Abstract:
In this study it is argued that 'style' is the encoding of
artefacts with 'memetic' content. Style is then given an
Ecosystemic role- synchronically, being interactive in the
cultural milieu, it has ecosystemic agency; diachronically,
being traditive, it has ecosystemic potency. The plan is
interpreted as an 'image' derived from the graphic
principles of perceiving line, figure-ground and shadow
pattern. A hierarchy of images is shown as being 'image,
sign, symbol and icon'. The 'plan', as economic artefact
characteristic of the discipline of architecture, is
analysed iconographically, demonstrating that the planartefact
has style; and iconologically supporting the
argument that the plan-image can be interpreted
meaningfully. The house as type is chosen as testing case
and both the traditive and interactive roles of its planstyling
is illustrated. It is speculated that the teaching
of history could be exploited to enhance 'cultural
recapitulation' and that the architectura curriculum could
be suitably structured to accommodate this understanding.
The study is seen as being important in that:
it furthers the metalevel of understanding derived from the Ecosystemic school of thought of the Department of
Architecture, University of Pretoria, which emphasises
the heuristic, phenomenological and contextual teaching
of architecture, through overt articulation. The field
of application of the Metabletics of van den Berg and
Kuhn's 'paradigm' are broadened and ''the Paradigmatic
approach to architectural history" of the candidate's
preceding study is expanded.
it demonstrated the possibilities in reading the plan
and allows therefore for the identification of
significant plan-artefacts and -images as source material
for study.
it serves as model both for investigating other
architectural artefacts and for similar studies.
