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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)

SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2015) [5 MARKS]


NAME: Ho Tze Hooi

ID: 0314179

LECTURER: Ida Marlina

TUTORIAL TIME: 1400 to 1600

SYNOPSIS NO: 2

READER TITLE: Semiology and Architecture


AUTHOR: Charles Jencks

In his article, "Semiology and Architecture", author C. Jencks explains about semiotics in
architecture. Semiology can be used to obtain the meaning and concept by considering the
architectural system as a system of signs, it can be used to decode the content of forms and
meanings. Today, semiotics can be said to be one of the major approaches used to interpret and
criticise art and architecture.
His first point, "Meaning[is] Inevitable yet Denied" is the most fundamental idea of semiology and
meaning in architecture. Charles stated that semantization is inevitable, which I can agree on. Society
likes to judge, not only people, but also their surroundings, therefore it is unavoidable that every single
usage will be converted into a sign of itself.
Moving on, "Context and Metaphor" has 2 ways to cut through the environment of all sign
behaviour, which are Opposition or Association. Imagine a similar building but in multiple different
backgrounds. Based on the type of background, the sign behaviour will differ. "Buildings are like
physical images in space being read as messages. This implies their basic function as signs coded
differently within different backgrounds." (G. Podlaszewski, 2013). An example can be taken from the
Nagakin Capsule Building, at first glance for Jencks, the building was just a tower shaped like
washing machines stacked on each other, until he was told about the guiding metaphor that inspired
the form of this building. It was bird boxes as a response to the come and go character of the
building's users.
Lastly, "Multivalent and Univalent". Multivalence is when several signs are used coherently and
therefore produce another quality. "A multivalent building reaches out to the rest of its environment
and makes different associations. This ensures that a work will have multiple resonances, and
different readings."(Charles Jencks, 1991) A univalent building on the other hand, attempts to refer
only to itself.
Throughout my time reading, I find myself agreeing to all of his points because all of the points corelates to each other. The first point explains about how people are inevitably going to create meaning
to something. I think this is because, of the context and metaphor of the subject which will create
either an opposition or association behaviour. In my opinion, "Context and Metaphor" is and will be the
deciding factor in determining semiology on architecture.
WORD COUNT: 387
ASSSESSED BY:

DATE: 21/4/16

MARK:

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