ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM

Definition,
Sources,
Types of Criticism according to Wayne Attoe.
Jon Lang Positive and Normative Theories in
Architecture
ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM
SOME TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
 CRITICISM
The word criticism is itself neutral
Derived from Greek kritikos (decisive) &krinein
( to judge or discern)
Together it means the art of judgment- to make
positive or negative judgments or decisions based on
particular criteria.
In every day usage it the word has become
synonymous with negativity, with pulling things
apart, fault finding.
ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM
WHATS THE NEED????
 PURPOSE
Habitual situations are taken for granted.
They dont develop our knowledge.
Criticism in Architectural education helps by questioning
habitual situations and conditions
Focus on ability to observe and generate
reflections.(opinions)
It develops skill of coping with uncertainity.
Process of receiving crits hones ones judgement
Helps to manage the complexity that is inherent in
architecture and creative profession.
PRIMARY PURPOSE
 Criticism has the potential to be a powerful
pedagogical tool in architecture education.
(pedagogy= study of the methods of teaching)
Criticism is a behavior in which individuals express
their own perceptions of a physical place, an
object, or ideas in the hope of communicating their
ideas to others.
However, criticism is sometimes perceived to have
a negative connotation because of its sense of
passing a judgment upon a physical place or object.
TYPES OF CRITICISM
ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM
Types of Criticism according to Wayne Attoe.
Wayne Attoe
The most comprehensive and significant
text on architectural criticism
remains Wayne Attoes (published in 1978)

Architecture and Critical

Imagination
WAYNE ATTOE
 Wayne Attoe
Retired Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, has written a book about architectural
criticism intended both for students and his professional colleagues.
It is also a book that should be of considerable interest to philosophers of
art.
It is Attoes contention that Architectural criticism has not been as
significant as it might in the practice of architecture nor has there been
any systematic study of either the history or methods of architectural
criticism.
In this work he undertakes the study of the methods but not the
history of architectural criticism with the intention of illuminating the
significance that such criticism can have.
 Attoe also reiterates the behavior of criticism
includes the three categories of description
(to say or write about), interpretation (explaination),

and evaluation (judge or value). He also

identifies that criticism falls under three basic
groups: descriptive criticism, interpretative
criticism, and normative criticism,.
 Doctrinal criticism

Systematic criticism
NORMATIVE CRITICISM
Typal criticism

Measured criticism

TYPES Advocacy criticism

OF INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM Evocative criticism
CRITICISM
Impressionistic criticism

Depictive criticism
DESCRIPTIVE CRITICISM
Biological criticism
Contextual criticism

NORMATIVE CRITICISM
Based on a standard on
which the critic bases his
criticism.
The critic will compare the
given design with the
standard.
It is for the critic to decide
what standard to choose and
it could be objective or
subjective.
TYPES OF CRITICISM
INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM DESCRIPTIVE CRITICISM
Does not make use of any As the name suggests, it is
standard at all. more concerned with
description of factual things
It depends entirely on the related to the design and the
interpretation of the critic various people involved with
and therefore is highly the design as also the
personal and prejudiced. events which influenced the
design.
The critic would like to
persuade reader to look at
the design in the same way
the critic is looking it.
 NORMATIVE CRITICISM
DOCTRINAL CRITICISM
(a set of beliefs accepted by
a particular group)
Doctrinal criticism has as its
basis on a doctrine, such as;
form follows function, and
tends towards the belief
that there is a single
approach for accomplishing
our purposes and a single
standard for measuring our
achievements.
SYSTEMATIC CRITICISM
Systematic criticism is an
alternative to the single
doctrineit is an interwoven
assemblage of principles or
factors, a system for judging.
TYPAL CRITICISM
is based upon structural,
functional, and form types.
MEASURED CRITICISM
measured criticism assigns
numerical standards to
provide the norms against
which something is judged.
For example, criticism of a
public square may take into
consideration the proportion
of the size of the square in
comparison to the height of
the buildings surrounding it.
 INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM
ADVOCACY IMPRESSIONISTIC EVOCATIVE
CRITICISM(defensive ) CRITICISM CRITICISM(Associative)

Advocatory criticism is uses the work of art or Evocative criticism uses

employed by a critic who is
an advocate of a building or
place and is, concerned
primarily with engendering
appreciation, not with
passing judgment
building as a foundation on whatever means are needed
which the critic then to arouse similar feelings in
constructs his own work of the reader/viewer. The
art evocative critique is not right
or wrong, but a surrogate
experience
 DESCRIPTIVE CRITICISM
DEPICTIVE CRITICISM BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTUAL
(Figurative) CRITICISM CRITICISM

Depictive criticism Biographical criticism Contextual criticism

does not judge, but provides others with provides information
merely depicts what and understanding of about the social,
exists; such as, how the architect in order political, and
people move through to allow a better economic context in
a space. understanding of which something was
their intentions. designed.
 ARCHITECTURAL THEORY
Jon Lang Positive and Normative Theories in
Architecture
Jon Lang
He is currently Professor of
Architecture at the University of
New South Wales in Sydney,
Australia, as well as Director for
Urban Design for the
Environmental Research Group
Philadelphia.
Dr Lang has served as a
consultant for UNESCO in
Turkey and for the Ford
Foundation in India.
He is the co-editor of the
pioneering book Designing for
Human Behaviour: Architecture
and the Behavioral Sciences,

He is the author of Creating Architectural

Theory: The Role of Behavioral Sciences in
Environmental Design
One way to map theory in general is
to separate it into

Positive and Normative theories

 Positive theory
Positive theories are descriptive and
explanatory systems because they can identify
causal links, can predict future behavior of the
objects in question
Eg Scientific theories are of this kind.
 Positive Theory:
Definition:
Positive Theory is a system of statements or ideas which describe and explain a
phenomenon tested using scientific methods.
Characteristics:
Explanatory and predictable.
Tentative and subject to revision
Cant be proved stands disproved.
Function of Positive Theory:
make sense of what otherwise remains non meaningful.
to be value free, to avoid bias.
raise consciousness behavior in built environment having design implications
to be helpful in making design decisions that lead to predictable outcomes.
Lack of Positive Theory:
Fear that systematic research will lead to challenge of cherished beliefs.
 Normative Theory
It includes a wide range of ways of doing that belong to
realm of convention or rules of thumb.
Action is taken based upon such tacit factors as this is
how we have always done it; or this way is tried and
true.
Normative theories also describe explain and even
predict. However they cannot be said to have the logical
rigor of positive theories and they can lead to a a great
variety of empirical outcome.(based on observation or
experience)
It is largely what motivates actions taken in design
practice
 Normative Theory
GARY MOORE has proposed that positive
theories are testable according to the laws of
empirical reality while normative theories (for
instance those related to design practice ) are
testable only by measures of professional
acceptance or longevity.
 In short

Normative theory is often not conducive to

rigorous testing as positive theory is .
 Another way to look at it is this:
Because normative theory is demonstrated by
conventional practices that have withstood the test of
time, it is arguable that any normative theory has
already been tested- rerepeatidly and every day in
the field.
For instance the standard wood frame house in US
uses wood stud at 16 inches on center, is not
something that needs testing it is just the way it is or
else the idea would have been rejected long ago.
 Normative Theory:
Design principles used are based on personal experiences of Architect. Not
based on systematic research and systematic body of shared knowledge. Intellectual
development in design profession held back due to lack of explicit body of positive
theory.

Form follows function Louis Sullivan

Less is more Mies Van Der Rohe
Less is bore Robert Venturi
House is a machine for living in Le Corbusier
Ornament is crime Adolf loos
Organic Architecture F L Wright

Normative Theory is a value laden statement on, what ought to be; perceptions
of good or bad; right or wrong; desirable and undesirable. Perceptions for action
Design principles; standards; manifests. Ex: space standards height of riser, size of
room, width of corridor.
 NATURAL ENVORONMENT THEORY
Natural nature of materials,
geometry, structures, climate.
Artificial built environment
SUBSTANTIVE THEORY
(having a firm basis in reality)
PERSON ENVIONMENT THEORY
The influence of the built
environment on human behavior

POSITIVE THEORY

PROCESS OF DESIGN
Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation
PROCEDURAL THEORY
NATURE OF CREATIVITY
 Professed
SUBSTANTIVE THEORY
Practised

NORMATIVE THEORY

Professed
PROCEDURAL THEORY
Practised
MODEL OF NORMATIVE THEORY

DESIGNER INTENTIONS MEDIUM OBJECT IMPACT ON USERS

Focus of Aesthetic
concern Principles
MODEL OF POSITIVE THEORY

IMPACT ON USER OBJECT MEDIUM IMPLICATIONS FOR

DESIGN

Principles of environmental experience

 Conclusion:
Normative theory: theory that is a "prescription for action."
Examples given: design principles, standards, manifestos, ideology
on "good architecture
Positive theory: "a mental schema...that is believed to describe and
explain a phenomenon or a group of phenomena."

The key difference between normative and positive theory is that

positive theory does not make value-judgments. The reading states
that this view of positive theory has been refuted, noting that
researches choose to pursue positive theory in a subject of their
interest (implying an intrinsic value-judgment on what is interesting).
However, when speaking comparatively, positive theory seems to
offer less good vs. bad solutions.
 For eg.

It is a manifesto that implies that pursuing this

theory will result in "good" architecture.
 Kahns Exter Library
On the other hand, a query into the reasons for circulation
in Kahn's Exeter Library, would be a positive theory that can
be extended to other designs (without judging the original or
the new as "good" or "bad").
 Questionnaire
Q. 1. What is architectural criticism and what is its necessity and purpose (10)
Q.2. Explain the role of a critic. (5)
Q.3.What is the source of criticism? (5)
Q.4. Elaborate the types of criticism according to Wayne Attoe. (20)
Q.5. Write notes on the following:
(A) Normative Criticism (10)
(B) Interpretive Criticism(10)
(C) Descriptive Criticism(10)
Q.6. Compare and contrast normative type of criticism with descriptive type
of criticism with examples (12)
Q.7.Explain in detail John Langs Positive and Normative Theories and how are
they applicable to architecture. (10)
SOME EXCERPTS FROM INTERNET
FOR READING..
Review of Jon Langs Book.