Architecture as spatial storytelling: Mediating human knowledge of the world, humans and architecture

Abstract

Since the 1960s, architecture has been interpreted by Structuralism as a system of signs, which results in the problem that architecture is isolated from humans and the world. In contrast with this idea, this paper demonstrates that architecture is designed as spatial storytelling to mediate human knowledge of the world, humans and architecture. The research method consists of an original survey of meaning and interpretation drawn from the fields of philosophy, linguistics, hermeneutics, humanistic geography, narrative theory, psychology, architectural theory and museology, in combination with the researcher’s personal perception and experience. By employing three elements e materials, configuration and time e to conduct parallel analysis of components of the world, humans and architecture, this paper contributes to an original theoretical model for analysing the idea of architecture as spatial storytelling. Moreover, this study concludes that, since it is constructed of meaningful materials, meaningful configuration and meaningful time, architecture is a form of spatial storytelling, which mediates human knowledge of the world, humans and architecture, thus shaping human intellectual record both tangibly and intuitively. Therefore, the fact that architecture is connected with humans and the world has been demonstrated by spatial storytelling, while also being carried forward from generation to generation.

Key words： Architecture; Spatial storytelling; Mediating; Human knowledge