Place through Time: Investigating Place Identity Language within the Temporal Dimension

Abstract

After an in-depth discussion on space, place, placelessness and place identity through readings from Heidegger, Norberg-Schulz, Relph and Lynch, the work concentrates on Aldo Rossi’s Pathogenic and Propelling definitions. The paper aims to use these definitions to further understand the symbiotic relationship between place and architecture. This relationship leads to a continuous evolutionary process which develops place identity over time and plays an intrinsic part in architectural design. By transposing language from Rossi’s ‘The Architecture of the City’ and applying it to place identity, the paper enables analysis into the effectiveness of pathogenic, propelling, and evolved place identity approaches. This language is explored further through the use of key case studies, mapping their identity from pathogenic to evolved. The paper concludes that place identity plays a strong role in maintaining the authenticity of place. However, when necessary to maintain relevance in a changing world, architectural identity is required to be transformative and revealing - evolving and propelling alongside people, place, and culture.

Keywords

• Architecture
• Identity
• Language
• Place
• Time

Supporting Institution

University of Nottingham

Thanks

With sincere thanks to Kate Nicklin and Graham Mateer for their invaluable contributions to the project. Thanks also go to Associate Professor Tim Collett.

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