1st Edition
Functionalism Revisited Architectural Theory and Practice and the Behavioral Sciences
A range of current approaches to architecture are neglected in our contemporary writings on design philosophies. This book argues that the model of 'function' and the concept of a 'functional building' that we have inherited from the twentieth-century Modernists is limited in scope and detracts from a full understanding of the purposes served by the built environment. It simply does not cover the range of functions that buildings can afford nor is it tied in a conceptually clear manner to our contemporary concepts of architectural theory. Based on Abraham Maslow's theory of human motivations, and following on from Lang's widely-used text, Creating Architectural Theory: The Role of the Behavioral Sciences in Environmental Design, Lang and Moleski here propose a new model of functionalism that responds to numerous observations on the inadequacy of current ways of thinking about functionalism in architecture and urban design. Copiously illustrated, the book puts forward this model and then goes on to discuss in detail each function of buildings and urban environments.
Biography
Jon Lang is Professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia, ERG/Environmental Research Group, Philadelphia , USA and Walter Moleski, Professor at the Drexel University, USA, ERG/Environmental Research Group, Philadelphia, USA
'In Functionalism Revisited, Jon Lang and Walter Moleski develop a critique of functionalism, providing a theoretical framework for organizing the broad range of purposes that the built environment affords people. The book fulfills a longstanding need to synthesize the research on environment and people in a manner of use to architects and urban designers.' Ali Madanipour, Newcastle University, UK '"Function" has been a four-letter word in architecture for far too long. Fortunately, Jon Lang and Walter Moleski have rehabilitated the concept, redefining its value through a rigorous and insightful presentation of all that a good theory of functionalism can offer. Both international and interdisciplinary in scope, Functionalism Revisited needs to be read by architects, urban designers and their clients, now more than ever.' Karen A. Franck, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA 'Professor Lang is an international authority on architectural theory and has contributed to generations of young architects and urban designers through his teaching and writing. This latest publication on functionalism serves as a much needed roadmap for understanding buildings and cities in transition from the last century to the present.' Alfonso Vegara, Fundación Metrópoli, Spain 'This is a must read contribution and would be an excellent text for both undergraduate and graduate students in architecture, urban design and allied fields. In addition to fulfilling the need to synthesize knowledge about people into knowledge about environments, the book is also of great value in terms of offering cross cultural examples from developed and developing contexts and presenting a wide spectrum of perspectives and important determinants in designing future built environments.' International Journal of Architectural Research
