"This book explores the work of Dutch Benedictine monk and architect, Hans van der Laan, and provides a guide to applying his theory to contemporary design practice. Chapters present, interrogate and expand on the philosophies of Hans van der Laan, offering important insights on why we make things, and how our artifacts address the complexity of our physical, cognitive and social needs. The book explores connections between architecture and neuroscience such as the effects of the built environment on human behaviour and the various ways in which the human mind perceives and decodes artefacts. Its reflections on measure and proportion, analogy and logic, matter and mystery will enrich current debates about the genesis of human culture, its basic principles and universal patterns, and its culmination in religious ritual. Final chapters provide practical tools on how to implement van der Laan's proportional system of the Plastic Number in architectural design. Providing tools for reconsidering elemental questions on the origin and meaning of architecture, and for reintroducing play and exploration into design studios, this book will be a compelling resource for all architecture students and academics"--
The work of the Dutch Benedictine monk and architect Hans van der Laan (1904–1991) offers important insights into the ways in which artifacts address the complexity of human physical, cognitive, and social needs. Van der Laan developed a number of powerful lines of thought, three of which are introduced here: the search for a theory of architecture; the establishment of a three-dimensional system of proportions named Plastic Number; and analogy as the mainspring of human thinking.
This triad of deeply interconnected intellectual strategies represents his most important ‘instruments of thought’ and is rooted in the careful observation of phenomena as they are presented to us rather than relying on conventional beliefs. Van der Laan's instruments of thought lead us to reconsider the origins of human creation, urging a deeper examination of our perceptual and cognitive response to the limitlessness of the surrounding environment. On this basis, Van der Laan develops a unique philosophy of culture and design that includes considerations on the relationship between nature, culture, and religious ritual.
Although this book is informative, its principal aim is to be formative. On the basis of Van der Laan’s instruments of thought, the authors develop a methodology to explore the Plastic Number theory and the many ways in which we perceive and interpret proportion. Reintroducing playful creativity and intellectual exploration into architectural pedagogy and design practice, this book is a gateway for a deeper understanding of the effects of the built environment on human behavior and the various ways in which the human mind perceives and decodes artifacts.
This book explores the work of Dutch Benedictine monk and architect, Hans van der Laan, and provides a guide to applying his theory to contemporary design practice.
