RELATING THEORY AND DESIGN (or applying theory to design and vice versa)

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Elizabeth Mitchell
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1 RELATING THEORY AND DESIGN (or applying theory to design and vice versa)

2 CATEGORIES OF THEORY

3 CATEGORIES OF THEORY 1) Explanatory Theory: The general or abstract principles of a body of facts in order to explain phenomena.

4 CATEGORIES OF THEORY 1) Explanatory Theory: The general or abstract principles of a body of facts in order to explain phenomena. 2) Normative Theory: A belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action; an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances.

5 CATEGORIES OF THEORY 1) Explanatory Theory: The general or abstract principles of a body of facts in order to explain phenomena. 2) Normative Theory: A belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action; an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances. 3) Design-Polemical Theory: Abstract thought; Speculation.

6 EXPLANATORY THEORY A 2x8 framing member will perform the same in Boston, New York, Scranton, and Los Angeles. 2x8 s are generally known to perform in specific ways.

7 NORMATIVE THEORY 2x8 s are always spaced 16 o.c. While 17 o.c. would work just as well, it is standard practice to space them at 16 o.c. The entire building industry follows suit (everything is manufactured at 16 intervals).

8 DESIGN-POLEMICAL THEORY While it is common to space 2x8 o.c., 2x12 s at 24 are much better. I m going to show you why. I want to establish a new norm.

9 THE POLEMICAL CHALLENGES THE NORMATIVE IN ORDER TO TEST NEW IDEAS AND ESTABLISH NEW NORMS.

10 ARE YOU BUILDING THEORY, APPLYING THEORY, OR BOTH? (MOST LIKELY, BOTH). YOUR RESEARCH DESIGN SHOULD CLEARLY ARTICULATE YOUR PURPOSE(S).

11 THEORY TO THEORY

12 THEORY TO THEORY Architectural theory has historically evolved according to Western ideas about place and culture. But what about the Middle East?

13 THEORY TO THEORY Architectural theory has historically evolved according to Western ideas about place and culture. But what about the Middle East? GREAT QUESTION! Are you going to expand a particular architectural theory (say Critical Regionalism?) to include Middle Eastern culture / identity / place?

14 THEORY TO THEORY If architects design exterior space (shell and structure) well, and interior designers design interior space (furniture, surfacing, etc.) well, then Interior Architects (operating between the two) design interior space holistically as shell, structure, furniture, and surface.

15 THEORY TO THEORY If architects design exterior space (shell and structure) well, and interior designers design interior space (furniture, surfacing, etc.) well, then Interior Architects (operating between the two) design interior space holistically as shell, structure, furniture, and surface. Going from Interior Design to Interior Architecture is an attempt to establish a new norm. The REAL work is now establishing the criteria for what Interior Architecture IS (an explanatory theory) and proposing a project to test those definitions.

16 THEORY TO THEORY Interior architecture does not fully engage with nor produce PLACE because it is too concerned with PROGRAM. In order for interior architecture to engage and produce PLACE most fully, it must consider PROGRAM as secondary and/or eliminate it all together.

17 THEORY TO THEORY Interior architecture does not fully engage with nor produce PLACE because it is too concerned with PROGRAM. In order for interior architecture to engage and produce PLACE most fully, it must consider PROGRAM as secondary and/or eliminate it all together. WHOA! This is intense! Yet this falls directly in line with Post-Functionalism as proposed by Peter Eisenman in the 1970s and does not necessarily propose new theory. Rather, the interest here seems to be in new applications of theory (applied to Interior Architecture).

18 THEORY TO DESIGN

19 THEORY TO DESIGN Interior architecture can learn a lot from both urban and religious studies. This thesis will investigate the social, urban, and aesthetic implications of spirituality on interior architecture, particularly in the city.

20 THEORY TO DESIGN Interior architecture can learn a lot from both urban and religious studies. This thesis will investigate the social, urban, and aesthetic implications of spirituality on interior architecture, particularly in the city. There is no real interest in establishing new normative theory nor any polemical intent here...at least not yet. BUT there is a clear interest in interdisciplinarily applying established theory to practice in new and exciting ways. This might change as Jude digs deeper into aesthetic and urban theory.

21 DESIGN TO THEORY

22 DESIGN TO THEORY Eventually, our (my) city will be filled with statics, meaningless buildings and spaces detached from the desires and memories of its citezens. Interior Architecture needs to (or can) respond to this by strategizing ways to operate in between the static and the dynamic, the participatory and the determinate, the collective and the individual.

23 DESIGN TO THEORY Eventually, our (my) city will be filled with statics, meaningless buildings and spaces detached from the desires and memories of its citezens. Interior Architecture needs to (or can) respond to this by strategizing ways to operate in between the static and the dynamic, the participatory and the determinate, the collective and the individual. There is no theory drawn from yet. But, there is surely some explanatory theories that corroborate the first part of this statement. There were also plenty of design-polemical theories that have dealt with this issue in the history of architecture.

24 BUILDING THEORY AND APPLYING IT TO DESIGN (OR BUILDING IT FROM DESIGN) IS NOT A LINEAR PROCESS.

25 BUILDING THEORY AND APPLYING IT TO DESIGN (OR BUILDING IT FROM DESIGN) IS NOT A LINEAR PROCESS.

This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link:

This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: Citation: Costa Santos, Sandra (2009) Understanding spatial meaning: Reading technique in phenomenological terms. In: Flesh and Space (Intertwining Merleau-Ponty and Architecture), 9th September 2009,