The Arch Of Projection - Body and Mind in Herzog & de Meuron’s Architecture

Authors

  • Mariann Simon
https://doi.org/10.3311/pp.ar.2011-2.03

Abstract

The aim of the article is to interpret the body-mind relationship in Herzog & de Meuron’s architecture. We surveyed their architecture over the last twenty years, uncovering the parallel changes in buildings and writings, with the theoretical trends in the background. We found that a clear shift in their approach has been manifest. In the first phase, the architects’ bodily and intellectual sensations were mediated through the building, whose subtle deviations from architectonic rules were perceivable more to the senses than to the mind. In the second period, the sensuality of buildings increased, while intellectually they referred to the present. The buildings still had their integral body, but they had lost a clear contour. In the last decade, the buildings operate with an arsenal of material and sensuous effects; the aim is intensity, which is often reinforced with direct formal analogies. The body of the visitor is put centre stage.

Keywords:

Architectural theory, body, mind, Herzog & de Meuron

Citation data from Crossref and Scopus

Published Online

2013-10-09

How to Cite

Simon, M. (2011) “The Arch Of Projection - Body and Mind in Herzog & de Meuron’s Architecture”, Periodica Polytechnica Architecture, 42(2), pp. 19–26. https://doi.org/10.3311/pp.ar.2011-2.03

Issue

Section

Articles