The Weltanschauung as an Ersatz Gestalt

By Jan Turnovský

Jan Turnovsk (1942-95) was a renowned architect and architectural theoretician. An exceptionally dedicated teacher and researcher throughout his tenure at the Vienna University of Technology's Institute for Architecture and Design, he was also the author of the boldly original Poetics of a Wall Projection, where he explores architecture's many rich layers of meaning. Turnovsk 's thinking has been highly influential for generations of Austrian architects, but relatively little documentation remains from his early career, including his nascent forays into architectural theory.

The Weltanschauung as an Ersatz Gestalt was Turnovsk 's thesis, written in 1978 as a requirement to complete his studies at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. For more than thirty years, it has remained unpublished--until now. This facsimile publication sheds new light on the development of his theoretical trajectory by revealing Turnovsk 's interest in the philosophy of "open systems" as proposed by the Italian novelist and semiotician Umberto Eco. Turnovsk applies the logic of open systems to the architectural design process, which allows for a personalized perception that may differ from both the collective experience and the creator's artistic vision. Drawing on this novel theoretical approach, Turnovsk offers a new critical assessment of three widely accepted architectural practices of the time: numerical aesthetics, ideology, and semiology.

A fascinating work by a major figure in contemporary architecture, The Weltanschauung as an Ersatz Gestalt is presented here in facsimile with full side-by-side English translations.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3038600008
• ISBN13: 9783038600008
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: Park Publishing (WI)
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.8" x 9.4"