CONSTRUCTING REALITIES: DELEUZE AND THE PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

The structure and functioning of modern society have often been described as being radically transformed. Yet many architectural practices still adhere to the Modernist mode of thinking. If architecture is to reflect the spirit of the age, it seems pertinent now to examine how the practice of architecture should position itself in the current Information-Technological age. Philosophy has long been a source of inspiration for architectural thinking and research. A precedent study of the philosophical underpinnings to the “building art” of Mies van der Rohe during the modern movement aims to construct a framework for the inquiry into the relationships between cultural milieu, philosophy and architecture. In the current climate of social and economic change, some architectural theoreticians and practices have been drawn to the philosophical writings of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. This dissertation aims to investigate into the way Deleuzian thought could possibly relate to and support a 'rethinking of architecture'. The focus is particularly placed on the appropriation of philosophy into an architectural mode of inquiry, and how it can lead to greater innovation in architectural design and practice. A case study on the architectural office of Foreign Office Architects’ indicates the way Deleuzian thought has influenced recent architectural design and practice. Their acclaimed Yokohama International Port Terminal will be studied in particular to examine how philosophical constructs may be manifested into reality. The conclusion is that the philosophical inquiries of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari can provide important contributions to the rethinking of architectural research and practice. It is argued that if architecture should be able to offer an effective operational tool to manage and design the changing shapes and structure of our cities and societies, it has to develop new conceptual strategies. New ways of conceiving architecture may allow for more creative means of handling uncertain, ambiguous and ever-changing situations of this current epoch.