Architecture and Narrative: The Formation of Space and Cultural Meaning [Hardcover]

Architecture is often seen as the art of a thinking mind that arranges, organizes and establishes relationships between the parts and the whole. It is also seen as the art of designing spaces, which we experience through movement and use. Conceptual ordering, spatial and social narrative are fundamental to the ways in which buildings are shaped, used and perceived. Examining and exploring the ways in which these three dimensions interact in the design and life of buildings, this intriguing book will be of use to anyone with an interest in the theory of architecture and architecture's relationship to the cultural human environment.

Part 1  Introduction  1. The Parthenon and the Erechtheion  The Spatial Formation of Place, Politics and Myth  2. Invisible Surface  Reflections in Mies van der Rohes Barcelona Pavilion  Part 2  3. The Book and the Labyrinth Were One and the Same  Narrative and Architecture in Borges Fictions  4. (Th) Reading the Library  Spatial and Mathematical Journeys in Borges Library of Babel  Part 3  5. Soane Through the Looking Glass  The House-Museum of Sir John Soane  6. Victorian Knowledge  The Natural History Museum, London and the Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow  7. Contemporary Experience  The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh and the Burrell Collection, Glasgow  8. Tracing the Modern  Space, Display and Exploration in the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA)  Part 4  9. A Comparative Synthesis  10. The Formation of Space and Meaning

Conceptual ordering, spatial and social narrative are fundamental to the ways in which buildings are shaped, used and perceived. This intriguing book explores the ways in which these three dimensionslƒ