"Architecture exists because of man's desire to express meaning in the shaping of his environment, i.e., to express himself, his innate humanness in the making of built spaces that can accommodate the events of his life with ease and grace." David C.S. Polk makes this statement in his essay "The Expression of Meaning and the Necessity of Integration," and further expresses that one of the most fundamental of human desires is to feel at home in the world. Christian Norberg—Shultz illuminates this same desire when he uses the term "existential foothold" to define the need man has to feel connected with the environment, the need to feel a certain "groundedness" in existence. Man, therefore, makes to affirm his existence and to establish a world of meaning which will bring him closer to existing as part of the world, of being in harmony with other living things. A link is thus established between the things that exist among men, and man himself. How is one to find meaning in the built environment that will serve to offer a sense of "groundedness?" The two dimensions that provide meaning to any system, according to Husserl, are the formal, or syntactic dimension, and the transcendental, or semantic dimension. While the semantic dimension concerns itself with the historical, or symbolic aspect of each element of a system, the syntactic dimension is based on an internal system of rules which govern the order of the elements without regard to external significance. (1) This thesis concerns itself primarily with the syntactic dimension, and the qualities inherent in the material aspect of architecture. As Kenneth Frampton proposes in his essay, "Rappel A L'Order: The Case for the Tectonic" architecture can be deemed valuable in its own right as a structural and constructional form. Rafael Moneo states that "architecture arrives when our thoughts about it acquire the real condition that only materials can provide." Architecture is therefore inherently about form, the material aspect of a work and the dialogue that exists among physical elements. The idea of structure, the overall ordering principle that guides the design towards material reality, is the starting point. Prior to structure, however, is the idea that requires structuring, the idea that supplies what is to be ordered. Rudolf Arnheim calls this the "anabolic creation of a structural theme which establishes what the thing is about."(2) This is not to say that all aspects of a work of architecture must be rationally justified through the structural theme. What is provided is a framework through which the energy of material can be hamesses into the manifestation of a built work, one that can come into being as a "thing", ontological rather than representational. (3) Through the effort of carrying through an idea of something into a built manifestation of it tension develops. The idea may be as much influenced by the nature of the structural and constructive aspects of the work as it is in influencing such aspect. This dialogue can be found at many levels, including the site, in the tension of the structural idea and the nature of material, between various materials that come together to form a whole. The dialogue that results through any relational condition is a strong opportunity for architecture. When architectural elements come together, whether to support a load or delineate space, the physical manifestation that takes place offers an architectural opportunity. There is a governance of general rules pertaining to an internal order of the elements, principles the elements follow which will maintain a certain cohesiveness when being considered together as part of a whole. The rules are not so restrictive, however, that they completely relegate the formation of the parts to mere elements in complete service to the whole. To quote Herman Hertzberger, "While the elements may follow a set of rules governing the whole, it is important that there is a possibility for transformation, or growth in richness in the whole which is a result of the elements. It is in a dialogue between these two aspects, parts and whole, that growth occurs." (4) The richness that results from the interplay of parts and whole can provide meaning in the built environment. It is in being open to richness and diversity while being guided by a structural idea that architecture can emerge. 1. Alberto Perez—Gomez, Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science, (The MIT Press, 1983) 2. Rudolf Arnheim, Entropy and Art, p. 49. 3. Kenneth Frampton, "Rappel A L'Ordre: A Case for the Tectonic." published in A & D 4. Herman Hertzberger, Lessons for Students in Architecture (Rotterdam, 1991), p. 249. / Master of Architecture