NOVA. The University of Newcastle's Digital Repository

Description	Size	Format
01.front.pdf	111 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
02.intro.pdf	123 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
03.preliminaries.pdf	709 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
04.metaphysics.pdf	647 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
05.participation.pdf	621 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
06.edification.pdf	1 MB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
07.conclusions.pdf	122 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open
08.endnotes.pdf	227 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/24826

Title

The Bed Maker’s Model: A Thematic Study of Louis I. Kahn’s 1961 Article “Form and Design” in Terms of Plato’s Theory of Forms as Treated in The Republic.

Author/Creator

Fleming, Steven Peter

Institution

University of Newcastle. Architecture and Built Environment

Description

In 1960 Louis Kahn’s theoretical concerns began to focus on a concept which he called “form”, not meaning a building’s three dimensional shape, but the essence of its underlying type. The current study considers Kahn’s post-1960 concept of “form”, as espoused in his 1961 article, “Form and Design”, in relation to Plato’s theory of Forms, as that theory is presented in The Republic. A deeper appreciation of Kahn’s text is achieved through an examination of the hypothesis that the word “form”, as it is defined in Kahn’s article, is congruous with Plato’s famous concept, whereby Forms are said to be independent of humans and particulars. This leads to a related hypothesis, that Kahn’s shift in emphasis towards transcendent types is reflected in his development of what could be called Platonising architectural strategies, because they reflect parallel aims between Plato and Kahn. While Kahn and Plato are quite different figures, separated by time, profession and intentions, consideration of Plato’s treatment of the Forms in The Republic illuminates a new interpretation of “Form and Design” and the building which is most closely associated with that text, Kahn’s First Unitarian Church and School in Rochester. The thesis identifies ideas within Kahn’s text which resonate with Plato’s philosophy, suggesting that Kahn’s theory can be interpreted through notions stemming from the early moments of the Western philosophical tradition. It also identifies inconsistencies between Kahn’s text and Plato’s and between various statements made by Kahn, highlighting the fact that Kahn’s philosophical musings are not those of a trained philosopher.

Description

PhD Doctorate

Relation

University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis

Date

2003

Keyword(s)

architecture;  Louis Kahn;  philosophy;  Plato;  Form;  typology;  Modernism;  First Unitarian Church Rochester

Resource Type

thesis

Rights

http://www.newcastle.edu.au/copyright.html

Rights

Copyright 2003 Steven Peter Fleming

Identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/24826

Language

eng

---

Full Text

 

Save/E-mail Citation

Citation Format

Plain Text Citation HTML Citation EndNote Format

E-mail Address

Subject

"The Bed Maker’s Model: A Thematic Study of Louis I. Kahn’s 1961 Article “Form and Design” in Terms of Plato’s Theory of Forms as Treated in The Republic."

 

OR