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Architecture General

Four Historical Definitions of Architecture

by (author) Stephen Parcell

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2012
Category
General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780773539563
    Publish Date
    Apr 2012
    List Price
    $55.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773586871
    Publish Date
    Apr 2012
    List Price
    $49.95

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Description

Where does architecture belong in the larger scheme of things? Is it a liberal art? Is it related to painting, music, medicine, or horse training? Is it timeless, or does it have a beginning? To pursue such questions, Stephen Parcell investigates four historical definitions of Western architecture: as a techné in ancient Greece, a mechanical art in medieval Europe, an art of disegno in Renaissance Italy, and a fine art in eighteenth-century Europe.

These definitions situated architecture within larger classifications of knowledge, establishing alliances between architecture and other disciplines. They also influenced elements of architectural practice that we now associate with three characters (designer, builder, and dweller) and three things (material, drawing, and building). Guided by current architectural questions, Parcell examines writings in these historical periods and focuses on practical implications of texts by Hugh of St Victor, Leon Battista Alberti, and Etienne-Louis Boullée.

Four Historical Definitions of Architecture shows how the concept of architecture and elements of architectural practice have evolved over time. Even the word "architecture" has ambiguous roots.

About the author

Stephen Parcell is co-editor of the Chora series and associate professor, Dalhousie University.

Stephen Parcell's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"While there are many books that survey architectural history, few are able to clearly discuss the ever-changing epistemological nature of architecture as this one does. Parcell's introduction sketches a broad intellectual horizon upon which he intelligently and playfully builds to offer insight into contemporary practice." Marc J. Neveu, Wentworth Institute of Technology