The Actuality of the Metaphor in Architectural Design

Theoretical References, Research Method and Practical Experience in Architectural Design Studio Classes

Abstract

The design process in architectural design studio’s first classes for students is often based on images that are erroneously used as references by copying some formal choices. In the most general sense, this issue is related to a gap between architectural culture and society, as architecture is considered a virtual and consumable object. Those problems could be faced with an old but still effective tool that is the metaphor. Architecture is mainly known by images, and each image has a visible and an invisible part; the latter concerns the culture that underlies it. The paper assumes the metaphor is a design tool that can be helpful in the initial stages of the design process as it allows anyone to quickly connect images, ideas, and experiences, getting deeper into the invisible part of images. Since the metaphor is mainly a linguistic agent, most of the studies concern the use of the metaphor in the field of theoretical criticism and for reviewing other projects. The paper proposes to integrate this approach by investigating the metaphor to support the transfer of shapes and figures between different architectures. Furthermore, the proposed process foresees a permanent part based on a dynamic and more mobile part where metaphorical thinking finds space. Therefore, two types of use of the metaphor are put forward: the first interprets existing buildings by recognising both linguistic metaphors used by the critics and those crystallized in the architectural form; the second instead stimulates students to use visual metaphors in determining the shape and volume of the project.