Architecture 4D soul : Maltese dwellings : signs of hope for the 21st century human being and his domicile

Abstract

The issue of soul in architecture is a relatively recent concept in the twentieth century architectural history. It is a term which is frequently used by many but interpreted in different ways. In his book 'Places of the Soul', Professor Christopher Day states that places can have a soul. After the author's encounter with Day, he has deemed it necessary to work out this previously assumed symbolizing aspect of architecture. Is the soul in architecture related in any way to the human soul? The body and spirit of Architecture are terms quite established nowadays and evoke similarities with its creator - the human being. Does this imply that soul in architecture depends also on the human beings as well as the place wherein he dwells? At what stage of the design process can a soul develop? How can an architect identify and cultivate the ability for soul creation within buildings? Christian Norberg Schulz proposes that the symbolizing aspect of architecture should be a worked-out method based on cultural, sociological and functional problems. The author investigates the issue of soul by applying it to the Maltese dwellings since domicile is part and parcel of our own existence and being. If soul in dwellings helps us identify and relate ourselves to dwellings, then it would be a sign of hope for the twenty first century human being as regards his own domicile.