U30006 Architecture & Society

Hilton Murrell

14037105

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Architecture Must strive to understand

Ourselves. It should seek to comprehend the

world around us. Empower the

individual. No longer reduce

man to machine. Knock down the

fence. Be in a constant state of

evolution. Cultivate the position of

informed outside. Fold

external influences into the interior of its practice.

Reinvent the city .Go to Space

Architecture must strive to understand
ourselves.

By creating a dialogue and synthesis between emerging concepts

like sociokinetics and established ontological philosophy, architects
can empower themselves to better understand the basics
archetypes of human experience and apply them on a practical,
programmatic level, reaching greater artistic and experiential
heights; connecting the inhabitants of the space to Carl Jung's
'collective unconscious'. Whilst also allowing the design of human
centric spaces that perform at levels of maximum functionality. By
understanding the work of developmental psychologists and
epistemologists and utilising their research into the shared
motivational States we unconsciously establish as we enter spaces
in order to predict each others actions, could architects create
buildings that can essentially do the same? enhancing the
subconscious dialogue between a space and its inhabitants to
essentially establish a shared framework between the two, to
design spaces that can predict its occupants motivational States to
perform at maximum functionality.
It should seek to comprehend the world
around us.

Existential psychologist Rollo May proposes reality as a

'dialogue between the self and world'(1975). If we

see architecture, like art, as a means of understanding reality in
order to bring new realities into existence, intrinsic to the creative
act, we realise we must meaningful probe what our perception of
'the world' means. May defines the world as; 'the pattern of
meaningful relations in which a person exists'.
Who then lies in a better position than the architect? He who must
fully understand these patterns, on a physical, tangible level but also
those of the metaphysical; our deeper psychology and how physical
form might manifest and manipulate them.
Empower the individual.

“Architecture must concern itself continually with the socially

beneficial distortion of the environment.” (Cedric Price, The Square
Book)
By the adoption of psychological ideas to better understand
ourselves, architecture and the architect can truly begin to empower
individuals within a space and design architecture with a deeper
ethical dimension. By developing Cedric Price's philosophy of
enabling, architecture could begin to empower its occupants with
greater utility. By not reducing individuals to 'standards' but being

sensitive to 'individual differences' and embrace 'the

possibilities of individual human potential'

(Royston Landau, A Philosophy of enabling, the work of Cedrick
Price).
No longer reduce Man to Machine.

'...it is being which is Difference, in the sense

that it is said of difference' (Gilles Deleuze, 1968). In
deleuzian ontological univocity, we see the inversion of the
traditional notion of metaphysics; here identity is seen as a
derivative of difference. This acts to essentially reinforce the notion
of space and time as unifying forms imposed by the subject himself;
being is thus formed from the affirmation of the senses into one
voice. Or in other words the subjective response in an individual's
self world dialogue.
Architecture must design for difference not identity, with the implied
responsibility or opportunity to shape individual being through its
forms, it must no longer reduce man to machine as did Plato and Le
Corbusier. The architecture itself must become something less
rational, more idiosyncratic, a reflection of fundamental human
experience.
Knock Down the Fence.

"You spent so much time policing the fence

that you forgot to open the door.” (Bruce mau, Bruce
mau designs). It seems ironic that such a socially and ethically
concerned profession as architecture has such low levels of public
engagement. How can architecture begin to regain social ground?
Perhaps the answer is in a more unsolicited form of practice, with
smaller firms that create their own opportunities, with projects that
are at once art installation and community enhancement, perhaps
that involve no building or architecture in a traditional sense at all.
Be in a Constant state on Evolution

What if 'Constructing a philosophy becomes an art of

necessarily temporary inquiry into what at a given
Time or place we might yet think in our thought, see
or do in our visions or actions- an exercise in
building new spaces for thought in the midst of
things' (John Rajchman, constructions). What if architecture were
to adopt the constructivist Philosophies of Deleuze or Hume? In a
constant state of construction and reconstruction of ideals, formal
language; something more incidental.
When thinking itself becomes experimental, constructing spaces
within a terrain bounded by many constraints rather than producing
something from nothing, by pure 'genius' alone, Embracing the
complexity inherent in reality. So to can architectural theory and
practice become the novel yet logical synthesis of ideals and forms
through connections and constraints of any given moment in space
and time, to deliver something reactionary to those connections and
constraints that reflects in its fundamental construction the
ambitions and state of human beings at that given moment.
Cultivate the position of Informed
Outsider.

How might we quantify and cultivate these patterns in past and

present realities in order to propagate an improved future?
We essentially see this exploration in the modern think tank
practices that are beginning to cultivate the past in order to predict
and shape new possibilities for architecture and the city, and even
our future in general. Reinier de Graaf of AMO's, table on the
successes of different predictions from varied disciplines throughout
history shows startling results; the most successful predictions were
made from individuals outside of the domain in which they were
commenting. So what for the architect? He who traverses multiple
disciplines and lines of enquiry simultaneously, allowing an
informed outsiders view on a multiplicity of paradigms. Is he then
perfectly positioned for such insights?
Fold external influences into the interior
of it’s Practice.

By embracing the inherent complexity of modern practice and

indeed that of urban living and modern life whilst shifting our
philosophy to one of connections, folding, unfolding; once again
embracing complexity, architects can expand their unique position
at the boundaries of a multitude of different disciplines. 'folding
across lines to create uncertainty between boundaries, instead of

defined boundaries of separation. 'These uncertainties

create the potential of a multiplicity of folding
and unfolding; a re-reading of an architecture of
becoming.' (Gilles Deleuze, Foucault). With the adoption of this
philosophy predetermined boundaries between disciplines dissolve,
becoming part of a single fabric, unfolding occurring within the folds
of these different professions to open new potentialities.
Reinvent the City.

Rem koolhaus sees the necessity for something of a 'post

architectural' style of invention, perhaps where, as he argues the

'spatial 'assemblages' and 'arrangements' no

longer conform to the archeological model of
accumulating layers around a historical site.'
(John Rajchman, constructions). With the embarrassing of the
complexity of the modern build environment and the new
infrastructures of the metropolis, innovative ideas on the conception
of the city and its arrangement are required. No longer tied by
orthogonal arrangements, seeking resolution through order and
repetition but by uncertainty and difference, folding a multitude of
infrastructures into it's fabric. Buildings no longer being an
accumulation of objects and forms on the landscape but born out of
the fabric of the landscape itself.
Go to Space.

Where can architecture grow in the future? Perhaps space

exploration offers an emerging market for design. With the growing
privatisation of the space industry, and established companies like
Space X, the possibility of long term interplanetary human space

missions is once again being considered. ' I think we are at

the dawn of a new era in commercial space
exploration' (Elon Musk, during the conference for the launch
of the falcon 9 rocket).
With the possible realities of colonies of Mars and deep space
exploration, we see new challenges for architecture; how do we
make small confined spaces with no possible air circulation feel
light, and earth like. No longer purely utilitarian like all space craft so
far produced. Might the title Space Architect one day become
common place?
Architecture and Art.

Both architecture and art are born from "a

dialectic relationship between a subjective
pre/subconscious and a rational conscious
in an encounter with the world" (Rollo May,
1975). From an phenomenological
viewpoint, a conversation between self and
'world' (the pattern of meaningful relations
in which a person exists) is fundamental
and ongoing in human experience. For me
this is an ongoing process of constructing
and reconstructing an individual reality through the understanding of the
physical and metaphysical forms one encounters.

'It is not that objects simply speak to us; they also conform to our ways of
knowing. The mind thus is an active process of forming and reforming the
world.' (Immanuel Kant, cited in The Courage to Create 1975)
There is thus a will and intentionality in the construction of reality, a 'passion for
form' (Rollo May 1975), or for me, a will to meaning through form. Both
architecture and art do this; bringing something new into existence and thus
destroying (deconstructing) old realities through the encounter and
construction of new ones, to build a solid foundation of human existence; a 'will
to the architectonic' (Kojin Karatani, 1995)?
Architecture and Science.

Once again we can understand both disciplines as seeking meaning to

existence through the understanding of the forms that surround us. Like
architecture and art, science involves the creative act, and a dialogue of self
and world, hence a scientific theory can be described as elegant or beautiful.
'When we have found how the nucleus of atoms is built up we shall have found
the greatest secret of all — except life.' (Ernest Rutherford, speech at the Royal
Institution (1904).

Rutherford's work into the nuclear structure of the atom, like many scientific
discoveries changes human experience and constructs new
individual/collective realities, where things can be infinitely small and an object
is no longer simply that but an incredibly intricate structure of smaller
constituent parts. Thus science, through understanding objective truths rather
than subjective realities, free of intentionally, can enhance Human experience
through the application and development of technology.
Architects must lie in the middle of the objective and subjective realms of
human existence and create architecture that conforms to both, reflecting
something of the human condition whilst also performing a rational function.
The quote however also alludes to the more transcendental objective of
science; in understanding life itself, and for me is thus intrinsically linked to art
and architecture.
Architecture and Theory

Architectural theory seeks to define the paradigms in which architecture should

perform, through the prescription and proscription of certain ideological
programmes. To enhance mans experience of the dwelling through the
adoption of philosophical ideas regarding mans interaction with the world and
it's forms.
Heidegger's hypothesises it as a place for 'existential orientation' (cited by Kate
Nesbit 1996), where man

can come to terms with his own morality

through the transcendence of the dwelling.
Architectural theory takes a philosophical
approach to defining the meaning of the
shelter and it's significance to man and his
experience of the world and himself. I
would suggest that theory itself and the
paradigms it seeks to prescribe are
actually reflective of mankind's view of
himself. In a post platonic, increasingly
secular world this can be seen in
postmodernism's Deconstructivist
architecture, whose sources, according to
Kate Nesbit 'may lie in the rejection of
anthropomorphic embodiment' (1996),
Vidler writes of how 'the body in disintegration is in a very real sense the image
of the notion of humanist progress in disarray (1992). We can see this as man
unable to come to terms with himself in the postmodern era, and this
disembodiment as dissection of man in the search for meaning in a modern,
increasingly nihilistic world.
Architecture, poetic and philosophical.

In architecture's more ephemeral, artistic

qualities, we come across the notion of aura,
the ambiguous atmosphere that surrounds a
building or work of art.
To begin to explore aura, we must first
attempt to define the most basic function of
any artwork itself, that being to bring into
existence something that opens the door
into another's consciousness (the artist), or
more potently, to Carl Jung's 'collective
unconscious' (1953), a universality of
experience that speaks of the most basic
forms and archetypes of everyday human
experience. This reflection of a fundamental experience is not only shown
through the subject matter but the handling of material, inferences not
consciously made by the viewer that profoundly shape their reaction and
connection to it. In Picasso's Geunica we understand the experience of the
helpless Spanish town through the frantic, erratic lines used and pallet of dull
greys. These allow us deeper into the image, into the collective unconscious, to
see the 'fragmentised state of contemporary human beings' and 'the
conformism, emptiness, and despair that were to go along with this.' (Rollo
may, 1975). We can see here aura describing something of the social and
philosophical state of human beings in that period.
Architecture as a profession.

"You spent so much time policing the fence that you forgot to open the door.”
(Bruce mau, interview with Rory Hyde, 2012). This point nicely incapsulates the
divergence in ideals that seems to be a growing feature in the architectural
Profession, as Rory Hyde highlights in his book 'future practice', the notion of
the 'outsider' is becoming increasingly popular; groups of designers, mostly not
accredited, who understand 'the trick is to see buildings as one part of a much
broader strategy for social change, rather than as an object in space and
therefore an end in itself' and how 'professional protections will only further
marginalise us'. These groups, perhaps less restricted by a larger body are
more able to be proactive and to create their own opportunities, relinquishing
the vast power that clients now hold (Why should we be consulted on how to
equitably build a city when we’re so aligned with the interests of developers?
(Rory Hyde 2012). This move to 'unsolicited' architecture, more attitudinal than
formal, seems to represent an exciting evolution; where architects take on a
broader role in design and can once again be primarily concerned with the true
social and cultural opportunities and ambitions of the field and our time.
 Architecture and
the client.

' I believe we - architects - can affect

the quality of life of the people.'
Richard Rogers, Reith lectures 1995).
In the client architect relationship
many of the dichotomies of the
profession are shown. That of the
creative idea, the deeply personal and
social response of the architect to the
brief, and those who themselves set
the brief, the client, with their own
social and cultural, even philosophical
ideas. The architect must traverse the tightrope, creating something novel and
human centric whilst catering for developers demands; those who are
essentially in the financial driving seat. 'Why should we be consulted on how to
equitably build a city when we’re so aligned with the interests of developers?'
(Rory Hyde, 2012). We can see how the ideals of the different parties often
diverge, affecting the integrity and even functionality of the design. It is in this
relationship of compromise and different ideals that the need for a professional
body is born, as a means of security; legally but also of social and
programmatic ideals themselves.
Architecture and the urban realm.

With the ever growing importance of urban studies and understanding, we

perhaps see an opportunity for architecture and architects to 'reclaim some
social and public relevance' (Rory Hyde, 2012). But how might we do this? Rem
Koolhaus sees the need for something akin to a 'post architectural' style of
invention. Perhaps this is one when the architect must expand his 'toolkit of
strategies' (Cited in future practice 2012) learning from historians, activists,
educators, community facilitators, publishers, artists and other designers from
outside of architecture. To re-cultivate and reimagine the unique
strategic/creative/scientific position that the architect sits.

A new outlook on the formation of cities may also be required, one where, as
'Koolhaus argues the spatial 'assemblages' and 'arrangements' no longer
conform to the archaeological model of accumulating layers around a
historical site' (John Rajchman,1998). Could the utilisation of the Eisenman
Deleuze fold be the future, where systems of infrastructure and space are
folded together to create cities no longer tied by orthogonal arrangements and
Euclidean geometry.
Could the fold be utilised on a more fundamental level, one where the architect
is continually folding 'external influences into the interior of architectural
practice' (Tim Adams, 1993).
Architecture as furnitecture.

In furnitecture we begin to understand the complex dialogue between man and

the space we inhabit, how the forms of a space shape us psychologically and
us them. An intermediate in scale, and function, furnitecture probes interesting
questions of the need for flexibility and adaptability of objects in space and the
effect of visual perceptibility on our understanding of the object, but
'More research is needed to assess the psychological impact of living in an
(in)flexible integrated functional space' (Andrea Placidi, Furnitecture)

One avenue to further explore this complex dialogue and its psychological
impacts is the aerospace industry. With 'long-term
interplanetary human space missions', objective data
on the human interaction with their environments and
its psychological impacts will need to found. One
such tool is sociokinetic analysis, 'the study of the
patterns in which a group of individuals within a given
environment make use of that environment.' (Susmita
Mohanty 2006). This integration of architecture,
cognitive sciences, human-technology interface
design, environmental and personal psychology and
the research produced could be utilised in domestic
furnitecture to inform the design of objects and
spaces that conform to, enhance even challenge the
psychological experience of the occupant.
Bibliography.
Ernest Rutherford, 1904, Speech at the Royal Institution

Kate Nesbit, 1996, Theorising a New Agenda for Architecture, Princeton

Architectural Press:
37 E 7th St., NY, NY 10003

Videl, 1992, The Architectural Uncanny, 1992, MIT Press: One Rogers Street
Cambridge MA 02142-1209

Carl Jung, 1953, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Routledge:
Princeton, N.J.: Bollingen. ISBN 0-691-01833-2

Rory Hyde, 2012, Future Practice; Conversations from the Edge of Architecture,
Routledge: Princeton, N.J.: Bollingen. ISBN 0-691-01833-2

Richard Rodgers, 1995, Reith lecture

John Rajchman, 1998, Constructions, MIT Press: One Rogers Street Cambridge
MA 02142-1209

Tim Adams, 1993, The Eisenman Deleuze Fold, PHD Thesis, University of
Auckland

Andrea Placidi, 2013, Furnitecture

Susmita Mohanty, 2006, Psychological Factors Associated with Habitat Design

for Planetary Mission Simulators, PHD Thesis, Lund Institute of technology

Cedric Price, 2003, The Square Book, John Wiley & Sons: Chichester
Royston Landau, 1995, A Philosophy of enabling, the work of Cedrick Price

Gilles Deleuze, 1988, Foucault, Continuum: 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B

3DP.

Gilles Deleuze, 1968, Difference and Repetition, Columbia University Press: 61

West 62 Street, New York, NY 10023

Elon Musk, 5 April 2011, during the conference for the launch of the falcon 9
rocket