Ontology of Construction: On Nihilism of Technology and Theories of Modern Architecture

Ontology of Construction explores theories of construction in modern architecture, with a particular focus on the relationship between nihilism of technology and architecture. Providing an historical context to the concept of making, the essays collected in this volume articulate the implications of technology in works by such architects as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Adolf Loos, and Mies van der Rohe. Also provided is an interpretation of Gottfried Semper’s discourse on the Tectonic and the relationship between architecture and other crafts. Emphasising ‘fabrication’ as a critical theme for contemporary architectural theory and practice, Ontology of Construction is a provocative contribution to the current debate in these areas.

• A very important contribution to contemporary architectural theory • Emphasises ‘fabrication’ as a critical theme • Includes a comprehensive examination of theories and practices of construction

1. Montage: recoding the Tectonic; 2. Architecture and the question of technology: two positions and the ‘other’; 3. Adolf Loos: the awakening moments of tradition in modern architecture; 4. Métier: Frank Lloyd Wright’s tradition of dwelling; 5. Mies van der Rohe: the genealogy of column and wall; 6. Construction of the not yet construed.