Main themes
Darwinian processes
The designs evolve in two ways: in the mind of the architect towards a final conception, and by variants of a building typology that is built on the ground. A Darwinian process plays an important role in both the design and evolution (or persistence) of architectural typologies. Salingaros creates a framework where these mechanisms determine how designs evolve and outlines a detailed model. Their main concern is understanding the selection criteria between competing variants: is the selection driven by adaptation to human needs, or is it based on matching arbitrary images? What type of architecture results from each one?
Salingaros uses the work of Richard Dawkins, especially the meme model, to explain how architectural typologies and design elements are transmitted in society. An innovative application, but one that underlies a scathing critique of modernist, postmodernist and deconstructivist architectural styles. Salingaros claims that they are not really adaptable: he maintains that they are transmitted in society in the manner of an advertising jingle, and not for intrinsic qualities that are worthwhile. The supporting arguments are explored in this book.
Complexity
Salingaros uses an organized complexity model to estimate the degree of “life” of a building, a quantity that measures the organization of visual information. His model is based on an analogy with the physics of thermodynamic processes and extends the earlier work of Herbert Alexander Simon and Warren Weaver. The terminology arises from an analogy with biological forms. Salingaros distinguished between “organized” and “unorganized” complexity, going further to claim innate positive advantages (based on biology) of the former.
At least for those who like traditional buildings, the correlation between Salingaros' measure of "life" and the perceived degree of life in a building is high. Minimalist and deconstructivist buildings, on the other hand, are rated very low, and this is a point of contention with most architects. Christopher Alexander reproduces Salingaros' results in Book 1 of "The Nature of Order"), saying that: "It is revealing that a simply constructed arithmetic function, based on considerations of the nature of living structure, no matter how crudely, could obtain these kinds of results. It shows that, while the question itself may be a million times more subtle, there is something tangible, and ultimately measurable, about the degree of life that living structure has."[11].
Emergent and evidence-based design
Salingaros describes architecture (or at least architecture that he calls "adaptive") as a characteristic phenomenon of emergence "Emergence (philosophy)"). Contemporary architectural thought has recently moved in this direction, and this book advances the field. It is generally recognized today that architectural theory has degenerated into a narrow point of view, neglecting architectural space and its meaning.[12] By proposing a broader discourse, contemporary theorists are once again turning to phenomenology&action=edit&redlink=1 "Phenomenology (architecture) (not yet drafted)"). Christopher Alexander and Salingaros have overcome the limited philosophical tools of phenomenology (Phenomenology (philosophy) to obtain evidence-based design results), which is already being used in the innovative design of healthcare environments such as hospitals and healthcare facilities. Parallel to intellectual advances in other fields driven by the revolution in scientific research at the end of the millennium, authors such as Salingaros, Alexander and others seek to build theoretical knowledge in architecture from experimental findings.
These arguments are now being adopted and complemented by a group of architects applying biophilia, a term coined by Edward Osborne Wilson to describe an intrinsic genetic predisposition of human beings towards structures found in other living objects such as animals and plants.[14] Key researchers in biophilic design refer to the work of Salingaros and, in particular, to the chapters in this book.,[15][16].
Pattern languages
Salingaros develops the pattern language originally introduced by Christopher Alexander and used in both architecture and software design. He previously wrote an influential article "The Structure of Pattern Languages",[17] which described the pattern combinatorics needed to use them effectively. This applies to programming as well as architectural design and urban design. In "A Theory of Architecture", Salingaros shows how a pattern language and a form language are combined in an Adaptive Design Method.") The discussion, although quite abstract, delves into the scientific foundations of design, and has more in common with wrapper systems than with the more philosophical discussions found in contemporary architectural theory.
The fractal mind
This book analyzes how our mind perceives and conceives architectural form, and posits that the fractal and other organizational mechanisms play a key role in this perception. He then argues that humans naturally prefer organized, fractal structures based on how the mind works.[18] Most modern evolutionary biologists accept the idea that evolution depends on the geometry of the natural environment and must therefore be consistent with biological structure and morphology. However, the view that selection has shaped the mind to prefer certain shapes and configurations is more controversial.
geometric fundamentalism
The phrase "geometric fundamentalism" in this book was coined by Michael Mehaffy) and Salingaros as a provocative way of expressing the predominance of abstract and monolithic forms in modern architecture. Being easy to construct, such simple typologies were transmitted globally and now dominate world architecture. “One of the strengths of the international style "Rationalism (architecture)") was that the design solutions were indifferent to location, site and climate. By not allowing architecture the freedom to adapt to a particular set of local circumstances, the built environment has increasingly moved away from sustainability criteria.
Meme Encapsulation
The book also coins the term "encapsulation" to describe an architectural meme embedded within a social meme. The model suggests that such memetic replication shapes human culture, in which typologies of buildings and cities proliferate for reasons other than their usefulness. The argument is that the typologies that are transmitted are those whose encapsulation is most attractive. Salingaros and Terry Mikiten propose that encapsulation helps an architectural meme survive and reproduce. In particular, phenomena such as (possibly impractical) architectural fads, where patrons allow certain memes that do not promote mental health and feelings of well-being to reproduce, can be explained as encapsulations that help replicate their accompanying memes.[19] The opposite is also true: an adaptive architectural typology, such as that found in older vernacular architectures, is often avoided because it is encapsulated within a socially negative label. (not “progressive” enough). When looked at from the point of view of meme encapsulation and selection, many architectural phenomena that were difficult to explain become easier to understand.
• - Review by Michael Blowhard.
• - Architecture-Urbanism Magazine.
• - Biography of Salingaros in the College of Traditional Practitioners of the International Network for Traditional Construction, Architecture and Urban Planning.