Tectonics is an old, ontological concept which simultaneously claims to cover the aesthetics/meaning and the technological/technical in architecture. However, since the advent of ‘modernity’, the relationship between architecture and building technology has been problematic. Some of these problems, which are reflected in the theories of architecture and tectonics, relate to the separation of the technology/technical dimension from the aesthetic/artistic, rendering one of them dominant over the other. This book explores the tectonic affects in architecture because these do not separate building technology and aesthetics or meaning. Affects are preconscious aesthetic feelings which can cause meanings if we start thinking about these affects. The book claims that tectonic affects can generate aesthetic value and meaning. It adopts a practical position towards architectural aesthetics and meaning, and concentrates on tectonic affects.

The Tectonics of Structural Systems provides an architectural approach to the theory of structural systems. The book combines: structural recommendations to follow during the architectural design of various structural systems and the tectonic treatment of structural recommendations in architecture. Written expressly for students, the book makes structures understandable and useful, providing: practical and useful knowledge about structures a design based approach to the subject of structures and a bridge in the gap between structures and the theory of design. Good architectural examples for each structural system are given in order to demonstrate that tectonics can be achieved by applying technical knowledge about structures. Over 300 illustrations visually unpack the topics being explained, making the book ideal for the visual learner.

Ontology of Construction explores theories of construction in modern architecture, focusing on the relationship between nihilism of technology and architecture. The essays articulate the implications of technology in works by such architects as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies Van der Rohe. Hartoonian also examines Gottfried Semper's discourse on the tectonic and the relationship between architecture and other crafts. Emphasizing "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.

Composed of ten essays and an epilogue that trace the history of contemporary form as an evolving poetic of structure and construction, the book's analytical framework rests on Frampton's close readings of key French and German, and English sources from the eighteenth century to the present. Kenneth Frampton's long-awaited follow-up to his classic A Critical History of Modern Architecture is certain to influence any future debate on the evolution of modern architecture. Studies in Tectonic Culture is nothing less than a rethinking of the entire modern architectural tradition. The notion of tectonics as employed by Frampton—the focus on architecture as a constructional craft—constitutes a direct challenge to current mainstream thinking on the artistic limits of postmodernism, and suggests a convincing alternative. Indeed, Frampton argues, modern architecture is invariably as much about structure and construction as it is about space and abstract form. Composed of ten essays and an epilogue that trace the history of contemporary form as an evolving poetic of structure and construction, the book's analytical framework rests on Frampton's close readings of key French and German, and English sources from the eighteenth century to the present. He clarifies the various turns that structural engineering and tectonic imagination have taken in the work of such architects as Perret, Wright, Kahn, Scarpa, and Mies, and shows how both constructional form and material character were integral to an evolving architectural expression of their work. Frampton also demonstrates that the way in which these elements are articulated from one work to the next provides a basis upon which to evaluate the works as a whole. This is especially evident in his consideration of the work of Perret, Mies, and Kahn and the continuities in their thought and attitudes that linked them to the past. Frampton considers the conscious cultivation of the tectonic tradition in architecture as an essential element in the future development of architectural form, casting a critical new light on the entire issue of modernity and on the place of much work that has passed as "avant-garde." A copublication of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies and The MIT Press.

The old opposition between a digital culture of sensuous, ephemeral images and a tectonic culture of pragmatic building has given way to a new collaboration between the two domains, a 'digital tectonics'. Computer linked fabrication techniques of many kinds have become an integral part of the design process, while new digital tools are allowing engineers and architects to understand in far more detail the behaviour of load carrying surfaces, and to generate new architectural forms. Digital and computer-linked design techniques is one of the hottest topics in architecture and in an ever-expanding world of digital technology this book tackles the practical elements of the field.

Designers are becoming more directly involved in the fabrication process from the earliest stages of design. This book showcases the design and research work by some of the leading designers, makers and thinkers today. This highly illustrated text brings together a wealth of information and numerous examples from practice which will appeal to both students and practitioners.

This reader on Tectonics in Architecture forms a hitherto non-existing common point of reference from which to expand and continue the discourse on tectonic theory as a vehicle for innovation in the built environment. The reader presents the notion of tectonics as a critical and methodological entrance to the broader field of architectural theory by gathering a selection of key readings on Tectonics in Architecture covering the span from mid-18th century German architectural theory through to state of the art recent research on the topic. The collection addresses students of architecture and engineering while simultaneously providing an overview as a foundation for further research on the topic.