Peter Langford Dissertation 2012

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11.11.2012
Uninhibited D w e l l i n g
Constructing the primitive cave in contemporary
Architecture.
A Thesis Submitted to University of Newcastle Faculty of Architecture and the Built

Environment in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree: Masters of
Architecture
Peter Langford
3091880
Acknowledgements
Though research and writing are intensely personal efforts they are often founded in
collaboration. Without the guidance, idea bouncing and the open ears of others this
thesis would be much less valuable than what it is, so in saying this I would like to
issue my sincerest gratitude to first of all my research supervisor Dr. Harpreet
(Neena) Mand for her limitless breadth of knowledge and patience in helping this
research to fruition. My contemporaries and close friends who have helped to
crystalize my ideas into coherent thoughts through numerous discussions as well as
my partner and family for willingly or not lending an ear for the research to become
clearer through relaying and for questioning the areas too far removed from the
subject matter. Though not necessarily of custom for a research project of this size,
it is felt that without acknowledging the help received the integrity of the research
would feel lessened.
Contents
Abstract!
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Chapter 1: Origins & Architectural Invention! .!
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Introduction .
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Research Question .
Research Aims
Objectives
Significance of Research .
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Chapter 2: Examining the Primitive (Methodology)! .!

Research gap
Research design
Limitations
10
Chapter 3: Primitive Propositions (Literature Review)!
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13
Chapter 4: Uninhibited Dwelling (Discussion).!
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23
23
Hereditary theory & spatial intelligence .
27
The encultured cave
30
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34
Overlooking the found object
Chapter 5: The poetics of the cave (Conclusions).! .!

Envelopment .
34
Gravity
35
Spatial gradient
35
Wholeness .
36
Scope for further research .
37
Reference List!
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List of Figures!
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41
Abstract
Architecture's obsession with the redeeming qualities of the primitive has a
long history. A return to origins is posited as the architectural fountain of youth,
that by looking back we are able to understand what an architecture
connected to our base needs unadulterated by culture provides. Many; from
Vitruvius through Laugier, Semper and Wright have gravitated to these fabled
beginnings in order to justify a form of architectural invention pulling authority
from the purest form of architecture. In doing so architecture has taken to this
idea that the origins of habitat lie in the hut (Laugiers hut). However in these
simplified conversations of architectural origins one unexplored typology is
mentioned again and again; the cave. The cave here is often commented on
as having an affect on the beginnings of mans dwelling, but is too often
overlooked for the spatial lessons and significance it can provide.
This paper argues that where the origins of architecture are involved, and the
cave specifically, we find that a biological understanding of how we interpret
space as a means of survival can have a significant impact on how we should
design spaces. Furthermore the cave has an enormous significance in culture
relating to spirituality and myth, and so from the birth of art in the Lascaux
caves to the primitive understanding of space, it is possible to draw a large
body of knowledge from a thus far underutilised spatial typology. This paper
through a process of logical argumentation suggests that through analysis of
the latent spatial qualities of the cave it is possible to influence the way in
which a nuanced approach to gravity, envelopment and spatial gradient can
affect our perception of space. With the bias towards the hut, architecture has
taken a series of turns predicated on rather disputed and misunderstood
grounds. With Laugiers hut and the understanding of architecture as column,
entablature and pediment what we are left with is an architecture based on
construction rather than space. An architecture that has left the cave as a
found object despite its significance in addressing our primal needs. It is
argued herein that an understanding of the cave and what it can bring to
architectural discourse can be of significance in creating an architecture that is
powerfully primitive.
Chapter 1:
Origins & Architectural Invention [Introduction]

The concept of the primitive has been fundamental in western architectural discourse.
Far from the derogatory meaning the word holds in other disciplines, architectures
affinity with the term bares relation to the redeeming qualities of an original
architecture.1 This grand narrative of origins though heavily contested is mined for
ideas of
the essential in order to propose an irreducible and therefore ideal
architecture. The qualities imbued in the conception of the primitive are used to
represent a more authentic form of dwelling and have been consequently used as a
safeguard against arbitrariness in architectural invention. From Vitruvius The Ten
Books on Architecture proposing architectures history in the cave, the tent and the
hut, Laugiers An Essay on Architecture attempting to refine the meaningful elements
of architecture, Sempers The Four Elements of Architecture enclosing theories of style
in the tectonic art of architecture and even as pervasive and far reaching in modern
times as Corbusiers analysis of the savages hut in Towards a New Architecture,
history and origins have played a significant part in the continual reinvention of
architectural theory.2 3 4 5
This perpetual fascination with the qualities of the primitive most elaborately
documented regarding the genealogy of the rustic hut serves as a potential
springboard in justifying a reexamination of architectures relationship with origins. As
Rykwerts seminal text On Adams house in Paradise makes clear a return to the
primitive qualities of the hut premises a rethinking of what [we] do customarily, an
attempt to renew the validity of [our] actions.6 This is of no small significance to the
making of architecture, with a return to origins serving as a safeguard against
arbitrariness in not only what we build but why we build. So if we are to revisit the
fertile ground of architectural origins as a means to a way forward, a problematic
relationship develops between the competing origin theories. To quote architectural
educator and researcher Richard Coyne the simple question is: why is it that one or
another artifact (the hut, the cave, the mound, the hollow, the tent) should assume
status as the primary generator of all architecture?7 In referencing Semper Coyne
makes evident the existing claims to a first architecture and the issue of holding any
one above the others.
Despite the origins of architecture being more or less agreed upon as belonging to the
various competing archetypes there has been a significant bias in directing attention
toward the measurable and repeatable values of the hut. From Vitruvius, to Laugier,
Semper and many since, there has been a well documented study of the primitive hut
as the primary originator of architecture.8 The problem implicit in this is therefore the
lack of attention shown toward the alternate origins often mentioned but still very much
unexplored. As a natural structure rich in history and steeped in mythology the cave
exhibits many key attributes of primitivism in its atmosphere. It therefore becomes
increasingly troubling that very few architectural texts take a comprehensive account
of the genealogy of architectural space embodied in the cave.
Forming a significant part of primitive mythology and even attributed by Georges
Bataille with the birth of art the caves spatial attributes are thus explored as being
part of eliciting such similar reverence throughout time and culture.9 The complexity of
resolving the ambiguity of the cave within architectural discourse lies therefore within
the understanding of spatial intelligence.10 The desire to communicate elements of the
cave becomes an exploration of spatial qualities, unable to be objectified and
quantified as Laugier did with the hut the cave instead represents an approach to
architecture more attuned to our perceptions of comfort and security.11 With an over6
saturated mediascape surrounding architecture celebrating spectacle and threatening

the early primitive values of genuine dwelling perhaps now is the right time to return
to the spatiality of the cave in hope for a better understanding of the spiritual
connection current architecture struggles to provide. What this study seeks to
speculate on is a potential approach to architecture based on the cave as part of the
primitive origins in order to draw out consequential spatial attributes in creating new
architecture.
Research Questions
The research presented in the following chapters is predicated on a number of
questions: Primarily; What spatial lessons does the cave hold for contemporary
architecture? In order to answer this there are other secondary questions along the
way; why the cave is overlooked in architectural discourse? Why do many dissimilar
cultures throughout history have a similar spiritual reverence for the cave despite
differing ideologies?
Research Aims
The study seeks to draw out significant attributes and spatial qualities from the cave
that can provide an alternate genealogy for the creation of a more powerfully primitive
architecture. As a study of the cave the more traditional forms of analysis become
difficult in objectifying a natural edifice and as such this research is intentionally aimed
at qualitative study based on a reading of space.
Objectives
1. Explore significant spatial attributes of the cave for use in informing contemporary
architecture.
2. Trace out reasons for the avoidance of a focused analysis of the cave in western
architectural discourse.
3. Seek to understand how the spatial qualities of the cave have had significance in
the cultivation of primitive spirituality.
Significance of Research
Where discourse surrounding the primitive has varied in popularity the subject
matter is considered intrinsic to the history of architectural ideas, and as such
warrants a constant revisiting. Situated within the discourse of the primitive and
concerned primarily with the role of origins the study seeks to define a
qualitative analysis of the spatiality of the other archetype; the cave. Many
theorists and architects have used the primitive and consequently the narrative
of origins in order to justify significant reappraisals of architecture.12 As such
this research is concerned with exploring the alternate origin of the cave in
order to establish spatial qualities for creating a psychologically enriching
architecture.
______________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1
Forty, A. (2006). Primitive The word and concept. In J. Odgers, F. Samuel, & A. Sharr
(Eds.), Primitive Original matters in architecture (pp. 314). New York: Routledge.
Vitruvius, M. (1914). On Architecture. (M. H. Morgan, Trans.). Cambridge: Havard

University Press.
Laugier, M. A. (1977). An Essay on Architecture. (W. Herrmann & A. Herrmann,

Trans.). Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls.
Semper, G. (1989). The Four Elements of Architecture and Other Writings (1851). (W.
Herrmann, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Le Corbusier. (1927). Towards a new architecture. (F. Etchells, Trans.). London:

Architectural Press.
Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Coyne, R. (2006). Digital commerce and the primitive roots of architectural

consumption. In J. Odgers, F. Samuel, & A. Sharr (Eds.), Primitive Original matters in
architecture (pp. 229239). New York: Routledge.

Bataille, G. (1961). Tears of Eros (pp. 2531). Paris: Jean-Jacques Pauvert.
10
van Schaik, L. (2008). Spatial Intelligence. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
11

12

Chapter 2:
Examining the Primitive [Methodology]

Research Gap
As outlined above, architectures affinity with the primitive in regards to origin
theories predicates an account of architecture derived predominantly from the
hut and the cave. However in this grand narrative of origins a significant bias
for the hut has seen architectural theories regarding the cave in short supply. In
contrast, various discourses from cultural theory and anthropology hold the
cave in high regard for its significance across many cultures. Missing therefore
is an understanding of how the cave as an archetype with latent spatial
qualities can be adapted to the making of contemporary architecture. In
analysing the spatial attributes of cave-like space it is hoped a position for the
re-evaluation of the cave is established and results in the defining of some
guiding principles for the creation of a powerfully primitive architectural
formulation of space. Figure one (Fig.1) outlines the overlapping of the related
discourse with figure two (Fig.2) showing the subject areas by volume of
available research.
Fig.1 Key areas diagram. Showing the

overlapping discourses and where the cave fits.
Fig.2 Discourse body of knowledge graphical

analysis.
Research Method
This research paper seeks to use the method of logical argumentation set forth
by Groat and Wang in Architectural Research Methods.1 The scope of works is
to explore the significant spatial features of the cave and contribute to the
discourse surrounding architectures primitive origins. This system of logic
follows that of the cultural/ discursive element of architectural academic
research, in order to qualitatively argue the validity of the cave in reference to
nature and culture, and to mine the significance of questioning the current
architectural paradigm premised on the hut.2 The study therefore is seeking to
9
form a defined polemic with specific implications in better marrying

contemporary design with primitive spatial cognition.
The research requires the logical ordering of both current and past agreed
upon theories put forth by others (historians, anthropologists, philosophers,
architects and theorists) in order to define a theory based around the benefits
cave space can provide to mankind. As such the basis of the research will
identify the cave or cave-like space and the concept of the primitive as being
central to the internal logic of the argument. These terms are to be based on
the academic writing of others and will be defined based off a combination of
internal logic (within the thesis) and the culmination of the current accepted
paradigm within each area of study.
In conjunction, this thesis will be grounded in a wholly western world view and
take root in the transcendental realm of nature/ biology and, where necessary,
the existential philosophy based there upon.3 As such the result of the thesis
will be consistent and sympathetic to these world views and utilise this as a
more specific focus of the broad theories put forth by others in this area.
Predominantly focused on first principles of origin the study aims to narrow the
focus towards the under explored notion of the cave in western architecture.4
As such by inferring from first principles (in many ways considered right
because they were first) the system of logic will follow through the implications
put forward in architectural discourse surrounding the cave, primitive and
hereditary theories of aesthetic preference and spatial intelligence such as Jay
Appletons venerated work The Experience of Landscape.5 6
As such the study seeks to define the precursor to the biological impulses of
comfort implicit in modern cave space and the connection to man as a base
animal through reference of the widely excepted (though not empirically
proven) theories put forth by researchers such as Appleton, van Schaik and
Hildebrand.7 8 9 Whereby using techniques outlined by Groat and Wang such
as definition: first principles and rhetorical tactics naming in the process of
situating the research within the larger discourse of the primitive.10 The
research seeks to put together the briefly reasons for the under appreciation of
the cave, followed by how and why it is significant in creating a more evocative
architecture.
This research predicates its mediated position of authority through the
reference of select primary and secondary texts pertaining to the cave as a
specific and the primitive as a larger field and as such is designed to use
persuasive arguments in order to reach a broad systematic applicability.11 As
such the expected outcomes of the study is to provide a solid polemic for why
cave spaces should have a place in the contemporary architectonic lexicon.
The curious absence thus far in the linking of modern architecture and the
hereditary importance of cave spaces and their significance in culture is hoped
to be sated.
10
Limitations
Where this research aims to create a synthesis of significant spatial attributes
of the cave, it like all research comes with a set of limitations. The major
limitation being the time constraints involved in writing a masters of
architecture dissertation. The study is therefore purposely limited in scope to
achieve the outcomes outlined in the above section.
The study will be limited to extrapolating guiding principles for conceptualising
cave space in modern terms through pursuing its significance in architectural
origin theories, somatic and psychological comfort and cross cultural
spirituality. The number of texts will need to be limited due to the time taken to
source, read and critically analyse the information presented. As a result this
will have an effect on the depth of information available and as such the study
will need to be relatively broad.
The study, therefore will intentionally focus on the significance of the cave in
relation to broadening contemporary architectural spatial vocabulary and as
such is not a significant study in the history or cultural identity of the typology.
The research undertaken does not seek to take an archaeological
interpretation of the phenomena of caves but instead seeks to posit on their
significance to architecture using already published work. The choice of
explanatory information such as examples of architects and projects, is a result
of this decision and will affect the scope and outcomes of the research project.
In conjunction with this, it is of note that the research comes from a
fundamentally western perspective. Many Eastern cultures hold a high value
for caves and their spirituality. Where the study hopes to include and
understand this, the time constraints do not allow an immersion into these
cultures, only at best a brief overview.
Again in summation the research undertaken is not an empirical study, nor is it
a study based on what is available far outside of that architectural discourse.
This text is based upon available architectural discourse while taking aspects
of hereditary theory and sociology in order to underline how the cave can
enrich current design practices. It is worth noting that the study is not
attempting to be historically accurate or relate empirical measurements and
instead is based upon the theorizing of the architectural discourse on the
mythical origins of architecture which in and of themselves are not accurate
depictions of real world phenomena. There is no archeological merit implicit in
the study and should be read only as a cursory and largely introductory
understanding of how cave spaces can contribute to a more sophisticated and
somatic approach to architecture in the future.
11
______________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1
Groat, L., & Wang, D. (2002). Logical Argumentation. In Architectural Research

Methods (pp. 301340). John Wiley and Sons. p301
Ibid p323
Ibid p307
Ibid p315
Appleton, J. (1975). Experiencing the Landscape. John Wiley and Sons.
Ibid
Hildebrand, G. (1999). The Origins of Architectural Pleasure. Berkley and Los

Angeles: University of California Press.
10

Methods (pp. 301340). John Wiley and Sons. p323
11
Ibid p304
12
Chapter 3:
Primitive Propositions [Literature review]

The primitive as a concept has a long standing tradition in architecture, as a
defense against the arbitrary and by striking a division between nature and
culture. Architectural documentation for as long as can be known has been
concerned with the primitive origins of architecture, as Vitruvius de
architectura sets forth the idea that architectures beginnings have a
resounding effect on how we produce architecture as a culture.1 Perhaps most
evident in this claim to the efficacy of the concept of the primitive is Joseph
Rykwerts authoritative position that the primitive is a constant in the renewal of
architectural thinking.2 That as a measure of the essential the origins form the
basis for an ideal of genuine dwelling, and a way to validate architectural
invention. This entire narrative of origins forms part of architectural discourse
revolving around a spirit of, rather than a realization of, the actual origins.
Rykwerts seminal text in the field On Adams House in Paradise
comprehensively presents the genealogy of the speculative rustic hut (Fig.3)
throughout history. The mythological nature of architectural origins serves as an
ideal, necessary for the critique of current practice rather than the analysis of
the real state of things.3
The use of the primitive as a means for justifying a form of architectural
invention has a long history of paradigm shifting moments in architecture. With
those who wield its properties claiming absolute theories in reference to the
defining characteristics of the primitive. This tradition has played out in a
number of ways, from Vitruvius hut becoming petrified to Laugiers misguided
reduction of architecture to column, pediment and entablature in his 1753 an
essay on architecture through to Sempers four elements premising arguments
through the cataloguing of the Caribbean hut (Fig.4).4 5 6 7 So from Vitruvius, to
Laugier, Semper, to even Le Corbusiers modernist treatise Towards a New
Fig.3 Laugiers fictional rustic hut is

b y f a r t h e m o s t re c o g n i z a b l e
primitive work of architecture.
Fig.4 Drawings of the Caribbean hut

proved instrumental in Sempers
architectural theories.
Fig.5 Lascaux caves in France are

credited as the birth of art show the
beginnings of mythology and
spirituality.
13
Architecture a referencing of primitive values largely premised by the rustic

hut validates a series of paradigmatic shifts based on and authenticated by
the primitive. 8
The mythological origins present a unique problem perhaps best asked by
educator and researcher Richard Coyne the simple question is: why is it that
one or another artifact (the hut, the cave, the mound, the hollow, the tent)
should assume status as the primary generator of all architecture?9 This
problem of associating an entire genealogy with an intangible artifact brings
attention to the failings of the discourse surrounding the primitive. Architectural
theorist Quartremre de Quincy was one of the first to propose links between
the differing origins developing into different cultural systems of building.10 As
an Egyptologist his views on the cave informing the monumentality of Egyptian
architecture has been questioned but brings about a point at which to
reconsider the narrative of origins for lessons still lurking in other areas of the
primitive.11
As a means to an end the virtues of the primitive have been associated with
the redeeming quality of being attuned to our baser needs and desires and as
being conducive to the recuperation of nervous forces.12 The 2006 edited
book entitled Primitive shows how many established contemporary writers
spanning that of; David Leatherbarrow, Adrian Forty, Dalibor Vesely and Simon
Unwin have examined the use and usefulness of the term furthering its
contemporary credibility.13 14 15 16 Other well known architectural researchers
such as Joseph Rykwert and Karsten Harries have also examined the idea of
the primitive in a proposition of firstly what they each define it to conceptualize
and how it can be used to change how architecture performs or is created.17 18
Drawing from the idea that there is an essential and it is therefore realizable,
many authors gain authority through an appeal in some way to the
subconscious necessities of the masses.19
The belief here that a simplification, or a setting back from, ingrained cultural
ideologies plays a role in how our bodily existence relates to architecture, says
much about the frustration of contemporary architecture and its relationship to
our somatic urges. Harries essay Thoughts on a Non-arbitrary Architecture,
takes the belief that a return to the essential is the greatest safeguard against
arbitrariness.20 This ideal of genuine dwelling brought on through a study of
Heidegger and the relation of a first architecture pieces together the nature of
the primitive and existential philosophy of those significantly studied in
architecture; Gaston Bachelard, Martin Heidegger and Carl Jung.21 22 23 This
relationship of the primitive in the study of Heidegger prompts reflection on not
only the example of the black forest house on which Heidegger writes but also
recognition of where it is he wrote about concepts of dwelling. Architect and
educator Adam Sharrs analysis of the reclusive hut within which Heidegger
wrote many of his most famous writings shows not only the simplicity of the
architecture but the qualities of an almost mytho-poetic view of life, breaking
down the boundaries between self, time and architecture.24 25 The nature of
the primitive as that which is essential has become more prevalent as the area
of study has matured. Less so is it related to the actual anthropological
underpinnings of architecture like that of Rudofskys 1960s study Architecture
without architects and is used instead as a measure of the detachment from
what are the primitive essentials still necessary in modern life.26
14
The introspective relationship between time, place and architecture implicit in

the recalling of primitive values is where this study intends to take its power. As
much as theory can hope to guide the process of making, so too is it felt that
the analysis of objects laden with human significance can inform a way forward
in the reflection on the essential. To this end the study of the hut has provided
numerous leaps in creating a unified language of architecture and built up an
understanding of communicable elements and architectural philosophies.27 28
In the pursuit of understanding the hut it is also worth considering the other
documented original shelters in order to maintain a balanced view of the
primitive as to ascertain universal values. In an effort to afford universality the
world over one artifact almost always is referenced and seldom explored. The
cave, significant in many cultures and attributed as an instigator in the birth of
art (Fig.5) is in many ways held as a precursor even to the hut.29 To this end
this research project takes aim at exploring the qualities of the cave and how
through the guise of the primitive that this early form of inhabitation can inform
contemporary architecture.
With the premise of exploring the transposable poetic qualities of the cave in
much the same way as having been done in the hut it becomes clear in a
reading of existing architectural discourse how barren this topic is. The cave
though rich in anthropological study and having significance in many cultures
rituals and myths has merited very little in the way of focused attention from
architectural scholars. With the lack of any thorough studies of the concept of
the cave as a whole the task first comes to compiling the texts relating it to the
primitive and to ascertain possible reasons why it could have been overlooked.
Research into the cave outlines a body of architectural knowledge left largely
absent of study, and as such returning to paraphrase Coynes earlier question,
why is it that one artifact merits study over another?30 In the analysis of the
more contemporary uses of the concept of the primitive, the question does not
fall so much to what was the first architecture, but how do its primitive qualities
help relate us to a more wholesome bodily existence and that which is
essential rather than an ingrained cultural action. In this way the primitive
should be considered a tool for questioning the cultural apparatus in a bid to
regain a reconnection with a more physically and psychologically enriching
environment.
The combative forces of nature versus culture in the evaluation of the primitive
and its recurrence in architectural discourse places an emphasis that our
baser instincts are not all satisfied in modernity.31 This becomes the core
concern in a critical analysis of how the cave can inform modern architecture.
With the cave documented as a place of deep spirituality with many cave
paintings representing the earliest form of recorded art and even engendered
as play it becomes apparent that whether as a dwelling or as a precursor to
religious architecture the cave still hides many secrets of understanding.32 In
need of questioning then is how these behaviours and emotive responses to
the cave despite varying cultural relationships, are manifest due to the spatial
qualities of the cave. By accepting the cave as part of landscape as well as
architecture we can then move on to how best to describe the compulsion for
revering the cave. Jay Appletons seminal text The Experience of Landscape
derives from a theory that aesthetic landscape preferences are inherently
hereditary genetic dispositions brought on through increasing survival
15
success. Whereby the favouring of certain landscape situations would yield a

higher chance at surviving to copulate and that in doing so the offspring would
have the same preferences in order to survive. These preferences are based
on what Appleton defines as the need to see without being seen. This simple
need is is the premise of his prospect/ refuge theory, which dictates that
situations require both in order to be preferable. In application to the cave, it is
stated by Appleton that the cave is the most complete general purpose
sanctuary, and that human habitation the world over testifies to its supremacy.
33
In application of Appletons hereditary theory of prospect/ refuge to

architecture Grant Hildebrand outlines why we find certain architectural spaces
more comfortable and pleasurable than others.34 Origins of architectural
pleasure deriving its core premise from the primary text of Appleton is a well
written argument of how prospect/ refuge theory can influence architecture. In
doing so makes an argument for internal prospect/ refuge as well as the
significance of being able to recognize from afar the symbols of prospect and
refuge in creating pleasant situations. As a theory, Appleton and as a result
Hildebrand present a way that we primitively relate to our environment and
define characteristics conducive to our baser instincts. These theories differ
greatly in their approach from other methods of examining the primitive by
taking an objective view at how our primitive instincts are still prevalent today
and how space, rather than construction is the answer to restoring a primitive
notion of how we experience our concrete environment. What these texts do is
to make clear spatial techniques rather than prescribe a way of building
predicated on how we feel space. The how in how we feel space has been
explored at length by professor of architecture at RMIT: Leon van Schaik in his
popular work Spatial Intelligence: New Futures for Architecture in which he
argues that the undervalued human capacity of spatial intelligence is worth
reevaluating in considering how we perceive and create architectural spaces.35
This resolves some of the ambiguity of the cave by defining the space as
having an architectural character more so than the form. Therefore by
establishing what defines the spatial characteristics the cave can be
transposed into contemporary architecture. This position is sympathetic to an
existential world view in which architectural meaning is considered as a
bringing into presence as opposed to representational. The cave then isnt a
product of replicating or referencing cultural symbols but is instead a vessel
within which man may dwell. In this way, Christian Norberg-Schulzs view in
Intentions in Architecture of the cave as the first spatial element, helps to
develop an understanding of how developing spatial intelligence informed
primitive man in making architecture.36 Norberg-Schulz carries on to explain
the way in which the cave became tectonized and then liberated from the
earth as an artificial cave in the form of a dolmen (Fig.6) as his choice of
example. It is a particularly telling example then that these stoic forms would
require serious effort on the part of the builder and like that of the dolmen at
stone henge have lasting spiritual value.
The consistence of the cave as a spiritual entity across many cultures then is
logically likely to be premised on the spatial qualities of the cave. If not then the
same reverence shown to the cave across many cultures, regions and time
periods would appear to be suspiciously coincidental. Where Asia has a
16
Fig.6 The Dolmen as an artificial cave made by

primitive man.
Fig.7 Temple of the Sun, Teotihaucan. Driven by mythology

the temple was situated over the cave of origin.
significant spiritual relationship with the cave western architectural culture has
come to leave the cave behind. Despite this, others have made the implication
that the cave served as a precursor to spiritual architecture. In directly positing
that the cave is an element related to religious architecture E. O. James From
cave to cathedral frames caves as the first, in a progression religious
architecture. He likens Muslim mosques to the earlier Egyptian architecture,
describing many of the same formal characteristics that De Quincy had
attributed to the cave.37 38 On the other hand J. Walter Fewkes in his
presidential address to the Anthropological Society of Washington in 1910
expresses the way in which cave dwellings in the old and new worlds have had
a significant impact in culture, from folk law, to storage of precious goods and
mortuaries and makes clear that despite the influence the cave has had,
higher culture as a result of the influence of the mind has moved away from the
cave dwelling cultures.39 This is symptomatic of what Glsm Baydar
Nalbantoglu a Turkish architectural theorist posits as the family of binary
constructs that lies at the basis of the architectural discipline: nature/ culture...
and traditional/ modern.40 So while this may partly explain the absence of the
cave in the contemporary discipline of architecture, it does not explain why the
discourse surrounding the primitive (of which is concerned with the nature and
traditional parts of the aforementioned dichotomies) is still largely blind to the
validity of the cave as an archetype.
Joseph Gandy an accomplished and respected perspectivist in 1830 for his
exhibition of Comparative Architecture presented in drawing an exhaustive
study of the history and mythography of architecture.41 Delving into origins and
their development to explore the significance of their meaning. As such as a
comparative study Gandy sets up a way to look at architectural beginnings
and their significance in an advancing culture. Stating that astronomy and
caverns have given the origins of all ideas in architecture, Gandy in his
detailed knowledge makes an explicit case for the cave as of paramount
significance in the genealogy of architecture. 42 An example of the
consequence of the cave as a defining factor then might be seen in the Temple
of the Sun at Teotihaucan (Fig.7), where the cave of origins (as in many myths
man, or even gods such as Zeus are thought to be born of the cave) defines
the placement and character of the temple.43
17
With all this significance placed on the cave in relation to primitive man and
then the resurrection of the primitive into architecture are there existing cases
of the cave in contemporary architecture? Yes, in abstract ways cave like
spaces are still to be found in contemporary architecture even an enveloping
poch of an ancient castle, written about by Jennifer Bloomer has similarities
in atmosphere to the cave.44 Whether referenced as being influenced by the
cave or not the atmosphere of a number of architectural projects is distinctly
cave-like. For the ease of argument it is sensible to turn to contemporary works
which do reference the cave first. Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto uses the
idea of the cave as a spatial adjustment to modernism (Fig.8), where Fujimotos
cave idea differs is by using space in a non traditional way where the cave
exists despite the way we have prescribed functions.45 Where we would be
used to seeing an on/ off style division of space (such as Japanese
predecessor Kazuo Shinoharas concept of divisive space) using walls to
separate functions Fujimotos architecture is provocative in its use while still
being passive.46 This leads to what Taro Igarashi explains as the primitive
nature of Fujimotos work where it could almost have existed long before now.47
On the other hand Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baezas use of the idea of
the cave is in relation to Sempers theory of tectonics.48 By grounding a number
of his projects as being a hut on top of a cave he is able to deftly root his work
in the landscape while resolving a clear minimalist expression of light and
gravity in a built idea. In this way Campo Baezas architecture takes on a poetic
quality of stillness within a landscape and walks a fine line between
monumental and immaterial. The reference to the cave in many of his works is
becomes a platform for the hut and also the main source of refuge, deliberately
introverted it always inevitably becomes a severe yet hauntingly beautiful
expression within the landscape.
Fig.8 Fujimotos Final Wooden House, Japan. Fujimotos use of the

cave as an archetype is to question current practice.
Fig.9 Zumthors Therme Vals, Switzerland.

Zumthors use of spatial intelligence in
developing atmosphere is widely
recognized.
As well as those who are explicit about their influence from the cave there are
many others whos work in parts exhibit cave like properties. Among these is
pritzker prize laureate and well respected Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.
Zumthors most venerated work, a hot spring in Vals (Fig.9) in the Swiss Alps
creates an atmosphere conducive to relaxation, one where a completeness of
the work envelops one in the earthly delights of the mountain and away from
18
the nervous energy of modern life. In addition to this Zumthors Bruder Klaus
chapel in Germany has a significantly cave like atmosphere, layered like that of
the earth through the toil of the locals the interior mediates the world beyond in
order to create a spiritual experience while limiting the need for religious
symbolism. This transcendental quality of Zumthors work is far from
coincidental, as he outlines in his books Atmospheres and Thinking
Architecture Zumthors sensitivity to place and mood reflect a thorough
understanding of spatial intelligence and nostalgia.49 50 Another well respected
Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati offers instead of making cave like space (though
some of his spaces are phenomenologically reminiscent of cave like
environments) an approach of designing a work to look and act like one
thing.51 Performing much then as the cave does this form of organic thinking
and reductionism can be informative of a design approach to cave spaces
more so than the approach to the spaces themselves.
In analysis of the literature not only is a significant gap in knowledge about the
cave highlighted, but also the importance of the cave in architecture. Perhaps
more relevant now than ever with architectures mediascape flooded with image
based architecture, now seems the perfect time for the reappraisal of primitive
values of introspective and quiet atmospheres for escape of the ever present
chatter of social media and advertising. So in looking at the primitive values of
the cave and the man who started architecture, in the words of Umberto Eco
it may be possible to draw out spatial techniques for contemporary architects.
52 Through analyzing the relevance of the cave three main bodies become
evident for further discussion. Firstly the way in which architecture took
preference of the hut, after which an explanation of how the caves space is
conducive to positive feelings of comfort and lastly how these feelings have
manifested as a form of non-specific spirituality. In conducting this research it
is hoped that a new manifestation of the cave in contemporary architecture can
produce a more enriching and powerfully primitive architecture.
______________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1

University Press.

(Eds.), Primitive Original matters in architecture (pp. 314). New York: Routledge. p8

University Press.


19

architecture (pp. 229239). New York: Routledge. p230
10
Lavin, S. (2012). Quatremre De Quincy and the invention of a modern language of

architecture. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
11
Mallgrave, H. F. (2005). Neoclassicism and Historicism. In Modern Architectural

Theory: A Historical Survey, 1673-1968 (pp. 6790). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
12

13
Leatherbarrow, D. (2009). Practically Primitive. In Architecture Orientated Otherwise

(pp. 173194). New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
14
15
Vesely, D. (2006). The primitive as modern problem: invention and crisis. In J.

Odgers, F. Samuel, & A. Sharr (Eds.), Primitive Original matters in architecture (pp.
1732). New York: Routledge.
16
Unwin, S. (2006). The wisdom of the sands. In J. Odgers, F. Samuel, & A. Sharr
(Eds.), Primitive Original matters in architecture. New York: Routledge.
17

18
Harries, K. (1983). Thoughts on a Non-Arbitrary Architecture. Perspecta, 20 IS (ArticleType: research-article / Full publication date: 1983 / Copyright 1983 Yale
University, School of Architecture), 920.
19
Fujimori, T., & Fujimoto, S. (2010). Artificial Architecture, Natural Architecture:

Dialogue summary of conversation between Terunobo Fujimori and Sou Fujimoto. In
K. Yoneda (Trans.), Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX Publishing. p137
20
University, School of Architecture), 920.
21
Bachelard, G. (1969). The Poetics of Space. (M. Jolas, Trans.). Boston,

Massachusetts: Beacon Press.
22
Heidegger, M. (1993). Basic Writings: Martin Heidegger. (D. Farfell Krell, Ed.).
London: Routledge.
23
Jung, C. (1986). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. London: Fontana.
24
Sharr, A. (2006). Heidegger's Hut. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
25
Samuel, F., & Menin, S. (2006). The modern-day primitive hut? In J. Odgers, F.
Samuel, & A. Sharr (Eds.), Primitive Original matters in architecture. New York:
Routledge. p207
26
Rudofsky, B. (1964). Architecture without architects. New York: Museum of Modern

Art.
20
27

28

29
30

architecture (pp. 229239). New York: Routledge.
31

K. Yoneda (Trans.), Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX Publishing.
32
33
34

35
36
Norberg-Schulz, C. (1966). Intentions in Architecture. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. p125
37
James, E. O. (1965). From Cave to Cathedral. London: Thames & Hudson.
38

39
Fewkes, J. W. (1910). The Cave Dwellings of the Old and New Worlds. New Series,
12(3), 390416.
40
Nalbantoglu, G. B. (1997). Limits of (in)tolerance. In W. S. Thai & G. B. Nalbantoglu

(Eds.), Post Colonial Spaces. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. p89
41
Lukacher, B. (1994). Joseph Gandy and the Mythography of Architecture. Journal of

the Society of Architectural Historians, 53(3), 280299.
42
Ibid p289
43
Taube, K. A. (1986). The Teotihaucan cave of origin. Anthropology and Aesthetics,

12, 5182.
44
Bloomer, J. (1996). The Matter of Matter: A Longing for Gravity. In The Sex of
Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrams. p161
45
Fujimoto, S. (2010). Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX Publishing.
46
Taki, K., Warren, N., & Ferreras, J. M. E. (1983). Oppositions: The Intrinsic Structure
of Kazuo Shinohara's Work. Perspecta, 20 IS -(3), 4360.
47
Igarashi, T. (2010). Geometry Without Right Angles. In Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX
Publishing.
48
Campo Baeza, A. (2009). Idea, Light and Gravity. Tokyo: TOTO Publishing.
49
Zumthor, P. (2006b). Atmospheres. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser.

21
50
Zumthor, P. (2006a). Thinking Architecture (2nd ed.). Basel: Birkhauser.
51
Olgiati, V. (2007). Valerio Olgiati - Conversation with Students. (M. Breitschmid, Ed.).
Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Architecture Publications.
52
Eco, U. (1980). Function and Sign: The Semiotics of Architecture. In Bunt, Jencks,
Broadbent (Eds.), Signs, Symbols and Architecture. New York: Wiley.
22
Chapter 4:
Uninhibited Dwelling [Discussion]

Overlooking the found object
The reference of the primitive in architecture is oft used to infer a system where
nothing is superfluous, an architecture unfettered by referencing cultural
systems and therefore presents us with an essence of sorts. This essence has
come to mean many things, foremost in the veneration of the origins right
because they were first and also as a means to highlight a dissatisfaction with
the current world views. By questioning not only the architecture we make, but
the lifestyle that it is attuned to, it is possible to use the concepts of the
primitive in reconnecting to base human physical and psychological needs.1
Therefore this chapter aims to look at why the hut is preferred as a topic and
furthermore how the introspective nature of the cave can begin to establish that
reconnection to our psychological needs.
Firstly in seeking to recognize how the cave became overlooked it is necessary
to evaluate its value as an architectural object. The hut as a concept has a
great deal of significance as an architectural object, in western architectural
discourse it has been used many times in proposing a refining of the
communicable elements of architecture.2 So where huts obvious technical
qualities set it as the first structure realized by man the caves stature as a
found object defies the traditional sensibilities of architecture. The nature of the
cave as a natural edifice leads to an issue of where it lies within architecture.
Where the hut with its obvious architectonic forms and techniques the
inhabited cave as suggested by Nalbantoglu lies at the significatory boundary
of architecture rather than falling simply outside.3 This ambiguity of belonging
to architecture paired with the difficulty in objectifying the cave has perhaps
been a key cause in the way in which it has been left behind.
Where the hut is said to be the convalescence of both the forest and the cave
as a means of providing shelter in reverence of nature it is easy to see that as
Harries argues the forest has triumphed over the cave.4 The hut, as an
artificial object is repeatable, it has intent and can be broken down and
analysed through its expression of building. The tectonics of the rustic hut are
omnipresent according to Rykwert and are still obvious today even in the
ubiquitous kit home.5 As such this culture of building begins to override the
reason we build in the first place. In this way the hegemony of the hut can be
seen in relation to what Schaik characterizes as being the bane of
contemporary architecture. Schaik argues that in the founding of the profession
of architecture in the 1840s the body of knowledge that architecture was to
take patronage over was that of the master builder, in doing so architecture as
Schaik outlines has become predicated on building rather than space.6
As an architectural object the hut is simple enough to objectify, the technical
qualities like that of framing or even Laugiers are replicable and easily
referenced, it is simple to communicate through conventional drawings and is
ever present.7 The cave however represents a being in the world that cannot
be communicated adequately on paper. In dealing with how to analyze the
23
cave, traditional methods of breaking down to definable physical elements

proves difficult. The cave as an architectural artifact is one that defies
traditional norms, a space divorced from form, a pure interior and considered
to be structureless.8 This it is seen lies at the root of a myriad of reasons the
cave has been overlooked in contemporary western architectural discourse.
The caves ambiguity in structure, form and intent as a found object means that
for the most part the cave isnt repeatable in its entirety, however the aim of this
study is relaying transposable elements of the cave. As such by examining the
nature of the cave as a spatial construct capable of inhabitation its is possible
to take lessons from the cave on how to create a powerfully primitive space.
The cave differs in the way in which it is interpreted, as an understanding of
introspective space the cave becomes a vessel for human activity in an
interestingly functional way, it is foremost for the protection of primitive human
functions, from; birth to day dreaming, copulation to protecting the young
and finally the ritualization of death.9 10 As a result of the cave being created
without intent, mankind learned to use it. By developing behaviours based
around the space man unique practices occurred such as Batailles theory that
the cave was a catalyst in the change of work to play and through this to the
birth of art.11 This space without intent then has a curious affect on the way
space becomes part of the human element, where we now divide spaces
according to any particular function the cave operated on a very different set of
spatial rules. The spatial make up of the cave, which we will call a spatial
gradient as opposed to the more traditional divisive strategies of walling in
spaces. This means that in the process of inter human functions spaces would
be chosen best appropriate to the requirements, sleeping would dictate a safe
distance from the entrance, more than likely in an area with a low ceiling and a
raised plateau, where as cooking and living around a fire would necessarily
need to be near the entrance threshold to exhaust smoke and have ample
sight. Through simple behaviours the space becomes an enriching form of
intellectual exercise and accordingly space and functionality form a living
apparatus for dwelling. (Fig.10)
Fig.10 Fujimotos Final Wooden House, Japan. Where a house modeled on the hut
would divide spaces into rooms, Fujimoto uses the cave to inform an architecture
that uses spatial gradient techniques to meet a primitive form of functionality.
24
The traditional concept of intent therefore in making rather than inhabiting

architecture seems at odds with the cave. As the cave exists prior to the intent
to inhabit it, it could be said that it brings into presence the space and,
therefore, the intent and the knowledge to use that space. This is separate from
the way the hut responds, and having matured from the hut our current spatial
dialogues occur with labels of bedroom or dining room more than they do with
anything instinctual. By recognizing the way space differs in the cave it can
therefore be understood as a model. In controlling space in a way more
favourable to the way our bodies and instincts work (as opposed to how our
furniture or modern functions like home theaters fit) and in doing so further
develop our spatial understanding of architecture. In returning to instinct and
space, if we were to again consider Ecos man who started the history of
architecture, who is driven by the elements to seek shelter and in doing so
relies on instinct and reason reacting in a confused way we find that primitive
man acting in harmony with his spatial environment is a natural behaviour.12
Ecos primitive man then finds that the cave as a space of comfort invokes
feeling an unclear nostalgia for the womb. Now far beyond the simpleness of
a spaces use we find that the cave as a space has a power for evoking images
of maternity without being specific.
Curiously the reference to an unclear nostalgia is given to be present due to
the spatial qualities of the inside space. The womb and thusly the sanctuary of
the earth share a psychic and instinctual connection to man, where the space
is indicative of something unclear and ultimately relatable to our base instincts.
This something then we can relate to the nostalgia of which Eco speaks, and in
continuing this line of thought Bloomer in her essay makes point of modernities
repression of nostalgia. Whereby, Bloomer in understanding the negative
consequences of this repression makes the point that any attempt to ignore or
repress animal yearnings must always be dominated by an uneasy awareness
of their pressures.13 In acknowledging these animal yearnings as instinctual
then the issue is in having repressed them how can architecture begin to
recover the same instinctual spiritual connection said to be conjured by the
cave. Further reading of Bloomer would indicate that in an enveloping poch
of an ancient castle, she feels the same non-descriptive feelings of nostalgia.
The element of envelopment here becomes reminiscent of the spatial quality
of the cave, and which is worth naming as a key spatial element. Through the
envelopment of man in matter, like that of an earthen womb, it is possible to
induce feelings of protection and safety, feelings primarily concerned with
being free of fear from the outside world. (Fig.11) The mediation therefore of
the outside world becomes part of this spatial element. (Fig.12) The protective
embrace of solid matter it would then seem is a pregnant source of this
instinctual nostalgia.
Overlooked as a found object of ambiguous architectural merit the disregard of
the cave has thus been to the detriment of contemporary architecture. The
cave though overlooked for its lack of authorship and intent, considered
structureless and difficult to communicate traditionally, it still harbours many
lessons for architects today. The preference of the hut throughout architecture
has led to a discipline premised on building rather than space. Laugiers hut
perhaps the most (in)famous, is especially characteristic of this tendency for
structural and objective beauty and leads to an architecture which represses
the emotive power of space.14 Thus by exploring in the following sections how
25
the spatial attributes of the cave have influenced our spatial instincts, leading
to a universal reverence for the cave, it is hoped the cave can now better
inform a contemporary architecture in enriching our primitive sense of
spirituality.
Fig.11 Zumthors Bruder Klaus Chapel,

Germany. The Layering of concrete like
sediment coupled with the severe mediation
of the exterior (except weather) makes for a
spiritual space without a need for
iconography.
Fig.12 Zumthors Bruder Klaus Chapel, Germany. Sectional

drawing showing the inclining walls that create a cave like
atmosphere, providing the emotive feelings but without shelter
shows that space can be functional without sheltering through
strong refuge.
26
Hereditary theory and spatial intelligence

Having considered the way in which the cave was overlooked in the previous
section, it is now worth exploring how we experience it and why that is
significant. The research in this section seeks to make evident the relationship
of the cave to our spatial intelligence and how through Appletons prospect/
refuge theory feelings of security and as a result spirituality can assist in
guiding contemporary architecture to creating more enriching human
environments.15 16 Hereditary spatial dispositions in habitat selection evolved
based on survival success but now that our environment has changed and
survival is all but guaranteed we see that refuge specifically as part of this
dichotomy becoming eroded in contemporary architecture. This is largely due
to the prevalence of image based architecture and a striving for lightness
spurred on through the copying of modern masters.17 Through this paper it is
hoped that a reinterpretation of the significance of the cave can assist in further
developing an architectural vocabulary geared towards a spatial
understanding of our baser instincts as a human animal.
Considering mankind as an animal we are distinctly disadvantaged, no fur for
warmth, no claws for defense, with poor smell and sight as compared to a
number of predatory animals (smell in dogs and sight in birds for example).
Consequently survival success would often hinge on the ability to find suitable
habitation and in surviving to copulate a genetic predisposition for habitat
selection is formed. Appleton suggests that our genetic dispositions towards
situations of combined prospect and refuge serve to increase survival success
and that our aesthetic and instinctual tastes are affected by this. Appletons
theory of prospect/ refuge is developed through the simple premise that
survival success and thus aesthetic preferences can relate to the desire to
see without being seen.18 Foremost this is a manifestation of our earliest
spatial intelligence at work, one that has stayed with us through aeons of
evolution. The cave as a spatial arrangement performs according to prospect/
refuge theory in a certain way, by in the simplest sense having a dark inside
where one can hide and an outlook to survey it allows one to see directly
without being seen. Taking this further the threshold of the cave mouth serves
as another pertinent feature, the security in having ones back to the wall and a
clear view of the entrance is extremely desirable as a defensive position. This
again further relates to the act of seeing without being seen within the
microcosm of the cave. Furthermore as a spatial gradient the cave can exert
qualities of prospect/ refuge at a number of scales where the relation to of the
cave mouth to the vault can be different to the threshold between the rear of
the cave and the vault space. This leaves an opportunity for situational and
emotional intelligence to correspond with our spatial intelligence. By having the
capacity for spatial intelligence it is worth an aside that like captive animals
require enriching environments we too benefit from being able to make use of
our spatial innate behavioural instincts.
In its role as refuge the cave becomes a space for rest, of copulation, birth,
child rearing and of meditation and play, it encapsulates an escape from the
violence of life into the sanctuary of the earth. By learning to associate these
necessary but ultimately more vulnerable behaviours with the cave our spatial
intelligence learns to trigger an emotive response to signify that the space is
right for these acts. Like Appletons hereditary theory situating our aesthetic
27
tastes with survival success it seems logical to accept that our emotional
intelligence would be attuned to this also.19 Therefore the cave comes to elicit
behavioural states that would be less likely in less protected spaces.
Fig.13 Campo Baezas Olnick Spanu House, USA. Showing the heavy
cave like element as a refuge symbol and rooting the building
physically and spiritually.
Fig.14 Zumthors Therme Vals, Switzerland.

Deep reveals and heavy walls of the local
stone anchor the building while exhibiting
strong refuge symbols.
As previously discussed, the envelopment and spatial gradient of the cave

play a significant part in the feelings of protection and mediation that are
experienced. In exploring the idea that protection and refuge as being
pertinent to the emotive responsiveness that our body takes to the cave
another element arises. Protection is a more than a commodity to primitive
man, but protection isnt just implied by space but is also implied by the
steadfastness of our surroundings. (Figs.13 & 14) Consider the difference in
the feeling of protection when enveloped in a typical room of lets say plaster
board panels versus a room of brick. The texture and the sound plays a role
but for the most part we understand that the weight and the permanence of the
brick is vastly more protective, and as the cave is formed of age old stone it is
significantly more protective than brick. In order to express this understanding
this study will use the term gravity. As a concept it stipulates that the gravity
and the mass of a material has a quality that is conducive of protection. Like
the way we seek caves or anchor ourselves to rocks, the solidity and
permanence of gravid objects has clear repercussions on our spatial
intelligence.20 It could be said then that we have learn through precarious
situations where things may collapse that permanence is something necessary
to gravitate toward.
This comfort of envelopment in the heavy earth then begins in man a cognitive
process, the experience of the space and the behaviours it evokes forms the
psychological significance of the cave and this can begin to develop our
understanding of mental space. The cave then is arguably where we began to
understand the meaning of architecture, the bringing of fire to the cave and
suddenly the cave comes to symbolize much more than shelter. Its function
both physical and mental is understood through the perception of
envelopment , gravity and internal topography (spatial gradient) of the and the
feelings brought on through spatial situations. The physiological consequences
of the cave can then be said to hinge on the fact that it provides the most
28
complete form of refuge, and far as attesting to the relevance of the cave
perhaps Appleton phrased it best when he wrote;
the cave is the most complete general purpose sanctuary...and
vestiges of human habitation all over the world testify to the
supremacy as well as the antiquity of the cave.21
The completeness of the refuge has with it unique effects on the psyche, as
such the feelings of comfort can be harboured and manifest themselves in
what was previously uncharacteristic behaviour, like that at Lascaux for
example.22 But beyond this the cave becomes an apparatus, one with a
purpose and one that comes to elicit certain behaviour as is natural and to
illicit an odd kind of respect because of this, it deals with perceptions of space
as relating to feelings of well being, safety and provides atmospheres facilitate
what Bachelard gives great credit to, day dreaming.23
Intellectualized in architectural discourse only as a way of meeting criteria of
needs; shelter, thermal comfort, defensibility, storage and entry the cave goes
much further to prove a powerful space in the development of primitive man.
Bloomers description of an enveloping poch of an ancient castle can help
us understand the way our spatial intelligence affects our being in cave
spaces. The warmth of stone, the weight of it, though seemingly
inconsequential these feelings of space enveloped in a mass has a distinct
feeling, she states I am swallowed by this wall, warm, safe, comfortable, but
also pricked by longing.24 This longing we can relate to nostalgia, perhaps
again this unclear nostalgia for the womb as proposed by Eco.25 So we find
that working with our spatial intelligence to cultivate this unclear nostalgia
working with envelopment, spatial gradient and gravity become powerful tools
to reintroduce a quality to our dwelling that has been long since repressed.
29
The encultured ca ve
Having analysed the significance of the cave in terms of the narrative of origins
and the way in which the cave can have instinctive aesthetic benefits we turn
now to how the cave became entrenched in culture. In order to further the
reasons for reinterpreting the cave into todays architectural discourse we
should at least begin to understand the significance of the cave in mythos and
cultural production. Realizing this it would seem objectionable to then not seek
to understand how this space across many cultures became so enmeshed in
feelings of spirituality and cultivation of cultural practice. The effort here is on
the way in which we can begin to understand how the spatiality of the cave can
bring a renewed vigor to the spirituality of the everyday.
As a structure the cave is divorced from any kind of spiritual or religious
iconography or any part of a larger group of symbolism applying to spirituality.
The question then is how has this structure, encountered by many different
cultures separated by time and geography almost always a significant part of
any culture. As discussed previously it may be due to the inherent protective
nature of the cave as refuge. Perhaps the idea of an unclear nostalgia of
envelopment brought on through mass (gravity), light, space (spatial gradient),
colour and texture but while the myths and practices attached to the cave
differ per culture, almost every culture during its early development has an
affinity with the cave. As discussed in the previous section the understanding
of nostalgia as at least partially an instinctual response to the feelings of
security could be said to make up part of its spiritual significance. Where the
cave proved beneficial in supporting critical human behaviours through
generations our spatial intelligence would then have seemed to respond to
this. The spirituality of the cave then could be a cultural manifestation of these
instinctual feelings, by supporting copulation and birth the cave has an imbued
in it a relationship to the animal nature of man. The most obvious primitive
symbol of spirituality, the phallus, may be indicative then of the way that these
instincts transcend a physical need and lead to cultural symbolism.26
This relationship between the cave and primitive man as a larger part of his
culture can evidenced by the colloquialism caveman. This term is often used
as a derogatory summation of primitive man, as one who is unthinking and acts
on instinct, one without a defined culture and unfettered by epistemology.
However this is perhaps an over simplistic understanding of the phrase,
inherent in this we understand that man dwelt in caves, and as the house is
the most truthful expression of the mind and the culture, we gain an insight
into the significance of the cave in an evolution of culture.27 The cave paintings
found and celebrated across the globe are testament to this, and the use of
tools in creating art gives the appearance of a body of knowledge beginning to
be passed on through generations. Knowing how as a form of knowledge
itself showed the state of man at this time and one cant help but view the cave
as an omni-present bystander to these developments.28
While the scope of this research is not to claim that the cave is in many cases
responsible for development across cultures, but instead question
architectures lack of exploration of the cave and its implications. In looking at
the way in which many cultures have a deep reverence for the cave in mythos
or dwelling we can begin to root out perspectives on the attachment and thus
30
the spatial and emotional power of the cave. Bataille in considering the cave
paintings at Lascaux as the birth of art even if drawn by neanderthal man
considers the sanctuary of the cave as arenas of play in the sense that work
as a determinant of intelligence was adapted to play (work that was not
necessary for survival) and in doing so created art.29 This fundamental shift in
the way work became play is important when considering the event taking
place in the cave and Batailles argument to the way in which he states the
charged atmosphere of these caves it was seduction, the profound seduction
of play that was preeminent, inferring that the nature of the cave was in some
way decisive in this shift of work to play.30
Fig.15 Joseph Gandys Emblematic Sketch from the Exhibition Comparative Architecture. The sides of the image show
the primitive origins of architecture in forest groves, caves, followed by a hut and tent and further developing intp the
ark.
As well as the caves development of man it also stood as an early guide to

architecture. Where the hut is said to have encapsulated the forrest and the
cave we find that instead truer architectural associations to the cave have been
performed in spiritual architecture. The caves presence in Joseph Gandys
cataloguing of architecture shows its importance in the roots of architectural
theory, he even goes so far as to posit astronomy and caverns have given the
origins of all ideas in architecture.31 (Fig.15) This relationship of the earth and
the heavens thus reaching spiritual significance we find that the cave does in
fact have flow on effects. Take for example the Mesoamerican Pyramid of the
Sun in Teotihaucan which following the mythology of the culture must be
situated over the mouth of the cave of life.32 By attaching meaning to the cave
and then constructing a temple to enclose and aggrandize this we see how the
simple found edifice of the cave has had a resounding affect on the people of
that place. This example is characteristic of a culture and where many cultures
differ in how they celebrate the cave anthropological discourse is rich with
documentation on cave paintings, carved dwelling and cave temples.
31
And so moving on from primitive man we still see that the cave, across cultures
separated by ideals, geography and time has held a significant place in the
development of cultures and spirituality. This fact again prompts us to examine
why it is that architectural discourse has come to mean leaving the cave
behind, and if that is the case what is it that we have repressed in our nature in
doing so. Following through ideas presented by Heidegger that the bodily
experience of being in the world is the way in which we measure meaning we
can begin to situate architectural meaning with the cave in terms of spatial
cognition and a fostering environment for intimacy and play. Furthermore the
cross cultural reverence for the cave can begin to signify a way to look at the
cave and dwelling in the sense of Heideggers fourfold and as a representation
of a shared history, and in this way it is hoped we can reconnect with why we
build and what the profession of architecture holds as primitive values.33
______________________________________________________________________
Notes
1



University, School of Architecture), 920. p15

van Schaik, L. (2008). Spatial Intelligence. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons. p11



10
Bataille, G. (1961). Tears of Eros (pp. 2531). Paris: Jean-Jacques Pauvert. p25
11
Ibid p46
12
13
32
14

15
16
17

Angeles: University of California Press. p39
18
Appleton, J. (1975). Experiencing the Landscape. John Wiley and Sons. p66
19
20
21
22
23

Massachusetts: Beacon Press. p5
24
25
26
27
12(3), 390416. p390
28
29
Ibid p47
30
Ibid p48
31

the Society of Architectural Historians, 53(3), 280299. p289
32

12, 5182.
33
London: Routledge.
33
Chapter
5:
The Poetics of the Cave [Conclusions]

Outlined in previous chapters are arguments for the reconsideration of the
spatial attributes of the cave, properties thought to aid the current practice of
architecture in eliciting similar spiritual and emotional responses in composing
new spaces. Using architectures manifest reverence for an idyllic past
therefore allows us a sharper focus for the critique of contemporary life.1 The
desire for return to a simpler state reconnects architecture with the
introspective and spiritual needs of man and his concrete environment.2 This
thesis suggests the latent spatial characteristics of cave-like space can aid in
remedying a current design approach which is increasingly prospect driven
and can therefore begin to reconnect with self through introspective spaces.
From the literature and discussion this paper has drawn out four significant
qualities important in understanding the spatial qualities of the cave. Cave like
attributes of envelopment, gravity, spatial gradient and wholeness are as a
result proposed as a few guiding principles in prompting further study of the
primitive architectural qualities of the cave.
F i g . 1 6 Z u m t h o r s T h e r m e Va l s ,
Switzerland. Anchored into the mountain
side the building moderates the exterior
in order to foster a protective
atmosphere.
Fig.17 Fujimotos Final Wooden

House, Japan. Fujimotos use of the
cave as an archetype is to question
current practice.
Envelopment
Through the envelopment of man in matter, like that of an earthen womb it is
possible to provide a space which can be free from fear, a place conducive of
primitive behaviours from day dreams to copulation, spirituality, play, birth and
death.3 4 The cave presents a being in the world defined by mediation of the
exterior environment. A total interior, the insularity of which can be likened to
that of the 'shell' or the 'womb'.5 6 7 The 'superiority' of the cave as a refuge
element alone defines it's significance.8 In our current lifestyle we have
reached a point in which survival is all but guaranteed, and as a result the
erosion of refuge elements has become the norm. Like that of the 'cave-like'
34
interior Zumthor's Therme Vals (Fig.16) and even Bruder Klaus Chapel (Fig.17)
the cave mediates the feelings of envelopment in relation to the external
environment.9 By working with the atmosphere of his spaces Zumthors use of
his own spatial intelligence in creating spaces conducive to spirituality and
relaxation serves as example of how recognizable spatial attributes of the cave
are still fundamental to how we feel space.10
Fig.18 Campo Baezas Ulnick Spanu House, USA. The steady platform
becomes the key refuge element as well as a means to steady the
object in its milieu.
Fig.19 Wrights Falling Water House, USA.

The large stone fireplace comprising a
significant vertical element root the living
around the mass.
Gravity
The physicality of the mass in the vault of the cave and the permanence of its
walls evoke a feeling of being enmeshed within the bosom of the earth.
Beyond a feeling of static equilibrium the pressure exacted by the weight of
stone shakes free of any feeling of precariousness in both a physical and
psychological sense.11 Where lightness of structure has an ephemeral quality
like that of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the quality of celebrating
weight and mass is becoming lesser held as an equal. Where the expression
of gravity became a novel pursuit in resolving beautiful and technological
structures the understanding of how heaviness effects the atmosphere of a
space became less prevalent.12 The cognitive advantage that gravity bestows
in architecture can also be used to situate important aspects of a building, like
the permanence of the stone hearth in Frank Lloyd Wright's falling water (Fig.
19) or the relating of mass to the earth and rest in many of Campo Baeza's
(Fig.18) residential projects it is possible to communicate through the
magnetism of gravity.
Spatial Gradient
Spatial gradients afford a way in which to mediate interpersonal functions and
enable reaction to situations by moving to either prospect of refuge dominant
parts of the architecture. This allows a more direct relationship between the
architecture and the interpersonal and introspective dialogues that occur
inside the work. Perhaps prevalent already in contemporary architecture is the
concept of spatial gradient as a means of primitive functionalism. As opposed
to the divisive strategies of space discussed by Japanese architect Kazuo
Shinohara, the idea that the demarcation space is not a simple on/ off
arrangement but instead acts as a gradual change of space from one to the
next.13 14 Presented by Fujimoto in his primitive futures monograph is how the
35
cave directly influenced his ideas of spatial gradients as a primitive form of

functionalism.15 (Fig.21) By creating space that performs on an instinctive level
it is possible to enrich and continue development of our spatial intelligence.16
This requires a more nuanced approach to space, by using our spatial and
emotional intelligence it is possible to design in such a way that doors, nor
bedrooms or dining rooms exist in the same way again. (Fig.20)
Fig.20 Zumthors Therme Vals, Switzerland. The Therme Vals bath

complex operates through a series of thresholds and envelopment in
order to instill a secure and relaxing atmosphere.
Fig.21 Fujimotos Final Wooden House,

Japan. Fujimotos use of the cave as an
archetype shows a creative use of spatial
gradient.
'Wholeness'
Wholeness is the key spatial attribute that one can derive from the cave. Just
as prospect and refuge are both required in meeting the criteria for "seeing
without being seen," stipulated by Appleton so too does the cave rely on more
than any one factor at a time.17 While the above mentioned attributes are
significant spatial qualities in their own right the atmospheric quality of the cave
is due to the seamless merger of all of the above factors (as well as the
possibility of others pending further exploration). This attribute can be said to
be part of the reality that the cave is a natural structure, formless and
impossible to objectify.18 In identifying an approach to achieving 'wholeness'
the renown Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati may be thought of as an unknowing
precedent. Where Olgiati strives to make buildings that "act like one thing," in
the way that an organism would, it is comprehendible that making cave like
architecture would be approached in a similar way.19 The pursuit of the purity
of the cave as a powerful space then relies on the mediating of these attributes
in response to required functions.
In closing; The cave, though a natural edifice defiant of traditional methods of
analysis and communication, can be established as having qualities that are
transposable within todays architectural vocabulary. By seeking to create a
physically and psychologically enriching architecture from the cave it is
possible to now establish a genealogy of architecture based on these primitive
spatial techniques of this forgotten origin. Far from referencing or copying
cultural building languages the cave instead acts as a mediator between
ourselves and our concrete reality.
36
Scope for further research

Where this study was concerned with developing a spatial language of the
cave many aspects of this natural origin remain unexplored in western
architectural discourse. There are still vast opportunities in not only improving
this study but also in further evaluating the psychological stigma surrounding
the cave. The use of caves in pop culture as lairs or hide outs belies a view of
the cave which has changed significantly since our ancestral beginnings
sheltering in the cave.
______________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1


Ibid p5
Bataille notes all of these situations of life to be definitive in the spirituality and
eroticism of the cave. In Bataille, G. (1961). Tears of Eros (pp. 2531). Paris:
Jean-Jacques Pauvert.


Massachusetts: Beacon Press. p105
van Schaik, L. (2008). Spatial Intelligence. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons. p146
10
Zumthor, P. (2006b). Atmosphere. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser.
11
A telling example of this is the addition of the four stone towers to the Sydney
Harbour Bridge, though not structurally necessary the spatial intelligence of Sydney
siders reacted to a feeling of precariousness. The massive towers weight was added
in order to reduce anxiety despite not having a structural role in the bridge.
12
13
14
Fujimoto, S. (2010). Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX Publishing. p24
15
Fujimoto, S. (2010). Primitive Future. Tokyo: INAX Publishing. p36
16
Publishing.
37
17
18

19
38
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James, E. O. (1965). From Cave to Cathedral. London: Thames & Hudson.
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Jung, C. (1986). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. London: Fontana.

Leatherbarrow, D. (2009). Practically Primitive. In Architecture Orientated Otherwise
(pp. 173194). New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
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experience). Madrid: El Croquis.
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40

12, 5182.
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List of Figures
Cover Photo
from
Fujimoto, S. (Designer). (2008). Final wooden house. [Print Photo].
Retrieved
http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/ 2008/10/728188514_04.jpg
Fig 1
Author image
Fig 2
Author image
Fig 3
Semper, G. Caribbean Hut. (Found in Four Elements of Architecture.)
Retrieved
from http://www.tu-cottbus.de/theoriederarchitektur/Wolke/wolke_neu/inhalt/en/issue/issues/207/Blais/figure-3.jpg
Fig 4
Laugier, M. Rustic Hut Retrieved from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rlhZCdZl2is/TC6GUMBOvrI/
AAAAAAAANFU/oEMbaaM7PjE/s1600/Primitive+Hut+Laugier.jpg
Fig 5
Amateur photo, Cave paintings in Lascaux. Artist Unknown Retrieved
f ro m h t t p : / /
2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKekWZJNQlM/TyrE6bs5atI/AAAAAAAABNo/Q9jZRLO6w-w/s1600/Lascaux+bird
+shaman.jpg
Fig 6
Amateur photo, Dolmen (Ireland). Photographer unknown. Retrieved from

http://www.redbubble.com/people/upthebanner/works/2905222-dolmen-megalithic-tomb-grave-countyclare-ireland&docid=eebyiL7ZiGi83M&imgurl=http://ih0.redbubble.net/image.5500625.5222/flat,
5 5 0 x 5 5 0 , 0 7 5 , f . j p g & w = 5 5 0 & h = 3 6 5 & e i = H o - f U M e w D Y r a m A X nYDAAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=625&vpy=330&dur=629&hovh=135&hovw=213&tx=96&ty=97&sig=11622829
6764649853480&page=2&tbnh=135&tbnw=213&start=24&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:20,i:187
Fig 7
Amateur photo, Teotihaucan Pyramid of the Sun. Photographer unknown
Fig 8
Fujimoto, S. (Designer). (2008). Final wooden house. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
Fig 9
Zumthor, P. (Designer). (1996). Therme vals Interior. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OlFkbUChAU4/Tvqaq2KBjGI/AAAAAAAAAVE/JuBwM1eMnG0/s640/8_thermal-bathhouse.jpg
41
Fig 10
Fig 11
Zumthor, P. (Designer). Bruder Klaus Interior. Atmospheres p24
Fig 12
Zumthor, P. (Designer). Bruder Klaus Chapel Section. Retrieved from
h t t p : / /
cubeme.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/peter-zumthor-bruder-klaus-chapel-mechernich-germany3.jpg
Fig 13
Campo Baeza, A. (Designer) Olnick Spanu House. Idea, Light Gravity. p168-175
Fig 14
Zumthor, P. (Designer). (1996). Therme vals Exterior. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therme_Vals&docid=ZRl61T-4bolP_M&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/thumb/5/56/Therme_Vals_wall_structure,_Vals,_Graub%2525C3%2525BCnden,_Switzerland__20060811.jpg/200px-Therme_Vals_wall_structure,_Vals,_Graub%2525C3%2525BCnden,_Switzerland__20060811.jpg&w=200&h=267&ei=AZCfUJa_GtHImAWOpYGADw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=451&sig=116228296
764649853480&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=114&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:78&tx=103&ty=60
Fig 15
Gandy, J. (1837) Emblematic Sketch. Sir John Soane Museum.
Fig 16
Zumthor, P. (Designer). (1996). Therme vals Interior. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OlFkbUChAU4/Tvqaq2KBjGI/AAAAAAAAAVE/JuBwM1eMnG0/s640/8_thermal-bathhouse.jpg
Fig 17
Zumthor, P. (Designer). Bruder Klaus Interior. Atmospheres p24
Fig 18
Campo Baeza, A. (Designer) Olnick Spanu House. Idea, Light Gravity. p168-175
Fig 19
Wright, F. L., Falling water fireplace. Amateur photograph. Unknown Photographer. Retrieved
from
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EsBYSJ9ELO0/T_ujVg1g9uI/AAAAAAAAFIw/9RXMSAplyN4/s1600/3.JPG
Fig 20
Zumthor, P. (Designer). (1996). Therme vals stairs. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://
1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGV0FsSdvDc/T-KTHKLbd5I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/fTihvW32bLA/s1600/Therme_1(3).jpg
Fig 21
42

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A Thesis Submitted to University of Newcastle Faculty of Architecture and the Built

Chapter 1: Origins & Architectural Invention! .!

Chapter 2: Examining the Primitive (Methodology)! .!

Chapter 3: Primitive Propositions (Literature Review)!

Chapter 4: Uninhibited Dwelling (Discussion).!

Hereditary theory & spatial intelligence .

The encultured cave

Overlooking the found object

Chapter 5: The poetics of the cave (Conclusions).! .!

Scope for further research .

Origins & Architectural Invention [Introduction]

saturated mediascape surrounding architecture celebrating spectacle and threatening

Vitruvius, M. (1914). On Architecture. (M. H. Morgan, Trans.). Cambridge: Havard

Laugier, M. A. (1977). An Essay on Architecture. (W. Herrmann & A. Herrmann,

Le Corbusier. (1927). Towards a new architecture. (F. Etchells, Trans.). London:

Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Coyne, R. (2006). Digital commerce and the primitive roots of architectural

Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Bataille, G. (1961). Tears of Eros (pp. 2531). Paris: Jean-Jacques Pauvert.

Laugier, M. A. (1977). An Essay on Architecture. (W. Herrmann & A. Herrmann,

Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Examining the Primitive [Methodology]

Fig.1 Key areas diagram. Showing the

Fig.2 Discourse body of knowledge graphical

form a defined polemic with specific implications in better marrying

Groat, L., & Wang, D. (2002). Logical Argumentation. In Architectural Research

Appleton, J. (1975). Experiencing the Landscape. John Wiley and Sons.

Hildebrand, G. (1999). The Origins of Architectural Pleasure. Berkley and Los

Groat, L., & Wang, D. (2002). Logical Argumentation. In Architectural Research

Primitive Propositions [Literature review]

Fig.3 Laugiers fictional rustic hut is

Fig.4 Drawings of the Caribbean hut

Fig.5 Lascaux caves in France are

Architecture a referencing of primitive values largely premised by the rustic

The introspective relationship between time, place and architecture implicit in

success. Whereby the favouring of certain landscape situations would yield a

In application of Appletons hereditary theory of prospect/ refuge to

Fig.6 The Dolmen as an artificial cave made by

Fig.7 Temple of the Sun, Teotihaucan. Driven by mythology

Fig.8 Fujimotos Final Wooden House, Japan. Fujimotos use of the

Fig.9 Zumthors Therme Vals, Switzerland.

Vitruvius, M. (1914). On Architecture. (M. H. Morgan, Trans.). Cambridge: Havard

Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Vitruvius, M. (1914). On Architecture. (M. H. Morgan, Trans.). Cambridge: Havard

Laugier, M. A. (1977). An Essay on Architecture. (W. Herrmann & A. Herrmann,

Le Corbusier. (1927). Towards a new architecture. (F. Etchells, Trans.). London:

Coyne, R. (2006). Digital commerce and the primitive roots of architectural

Lavin, S. (2012). Quatremre De Quincy and the invention of a modern language of

Mallgrave, H. F. (2005). Neoclassicism and Historicism. In Modern Architectural

Le Corbusier. (1927). Towards a new architecture. (F. Etchells, Trans.). London:

Leatherbarrow, D. (2009). Practically Primitive. In Architecture Orientated Otherwise

Vesely, D. (2006). The primitive as modern problem: invention and crisis. In J.

Rykwert, J. (1981). On Adam's House in Paradise (2nd ed.). Cambridge,

Fujimori, T., & Fujimoto, S. (2010). Artificial Architecture, Natural Architecture:

Bachelard, G. (1969). The Poetics of Space. (M. Jolas, Trans.). Boston,

Jung, C. (1986). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. London: Fontana.

Sharr, A. (2006). Heidegger's Hut. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Rudofsky, B. (1964). Architecture without architects. New York: Museum of Modern