Genealogy of “place” in architecture: history, current interpretations and insights

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2008
Özmetin, Yeliz
“Place” is a complex and contested term being exposed to various theorizations and positions in diverse fields. Aiming to get an understanding of what it may contribute to in the discourse of architecture, the thesis firstly offers a framework that helps to depict a genealogy of “place” through its itinerary in phenomenologically driven human geography where it originated as a conceptual term, and in architecture to which became an important issue of debate and theorization over the relation between building activity and the ground. Conveying an understanding of “place” as an ethical component in architecture’s agenda, the thesis defines architecture as the “identification of place”, and comes up with ideas for a conceptual framework of “gathering” insight concerning the physical location/condition, namely “place”, through the study and understanding of its components, namely “reading” them. The significance of defining, listening to and interpreting physical location/condition for a more “enriched mission of architecture” within developing a notion of dialogue is addressed in this thesis.

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Citation Formats
Y. Özmetin, “Genealogy of “place” in architecture: history, current interpretations and insights,” M.Arch. - Master of Architecture, Middle East Technical University, 2008.