Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №4 (88) December, 2024

Theory of architecture

On interaction between humanitarian knowledge and architectural theory and practice

УДК: 72.01
Шифр научной специальности: 2.1.11
DOI: 10.47055/19904126_2024_4(88)_1 

Abstract

Introduction

Architectural science is classified in the (Russian) nomenclature of scientific specialities as an engineering science. The engineering sciences are defined as "sciences in the field of natural science studying phenomena that are important for creation and development of technology". The scientists that advance engineering sciences work within the scope of scientific and technological activities, and their work bears generally applicable nature. If we refer to the practice of modern architectural design, practice of actual activities of an architect working in a design studio, then we will see that the architect is engaged in the development of functionality, completion of layout tasks, selection of building structures and materials, formation of an image of building and its interiors. Structural calculations for building frame, foundations, wall constructions and so on are performed by constructor engineers. Aside from that, the project is being worked on by a team of engineers – sanitary engineers, electricians and other specialists that are chosen in accordance with the construction site characteristics. The architect deals with the subject of artistic image, artistic value of a building or construction. The laws of architectural composition, spatial harmony, light and color palette, environmental connection and similar knowledge are particularly essential for the architect. Therefore, fundamental branches of architectural science are in very high demand at the moment [1, 2].

In contrast to engineering or, in other words, applied sciences, fundamental science is aimed at studying the unknown, invention of new ideas to update existing knowledge and development of ideas for prospective discoveries. The distinctive feature of fundamental science lies in the fact that it is aimed at acquiring new knowledge that does not have to be applied straight away. The applied science cannot exist without fundamental science. New ideas of fundamental architectural science are implemented indirectly. For instance, the adoption of modern theory of architecture, phenomenology, as a basis after ordering system and abstract art is implemented very discreetly. In the first place it is necessary to recognize changes in human conscience, lifestyles of modern people, and everyday needs [3].

It has to be noted that modern human is no longer homo sapiens, i.e. rational man, but rather a network man that can think in line with the principle "from one person to many". This new man with the aid of speech and methods of not personal, but remote communication has transformed homo sapiens to a man of information-driven age. It has happened evolutionally and become an everyday reality. Nothing will make man step back. And this man needs a modern home, a modern city, and modern information network. His lifestyle has changed, he is less interested in, for example, architectural styles or architectural masterpieces of days past, but above all he is interested in method for procuring the information he is interested in. And this directly affects both the modern house architecture, and modern city architecture. Social networks that conquered the world have changed the fundamental principle "from one person to another" to the principle "from one person to many". Change of the distance of human alienation from the world itself, or to be more precise, its shift to the center of information aura changed the human’s needs, desires and ways of behaviour. These changes call for creation of whole new architecture, and qualitatively new methods of meeting the needs of urban life [4, 5].

Human and social fundamental sciences are based on the study of human problems that it directly associated with fundamental architectural science. Therefore, the demand for knowledge in the field of the very fundamental component of architectural science is very urgent.

Methods and Materials

Traditional methods of research study, namely, comparative analysis, analysis of publications and reports at scientific conferences devoted to the theory of architecture, as well as analysis of terms of reference for competitive projects are used within the scope of this publication. The authors analysed the studies that demonstrate a fresh approach to the theory of architecture in the face of change of its very foundation [9, 13] from abstract art to phenomenology. "Weariness" from constructivism and from the "modern art" as a whole in architecture is gradually implemented through new branches. New instruments, such as, for example, augmented reality or light architecture that is projected to the urban areas totally change modus operandi of the architects.

Interview method is also applied in the paper. We interviewed a number of landscape architects who work on the orders of city councils and other organizations for development of viable projects. The interview demonstrated that architects activity is subject to requirements that have not been regarded in the past, i.e. requirements to integrated design with due regard to humanitarian component of the project.

Results and Discussions

The emergence and active development of urban science, a science that is relatively new and associated with urban development convinces us that architectural science shall be reviewed in the face of needs of people living in a city (in a broad sense). Unlike architects and urban planners, urbanists do not design buildings and urban areas, but study human interaction with urban environment (that includes improvement, transport, economics and comfort). Human lifestyle has notably changed, new city functions and new requirements to maintenance of urban development objects and so on have emerged. Architecture of urban settlements cannot stay within the confines of the 20th century concepts. New knowledge entails new methods of life development. Introduction of socio-humanitarian knowledge into architectural science offers means to obtain new approaches and concepts in the area of architecture activities. Apart from theoretical branches that may emerge (for example, employment of humanities knowledge in the architectural process), review of architects’ academic programme will be necessary.

Substantial part of the architects’ education is taken by the history of architecture that falls into category of conventional fundamental science. Educational programs of the architects substantively differ from the programs of students of engineering branches. It can be illustrated by such disciplines as drawing, painting, statuary art, plein air practice, etc. These and all other programs have moved to a new level driven by mastery of new computer tools. For example, we can mention computer-aided design, computer painting, new methods of construction surveys, etc.

Process of integration of human and social sciences intro architectural science is particularly interesting. And we do not mean general education human sciences. At the present time special human sciences are in demand that are adapted to architecture specialties. We can mention a number of authors who have published their studies in this field: Belyaeva E.L., Husserl Ed., Merleau-Ponty M., Nevlyutov M.R., Perez-Gomez A., Sartre J.-P., Stepanov A.V., Heidegger M., Spiegelberg G. [6–14] and many others. The experience of practicing architects who work within the scope of phenomenology transformation to real-life pieces of architecture is also interesting – for example, experience of Steven Holl, Peter Zumthor, Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron, Jean Nouvel and others.

Seeing that architectural phenomenology has been developing for decades, it is important to ascertain if landscape architects receive real orders within the confines of socially-oriented and phenomenological architecture. Our study has demonstrated the following.

The order for introduction of humanities knowledge into practice in national architectural activities is particularly clearly formed in the last decade. The quality of life is revaluated and for this purpose the environment is considered from various "humanitarian" angles. In particular, the Urban Environment Quality Index¹ developed by DOM.RF² in partnership with Strelka KB³ includes such criteria for evaluation of urban environment quality index as safety; comfort; environmental friendliness and health; identity and variety; contemporary relevance of the urban environment; efficiency of government. It is evident that for correct evaluation of parameters of perception, feeling, attitude, semantics, etc. innate to this methodology, knowledge of humanitarian disciplines shall be engaged.

For example, the concept of "safety" for urban environment has long gone beyond the bounds of common understanding of this phenomenon and has become an object of interdisciplinary studies associated with change in all society spheres. In the architectural-environment context existing safety concepts are represented by behaviour-environment and phenomenological studies (Tab. 1). Behaviour-environment studies are associated with the following concepts: crime prevention by means of urban development, architecture and environmental design (Atlas R.I.); protected environment (Newman O., Sargsyan V.); environmental criminology (Brantingham Paul J., Brantingham Patricia L.); broken windows theory (Wilson J.). As for phenomenological studies, they are associated with the following concepts: space phenomenology (Bachelard G.); system of space barriers (Nornberg-Schulz C., Pallasmaa J.); theory of mental mapping (Lynch K.); PATTERN method (Alexander C.); concepts of "places" and "non-places" (Bauman Z., Augé M.); architectural "space affordances" (Vakhshtayn V.S.). Attempts to generalize existing concepts of safety and adapt them to architectural practice confirm the demand for engagement of interdisciplinary knowledge. In particular, this area has been actively developed by Polyantseva E.R. [15].

Table 1.
Basic Concepts of a Safe Architectural Environment 

As another example of interdisciplinary character of criteria for evaluation of urban environment quality we shall discuss "identity and diversity". The concept of "identity" has been thoroughly studied in the fields adjacent to architecture, such as psychology, sociology, culturology, philosophy, history, geography, politology, economics, law, philology, pedagogics, and medicine (Fig. 1). The closest to architecture are studies of regional and territorial identity (Koolhaas R., Krylov M.P., Kuznetsova V.A., Samoshkina I.S.), as well as studies of territory image and branding (Azarenkov L.S., Vazhenina I.S., Sogomonov A.Yu., Spirchenko M.A.) [16]. And even though the concept of "identity" in architectural context has relatively recently come into use, the matters of architectural distinctiveness and regional uniqueness of the urban environment has been discussed in Russian science since the 1990s. The contemporary studies with increasing frequency discuss timeliness and necessity of introduction of "identity" concept to architectural science (Glebova N.M., Dobritsina I.A., Esaulov G.V., Monastyrskaya M.E., Skalkin A.A., Fedorovich A.V.). In many cases authors address the issues of regional identity preservation by way of preservation of architectural heritage objects (Vavilonskaya T.V., Gelfond A.L., Glizhinskaya A.A., Zolotareva M.V., Kolokolchikova R.S., Lazareva M.V., Lazarenko A.P.). The demand for this area of knowledge in application branch of architectural design encourages authors to undertake attempts to theoretically understand and research (substantiate) architectural identity components (Glebova N.M., Klamer M., Krasheninnikov A.V., Skalkin A.A., Tsorik A.V.) [17].

Fig. 1. Evolution of the Concept of "Identity" in Scientific Discourse (in Russia)

These examples confirm active process of humanities knowledge engagement through fundamental architectural science in practice (Fig. 2, 3), where the request for consideration of humanities knowledge in architectural and urban planning projects can be seen as part of competitive projects’ terms of reference, most notably in the projects of territory integrated development and public space improvement [18]. In particular, during preparation of applications to competitions for creation of comfortable urban environment (projects "Comfortable Urban Environment", "Small Cities and Historical Settlements" that are part of the national project "Housing and Urban Environment"), the architects need to work through whole sections associated with confirmation of demand for developed project, selection of project area, consideration of site identity, real needs of the population, contribution to addressing strategic objectives of settlement development, etc. Along with the quality of planning and architectural solutions of the competitive projects, the panel of experts also evaluates quality of context consideration, involvement of citizens in the project development, preservation of historical urban and natural environment, prediction of economic and social effects from project implementation. Every year the number of applications to competition is increasing, and specialists who can integrate these fields of knowledge in architectural projects are becoming more and more in demand, since for cities high-quality application and victory in such competition confers the possibility to receive federal funding for implementation of the improvement project.

Fig. 2. Disciplines within which the Concepts of a Safe Urban Environment were Formed	Fig. 3. Disciplines in which the Concept of "Identity" was Studied (in Russia)

Another area of architecture activities, for which introduction of humanities knowledge is important, is creation of concepts of territory integrated development or so called master plans. In addition to the aforementioned areas associated with detailed study of historical-cultural and social contexts of a territory, key role in such projects is played by questions of ideology. Since the master plan that is created for a long development period does not provide detailed architectural solutions, but rather defines vector of development and some parameters of subsequent environment transformation, its development may be compared with the creation of script that is based on generalized and various information on the place. Development of substantiated global vision of a territory development and resulting from such vision development principles, strategic approaches and limitations that precede elaboration of architectural and urban planning solutions is impossible without knowledge of philosophical concepts, skills of global generalization and broad-based all humanities knowledge of a specialist. At the present time the number of architects who can supervise development of such projects is limited.

On top of all that, successful experience of humanities knowledge engagement in architectural projects that has been used in competitive and/or integrated projects is with increasing frequency applied by the city councils. It is particularly evident during work with urban planning nodes and socially significant territories [19].

Local government customer reasons for addition of mandatory consideration of historical-cultural and social contexts of a territory in architectural design to terms of reference can be roughly divided into two types: achievement of competitive advantage and prevention of social conflict, although one does not contradict the other (Tab. 2). In the former case it is often related to design of visitor routes and improvement regulations for them, creation of unique architectural objects and public spaces, city "landmarks", i.e. with everything that accounts for tourist appeal [20]. In this area, in addition to aforementioned fields of knowledge spheres of design, branding, positioning, visual ecology, etc. are equally important. In the latter case it concerns change of the territories that are very important for citizens, when such changes may provoke conflicts in urban development. In this area additional fields of significance are conflict resolution studies, social project planning, urban moderation, etc.

Table 2.
The main reasons for consideration of historical-cultural and social contexts of a territory in the architectural design

The trends in placement of city orders for architectural projects demonstrate increased demand for specialists who can study ever-complicating urban context and transform it into parameters, consideration of which may make architectural spaces unique, modern, popular and comfortable in a broad sense.

Conclusion

Present stage of architectural process development confirms interdisciplinary character of architectural science associated with sociocultural manner of society transformation. In this context design approaches based on consideration of public opinion, local characteristics, cultural traditions, patterns of behaviour and user value system are becoming increasingly important for architects.

Active introduction of humanitarian component into architecture activities increases relevance of study of mechanisms of interaction of humanities knowledge with architectural theory and practice. Recent trend in the theory of architectural science and practice associated with such fundamental sciences as philosophy, sociology and other human sciences has not been widely discussed and implemented yet. Due to the change of theory of architecture basis from physical art (ordering system), abstract art, and constructivism (abstractionism) to phenomenology (people feelings and experience) the role of humanities knowledge in the theory has significantly increased. Synthesis of practice and human sciences sets a new direction in architecture activities, which calls for creation of fundamental basis.

It cannot be denied that fundamental architectural science is at the core not only of the applied architectural science (building typology), but also of the design practice. The demand for humanities knowledge (specialized rather than general education knowledge) in the area of architectural science fundamental component with engagement of philosophy, sociology, psychology, urban science, etc. is indicator of modern architecture activities.

Notes

¹Urban Environment Quality Index [Website]. – URL: https://xn----dtbcccdtsypabxk.xn--p1ai/#/

²DOM.RF [Website]. – URL: https://domrf.com/

³Strelka KB. 2013–2023 [Website] (in Russian). – URL: https://www.strelka-kb.com/about

 

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Citation link

Kholodova, L.P., Tsorik, A.V. On interaction between humanitarian knowledge and architectural theory and practice //Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education. – 2024. – №4(88). – URL: http://archvuz.ru/en/2024_4/1/  – doi: https://doi.org/10.47055/19904126_2024_4(88)_1 

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