The Bed Maker’s Model:
A Thematic Study of Louis I. Kahn’s 1961 Article “Form and Design” in Terms of Plato’s Theory of Forms as Treated in The Republic.

- Fleming, Steven Peter

Title
The Bed Maker’s Model: A Thematic Study of Louis I. Kahn’s 1961 Article “Form and Design” in Terms of Plato’s Theory of Forms as Treated in The Republic.
Creator
Fleming, Steven Peter
Relation
University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
Resource Type
thesis
Date
2003
Description
In 1960 Louis Kahn’s theoretical concerns began to focus on a concept which he called “form”, not meaning a building’s three dimensional shape, but the essence of its underlying type. The current study considers Kahn’s post-1960 concept of “form”, as espoused in his 1961 article, “Form and Design”, in relation to Plato’s theory of Forms, as that theory is presented in The Republic. A deeper appreciation of Kahn’s text is achieved through an examination of the hypothesis that the word “form”, as it is defined in Kahn’s article, is congruous with Plato’s famous concept, whereby Forms are said to be independent of humans and particulars. This leads to a related hypothesis, that Kahn’s shift in emphasis towards transcendent types is reflected in his development of what could be called Platonising architectural strategies, because they reflect parallel aims between Plato and Kahn. While Kahn and Plato are quite different figures, separated by time, profession and intentions, consideration of Plato’s treatment of the Forms in The Republic illuminates a new interpretation of “Form and Design” and the building which is most closely associated with that text, Kahn’s First Unitarian Church and School in Rochester. The thesis identifies ideas within Kahn’s text which resonate with Plato’s philosophy, suggesting that Kahn’s theory can be interpreted through notions stemming from the early moments of the Western philosophical tradition. It also identifies inconsistencies between Kahn’s text and Plato’s and between various statements made by Kahn, highlighting the fact that Kahn’s philosophical musings are not those of a trained philosopher.
Description
PhD Doctorate
Subject
architecture; Louis Kahn; philosophy; Plato; Form; typology; Modernism; First Unitarian Church Rochester
Identifier
uon:677
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/24826
Rights
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/copyright.html, Copyright 2003 Steven Peter Fleming
Language
eng
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Thumbnail File Description Size Format
DS2 01.front.pdf 111 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS3 02.intro.pdf 123 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS4 03.preliminaries.pdf 709 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS5 04.metaphysics.pdf 647 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS6 05.participation.pdf 621 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS7 06.edification.pdf 1 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS8 07.conclusions.pdf 122 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
DS9 08.endnotes.pdf 227 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF
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