Überlegungen zum Entwurf einer architektonischen Gebäudelehre

This habilitation thesis undertands architectural design as a transformative process of loosely present elements, patterns and precedents for spatial formation into material proposals for concrete locations. This theme is explored in two parts: on the one hand, in the form of a newly drawn building typology that relies on the traditional notation of architectural ideas: ground plans, sections and elevations of twelve often classical architectural projects in twelve public contexts - theater, museum, library, state, office, recreation, religion, retail, factory, education, control and hospital. On the other hand, in three essays that conceive architectural education as learning from logistical and aesthetic bandwidths as cultural dimensions of building in the beginning. These encountered elements and components, buildings and designs, ensembles and city forms are being designerly transformed into proposals for again concrete places using patterns and precedents for spatial formation. In these processes typologies play a crucial role, often resulting from a mix of empirical observation (inductive types), theoretical assumptions (deductive types) and concepts of social ranking. But the aim of typologies - knowledge gained through information reduction - is not at the center of interest for this book that is intended for the design desk as a provision of architectural references.

The emphasis on composition – as an aesthetic definition of form – stresses a disciplinary memory, a relationship of forms and functions that is as blurry as it is productive and fundamental not only for the thematization of architecture, but also for decisively shaping the future of today 's suburbia, that needs to be addressed beyond questions of infrastructural management. The smart lack of a clearly visible image that characterizes urbanization could be conquered with a more programmatic understand of building types as architectural urban design kit – "Stadtbaukunst" as the art of building a city not only challenges the market economy's horizons of interest and use, but might also help to interrupt the normality of sprawl - the largest residential and production zone on the planet - with buildings that are not restricted to traffic infrastructure or celebrity sculptures. For this purpose the drawings of the twelve times twelve projects provide tableaus of forms and programs, that offer comparison and connection as well as the drawing of ever new connecting lines in the design process.