A Study On Architectural Section From The Double Perspectives Of Language And Discourse

Compared with other architectural drawing methods,the section had always been depreciated and neglected.In recent years,however,it has gained an increasing attention.Not only has section been used in numerous practices of design,it has also been a popular topic of many researches as well.But most people take it only as a specific spatial design strategy,an analyzing method,or an ecological technology means.Some only obsessed with the wondrous visual effects in it.These biases undoubtedly diminish the great values of the section.This dissertation begins with a review of the historical evolution of the section and then discusses the graphic characteristics of the section.On the base of that,guided by the related theories of semiotics and linguistics,the dissertation conceives two perspectives of language and discourse,trying to reach a comprehensive understanding of one part of the section which is regulated by rules,and the other part which escapes from the rules,before restoring its whole picture and revealing its true colours.In this process,the dissertation clarifies not only the rules of the form and organization of the section,but also the generation method of the sectional forms,and the application of the section in design practices,to eventually find out the multiple meanings of space,technology,society,culture,life and art contained in it.Firstly,the dissertation traces back the track of the historical development of the section,by using five stages to investigate: from ancient to medieval ages,Renaissance,Rationalism,to the Modernist Architectural Movement,and the "post-drawing" period.The dissertation discusses the formal representation,drawing method,object of expression,application field,relevant characters,cultural connotation,spatial concept and technical characteristics of sections in different stages,and presents the whole process of changing status and the complex features of the sections in a panoramic way.On the basis of historical research,the dissertation speculates and discusses the elements,characteristics,the variables and constants of the architectural section and their relationship with space,structure,form,order and design.The analysis of the history and basic characteristics of the section shows the complexity and diversity of the forms and meanings in it.In order to delineate its features precisely,related theories in semiotics and linguistics are introduced.The dissertation studies the process of media orientation transformation the section takes from conceptual design,shaping design to the final architecture,discusses specifically the contents of signifier,object and interpretant of sectional symbols,and then explain the necessity,possibility and external conditions for the section to be a text,as well as the characteristics and relations of various elements which constitute the section.The becoming of text makes possible the introduction of linguistic and discursive perspectives.Here the “language” of the “linguistic perspective” refers to the language(langue)in Saussure's linguistics,i.e.abstract systematic rules or conventions.It is opposite to discourse(parole).The “discourse” of the “discursive perspective” is used in the sense of “the part of language with freedom and liquidity”and “the use of language”.The language system of sections is to establish a research framework for exploring the organizational order of sections,which is embodied in the Axle-Diameter Composite System.The system is divided into the Form-Structure Axis composed of the Base Layer,the Middle Layer and the Expressional Layer and the Conceptual Transformation Path composed of deep structure,type and form.The former is to analyze the form of the section,and the latter is used for the production of the sectional forms.In the Middle Layer of production,the two make a intersection.In contrast to the linguistic perspective of section,the discursive perspective is to investigate the freely used way of sections outside the domain of systematic rules.The language and discourse system of the section constitute the two main subjects of the dissertation,and the following contents are the detailed discussion about them.There are two parts in the base layer of the form-structure axis of the section language system: the Interface Unit and the Space Unit.The Interface Unit is the concrete interface of building,which includes five parts: grounding surface,floor,roof,wall and mixed interface.The Space Unit consists of six kinds of space prototype slices,which can be assembled into 12 kinds of basic space forms.The Intermediate Layer studies the organization rules of interface and space unit.On the reflection upon the existing research,the dissertation summarizes 14 basic codes of the middle layer and explains them separately.The Base Code is highly abstract.When they are combined with the types in the conceptual transformation path,some meaningful specific sectional diagrams can be generated,which can also be regarded as a process of derivation and fission of the base code.In the dissertation,four types of derivative codes are listed: Functional Use Space Type,Historical Accumulation Space Type,Natural Environment Catalyst Type and Architectural Topography Type,each of which is subdivided into many sub-codes.The attributes and the attached semantic contents of each code are discussed.Meanwhile,with the help of certain digital technology,large number of sectional graphic results are generated,which can be used directly in the practice of design.These graphic outputs are based on the pattern of 9-grid.By reorganizing and analyzing the form results,the dissertation not only clarifies the relationship between different Typological forms and their essential characteristics,but also points out the limitations of the representation of the 9-grid pattern in the section.In fact,a building section is usually a combination of multiple codes,and the organizational code between them is the subject of the presentation layer.Organizational codes can be classified into five categories: Matrix Filling,Multi-Directional Collage,Adjacent Isomorphism,Structural Embedding and Hybrid Weaving.Through Basic Code,Derivative Code,Sub-Code and Presentation Layer Organization Code,the order and the structure behind every building section can be discovered in most cases.In order to avoid the section form from becoming a rigid negative fabric of meaning in this interpretation system,with the help of Van Dick's theory,the Big Structure is introduced to adapt the varied contexts of the external world.Four typical big structures are named in this dissertation: Internal and External Blending,Reversal and Interchange,Prototype Citation and Function Liberation.The function of the sectional codes can also be stretched outwardly to the densified remodeling of the group building sections.The dissertation validates the research results by analyzing 10 new and old building sections of Hunan University and the overall environmental sections of the new school campus.Some contents of the section cannot be expressed by language.They will be obliterated if regularized.They have more flexible representations,more complicated expressions and more unspeakable interactions.As for these contents,the dissertation introduces the perspective of discourse,which is discussed in five aspects: Body Discourse,Poetic Discourse,Daily Discourse,Narrative Discourse and Comprehensive Discourse.Specifically,it includes the projection relationship between sectional forms and body images,the interaction between sectional forms and the human body,the realization of spatial defamiliarization effect by section,the application of section in rebuilding daily life,the transmission of certain cultural critical ideas through section,the expression of complete spatial experience and the cross-generational architectural implementation process by multiple sections,and the section as an integrational tool of all levels of architecture fields,etc.Through a fully open discussion,the study reveals broad applications of the section beyond the boundary of the language,and discovers the significance so rich as the spectra with the most complexity.