Architecture from a Heideggerin point of view

Introduction

Summer Term 2003

Introduction

1. Introduction

2.0 Terms
2.1 Building
2.2 Dwelling
2.3 The Four Quarters

3.0 The Concept of Heidegger Approach

4.0 A Closer Look from the Architect Point of View Towards
4.1 Dwelling and Building
4.1 The Spirit of Word and or Place

5.0 Final statement

6.0 References

1. Introduction

The issue of the second discussion in Darmstadt was set under the title “Mensch und Raum” (Man and Space) August 5th, 1951. The lecture, which was presented by Martin Heidegger called “Building – Dwelling – Thinking”. This lecture will obtain the most important interest in this paper.

The main intention is to understand what Martin Heidegger meant with his philosophical approach towards architecture and also trying to see what is the purpose of architecture. The art of architecture with its enigma will be enlightened or will be still a mystery. To look for hints and statements in several sources will hopefully help us to find a way or at least will let us understand.

The aim towards this goal at first is to explain the most important terms, which Martin Heidegger is using. Especially with Martin Heidegger it will be important to know, what kind of language he is using and what is behind the terms he using in his descriptions. An other point which makes it important to deal with, will be the problem that we have two disciplines: philosophy and architecture, we know that the use of certain terms can be different in these cases, so similar than Martin Heidegger was doing it in his work “Building – Dwelling – Thinking”, there will be an explanation of the important terms.

The second part will deal with the explanation and the understanding of the enigma we worked on trough this paper. If it will be possible to understand or will it be to abstract to explain in such a short work.

For the fact, that the lecture was presented more than 50 years ago and for an amount of time almost nobody was interested in this work, it became more and more important in the last decades, especially in the theoretical architecture, as well as in philosophy and art itself. Therefore the main resources are based on articles, writings about Martin Heidegger and his own writings.

By the end we will hopefully understand the idea of “Building – Dwelling – Thinking” and how Martin Heidegger thought about architecture as a way of being and dwelling.

2.0 Terms

The main terms are: building, dwelling and the four quarters, which have the closest relation towards architecture. There are minor important terms, which will be explained when they appear in the text, because they do not seem to valued enough to be in this paragraph about terms.

2.1 Building

The word “to build” in German “bauen” originates from the Old High German term “buean”, which means to stay or to dwell. The etymology refers to the Indo-Germanic root of “bheu”, with the meaning of to grow, to flourish, to arise, to be, to become, to dwell.^[1] Furthermore the term is related to the Greek word “physis”, which can be translated as nature. For Martin Heidegger it meant more than just nature. He concludes out of the Parmenides phrase “to gar auto noein estin te kai einai” with its togetherness of thinking and being that the infinitive “einai” in the meaning of “physis” can be described as “Naturseiendes” (being as nature). It can also be described as becoming in the sense of egression; therefore belongs to it.^[2]

2.2 Dwelling

The word “to dwell” goes back to the Old Saxony term “wuon” and the Old English alternatively gothic term “wunian”. Both terms, similarly like to dwell originate from “to abide, to linger”. The etymology^[3] knows furthermore the Old Icelandic term “una” in the sense of to feel ease, to be contended, to stay. Martin Heidegger^[4] adds similar terms for the Old English term “wunian”, like to be satisfied (zufrieden sein), to come to peace (zum Frieden gebracht), to stay within (in ihm bleiben). Where peace in an etymological view means to be closed to, unfettered, protection, friendship, to save from a loss or to prevent. In this case there is a connection between, habitation, prevention and the social concept of hospitality. The prevention itself is something positive and it appears when we do not do something, therefore leave it the way it is, we leave it in its peace (einfrieden), to do nothing as an activity is important for Martin Heidegger. The existential construction leads therefore to a nursed-protected activity. This again turns into a way of peaceful being towards nature’s kind and their buildings.

2.3 The Four Quarters

As explained by Martin Heidegger himself, the sojourn of the mortals in the world as being in the world is an arrangement in the four quarters. They consist of soil, sky (sun, moon, stars and out of there being, light, darkness and climate), epiphany and the mortals (as constantly moribund, as long as they are on the earth). Martin Heideggers approach sounds like a ritual-mystical way of evocation of the mind. However, with a point of view without the mysticism it looks more like an ascertainment of a structure towards dwelling, which seems to be relevant.^[5] His thoughts express that the being is bound to the community, together with others and the pictures of supernatural, the epiphany.^[6] For the further understanding of his text it is important to know that there was always a thought of the “Four Quarters”. It was made to have a fundamental structure of order in the life of a being. Leon Battista Albert already reprehended that a good place in the four quarters lies in elements of the landscape. Away from the sea and swamp, in the south a mountain, no hills towards the other directions and in the north a gradient acclivity.^[7] Here we find the cardinal points as an arrangement of spatial order. Also it is seen in Heidegger’s work, where he talks about the four-dimensionality, where space and time, which themselves underlie the four quarters area, connect the time of space. Martin Heideggers talks about “Zeit-Spiel- Raum ” (Time-Scope-Space). With this construction of the four quarters Martin Heidegger tries to frame the “lebensweltlichen” (life style) living conditions of the existing.^[8]

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^[1] Der Große Duden, Bd.7. „Herkunftswörterbuch. Die Etymologie der deutschen Sprache“. Mannheim/Wien/Zürich: Bibliographisches Institut, 1963.

^[2] Biella, Burkhard. „Eine Spur ins Wohnen legen: Entwurf einer Philosophie des Wohnens nach Heidegger und über Heidegger hinaus“. Düsseldorf/Bonn: Parerga, 1998.

^[3] Der Große Duden, Bd.7. „Herkunftswörterbuch. Die Etymologie der deutschen Sprache“. Mannheim/Wien/Zürich: Bibliographisches Institut, 1963.

^[4] Heidegger, Martin. „Bauen Wohnen Denken. In: Vorträge und Aufsätze“. Frankfurt am Main: Bloch Verlag, 2000. Page 150.

^[5] Ebeling, Hans. „Martin Heidegger. Philosophie und Ideologie“. Reinbek: Rowohlt, 1991. Page 100.

^[6] Paetzhold, Heinz. „Profile der Ästhetik. Der Status von Kunst und Architektur in der Postmoderne.“ Wien: Passagen, 1990. Page 49.

^[7] Speidel, Manfred. „Orte - Ein Versuch zur Geometrie. In: Kunstforum“. Bd.69. Page 69.

^[8] Paetzhold, Heinz. „Philosophie der Stadt. Architektur und Stadtleben. In: Widerspruch. Münchner Zeitschrift für Philosophie, 14. Page 70.