Seminar Discussion Questions

1. The readings refer to tectonics in a variety of settings; tectonic/stereotomic, tectonic/atectonic, topos/typos/tectonic, representation/ontological, rhythm, corporeal metaphor, ethnography, and technology. Briefly define each term and provide an architectural example that embodies the condition

The topos, typos and tectonics are all a form of converged vectors that go along with site and type in regards to scenographic and visual , an architectural example would be Giorgio Grassi's restoration and reconstruction of the roman theater of Sagunto, Valencia 1985. Tectonic is essentially the wide variety of components that make up a dwelling for an individual due to his sense of fine art, the dwelling representing his deepest feelings. In turn this becomes known as tectonic. Atectonic is basically the opposite 0f of tectonic where representation of a building does not exist. An example of this would be Josef Hoffmann's masterwork the Stoclet House 1911. In Semper's analysis he sees tectonics as framework with the roof the linear components based off his dwelling divided into four basic elements and describes both as being lightweight and he describes stereotomics as being the earthwork "where mass and volume are conjointly formed through the repetitious piling up of heavyweight elements". The distinction can be seen in Karl Gruber's 1937 reconstruction of a typical German medieval city. Corporeal Metaphor is describes as being the body experience and understanding throughout any given building where all the five senses interact with a surrounding dwelling, an example of this would be Giambattista Vico's Scienza Nuova of 1730. Ethnography is defined as being constant "eternal present" where nature is understood through art, where man tries to comprehend the things around him as he builds a building, where artistic beauty goes in conjunction with artistic instinct. This can be seen in Pierre Bourdieu's 1969 study of the Berber house. Representational is defined as being symbolic, "the skin that re-presents the composite character of the construction" and ontological is defined as being technical and the "core of the building that is works both fundamental structure and its substance". An example of this would be Adolf loos's essay in 1898 entitled The Principle Of Cladding. Technology is essentially the challenge presented to generations of individuals who has to decide whats fit for the modern world in regards to space. This insight is emphasized Martin Heidegger's essay "Building, Dwelling,Thinking" in 1954.

2. Kenneth Frampton writes that this study of tectonics "seeks to mediate and enrich the priority given to space", what is a dominant trend in Western architecture of today and how does tectonics relate to this trend?

The study of tectonics has helped us understand what and in a sense how to control space around us, how to modify it and understand it. In western Culture today we see that, everything we do when constructing a building is strictly defined by how the space in the inside and outside is going to be manipulated, when looking back in how tectonics plays a role in this trend we understand that all the components of a building also too depend on mans understanding of the world around him his sense of artistic ability and comprehension.

3. "Greek in origin, the term tectonic derives from the work tekton, signifying carpenter or builder". How has the the impact of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity and other space-time models altered tectonic etymology?

Over a great amount of time, our understanding of knowledge has helped us further comprehend the world around us thanks to science. Albert Einstein theory of relativity was created thanks to Newton who's laws defined what gravity was, so it allowed for great construction to occur, space time models set foot for experimentation and thus greater and for more stronger construction frames could be built.

4. Vittorio Gregotti states in 1983, "(t)he worst enemy of modern architecture is the idea of space considered solely in terms of its economic and technical exigencies indifferent to the ideas of the site". If the intention of site is to situate human in the cosmos, how then does site infer from a contemporary landscape that has been graded, conditioned, tamed, treated, sculpted, mapped, engineered, essentially re-created by humans?

By altering the contemporary landscape by any means necessary for an individual, the reasoning for situating a person in the cosmos is lost. If humans were just put in any given site then that would undoubtedly mean that the human would have to get use to and understand the given environment around him, Since however this is not the case, it does not apply, so by changing the world around you the sense of understanding the cosmos around you is gone.

5. Is architectural tectonics applicable or relevant in a world of global mobilization? State and explain your position.

The architectural tectonics is indeed applicable in global mobilization, however, it is not something that we would heavily depend on, especially since each building relationship to man or site or anything is different. So essentially each is unique in its own way. The fact that each construction is heavily different it is important that we depend on this rather than that of global mobilization, only because we can learn from each one that offers knowledge, as we obtain this knowledge we can always improve it for future generations to come.