to build a church to be the landmark of this
district laid on the Baltic Sea. They called this church
„Kaleva Church‟. This name was derived from the
„Kalevala‟, the mythical epic of the Finnish people.
The British critic Roger Connah pointed out that
Pietilä always tried to produce something different Fig (5): Reima Pietilä,
going beyond limits of modernism. [30] Another Kaleva Church,
British critic Malcolm Quantrill, concerned with the Finland, 1966.
Finnish architecture after 1960, charted the concepts Source: [30], p.64
and works of Pietilä clarifying that he was the first
who entered the organic design in the Finnish architecture. Quantrill emphasized
that, Pietilä was well-read in philosophies and mythologies of his own country.
Quantrill explains the important concept of Pietilä: (Phenomenology of place) -
this concept aims to root the feelings of the Finnish citizen with originality,
national identity, and Finnishness. It depends on searching in the origins of the
Finnish language and literature to generate architectural forms with new
architectural language. [31]
13-1 Source of metaphor: “Finnish myth of Kalevala”
In his searching for the national identity of Finland, Pietilä was anxious to
recognize the Finnish cultural heritage which was full of folk tales, myths,
symbols, and signs. He was influenced with the „Kalevala‟, the most well-
known mythical epic of the Finnish people. Kalevala is a 19th century work of
epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish folklore and mythology. It
is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant
works of Finnish literature. Kalevala played an important role in the
development of the Finnish national identity by helping in keep the Finnish
language alive. In this myth, the „fish‟ plays pivotal role. The hero,
A02
Väinämöinen grew up as a fish hunter due to the marine environment. He was

feeding his people with fish, a special type of oblate fish with upper fins and
sharp thorns. Characters in the epic were singing hymn music using a sacred
harp made of fish bones. [32] The Greek critic Antoniades interprets the design
of Kaleva Church. He points out that this structure based on the form of a fish.
Antoniades clarifies that Reima Pietilä inspired the fish which sustained and fed
the people of Finland in the mythical epic of Kalevala. [33] Therefore, it can be
said that the metaphoric source used in designing Kaleva Church was the “fish
inspired from the myth of Kalevala”…
Fig (6): Sketch and 3d-model of Kaleva Church represent the „fish‟ as the
metaphoric source of design.
Source: www.e-architect.co.uk/church_buildings.htm Access: (9/9/2011)
13-2 Components of the architectural metaphor
In this case-study, the four components of the architectural metaphor are as

follows:
A. Target Domain - Omitted
The target domain is the unseen target for Pietilä. It was said that target
domain is the omitted component in the architectural metaphor. In Kaleva
Church, Quantrill points out that the target domain – omitted - is: “The
mythical fish of Kalevala”. He explains that, Pietilä printed the form of this
kind of fish in his mind. [34]
B. Source Domain - Added
The source domain is the new invention of the architect Pietilä. It represents
his tangible other side of the analogy. Quantrill views the source domain is:
“An abstracted concrete fish”.
C. Abstraction - the intellectual process of transformation
It can be noticed that the intellectual process of transformation was so
explicit. Pietilä made his effort in transferring the concept of the rigid
church into organic design in the form of the mythical fish of Kalevala,
articulated in the epic. Pietilä used his concept “phenomenology of space”
in the metaphoric process in designing the church. He wanted to remind
users and all people of Tampere with the famous mythical epic of Kalevala.
A03
Pietilä selected the fish as a remarkable shape from the cultural heritage of
Finland.
D. The architectural representation
Users, critics, and theoriticans see the architectural representations of the
church in different prespectives. The form represents a complex design in
solving the plan. Simply, it was a concrete fish seprated from inside with
curvy partitions and surrounded from outside with curvy high walls. The
plan of the church is a case of literal interpretation, carefully hidden from
the perception of the viewer, a secret between architect and God.
Fig (7): Plan and 3D form of Kaleva church represent a complex design
inspired from the symbol of the fish. Source: [33], p.39
Norwegian theorist and historian Norberg-Schulz interpreted the design of
the church's form as a mirror on earth reflecting the Christian sign of the
Jesus Christ who is living up in heaven. In addition to the explicit
abstracted fish, Pietilä deliberately made remarkable height for all the form
of the church. He aimed to reach the unseen entities in the sky. [35]
14 Second Case-Study: Brion Vega Cemetery, Italy, 1972

This project was designed by the Italian architect
Carlo Scarp. The customer was Brion family, in
the person of Rina and Ennio, wife and son of the
businessman Giuseppe Brion. After Brion's death,
the faithful widow wanted to build a memorial for
her dead husband and for the rest of the family's
members. She wanted to express her deep love to
Mr. Brion through this work. The family selected Fig (8): Brion Cemetery is
Scarpa to design this cemetery in consideration the most important work
with these sensitive feelings. Scarpa's philosophy of Scarpa.
and works have been influenced by the following Source: [36], p.23
items [36]:
- (His interests in orients, originality, and the plastic & applied arts):
That is the reason of why his architectural language always seems as a
unique composition of crafted objects.
A04
- (His living alone and his mediation in nature):

Because of his mother's death while he was 13 years old, Scarpa grew up in
sadness and bleakness. He used to live alone which made him live for very
long time in autism and mediation. He finds himself comfortable while he
mediates in elements of nature. His senses became sensitive with the visual
and acoustic effects. That is the reason of why his architectural language
concerning with green and water landscape and creating poetic spaces for
mediation.
- (Philosophy of love):
Scarpa apprenticed with the Italian architect Francesco Rinaldo. He married
Rinaldo's daughter, Onorina. In many interviews, Scarpa detected that, he
lived a beautiful love story with her. Through this story, hard events had
happened between the two lovers expressing the values of love, tender, and
sacrifice. Scarpa's philosophy of love concentrated on sharing everything
between them. He believed that, nothing can separate him from his wife
except death. Unfortunately, after few years from their marriage, his wife
passed away. This sad occasion reflected on his architectural language
which became always expressing feelings of sadness, love, and mediation
through poetic spaces between natural and crafted landscape. Through his
life, Scarpa influenced by the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud
especially his spiritual principles of love. Freud mentioned that, the most
two important principles of love are: (one soul lives in two bodies) and
(loyalty even after death). [37] This Freudian philosophy of love provided
Scarpa with valuable meanings lead him in design.
According to the previous items, Scarpa invented his own concept -
(Architecture is a piece of craft). This concept aims to deal with the
architectural elements as concrete crafted objects standing in harmony with
nature. Scarpa produced unquestionable masterpieces such as Brion tomb
where he is already laid to rest. The Italian thinker Sergio Los explained that
Scarpa followed his concept using distinguished characteristics: (Using
metaphors in design, visual and echo effects, Landscape, the use of natural
elements like water and green areas, using simple geometric shapes). [38]
14-1 Source of metaphor: “Philosophy of love”
According to Los, the way that Scarpa lived his life provided him with special
meanings of love. Los explains that, Scarpa lived alone and that made him
know truly the importance of love. Los refers to the great effect of the two
impacts happened to him. First was his mother's death while he was a little kid
and the second was his wife's death in the peak of their love story. When Brion
family commissioned him to design their memorial, Scarpa was emotionally
A05
thrilled. He considered this project an important chance to express his

philosophy of love. Through the double coding theory, Scarpa produced a
creative work fulfilling dual purpose: the apparent one is to commemorate the
love story between Rina and Giuseppe Brion and the other one is to
commemorate his own love story. To achieve this idea, Scarpa used special
metaphors to express feelings of love. In his architectural language, Scarpa
depended on the essential principles of Freud concerning the "philosophy of
love": (one soul lives in two bodies) and (loyalty even after death). [39]
Therefore, it can be said that the metaphoric source used in designing Brion
Cemetery was the “philosophy of love”…
In this case-study, the four components of the architectural metaphor are as

follows:
A. Target Domain - Omitted
One of the visitors and a closer friend to the architect is the German author
Peter Noever. He admitted that he was impressed after his visiting the
memorial. Noever points out that the target domain – omitted - is: “The
utopian paradise for lovers”. Noever described walking in the cemetery as a
journey of mediation in other city. [40]
B. Source Domain - Added
According to Noever, the visualized source domain is the “Poetic spaces
expressing love”. Noever clarifies that, Scarpa wanted this place to be a
poetic space generating feeling of love.
In Brion Cemetery, the intellectual process of transformation from the
target domain to the source domain is obvious. The language of abstraction
is inspired from the metaphoric source (philosophy of love) derived from
the spiritual condition of souls' lovers.
This project is a geometrical concrete composition. It appears as ''L'' shaped
including a complex of five buildings: (a small chapel), (the main hall), (a
small steel-and-wood pavilion on an island in the site's water entrance), (the
main tomb), and (an open-air structure covering the graves pond). The plan
consists of two rectangles connected with horizontal paths crafted in the
ground and with horizontal artificial ponds. The following figure represents
Scarpa's complex:
A06
Fig (9): Plan of Brion Cemetery represents the "L" According

to shape composition Source: [36], p.88 Noever, the
plan's organization is settled to express metaphorically the life of Mr. and
Mrs. Brion. Noever assumes that, this organization was set in chronological
order starting by the story of their recognition to each other, passing to the
peak of their love story, and ending with their miserable separation. The
British professor Dennis Sharp determines five architectural representations
reflecting the metaphoric thinking in designing Brion Cemetery as follows
[41]:
First - The dual forms: The most obvious common theme in the
architectural language of this project is using the dual forms, (shapes having
two similar sides). It means making every built element having two
separating sides in one form. Deliberately, Scarpa designs all the forms with
two sides just separating them by a small distance. This act was interpreted
as a metaphoric reflection for the principle: "one soul lives in two bodies".
Scarpa inspired his dual forms from the close relation between the two
lovers Giuseppe and Rina. Metaphorically, Scarpa refers with the first side
to husband's soul (in heaven) and with the second side to wife's soul (on
Earth). He separates between them with a small gab to symbolize death. He
imagines that death is a horrible monster separating between lovers. He
embodies this meaning through a tangible gab between all the dual forms.
Every building block, corridor, stair, flower-box, and grave-stone has a dual
A07
formation to express the metaphoric philosophy of love between Mr. and

Mrs. Brion.
Fig (10): The dual formation is the main theme in every element in Brion
Cemetery. It represents the spiritual relation of love
Source: [36], p.90 & 91
Second - The meaningful light: The tomb room is a
concrete building designed to accommodate only two
coffins. The first one has already been used for the
husband's corpse and the other one belongs to Mrs.
Brion. In this special room, Scarpa plays by light
through making a group of square blocked holes in
the walls except one hole. He blocked all these
square holes with ceramic panels to prevent entering Fig (11): The
opened hole refers
light except one hole. This single opened hole allows
to the spiritual
entering a single spot of light into the room. state of father's
Metaphorically, Scarpa refers with these blocked soul flying in light.
holes to family's members who say silent words of Source: [36], p.96
condolences to their dead father. The architect put
single opened hole to symbolize the father's soul. In
most of religions and philosophies, there is a relation
between light and soul. Scarpa wanted to express the
spiritual state of the leaving father through single Fig (12): The cross
spot of light. pavilion represents
Third - The concrete-cross pavilion: Scarpa Christian and
designed a pavilion seen as a floating island in the spiritual
metaphor.
middle of a lake. Scarpa himself called it: "A place Source: [36], p.101
for mediation". This pavilion is a horizontal
concrete-cross laid on the water. This landmark symbolizes the place where
the husband's soul is now. Scarpa used this Christian symbol to explain that,
A08
Mr. Brion is with god now. Deliberately, the architect put this pavilion in
the middle of a lake to emphasize the meaning of impossibility to reach
over there because no one now can reach afterlife except the dead people.
Fourth – The two intersecting circles: Scarpa believes that, love is
honorable, noble, and sensitive feeling which can hardly be embodied in a
physical form. According to his readings in philosophy of love, Scarpa
knew that the ancient civilizations had already expressed love through
certain symbols.
Fig (13): The intersected circles represent the close relation between
the two lovers. Source: [36], the cover page & p.42
Heart, arrow, wings, lips, and intersected circles are the most well-known
symbols of love at the ancient civilizations. [42] Scarpa picked up the
symbol of the intersected circles to use in his architectural language in the
entrance, the gate, and the windows. This symbol refers to the close
relationship between the two lovers. Architecturally, Scarpa used this shape
to let visitors see two intersected spots of light. Metaphorically, he aims to
represent the inevitable destiny of the two souls.
Fifth - The red tree: The architect
commanded the landscapers to plant
a Fuchsia red tree in the beginning
of the main spine connecting the
project's zones. Scarpa wanted to
impact visitors with a notable
landmark in the beginning of their
journey. Metaphorically, the red
leaves provide visitors with sad Fig (14): The Fuchsia red tree is
feelings. Scarpa wanted to attract planted as a landmark to represent
visitors' sympathy towards the event. the feeling of sadness.
Therefore, he chose the red tree to Source: [39], p.132
send a message that even nature is sad for the former businessman Mr.
Brion. The red leaves look like tears of blood which metaphorically ,
explains how nature is deeply sad. Scarpa planted this tree to be single with
no other similar tree around. The philosophical reason beyond planting just
single red tree is to convey the meaning of loneliness. Scarpa wanted to
A09
embody the state of Mrs. Brion at the present time that she is living alone
missing her lover. Far away from the traditional anthropomorphic trend,
Scarpa put this red tree to symbolize Mrs. Brion herself that she is standing
alone in this life and is always crying bloody tears.
15 Third Case-Study: Frankfurt Museum, Germany, 1984

This project was designed by the American architect Stanley Tigerman. In 1982,
the government of West Germany announced an architectural competition to
design a historical museum to be landmark in one of Frankfurt's gardens. The
aim of this work was to create a building symbolizing the history of humanity.
Tigerman's building was a simple cube wrapped with regular module-white grid
from the four elevations. He selected the Sandalwood, good smell wood, to be
the material of building these grids. [43]
Tigerman's interest in dualism, as argued in his titled
book "Versus" (Rizzoli, 1982) can be seen in most of his
works, buildings with dual purpose. This
destructive/reconstructive opposition is conveyed in the
first sketches and the final product. The visual cues are
kept ambiguous, and are part of several systems of
meaning. This keeps the representation from being too
explicit or one-dimensional. This ambiguity is further
reinforced by a mixture of domestic and institutional Fig (15): Frankfurt
metaphors. [44] According to his close assistant Sarah Museum is a cube
Mollman Underhill, Tigerman has influenced by the shape implying
following items [45]: layers of metaphors.
Source: [45], p.154
- (Serving several years in the Navy):
This period implanted in Tigerman's spirit characteristics as "boldness,
curiosity, yearning to break the rules, and rejecting orders" which reflected on
his design style to be bold, module breaker, unrestricted to any design
determinants, and making principles by his own.
- (Following philosophies of Hegel and Socrates):
Tigerman was eager to read books of philosophy to learn particularly from
Hegel and Socrates. He was influenced by the dialectic philosophy of Hegel
which reflected on him to be skeptic, open-minded, able to envision any
subject from both sides. Therefore, Tigerman's works imply dual dialectic
purpose: i.e. "logic/ironic", "serious/humor", "modular grid/non-modular".
His projects become formal representation of the dialectical thinking. In
addition, Tigerman was influenced by the disjunctive philosophy of Socrates.
It means solving any problem by separating it into small parts then solving
each part alone. Therefore, Tigerman is employing disjunctive strategies to
A21
design, even as 'originary evidence' was being presented, removed that innate
optimism which defines, even as it delimits, architecture.
- (The importance of culture in society):
Tigerman believes that architecture must be attractive, unique, bizarre only
deals with smart people who use their minds and memories. Tigerman thinks
that, branches of culture are so many but the most important are "history,
myths, literature, and religion". Thus the metaphoric sources generating his
architectural language became one of these cultural branches. Tigerman
himself admitted that, the historical and mythical stories of the bible were
and still his row-material metaphoric sources.
- (Ideas of Chicago 7):
Tigerman is a member of this group who produced new architectural ideas
mixing between past and present meeting the physical and metaphysical
users' needs.
Sarah Mollman explains that Tigerman uses two distinguished architectural
concepts:
(Out of closure) + (Failed attempts at healing an irreparable wound)
Those two concepts aim to create a new architectural language breaking the
design determinants, penetrating the modular-grids, deviating from the
traditional rules, using unfamiliar angles, and deforming the platonic forms
through doubly-coded architectural elements. (Out of closure) is derived from
his characteristics he earned from the three years navy-life. This concept claims
to penetrate the architectural closure by making deviated forms with
unquestionable angles. This deviation could be in the horizontal direction or in
the vertical direction. (Failed attempts at healing an irreparable wound) is
derived from his feeling of alienation in his own home. Tigerman wants to
produce architecture of no hope, useless architecture in changing the inevitable
destiny. [46]
15-1 Source of metaphor: “History of humanity and Story of Adam & Eve”
Tigerman depends, in his metaphoric departures, on the different branches of

culture especially the branches that touch history. Tigerman finds in (history,
myths, literature, and religion) the wide fields for his inspirations. His
metaphoric selection must be appropriate to the building's function. In Frankfurt
Museum, the aim of the competition is to build a museum for humanity
symbolizing the beginning of life. Tigerman choose an appropriate idea for
designing this museum. He depended on his awareness with the history of
humanity and the biblical stories of Adam and Eve. Therefore, it can be said
that the metaphoric sources used in designing Frankfurt Museum were "history
of humanity" and "the religious story of Adam and Eve".
A20
The four components of the architectural metaphor are as follows:

A. Target Domain – Omitted
In the case of Frankfurt Museum, the target domain can be explicitly
concluded and envisioned. According to the architect himself, the target
domain in this project is “Paradise of Eden”. Tigerman finds that it will be
so appropriate to choose metaphor has a relation with the inner function. He
believes that the best metaphor for designing this museum, (specialized in
exhibiting history of humanity), is something expressing the beginning of
life. Tigerman concerned with the Biblical stories. Therefore he knew, from
reading Genesis, that the First Man was created on the Paradise of Eden.
Tigerman understood that Eden is the place where human race has already
been started. He wanted his users to feel that they are going back in time to
see the story of human creation.
B. Source Domain – Added
According to Tigerman himself, the source domain of this building is “A
Platonic form of a cube”. He symbolizes the target domain (Paradise of
Eden) with a simple white platonic form of a rigid cube wrapped from the
four sides by white modular-grids.
The intellectual process of transformation from the target domain to the
source domain needs little imagination from the user to connect between the
building's function and the true origin of humanity. Tigerman choose the
cube white form because he knew that most of users' cultures are wide and
flexible to understand that it represents a place not existing on this life but
symbolizing a holy place existing on another life hosted the First Man in the
beginning of humanity and will host the good people after the judgment
day.
Tigerman injected his design with two main metaphoric projections
reflected on his architectural representations as follows:
First – The Paradise as a cube: Tigerman explains that he symbolizes the
Paradise of Eden with a simple platonic form of a cube wrapped by three
dimensional grid in cubits. The architect realized that Eden was Man's
original home. He created a real utopia by four effects:
- The visual effect: Without any additions, or subtractions, or ornaments,

Tigerman used pure white form of a cube to express characteristics as
(perfectness, pureness, serenity, transparency, optimism, idealism,
A22
attraction, holiness, curiosity). These utopian

characteristics could be easily visualized by the
visitors.
- The audio effect: Inside the building, the architect
distributed a number of pigeon-holes on the upper
beam holding the roof. He purposed to create an
audio effect by pigeons'' cooing. He wanted his
users to feel that they are in a heavenly place.
- The smell effect: Fig (16): The
Paradise as a cube
Tigerman selected the Sandalwood to be the
wrapped with white
material used in constructing the grid because it is grid
a high aromatic wood and it retains the fragrance Source: [45], p.155
for many decades. It contains a high valuable
fragrant oil any one can smell it from meters of
distances. Tigerman selected this kind of wood to
express the lovely good smell of Eden.
- The metaphoric effect:
The module's dimension used in the white
Sandalwood grid wrapped the cube is inspired
from the Biblical dimension measured from the
elbow to the tip of the extended fingers, which is Fig (17): Using
approximately a half meter. Tigerman used this Sandalwood grid
specific distance to be the geometrical module of wrapping the cube
the grid. Metaphorically, he aimed to emphasize has a metaphoric
reason
the identity of Eden's inhabitants. He envisioned
Source: [45], p.156
the members of the grid, in white color and lovely
smell, as a connected web of arms of the righteous people who will live
in Eden after the Judgment day.
Second – The two trees of Adam and Eve:
In the courtyard of the cube, Tigerman planted two
Oak trees symbolizing Adam and Eve as the pivotal
characters of the story. He selected this specific kind
of trees because Oak is a huge, high, long-lived,
evergreen, many breeding, extended branches, firmly
rooted in the ground. These characteristics of Oak are
very similar to the nature of Adam and Eve, who
were, according to the Biblical descriptions, giants, Fig (18): Museum's
long-lived, many breeding, firmly roots of human plan represents the
race. Tigerman left the courtyard uncovered allowing two trees of Adam
the two trees to penetrate the cube in the vertical & Eve.
Source: [45], p.154
direction.
A23
According to the architect himself, he purposed three metaphoric

dimensions beyond those two trees as follows [47]:
- The distance between the two trees:
Deliberately, Tigerman planted the two trees
in the courtyard not attached to each other but
he separated them with a specific distance to
symbolize that God did not create Adam and
Eve in the same time. But Eve was created
from Adam's rib.
- The deviated module in plan:
On the contrary of the rigid x,y,z module of
the cube, Tigerman deviated it by using a
sloped module in courtyard's tiles. He wanted
to symbolize the horrible sin of Adam and Eve
through this intended deviation in module.
Metaphorically, the architect played the role
of Satan in the story. Through making an Fig (19): Museum's
angled deviation in plan's module, Tigerman entrance represents
wanted his users to feel that they are unstable, the two trees of
uncomfortable, remembering the penalty of Adam and Eve
disobedience. penetrating the roof
- Penetrating the cube: Source: [45], p.154
Once again, Tigerman assumed himself as Satan but this time with
some sort of modification. He knew the fact that "Satan caused Adam
and Eve's punishment with their descending from Paradise to Earth".
According to Bible, the trick of eating apple to be immortal creature
was Satan's play causing dismissing of Adam and Eve out of Paradise.
Similarly, Tigerman played an essential role to dismiss the two trees of
Adam and Eve out of the cube. He applied his first concept (out of
closure) allowing the two trees to penetrate the roof of the cube. It can
be notable that, Satan's trick was through eating an apple but
Tigerman's trick was through opening the roof. Tigerman applied his
second concept (failed attempts at healing an irreparable wound) by
referring to the fact that growing intervening branches can't to go back
to the cube. This act is to emphasize that returning back to Eden is
impossible for Adam and Eve and their grandchildren. It means
creating architecture of no hope and there is no way to change God's
will because it is an inevitable destiny.
A24
16 Comparison between the three case-studies

The shown table presents a detailed comparison between the three projects as
follows:
Kaleva Church, Brion Cemetery, Frankfurt Museum,
Name of Project
Finland, 1966 Italy, 1972 Germany, 1984
The Architect: Reima Pietilä Carlo Scarpa Stanley Tigerman
General view of the

Building
Out of closure + Failed

Architecture is a piece of
Architect's Concept Phenomenology of place
craft
attempts at healing an
irreparable wound
History of Humanity and
The Finnish myth of
Metaphoric Source Philosophy of love the Biblical story of
Kalevala
Adam & Eve
Target Domain Mythical fish of Kalevala Paradise for lovers Paradise of Eden
omitted
Components of the architectural
Source Domain
Abstracted concrete fish Poetic spaces of love Platonic form of a cube
added
Abstraction Direct abstraction Explicit abstraction Simple with modification
metaphors
The
architectural
representations
Complex plan represents L Shape plan & dual Plan of a cube & form
an abstracted fish forms represent love wrapped by white grid
The used metaphoric Inspiring from users' Poems & architecture of Inspiring from project's
approach in design culture + organic shapes silence function
Irony, playfulness, &
Metaphoric themes Pastiche Magic realism
black humor
Tab. (2): A detailed comparison between the three projects
By analyzing this table, it can be noticed that, the three architects intend to let
their users live in a utopian world meeting their spiritual needs. Metaphorically,
the three architects find the world around them is so awful, corrupted,
dangerous, mean, and shallow. Therefore, they want their users to be totally
separated from this surrounding world by experiencing living in a utopian
world, sailing through its architectural components, breathing its smell,
mediating in its landscape.
A25
In designing the previous cases-studies, the abstraction processes are usually

explicit, direct, and perceptible. With the beginning of 1980s, the
postmodern architects started to use more implicit ideas in their designs
because many others, as Michael Graves, multiplied in using the shallow
metaphoric approaches as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic.
17 Conclusions
A. Metaphors are good and appropriate sources of inspiration. Metaphor can be
helpful in achieving the “new” at many points in the building and the
design/conceptual process.
B. Postmodernism is the important movement, witnessed the use of metaphor
through its philosophies, literatures and arts.
C. History of architecture clarified that the metaphor is very old aspect. Builders
and architects of the ancient civilizations used it to convey certain images to
their nations. Ancient Architecture, which used a lot of signs and symbols,
has already adopted it as a grammatical tool to represent their concepts,
especially for spiritual and sacred buildings.
D. From the architectural perspective, „metaphor‟ is a transformation process
from abstracts into material or visual image. It is called the „metaphoric
thinking which can be defined as: “The intellectual process of transformation
of intangible or abstract aspects into physical or visual image.”
E. Through analyzing the case-studies, Lefebvre's theory of (Form follows
meaning) is proved to be true. Users of the postmodern projects can figure
out that the form does not follow function any more. They understand that
meaning of form needs more (interaction, imagination, curiosity, searching
in memories).
F. Metaphor is one of the most powerful tools of Post Modern Architecture.
G. The metaphorical thinking in architecture produces aphoristic, utopian,
universalized results.
H. According to Jencks, the most important theory of the postmodern
architecture is "Double code and irony". The three selected architects used
their metaphoric thinking to achieve this theory. They produced architectural
languages fulfilling a dual purpose. The first is apparent offered to users but
the second is hidden belongs to architect.
I. The issue of ''the metaphoric thinking and architectural representation'' is a
gray complicated issue cannot be resolved in one paper but it needs more
researches, so that it still under discussion…
A26
18 References
[1] Davidson, Donald, “What Metaphors mean?”, Published by Oxford University Press,
London, England, 1978
[2] Kövecses, Zoltán, “Metaphor: A Practical Introduction”, Published by Oxford
University Press, New York, USA, 2010
[3] Sullivan, Wendy, “Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds”,
Published by Crown House Publishing; 1st edition, Carmarthen, Wales, UK, 2008
[4] Wittgenstein, Ludwig, “Philosophical Investigations”, Published by Wiley-Blackwell,
[5] Semino, Elena, “Metaphor in Discourse”, Published by Cambridge University Press,
New York, USA, 2008
[6] Locke, John, “The Selected Political Writings of John Locke”, Published by W. W.
Norton Company, Princeton, USA, 2005
[7] Wolman, Benjamin B., “The Unconscious Mind: The Meaning of Freudian
Psychology”, Published by Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA, 1968
[8] Mithen, S. J., “Creativity on Human Evaluation and Prehistory”, Published by
Routledge, London, England, 1998
[9] Kövecses, Zoltán, “Metaphor and Emotion: Language, Culture, and Body in Human
Feeling”, Published by Cambridge University Press, New York, USA, 2003
[10] Black, Max, “Models and Metaphor, Studies in Language and Philosophy”, Published
by Cornell University Press, New York, USA, 1962
[11] Jencks, Charles, “Critical Modernism: Where is Post-Modernism going?”, Published
by John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, England, 2007
[12] Harvey, David, “The Condition of Postmodernity: An enquiry into the origins of
cultural change”, Published by Oxford Blackwell, London, England, 1990
[13] Jencks, Charles, “The Post-Modern Reader”, Published by Academy Group Ltd,
[14] Psarra, Sophia, “Architecture and Narrative”, Published by Routledge, London,
England, 2009
[15] Wonoseputro, Christine, “Metaphors: A Creative Design Approach or Theory?”, an
article published on the website:
www.transmaterialasia.wordpress.com Access: (25/8/2011)
[16] Leach, Neil, “Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory”, Published by
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon, England, 1997
[17] Abel, Chris, “Architecture and Identity: Towards a Global Eco-Culture”, Published
by Architectural Press, An imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, England, 1997
[18] Giedion, Sigfried, “The Beginnings of Architecture”, Published by Oxford University
Press, London, England, 1964
[19] Malacrino, Carmelo, “Constructing the Ancient World: Architectural Techniques of
the Greeks and Romans”, Published by Getty Publications, Los Angeles, California,
USA, 2010
[20] Kilde, Jeanne Halgren, “Sacred Power, Sacred Space: An Introduction to Christian
Architecture and Worship”, Published by Oxford University Press, New York, USA,
2008
[21] Eliade, Mircea, “The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion”, Translated by
Trask, Willard R., Published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Orlando, Florida, USA,
1987
[22] Kliczkowski, Sol, “Otto Wagner”, translated by Bain, William, Published by teNeues
Publishing Group, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2002
[23] Jencks, Charles, “The Architecture of the Jumping Universe”, Academy Edition,
Published by Academy Group Ltd, London, England, 1995
[24] Perez-Gomez, Alberto, “Built upon Love: Architectural longing after ethics and
aesthetics”, Published by MIT Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Massachusetts, USA, 2008
[25] Davies, Colin, “High Tech Architecture”, published by Rizzoli, New York, USA, 1988
A27
[26] Chandler , Daniel, “Semiotics: The Basics”, Published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis
Group, Abingdon, England, 2007
[27] Eco, Umberto, “Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language”, Published by Indiana
University Press, Indiana, USA, 1986
[28] Lefebvre, Henri, “The Absent Body”, translated by D. Nicholson-Smith, Published by
Oxford, Blackwell, England, 1991
[29] Jencks, Charles, “The New Paradigm in Architecture”, Published by Yale University
Press, Yale, USA, 2002
[30] Connah, Roger, “Finland: Modern Architectures in History”, Published by Reaktion
Books Ltd, London, England, 2006
[31] Quantrill, Malcolm, “Finnish Architecture and the Modernist Tradition”, Published
by Taylor & Francis Group, London, England, 1998
[32] Lönnrot, Elias, “The Kalevala: An Epic Poem after Oral Tradition”, translated by
Bosley, Keith, Published by Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 2009
[33] Antoniades, Anthony C., “Poetics of Architecture: Theory of Design”, Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Canada, 1992
[34] Quantrill, Malcolm, “Reima Pietilä: Architecture, Context and Modernism”,
Published by Rizzoli; 1st Edition, New York, USA, 1985
[35] Norberg-Schulz, Christian, “Meaning in Western Architecture”, Published by Rizzoli,
New York, USA, 1993
[36] Beltramini, Guido, “Carlo Scarpa: Architecture and Design”, Published by Rizzoli,
New York, USA, 2007
[37] Freud, Sigmund, “The Psychology of Love”, Translated by Shaun Whiteside, Published
by the Penguin Group, new edition, London, England, 2008
[38] Los, Sergio, “Carlo Scarpa (Big Series Art)”, Published by Taschen, Köln, Germany,
1999
[39] Schultz, Anne-Catrin, “Carlo Scarpa - Layers”, Published by Axel Menges, Technische
Universitaet Berlin, Germany, 2007
[40] Noever, Peter, “The Other City – Carlo Scarpa”, Published by Ernst & Sohn, Berlin,
Germany, 1989
[41] Sharp, Dennis, “Twentieth Century Architecture: A Visual History”, Published by
Image Publishing Dist Ac, Victoria, Australia, 2006
[42] Kracher, Stephen, “Symbols of Love”, Published by Little, Brown Book Group, 2005
[43] Emmanuel, Muriel, “Contemporary Architects”, Published by St. Martin's Press, New
York, USA, 1980
[44] Jencks, Charles, “Architectural Design Profile: Abstract Representation”, published
article in the magazine (Architectural Design), Number. 48, Academy Edition, London,
England, 1990
[45] Underhill, Sarah Mollman, “Stanley Tigerman Buildings and Projects 1966-1989”,
Published by Rizzoli, New York, USA, 1989
[46] Tigerman, Stanley, “The Architecture of Exile”, Published by Rizzoli, New York, USA,
1998
[47] Tigerman, Stanley, “Designing Bridges to Burn: Architectural Memories by Stanley
Tigerman”, Published by ORO editions, New York, USA, 2011
[48] Tigerman, Stanley, “Stanley Tigerman: An Outsider's Reflection”, Published by The
Images Publishing Group, Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia, 2000
A28
View publication stats

The Metaphoric Thinkingin Architectural Representation

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Metaphoric Thinkingin Architectural Representation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

The Metaphoric Thinking in Architectural Representation

Article · March 2012

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

The Metaphoric Thinking in Architectural

2- The Meaning of 'Metaphor'

contextual and basic meanings of a metaphorical expression belong to different

3- The Importance of 'Metaphor'

4- The Components of 'Metaphor'

4-4 Representation / (The Final Product)

The following example explains the four components of the 'Metaphor':

In this example, the narrator, Bromden, provided a metaphoric description of a

The shown diagram represents the relationship between the components of

Source Abstraction Target

Representation: (Image of context: Text in poem, article, novel, myth or prose)

Fig (1): The relationship between the components of 'Metaphor'

5 Where can we find Metaphor?

Fig (2): The fields of Metaphor

5-1 Metaphor in History

5-2 Metaphor in Language

5-3 Metaphor in Literature

5-4 Metaphor in Philosophy

5-5 Metaphor in Art

rhetorical tools, metaphor became a foundation of thinking, rather than being

8 Metaphor and Architecture

embark upon a voyage of discovery into the unfamiliar territory of architectural

9 Historical Background of using Metaphor in Architecture

9-1 Metaphor in Architecture of the Ancient Civilizations

9-2 Metaphor in Architecture of the Enlightenment Age

interpretations of Greek and Roman architecture, an attempt by leaders of a

9-3 Metaphor in Architecture of the 1st half of the 20th Century

the fields of science, mechanics, astronomy, and computers, at the

10 Changing from „Functionalism‟ into „Semiotics‟

10-1 Theory of Umberto Eco: “Architecture and Semiotics”

10-2 Theory of Henri Lefebvre: “Form follows Meaning”

11 Postmodernism and New Paradigm in Architecture

12 The measuring table used in analyzing the case-studies

Components of the Architectural Metaphor

Omitted Added Process of

experience one project for each one of them. By following a schematic

1- Sources of metaphor 2- Components of the architectural metaphor

These items will be presented according to the interpretations of critics or the

13 First Case-Study: Kaleva Church, Tampere, Helsinki, Finland, 1966

13-1 Source of metaphor: “Finnish myth of Kalevala”

Väinämöinen grew up as a fish hunter due to the marine environment. He was

13-2 Components of the architectural metaphor

In this case-study, the four components of the architectural metaphor are as

14 Second Case-Study: Brion Vega Cemetery, Italy, 1972

- (His living alone and his mediation in nature):

14-1 Source of metaphor: “Philosophy of love”

thrilled. He considered this project an important chance to express his

14-2 Components of the architectural metaphor

In this case-study, the four components of the architectural metaphor are as

Fig (9): Plan of Brion Cemetery represents the "L" According

formation to express the metaphoric philosophy of love between Mr. and

15 Third Case-Study: Frankfurt Museum, Germany, 1984

Tigerman depends, in his metaphoric departures, on the different branches of

15-2 Components of the architectural metaphor

The four components of the architectural metaphor are as follows:

- The visual effect: Without any additions, or subtractions, or ornaments,

attraction, holiness, curiosity). These utopian

According to the architect himself, he purposed three metaphoric

16 Comparison between the three case-studies