| id |
eaea2005_133 |
| authors |
Weber, Ralf |
| year |
2006 |
| title |
Urban space and architectural scale - Two examples of empirical research in architectural aesthetics |
| source |
Motion, E-Motion and Urban Space [Proceedings of the 7th European Architectural Endoscopy Association Conference / ISBN-10: 3-00-019070-8 - ISBN-13: 978-3-00-019070-4], pp. 133-149 |
| summary |
As one of the oldest schools of architecture in Germany, Dresden has a long and continuous tradition in the field of architectural aesthetics and building composition. Architects such as Fritz Schumacher initiated research and teaching in the field in the 1920s, and this was revitalised during the 1950s by Otto Schubert who laid the foundations for a scientific description of the correlation between optics and architectural design, and also worked towards a comprehensive theory of architectural composition. As a result of the architectural ideology of the East German regime, such studies were consigned to near oblivion and the main concern became interior decoration. With the appointment of Professor Ralf Weber, the institute was reestablished in 1994 under its original name, the Institute of Spatial Design (Raumgestaltung). Its new research agenda originated from Weber’s book “On the Aesthetics of Architectural Form - A Psychological Approach to the Structure and the Order of Perceived Architectural Space” (Ashgate 1994). In order to verify some of the hypotheses advanced in the book empirically, members of the institute have been carrying out a number of studies in the areas of oculomotor research and the perceptual foundations of design, and have been addressing issues that would help formulate principles of good architectural form and space applicable to the everyday practice of architectural design. Currently, the Institute of Spatial Design focuses on the further development of the psychological bases of experiencing architecture, as well as on theories of aesthetics and their application in practice. Specifically, attention is paid, on the one hand, to the perception and experience of architecture, i.e. aesthetics, and on the other, to the assemblage of various parts into an overall whole in a building, city or landscape – in other words, architectural composition. These two aspects are naturally inextricably intertwined: the one concerns the reception of architecture, the other, its production. Under these headings, various other areas of interest, such as architectural tectonics, systems of order and proportions, or the issue of scale in architecture, are tackled through dissertations, research projects and seminars. The institute has been cooperating on several studies with the Cognitive & Biological Psychology Unit at the University of Leipzig and the intention is eventually to establish an interdisciplinary research unit for architectural aesthetics. |
| series |
EAEA |
| type |
normal paper |
| email |
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| more |
http://info.tuwien.ac.at/eaea |
| full text |
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| references |
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| last changed |
2008/04/29 20:46 |
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