Architectonic Protophenomenon: Introducing the notion of primordial phenomenon in architecture

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact that the notion of primordial phenomenon or protophenomenon (originally coined by the German poet and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) has when applied to the field of architecture. Its chief objective is to establish the necessary distinctions that help to identify, among all objects that populate the world of perception, the architect’s own object of study. It firsts puts into context the achievements of Goethe’s phenomenology within those of the phenomenology of Husserlian lineage, thus evidencing the relevance that the former has for all fields of knowledge, including architecture. It then proceeds to establish a distinction between architectonic phenomenon and architectonic protophenomenon, discusses the paradoxes derived from the study of the former and postulates the latter as the original source of architectural knowledge. Finally, it proposes a generic approach to the study of the architectonic protophenomenon.

Key words: architecture, architectonic phenomenon, architectonic protophenomenon, phenomenology.