The notion of public space of today began evolving during the 18th century, when the display of social status via public representation receded due to the emergence of critical discussion, opening up ways for rank anonymity, the power of rational argumentation, and spatial transformation by the unprecedented demarcation of the public and private realms. By their very nature, human beings are social and have never thrived in solitude, as they have always been standing in somewhat need-based interdependence. However, due to the extensive growth of technology, the social fabric’s tendency in recent years has leaned toward an ongoing reinforcement of physical isolation, such as through web-based commerce, social-media-marketing, and remote work. |       The emergency acts required by the COVID-19 pandemic, which have called for reorganizing societal structures to ensure people’s isolation from others, demonstrate a radical snapshot of motives that previously existed, offering a glimpse of what will be demanded in the future. The “stay at home” orders issued by many governments have suppressed the human need for a sense of togetherness fostered by physical interaction. During the northern hemisphere summer of 2020, since the elimination of commuter-traffic reveals the legibility of active recreational spaces, the legal measures to revitalize secondary public realms offer an unprecedented situation that allows for a reevaluation of the public sphere: What public amenities will be demanded first to cure the general abstinence from physical togetherness? Will seclusion of work and the potential waning of seemingly indispensable communal spaces necessitate novel forms? Comparable to the revolution of the concept of the public sphere in the 18th century, and even going beyond that level of change, the world is facing an unparalleled opportunity to pre-identify which yet-unheeded spaces will be subjects of interest in architectural design, given the ongoing growth of digitized taskforces, and their resulting formal unfolding.

research abstract

An architectural motif is situated between a model of systemic iteration – as in J.N.L. Durand’s notion of typology as a projective series of schematic variations – and Quatremère de Quincy’s concept of a type which deductively construes an indefinite ideal deprived of any formal parameters. The architectural motif is a combination and materializes indefinite, sensual impressions in a definite, graspable form. Five motifs of archaic buildings from different cultural pedigrees [Mosque of Córdoba | Naksansa Temple | Fujian Tulou | Medhane Church | Bandjoun Hut] evoking humane sentient dispositions [Levity | Ardency | Placidity | Humility | Curiosity] are portrayed anew in a contemporary design. Contemporary architecture is over-saturated by an unprecedented abundance of individualistic inventiveness, not being rooted in historic continuity. As an antidote, “Five Motifs” recollects enrichment in the reinterpretation of dissimilar cultural constructions and entails a conscientious turn to universal cross-cultural common grounds of intuition. By the supersensory induction of ordinary images, it follows a so longed desire for a subjectified access. Within this hybridized methodology in the introduced sense, imagery sensations coopt the operation which a type appeals as an extracted ideal, and project a constructive solution for that it is informed by human sentient experiences. Moreover, the motifs, engendering archaic moods instilled as narrative facets in the respective constructive mode, carry through a constant enhancement of their true integral essence. Easily - unstoppable, continuous steps toward the ideal are rendered due to the ongoing advancement of technological opportunities, fostering an act of spatial purification. This thesis is framed by coeval precedings about the reestablishment of the former Bauakademie by Karl F. Schinkel in Berlin, which embodies an alternative to the planned, nostalgic verbatim reconstruction recently issued by the German Parliament.

thesis abstract

Boullée’s achievement is the appellation of reason to the beholder’s mood, instituting a sensualist philosophy that draws on Blondel’s typology of characters. According to Boullée, “the poetry of architecture lies in natural effects. That is what makes architecture an art and that art sublime.” It is evident that incongruencies with Boullée’s approach in modern architecture are closely related to the changing historical context, particularly constraints resulting from new demands for economic thinking that have influenced established construction strategies and policies in city planning. Nevertheless, some of these incongruencies appear preventable and more closely associated with individually motivated design motives. These individual design intentions are outcomes of contemporary trends in today’s architectural scene, be it a reverberating remnant of the major “High-Tech” movement in the 1960s manifested in an expressive celebration of technical details, or the anxiety towards the favoring of continuous clarity over diversified forms that has been established as generally accepted common sense. Boullée’s legacy stands for an inapproachable ideal in which the strivings of the architect are confronted with constraints of reality. For all it seems tragic that those strivings are prone to failure it is essential that this ideal is yet present and appears as a signpost for human desires to continuously fuel progression. The monument is the only type that seems liberated from these constraints to the highest possible extent, as it is not concerned with the specificities of program and the practical demands of construction. If the current tendency towards recentering around rationality prevails in the building design field, as transient trends pass away and ahistorical individual design intentions vanish, the achievement of perfection will solely be hindered by genuine restrictions of reality.

notes on Boullée

Intelligence is what brought mankind to the apex of the food chain. The natural run of things as determined by sheer physical superiority was broken. An unnatural act, the birth of free will was at the inception of human evolution, for without free will, things would have taken an entirely different course. Progress is a result of deeds that are entrenched in free will. It is the path toward progress that constitutes the unnatural act. Being the source of free will, faith is the power that sparks deliberate effort. The essence of human faith is highlighted by Plato’s Cave Allegory on the raising of awareness. It is a testimony to how awareness is kindled by way of ideals that escape immediate sense perception, meaning that they must be believed. Accomplishments resulting from progress are bound to exist perpetually. Tradition is what helps sustain once established values, thus giving rise to past and origin. The strands that link past and future as well as origin and destiny are established by the present. For the present constitutes the scenery for man to act in, thereby giving meaning to the course of time.

“10 more minutes!“ A man in a suit and scruffy tie sizzled and furrowed his brow as he checked the display board for train delays, underscoring his anger by stamping one of his patent leather shoes onto the asphalt of the station platform, creating a dull sound, softened by the stifling summer heat. It was lunchtime on a hot summer day. People were standing densely crowded next to each other, each having their own way of bridging the nerve-racking waiting time. One was blankly staring into space, chewing languidly and rather absentmindedly on his cucumber sandwich. Another nervously started to browse through the newspaper, he had intended to read on the train, impatiently fidgeting with his foot. The ball of his foot was touching the hem of the woman sitting next to him, who was desperately fanning herself with air, frequently heaving sighs and wiping sweat beads off her forehead. I realized that edginess had also entered my own mood and screwed my eyes together tightly. When I looked up again, one man standing at the curbside caught my eye. He was full of patience, embodying pure tranquility. A slight pleasing smile was on his face; a smile conveying trust and hope. When the announcement clamoring in the station hall informed of an additional 5 minutes’ delay, somebody groaned loudly. The outlines of the smile seemed to become even more distinct. Eventually, the sound of the gong heralding the arrival of the train released us from our misery. People welcomed the incoming train with a ceremonial expression of bottled up rage, wailing and gnashing of teeth: “Finally! Unbearable, 25 minutes late!“ and “It´s about time!” The smile of the man at the curbside persisted. In the moment when the wind of the whooshing train tousled his hair, the smile turned into a hearty laugh, expressing the most profound sense of happiness. For the smiling man, it was a joyful event that the train arrived at all, despite the delay. The others took its arrival as a matter of fact. The situation could only become worse minute by minute. The nagging of the annoyed businessmen and the boisterous pleasure of the person at the curbside, representing two different kinds of genuine outpourings of emotion, were related to one and the same event, the arrival of the delayed train.

diary entry

Die Annäherung an die Thematik der Technikphilosophie führt über die aristotelische Wesensfrage nach der blossen Existenz eines Individuums und dessen historischer Bestimmtheit. Alfred Nordmann grenzt sich in seinem Wesensverständnis der Technik davon ab. Er unterscheidet zwischen Technik als Gegennatur und Technik als Lebensform, wobei unter Betrachtung paradigmatischer Wandlungen weniger der Begriff der Gegennatur im Sinne einer Erklärung technischer Phänomene von Bedeutung ist, als der Begriff der Lebensform. An den in der Philosophie erstmals durch Ludwig Wittgenstein geprägten Begriff der Lebensform knüpft Nordmann über ein spezifisches Verständnis des Werkzeuggebrauchs im Sinne eines Reflexionsprozesses an: Grundlage zum Verständnis der Technik ist der rückwirkende Effekt, der im Gebrauch eines Gegenstandes in der Rolle eines Werkzeuges auf den Nutzer erzeugt wird. Dadurch verändert sich die Umwelt, worauf der Nutzer im externen Rückkopplungseffekt Schlüsse zieht, die sein Verhaltensmuster beeinflussen. Die Prämisse zu dieser Fähigkeit begründet sich in hinreichender Intelligenz, wodurch eine Abgrenzung zu Tieren vollzogen wird, die zwar ebenfalls Werkzeuge benutzen, aber nicht im Stande sind diesen Reflexionsprozess zu durchlaufen. Die Sprache und die Kommunikationstechnik, sowie also der gegenständliche Werkzeuggebrauch sind immer wiederkehrende Bezugsfelder, in denen durch physikalische Bedingtheit die rückwirkenden Prozesse eine Veränderung der Lebensform auslösen. Der Mensch entwickelt seit jeher Technologien. Bis zum 19. Jahrhundert geschah dies in einem Ausmass, dessen Folgen auf die Lebensform er in der Lage war zu kompensieren. Die beiden Weltkriege im 20. Jahrhundert entpuppten sich hingegen als Echtzeit-Indikatoren der technischen Realität. Seitdem entwickelte sich die Technik mit zunehmender Geschwindigkeit und brachte stetig neue technische Errungenschaften hervor. Der Mensch ist mit den Auswirkungen auf die Lebensform überfordert, da kein Raum mehr zur Reflexion vorhanden ist. Nach Zeiten der Resignation, in denen Verluste billigend in Kauf genommen werden, bäumt sich, getragen von emotionaler Aufruhr, eine Sehnsucht nach einer nun längst verlorengegangenen Lebensform auf. Es kommt zu einem unweigerlichen Konflikt zwischen dem ureigenen Willen des Menschen und der durch den technischen Wandel neu generierten Realität. In jenem Endstadium würde dies, im Hinblick auf das Maschinenverständnis nach Mumford, in welchem Mensch und Technik als Organisationsformen betrachtet werden, die Verdrängung einer der beiden Organisationen zur Folge haben. Im Falle der Verdrängung der Technik, in dem der Mensch seinen Willen nach einer verlorenen Lebensform durchzusetzen sucht, stellte sich über den Bruch des Technikfortschritts ein Stillstand ein. Dies bedeutete die Technik verliere den paradigmatischen Charakter nach Nordmann und formuliere sich neu im aristotelischem Sinne durch historische Bestimmtheit. Im Falle der Verdrängung des Menschen, behielte der paradigmatische Charakter des Technikwesens Bestand, da sich die Sehnsucht im Kopfe des Menschen als eine von der technischen Wirklichkeit eingeholte Illusion erwiese. Dies bedeutete nichts Geringeres als das Ende der menschlichen Kontrolle über ein eigens geschaffenes System, das fortan als autonome Organisationsform fungiert. Die Verdrängung eines Systems ist ein natürlicher Prozess bei gleichbleibenden Rahmenbedingungen. Um beide geschilderten, einseitigen Ausgänge zu verhindern, gilt es gerade in diesen Zeiten des Umbruchs reziprokative Wirkungen zwischen beiden Organisationsformen zu erzeugen, um neue Rahmenbedingungen zu schaffen, wodurch neueartige symbiotische Systeme mit entschleunigten Entwicklungszyklen entstehen, die Raum bieten zur Reflexion und Vergeistlichung.

Notizen zur Technikphilosophie