| Architecture is more than building. Although not everyone agrees with this statement, there is and must always be some kind of basis or reason for a design. Further, there are countless methods of how to proceed in the design process and to reach a final design product. For example, phenomenology was first developed as a philosophical theory and then became a source of architectural parameters as well as a methodology of site analysis. However, any sort of 'perspective' or 'point of view' can create the foundation of a building/project design. The question is simply the relevance of this foundation.; Ontology is concerned with the question of being or of existence in general. Further, ontics refers to the intransitive entity of this existence or reality. According to some authors, such as Norberg-Schulz or Pallasmaa, architecture can express existence; in architectural phenomenology, architecture is a manifestation of human identity and existence. From this perspective, architecture becomes a tool as well as materialization of human self-understanding in the world and of the world itself. The understanding of this relationship can lead to a conscious construction of environment. The study of ontology and ontics in the context of architecture can lead to the development of tools---the ontic-categorical [now: ontic-ontological] analysis---that can help in the comprehension of this relationship. The application of this ontic-categorical [now: ontic-ontological] analysis as a design tool can create an environment of awareness---self-awareness and awareness of an ontic reality in general. This signifies the realization of human existence in the world, which is an essential task of the field of architecture!... |
