In search of meaning : a journey through the mediation of concepts in architecture

Abstract

This dissertation approaches the architectural process as a journey into the unknown; a process of searching for meaning from the complex, multifarious and seemingly non-sensical data which makes up our reality. The research seeks to grasp an understanding into the nature of this journey through the development of a framework which identifies the relevant theoretical notions relating to the fundamental processes of meaning-construction. Through the development of such a framework, this dissertation emerges as an exploration into the dynamic journey of meaning-construction in architecture from the stage of conceptualisation through to its physical articulation in the built environment. In an attempt to develop a comprehensive understanding of such processes, this research explores the semiotic correlations and conceptual conjunctions between language, art and architecture through a series of interviews with participants from these creative fields. The emergent framework aims at contributing to the shaping of the architect’s attitude toward the making of the built environment, as one familiarises with architecture as a meaningful construct.