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Virginia Tech

Findings: Relationships of old and new, past and present

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

"Only with the language of the present can we get the past to speak." Sverre Fehn "A poet doesn't produce a different language for each poem. That's not necessary; he uses the same language, he uses even the same words. In music it is always the same instruments most of the time. I think that is the same in Architecture." Mies van der Rohe ' ...within this structure,... the elements 'keep one another in a state of equilibrium in accordance with fixed rules', and ' a language is a system in which the value of any one element depends on the simultaneous coexistence of all the others'." Ferdinand Saussure The connection of one building to another can be seen through a universal architectural language. Buildings are structured through the use of this language. Architecture communicates thoughts and ideas through the elements of building. The architect may show us things very subtly or dramatically using this language. Light, wind, material, color, water, even a wall are only a few of the elements of architectural discourse. Like letters form words and words form sentences, architectural elements are placed in order from which a possible meaning derived. The relationships between elements tell stories of different kinds. Within the structure of the architectural language the elements remain the same; their configuration, however, changes to reveal new and different meanings. Configuration is various; the use of these elements link past to present. Language A. Structure 1. Syntactic 2. Semantic 3. Pragmatic B. Elements 1. Letter 2. Word Architecture A. Structure 1. Syntactic 2. Semantic 3. Pragmatic B. Elements 1. Materials 2. Columns, walls, roof, floor, light, etc.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1997

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Martinez-Lopez, Yamilet E.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Brown, William W.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Schnoedt, Heinrich
  • Niles, Jerome A.
  • Galloway, William U.
  • O'Brien, Michael J.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-22798-192320
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/46477

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Martinez-Lopez, Yamilet E.. Findings: Relationships of old and new, past and present. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46477