Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture: Norberg-Schulz

1
Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture
Norberg-Schulz

• Phil 314
• Philosophy and the City

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some terminology

• Dwelling gaining an existential foothold (5)
• Genius loci the spirit of the place (5,
• Place the concrete manifestation of humans
  dwelling
• Concretize to make the general visible as a
  concrete, local situation
• Cultural landscape an environment where man
  has found his meaningful place within the
  totality. (40)

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3 steps towards a phenomenology of place

1. Distinguish between natural (landscape) and
   human-made phenomena (settlement) (p. 10)
2. Categories of earth/sky, outside/inside
3. Character the basic mode in which the world is
   given (p. 14)

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Possible relationships between natural and
human-made places gathering

1. Visualize building demonstrates human
   understanding of nature by replicating what is
   seen in nature
2. Complement building adds what is perceived to be
   lacking in nature
3. Symbolize building demonstrates human
   understanding of nature and self by translating
   that understanding onto built form (Genius Loci,
   p. 17)

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Genius Loci

• Socio-economic factors are not the most important
  in shaping genius loci The existential
  meanings have deeper roots. They are determined
  by the structure of our being-in-the-world. (6)
• if the settlements are organically related to
  their environment, it implies that they serve as
  foci where the environment is condensed and
  explained. (10)
• Protecting and conserving the genius loci means
  interpreting it in ever new ways (18)

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Cultural Landscapes

• Through the interaction of surface relief,
  vegetation and water, characteristic totalities
  or places are formed which constitute the basic
  elements of landscapes. (37)
• 3 archetypes
• Romantic
• Cosmic
• Classical

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Romantic Landscapes

• Original forces strongly felt
• Rugged with lots of places
• Dwelling an interaction between humans and earth
• e.g., Norwegian farm

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Cosmic Landscape

• Earth doesnt provide foothold
• No individual places structured
• Sky is structured by the sun rather than the
  earth
• Genius loci a manifestation of absolute
• e.g., Ulurul (Australia)

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Classical Landscape

• Intelligible composition of distinct elements
• Meaningful order
• Human scale
• Dwelling by placing as equal partnershumans and
  nature
• e.g.,Tuscany

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Complex Landscapes

• Mixture of pure archetypes
• E.g., Beirut, Lebanon