About Meaning & Measure in Architecture

MEANING & MEASURE suggests a perceived opposition between the mental and affective capacities of architecture on the one hand, and its physical and material capacities on the other. The researchers in the cluster seek to study and challenge this increasingly widespread dichotomy.

The relationships in architecture between measurable qualities and capacities for meaning are complex, reciprocal, and fundamental to the discipline. Our hypothesis is that the measurable, quantitative, and technical aspects of architecture are intricately intertwined with its affective dimensions. Our investigations are based on a dialogue between scientific research and artistic research practice.

Who measures, what is measured, and how?

Architecture cannot necessarily be evaluated through measurable units alone, but is, at its best, characterised by an artistic depth that creates new frameworks for interpreting the surrounding world and generates new meaning. Achieving this depth requires ongoing evaluation, critique, negotiation, and cultivation. The cluster investigates and discusses these processes.

Through its work on different conceptions of architectural quality, the cluster sees a potential to sharpen our understanding of building culture and systems of valuation in relation to major societal transformations, including climate change and technological development.