Faces and determinants of contemporary architectural spacetime

Zdzisław Pelczarski

doi:10.5277/arc120206

Abstract

The spacetime of our life is the spacetime of the earth which refers to the limited space of the ecosystem of our planet and the relatively short time of existence of our civilisation within its framework. It has a dual character. On the one hand, it has a physical dimension and on the other hand a psychological one being a reflection of the former in our minds. Its character, therefore, is anthropogenic and anthropocentric – thus, in its essence it is a psychological (mental) spacetime of life. A physical and psychological space of life consists of two major notions within the framework of which the architectural spacetime is defined.    A human ability to reconstruct one’s internal mental order is limited and it does not follow faster and faster civilisation transformations. This thesis might be reversed by concluding that current dynamic changes taking place in our social and cultural living space, particularly in the scope of production and distribution of goods as part of a market economy, are characterised by partial or total arrogance towards the status quo of mental order of an average human being and in relation to the limited possibilities to quickly reshape this order. This situation leads to disharmony and conflicts between mental order in psychological space-time of life and physical-spatial order which constitutes architectural space-time and socio-cultural order reflecting the mentality and values on which this order is based.