Philosophy and the Tradition of Architectural Theory
                     PHILOSOPHY AND THE TRADITION 
OF ARCHITECTURAL THEORY
INTRODUCTION
  The architectural theory tradition encompasses 
critical commentary on or explanations of architectural 
works or styles or movements; instructions or 
guidelines for architectural design; musings on the 
origins of building types or styles; and advocacy for 
new approaches to the architectural discipline and 
practice
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
 Works in this multifaceted Western tradition written by 
architects, architectural critics, and architectural 
historians—range historically from Vitruvius (15 BCE) 
through the present. 
 From a philosophical perspective, this “native” 
architectural theory tradition introduces questions 
about how to best explore conceptual foundations or 
establish imperatives for architectural practice, design 
thought, or architectural history; how to mine varied 
theoretical schemes of architects for philosophical 
insights; and (relatedly) what sort of commerce 
philosophical aesthetics may have with architectural 
theory
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VITRUVIAN PRINCIPLES 
 The centrality of Vitruvian principles in architectural 
theory prompts further questions—answered at least 
obliquely in the aesthetics of architecture—as to what 
sort of principles these are (useful for judgment, 
guiding practice, etc.) and whether they are essential 
to defining architecture.
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VITRUVIAN PICTURE OF ARCHITECTURE 
 The notion of knowledge through doing is apt for 
Vitruvius, as for so many who follow. 
 Of the ten books of De Architectura, eight are 
dedicated to building materials, civic infrastructure, 
civil engineering and technology (and the underlying 
science), and building types other than temples. 
 In short, the Vitruvian picture of architecture is rooted 
in experiential knowledge of making, doing, and 
crafting. 
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HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURAL THEORY 
 Any overview of the history of architectural theory in 
this context may only be embarrassingly brief and 
instrumental. 
 The rich scope, variety, and significance of this two 
millennia-old tradition are out of reach; see Kruft 
(1994) or Mallgrave (2005) for thorough histories of 
these traditions. 
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SUBSEQUENT THEORETICAL 
 Subsequent theoretical developments included 
Renaissance and early modern explorations of 
perspective, as launched by Alberti and continued in 
the work of Desargues (1642) and Bosse (1643). 
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MODERNIST MOVEMENT 
 The modernist movement in architecture was broadly 
announced, beyond the architectural world, in a series 
of polemical statements by Sullivan (1896) who 
crafted the functionalist motto in his phrase “form 
ever follows function”; Loos (1913), who decried 
ornament as “criminal”; and Le Corbusier (1923), who 
declared that architecture’s character should be 
shaped by technological possibilities of the day. 
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INTEGRATION OF RECENT ARCHITECTURAL THEORY 
 Recent architectural theory integrates insights from a 
host of other disciplines, including literary theory 
(Eisenman 2004; Wigley 1993); Continental philosophy 
(Pallasmaa 2005; Vesely 2004); Chomskyian linguistics 
(Alexander et al. 1977); information theory and 
computer science (Mitchell 1990); sociology (Lefebvre 
1970 and 1974); urban studies (Krier 2009; Koolhaas 
1978); cultural studies (Rapoport 1969; Oliver 1969); 
and science studies (Pérez-Gómez 1983).
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PRIMARY GOALS 
 First, architectural theory represents a codification of 
practical architectural knowledge: what we currently 
know about how to do or categorize architecture (e.g., 
Vitruvius), how architecture should be done (e.g., 
Alexander 1979), or how to explain aspects of 
architectural practice, such as spatial structuring (e.g., 
Hillier and Hanson 1984).
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PRIMARY GOALS CONT.
 Second, architectural theory comprises prescriptive, 
even didactic, expression—the intent of which is to (a) 
promote given or new ways in which to do architecture 
and (b) ground architectural practice in moral, social, 
psychological, or theoretical bases.
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