Back to results

University of Dundee

Architectural Emptiness: On a reinterpretation of the architectural implications of Heidegger's concept of dwelling.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis reinterprets the architectural implications of Heidegger’s concept of dwelling. In particular it stresses the importance of the concept of poetry on dwelling that was outlined in ‘... Poetically Man Dwells ...’. This essay from Heidegger’s late period has been less frequently quoted in the literature of the architectural profession than some of Heidegger’s more well known essays. The importance of poetry is developed in this thesis through creative practice explorations of Heidegger’s philosophy supplemented by deep textual analysis.<br/><br/>By developing Heidegger’s concept of poetic dwelling, it is possible to reinterpret his ideas about building in richer ways than have previously been carried out in architecture. We will discover that space has a particular kind of emptiness that allows for poetic experience. Ways of building that manifest this emptiness can be considered building for dwelling. <br/><br/>The focus on poetic dwelling unravels previous architectural interpretations of Heidegger’s concept of dwelling. These interpretations tend to focus on the creation of a certain type of product rather than on enabling the poetic dwelling process. Consequently, by shifting this understanding of dwelling new links can be suggested to the work of architectural writers and practitioners who hitherto have not been considered to be Heideggerian.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
Doctor of Philosophy
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral Thesis
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
University of Dundee
Year dc:date.issued
2013

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Williams, Aidan
Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
  • Holm, Lorens
  • Modeen, Mary

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

Language dc:language
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/fe948d78-8f2e-44e9-8cbb-53fe7e2b07d8
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/fe948d78-8f2e-44e9-8cbb-53fe7e2b07d8

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Dundee
Base URL
discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/oai
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Williams, Aidan. Architectural Emptiness: On a reinterpretation of the architectural implications of Heidegger's concept of dwelling.. Doctoral Thesis thesis, University of Dundee, 2013. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/fe948d78-8f2e-44e9-8cbb-53fe7e2b07d8