Theory of Architecture:

Meaning & Understanding

 It is a theoritical and scientific criticism and/or a phylosophical
explanation to issues related to architecture design;
 Architecture theory is useful to judge; criticise and soundly
assess the design process;
 Architecture articulates intent;
 From the cosmological ordering of the universe in antiquity to
the more prosaic commercial domination of the urban
landscape in our contemporary cities, architecture has always
played a central political role in ordering human interaction in
the public domain
 Theory of Architecture:
Meaning & Understanding
 Comprise all design activity, from the macro level (urban design,
landscape architecture) to the micro level (construction detail,
furniture).
 It is the process and product of planning, designing and
constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional,
technical, social, environmental, and aesthetic considerations.
 It requires the creative manipulation and coordination of
material, technology, light and shadow.
 Architecture also encompasses the pragmatic aspects of realizing
buildings and structures including scheduling, cost estimating
and construction administration.
Definition of architecture
 V.s. Pramar defines architecture as “The creation of utilitarian
spaces with the component of aesthetics achieved by means of
technology.
 D.K.Ching defines architecture as “The architecture of
space ,structure, enclosure through movement in time-space
achieved by means of technology accommodating a program
compatible with its context.
 Space ,structure,enclosure-organisation
pattern,relationships,hierarry,frontal image and spatial
definition,qualities of
shape,colour,texture,scale,proportion,qualities of surfaces,edges
and openings.
Definition of architecture
 Movement in space and time- approach and entry ,path
configuration, and access ,sequences of spaces.
 Technology-structure and enclosure, environmental protection
and comfort, health ,safety and welfare ,durability.
 Program- user requirements,needs,aspirations ,socio-cultrual
factors ,economic factors.
 Compatible with its context- site and environment,climtae,sun
and temperature and precipitation,
geography,soils,topography,vegetation and water,sencery and
cultural characteristics of the place.
Expressive Role:
 Architecture today has gradually become faced with a crisis of
meaning;
 Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières (1721–c.1793) defined the role
of architecture as a language expressive of its destination and
purpose.
 The aim of architecture was accordingly to communicate the
character and social status of his clients, but he also believed
that buildings could evoke human sensation responding to the
mind and move the soul.
 It is claimed that the essence of architecture was fictional and
poetic.
Expressive Role:
 Ever since antiquity, Vitruvius had established the expressive
role of architecture in his definition of the term “decorum.”
 For Vitruvius, however, architecture expressed an order that
transcended its materiality; it spoke of the order of the
universe.
 Important cultural changes motivated by the Scientific
Revolution transformed the very nature of architecture in the
late seventeenth century.
 Expression in architecture:
 Expression in architecture is the communication of quality and
meaning.
 The functions and the techniques of building are interpreted and
transformed by expression into art, as sounds are made into music
and words into literature.
 The nature of expression varies with the character of culture in
different places and in different times, forming distinct modes or
languages of expression that are called styles.
 Style communicates the outlook of a culture and the concepts of
its architects.
 Expression in architecture:
 The boundaries of a style may be national and geographical
(e.g., Japanese, Mayan) or religious (e.g., Islamic) and intellectual
(e.g., Renaissance), embracing distinct linguistic, racial, and national
units, and different expressions within each of these boundaries are
produced by the particular style of regions, towns, groups, architects,
or craftsmen.
 The principal forces in the creation of a style are tradition, the
experience of earlier architecture; influence, the contribution of
contemporary expressions outside the immediate cultural
environment; and innovation, the creative contribution of the culture
and the architect.
 Expression in architecture:
 These forces operate to produce an evolution within every style and
ultimately to generate new styles that tend to supplant their
predecessors.
 The components of expression, which communicate the particular
values of style, are content and form.
 Since content can be communicated only through form, the two are
organically united, but here they will be discussed separately in order
to distinguish the specific and concrete meaning (content) from the
abstract expression of qualities (form).
 Content : Content is the subject matter of architecture, the element
in architectural expression that communicates specific meanings that
interpret to society the functions and techniques of buildings.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 Society requires that architecture not only communicate the
aspirations of its institutions but also fulfill their practical needs.
 Differences in expression, apart from differences in planning,
distinguish the forms of architectural types (the house from the
church, etc.), the kinds of use (the Catholic from the Protestant
church), and the traditions and customs of users (the English from the
Swiss Protestant church).
 Architectural forms become the vehicles of content—in plan,
elevation, and decoration—they are symbolic .
 The architectural plan, when used symbolically, communicates
through its shape.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 From prehistoric times and in many
cultures, the circle, with its suggestion
of the planets and other manifestations
of nature, gained a symbolic, mystical
significance and was used in the plans
of houses, tombs, and religious
structures.
 By slow processes it came to be employed for memorial and shrines
and for hero cults in both the East and the West.
 When building techniques permitted, its symbolism often merged
with that of the dome.
 In Hindu temples, the square (and the cross plans developed from it)
expressed celestial harmony.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 The central-plan Christian church (circle, polygon, Greek cross,
ellipse) fascinated the architects of the Renaissance with its symbolic
and traditional values, and it is found in their drawings and treatises
to the virtual exclusion of the more practical longitudinal basilicas
that architects were often commissioned to build.
 Plan symbolism remained almost exclusively in the sphere of
religion after antiquity, and its traditions gradually disappeared in the
course of the 19th century.
 The modern plan is determined by problems of form (space-mass
relationships, etc.) and by the practical demands of use rather than by
symbolic communication.
Symbolism in architecture:
 In elevation the most consistent symbolic
forms have been the dome, the tower, the
stairway, the portal, and the colonnade.
 Domes imply the meanings of the circle
and more, since a dome is a covering.
 Long before masonry domes could be
built, the hemisphere was associated with
the heavens as a “cosmic canopy,” and
throughout history domes have been
decorated with stars and astrological
symbols.
 In ancient Rome and among Christians
and Indian Buddhists, the dome came to
mean universal power.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 During the Renaissance it spread from religious
structures to palaces and government buildings,
retaining some of its implications of power.
 The Chinese pagoda (traditional part of Chinese
architecture, its construction considered auspicious)
extends central-plan symbolism into towers; many
towers and spires (a tapering conical or pyramidal
structure on the top of a building) rose from the northern
European Gothic cathedral, and the medieval Italian city
was a forest of towers erected by nobles in constant
competition to express their supremacy.
 The stairway, employed in the past to give
“monumentality” to important buildings, frequently
became more expressive than convenient, especially in
Baroque palaces. 
The reasons for the construction
of so many towers are not clear.
One hypothesis is that the richest
families used them for
offensive/defensive purposes.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 Portals, from the time of ancient Egyptian temple pylons ( large gate in
front of temple having paintings of gods) and Babylonian city gates
(having animal pictures on façade), became monuments in themselves,
used to communicate a heightened significance to what lay behind them.
 Since the development of the classical Greek temple, the colonnade on the
exterior of buildings has borne similar implications.
Symbolism in architecture:
 Decoration, the most easily
recognized medium of content,
communicates meaning either
through architectural elements or
through the figural arts
(sculpture, painting, mosaic,
stained glass, etc.).
 The architectural elements used
decoratively, such as the
classical orders, usually
originate in technique and in
time lose their structural
significance to become symbols.
 Symbolism in architecture:
 Similarly, the new vocabulary of Gothic architecture, developed with new
building techniques (the pointed arch, the flying buttress, etc.), became in
later periods a source for religious and romantic symbolism.
 The Art Nouveau of the turn of the 20th century, a system of ornament
based on floral and other organic forms, survived for only two decades,
perhaps because its symbols were neither drawn from a tradition nor
derived from a structural system.
 Art Nouveau -
ANTONIO GAUDI’S
WORKS
 Symbolism in architecture:
 The sculptures of the Hindu temple (gods, human figures), the mosaics of
the Byzantine church (shows wealth), and the stuccoes ( lime+sand+water
– applied wet and then hardens, plaster – used inside, stucco – used
outside) of Moorish palaces (west part of north Africa) are not ornamental
applications; they determine the form of the building itself.
 The virtual absence of traditional symbols in modern architecture is
evidence of the failure of these symbols to express the cultural patterns of
the 20th century.
 In these times, architecture, like painting, sculpture, and other arts, has
tended to be abstract, to emphasize qualities of form rather than the
communication of familiar ideas through symbols.
Symbolism in 19th century
 Symbolism came to the force in late 19th century, with its roots in arts and
literature. Largely a reaction against naturalism (naturally built shelter)
and realism (present needs) ,the movement was largely in favour of
spirituality, the imagination and dreams.
 Almost everything –be it a building, a painting, a movie or a tale-has its
roots in some form of symbolism or,conversely,resorts to symbolism for
expressing itself.
 They provide not only structure and form,but the text,context and
meaning to social and cultural life.
CHETTINAD HOUSING Front (Male) Section of House
1. Veranda.
Central of House
2. Hal vitu or vitu: first courtyard;
literally, "hall house."
3. Tontu: columns.
4. Melpati, tinnai: a raised platform on
which people sit.
5. Valavu: aisle or corridor surrounding
central courtyard.
6. Ull arai: pulli's inner room
for puja and storage of dowry items.
7. Veli arai: pulli's outer room.
Back (Female) Section of House
8. Kattu: second courtyard, women's
courtyard; where grains are dried,
foods are prepared.
9. Samayal arai: kitchen.
10. Kutchin: a small room for women
during their menses and for girls during
their coming-of-age ceremony.
11. Veranda.
12. Pin kattu: open garden space with
or without well.
Symbolism in 19th century
 Architecture also constitutes powerful expressive and symbolic vehicles
in its own right ,with monumental buildings (gateway of India) being
more noteworthy in their style than in their functional provision.
 However, we tend to connect it mainly to historical and religious
structures as the imagery appears to be highly explicit and profound in
them.
 Symbolism exemplified in monuments ,mosques, churches - spiritual and
historic structures.
Sense of space:
 The term sense of space has been defined and utilized in different
ways by different people.
 It is often used in relation to characteristics that make a place special
or unique, as well as to those that foster a sense of authentic human
attachment and belonging.
History of symbolism:

 Symbolism in 19th century was characterized as spiritual or mystical

in nature ,which represented the inner life of people.
 Hence ,symbolism is applied use of any iconic representations
(pyramid – powerful form, has highest form of energy, sphere –
completeness)which carry particular conventional meanings.
MATRI MANDIR, AUROVILLE

LOTUS TEMPLE, DELHI

Symbolism of pyramid/ triangular
form through chakras.
Religious symbolism:
 Religious architecture is a record of the way people express their
faith.
 Religious symbolism uses symbols, including arches
types,artwork,texts,rituals,and other signs.
Symbols and Hindu temple:
 Cultures have often associated
geometric shapes with religion.
 In India ,the relation between
symbols and temple architecture is
clearly spelt out by vastu shartra.
 The various parts of a temple are
related to corresponding parts of
the body.
SYMBOLS

BHUDDIST STUPA
SQUARE AND VAASTU

Hence square was used

in all temple plans.
Examples:
Pentagram:
 A pentagram is a five-pointed
star drawn with five straight
strokes.
 Also called pentacle, the
pentagram was symbolically in
ancient Greece and Babylonia.
 The five pointed star depicts the
five elements-earth, air,fire and
water and the spirit.
 The pentacle ,also said to be a
pre-Christian symbol that relates
to nature worship .
Examples:
Symbolism in structures: The pyramids-Egypt
 The pyramids of Egypt
symbolize the powerful
existence of the human race on
the earth.
 They represent the supreme
control of man ,the animal with
intellect, on the entire earth.  The shape is said to represent
the descending rays of the sun
and most pyramids were faced
with polished white limestone
to give them a brilliant
appearance when viewed from
far..
Examples:
Pyramid at louvre,paris
 In 1983 I.M.Pei’s (Chinese born
American architect)design included
two large glass-covered courtyards to
house sculptures.
 It is made out of 666 panels of glass.
 Formally ,it is the most compatible
with the architecture of the louvre.
 It is also one of the most structurally
stable of forms and lends a feeling of
transparency.  Today, along with the Eiffel
 The design and the materials used tower ,the pyramid at louvre, rich in
signify a break with architectural illuminating symbolism ,is
traditions of the past. considered one of the landmarks of
Paris.
 Examples:
Guggenheim museum Bilbao
 A museum of modern and contemporary
art ,the Guggenheim Bilbao is located in
Spain.
 Designed by frank Gehry, widely
considered the master of pop architecture,
(break to traditional architecture) the
museum hailed as a signal moment in
architectural culture.
 The randomly curving building ,with its
witty shapes and sinuous line in  The Guggenheim Bilbao,
titanium ,is now considered the epitome of called the ‘greatest building
the post-modern. of our time’ by architect
 Intended to resemble a ship ,the building Philip Johnson, is the
reflective titanium panels resemble fish structure that follows the DE
scales and echo organic life forms that are constructivist style .
seen commonly in Gehry’s designs.
 Expression of technique-communication
 The aspect of content is the communication of the structural significance
of materials and methods ( materials used as required, glass – visually
open, concrete – solid)
 The characteristics of materials that are important in expressing design
techniques are the properties of their composition (e.g. Structure, weight,
durability) and the way they are used in structure. ( factors of expression
through materials)
 All materials used depend on the function of space, eg. Shopping mall
needs glass walls to display, trial room needs solid covering.
 Expression of technique-communication

  stone masonry is not necessarily connected with structural methods:

rustication (finishing in rough, uneven surfaces), drafting (more
refined, linear cutting), and polishing.
 Niches, projecting courses, or frames around openings suggest
massiveness.
 The use of stone or brick masonry in construction is emphasized by
arrangement, lintels, arches.
 Expression of technique-communication

 The properties of wood emphasis its texture in load-bearing members and

by treating the sheathing of light wood frames in patterns (of shingling or
boarding) that communicate thinness.
 The plasticity of concrete is shown by freedom in modeling and its use in
construction by emphasizing the impressions of the wooden forms in
which it is cast.
 CONCRETE TEXTURE DUE
TO WOODEN FRAMEWORK

CONCRETE BUILDING DESIGNED BY ZAHA

HADID
 Expression of technique-communication

  Gothic cathedral : the supporting piers, each of which extends

upward without interruption to become the rib of the vault, the flying
buttress are elegant interpretations of their functions.
 In the modern steel-frame building, the hidden forms of the skeleton
are often repeated on the facade to enable one to “see through” to the
technique, but the system also permits the alternative of expressing
the lightness and independence of the curtain wall by sheer surfaces
of glass and other materials.
GOTHIC CATHEDRAL
INTERIORS
STEEL FRAMED BUILDING