The tower : transformation of a precedent

Abstract

The link between the study of what one sees around him and the use of that stored information is an important part of the design process. That information includes a sundry of historical facts which are presented in the course of a formal architectural education. In developing a working methodology, I have consistently found myself recalling organization characteristics and forms which have been presented in various architectural courses, as well as those which are a part of the daily observations made of my immediate environment. In order to examine the actual use process of information stored, I have chosen to study a particular form found in architecture, and based on that study, the design of a group of houses. The tower form has been studied, and used, along with the forms which are commonly found in conjunction with it, (the medieval walled city, the town square, the loggia) in the conceptualization of a scheme for a cluster of eight houses. Both the historical analysis and the actual design are the means which aid in the discussion of a particular design process--the process of transforming a precedent for use in a new design.