SUNY/Buffalo
Dept. of Architecture

ARC 564: Architecture and Society

Instructor: Edward Steinfeld

 

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Architecture can be understood as the spatialization of society. Architectural forms, as products of social acts, represent that which created them. At the same time, they contribute to the development and maintenance of a social order by structuring human experience. Consider privacy. The architectural forms used to provide privacy are determined by cultural norms. Once constructed, those forms reproduce the cultural norms. The practice of architecture, therefore, cannot avoid participating in the dialogue of social relations. By its very nature, it is a part of that process. An examination of links between social relations and architectural forms exposes the mechanisms through which the spatialization of society occurs. It can also give insight into how the design of the built environment influences social life on a daily basis. Studying these processes not only provides valuable perspectives for ethical practice in architecture, it also provides practical knowledge to addressing everyday problems in building design. Finally, it provides a theoretical and conceptual foundation for practice or research.

 


Last revised 12-18-02

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