19AR03007

HUMANITIES
Semester III

Faculty : Ar.Sriparvathy Unni

ar.sriparvathy@gmail.com
+91 8281926256
 Module Contents
MODULE 2
Man, Environment and Society
• Journey of man from ancient through medieval to contemporary; formation of
group living, settlements and beginning of community living as rural & urban.
• Concepts of society, culture, traditions & civilization and their progressive
development through different ages from Paleolithic to contemporary.
• Culture and society, cultural lag, Deviant subculture, Culture and civilization.
• Different theories about culture and social identity with reference to
architecture, social construction of space.
• Relation between culture and built form (exploration of architectural
examples) based on design practices followed across India and the world.
• Social development for Sustainable development, Sustainable Indigenous
communities with case examples.
SOCIAL IDENTITY, CULTURE AND
ARCHITECTURE
 The "sociology" of space examines the social and material constitution of spaces. It is concerned with
understanding the social practices, institutional forces, and material complexity of how humans and
spaces interact.
 Michel Foucault defines space as “The space in which we live, which draws us out of ourselves, in which
the erosion of our lives, our time and our history occurs, the space that claws and gnaws at us, is also, in
itself, a heterogeneous space…We live inside a set of relations.”
 Nigel Thrift defines space as "The outcome of a series of highly problematic temporary settlements that
divide and connect things up into different kinds of collectives which are slowly provided with the
meaning which render them durable and sustainable." 
 In short, "space" is the social space in which we live and create relationships with other people, societies
and surroundings. Space is an outcome of the hard and continuous work of building up and maintaining
collectives by bringing different things into alignments. All kinds of different spaces can and therefore do
exist which may or may not relate to each other. Thus, through space, we can understand more about
social action.
 The category of space long played a subordinate role in sociological theory formation.
 Over time, a realization that certain changes in society cannot be adequately explained without taking
greater account of the spatial components of life, was understood. This shift in perspective is referred
to as the topological turn.
 The space concept directs attention to organizational forms of contrast. The focus is on differences
between places and their mutual influence. This applies equally for the micro-spaces of everyday life
and the macro-spaces at the nation-state or global levels.
 Martina Löw developed the idea of a "relational" model of space, which focuses on the “orderings”
of living entities and social goods, and examines how space is constituted in processes of
perception, recall, or ideation to manifest itself as societal structure. This is evolved from the
concept of the “duality of structure”. Löw extends sociological terms into a “duality of space.” The
basic idea is that individuals act as social agents (and constitute spaces in the process), but that their
action depends on economic, legal, social, cultural, and, finally, spatial structures. Spaces are hence the
outcome of action. At the same time, spaces structure action, that is to say spaces can both constrain
and enable action.
RELATION BETWEEN CULTURE AND BUILT
FORM

Our huge and highly variegated store of knowledge about the ways that humans occupy and
use their space becomes most meaningful when studied in the light of culture relation to
building design.
 Sweden-based artist Anastasia Savinova traveled
through cities across different countries and observed
the architecture of the culture that inhabits them.
 “I take pictures of buildings, look into windows
sneakily, go to local shops, flea markets and bars,
watch everyday life — all this helps to build the
feeling of the place” Savinova says.
 In her artwork she identifies differences and
similarities between habitable spaces, then using
dozens of building visuals she collage them into an
architectural representation.
 “The series of collages titled ‘genius loci’ sees large
dwellings composed of many different buildings in a
particular city or country.”

SE / Sweden / Upland
DK / Denmark / Copenhagen DE / Germany
FR / France Sweden
What does culture mean?
“Culture embraces complex ways of
living, value systems, traditions, beliefs
and habits; including knowledge,
morals, law and customs, acquired by
those within that Society. These provide
for a set of ‘cultural objects’, which
symbolise a shared schematic
experience, and which we recognise as
having cultural value.”(Report, 2011)

Turkish culture
Culture and architecture
The relationship between culture and architect
“The culture of each society is identified through its manifestations such as language, art, and
architecture, and analysis in the field of culture is related to the study of cultural manifestations
(Ettehad et al., 2014).”
Barcelona culture

Language Art Architecture

Culture and architecture
The relationship between culture and
architecture

“Architecture as a matter of human life reflects the

culture in every society interacting closely with
structural, historical, political, economic and social
features of society.

People in every country try to follow their norms and

maintain their values in making of architecture by
applying the material things. Changing the cultural
and social attitudes in communities has the greatest
impact on the architecture. Therefore, the role of
culture in promoting architectural identity seems
essential (Ettehad et al., 2014).”
Culture and architecture
The relationship between culture and architecture

“The result is that the culture of each community defines the identity of the community and architecture as a
social phenomenon was originated from the culture and its effects. Art and architecture are of the most
important symptoms and characteristics of each nation and every historical period that indicate the
environment human’s lives at any time.” (Ettehad et al., 2014)
The relationship between culture and
architecture

“Architecture is the portrayal of a nation’s

culture integrated with all aspects of human life
and has a profound impact on it. Architecture is
the results of the culture of the society” (Parvizi,
2009)
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and

architecture

So when you see in a society the most famous buildings

are libraries, museum and universities while in other
societies the most famous buildings are shopping malls
you can get an indication of the culture of this society

In one hand, architecture is a reflection of city

culture, and in the other hand architecture can
change our culture
Culture and architecture
The relationship between culture and
architecture

In some cities you can study and understand the

culture of its people from its buildings.

Others cities the architecture of buildings create the

culture of the city

CULTURE ARCHITECTURE
The very essence of every built form or built up environments
is the manifestation of culture masked behind its layers of
abstraction. The manifestation may be royal and imposing
like those of the mighty empires, or may be simple and yet
powerful to create an identity for those who adhere to it. It’s
similar to an artist who paints his canvas and there by builds a
sanctuary in the hearts of people and lives forever through his
work.
Elaborating the expression of culture on the built form is
usually the unconscious effort of every designer. In fact,
culture plays a dominant role at the very out set of any design
process. This is because, any design when conceptualized to
perform a desired function, is directly or indirectly derived
from or synchronized with the cultural identity of the
user. It is what frames our thought processes. It defines
individual identity and helps to recollect past memories.
The Parthenon

The magnificent temple of Athens

The birth place of democracy

“In this building the Greeks incorporated a

fundamental principle of their culture: arête. To the
Greeks, arête meant excellence and reaching ones
full potential. Arete now means “excellence of any
kind” or “moral virtue”
The Parthenon

“Ancient Greek art emphasized the importance

and accomplishments of human beings.

Greek art was meant honor the gods, but the gods were
created in the image of humans.

Art and architecture were a tremendous source of pride

for citizens and could be found in various parts of the
city” as this building became a symbol copied in many
other countries
The Egyptian pyramids

“The Egyptians are another amazing example, their

environment and culture produced the great
pyramids.

Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the

pharaoh played in ancient Egyptian society.

More than 4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids

still retain much of their majesty, providing a glimpse
into the country’s rich and glorious past.”
The Egyptian pyramids

Looking at the size of these pyramids in

comparison to human size reflects the image
that the pharaoh wanted to present himself
to others as he is the god, he is the most
important thing in the country
 The Greeks’ Parthenon culture The Egyptians’ pyramids
emphasized on the importance culture emphasized on the
and accomplishments of human importance of one human
beings. being

Greek architecture reflects the culture as the birth place of limited democracy. On the other hand, famous
Egyptian buildings reflects the power of one man controlling the whole country
 ASSIGNMENT

EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURE AND ARCHITECTURE

THROUGH ANY 1 BUILDING EXAMPLE IN INDIA