Structuralism: Man Reunites With Architecture

- Le Modulor

            Structuralism is the drive to connect a permanent built object to the everyday lives of people.  Comparatively, Structuralism is on the opposite spectrum from Rationalism. Where as Rationalism ignores the type of occupant, Structuralism attempts to harmonize with the needs of the occupant. The way an individual preserves their environment is very important in defining structuralism, and because of this the human scale must be taken into careful consideration.

            The human scale can be measured by how the body’s senses are engaged through the particular environment. In the essay “A Plan For Tokyo, 1960: Toward a Structural Reorganization,” Kenzo Tange talks about the urban spatial order and its relationship to the human scale. Tange states, “…Man himself continues to walk in steps of a meter or so, and we are still surrounded by the unchanging human scale. Furthermore, whereas the life cycle of large-scale construction is growing larger, the life cycle of our houses and the articles we use in daily activities is gradually growing shorter.” This notion that the measure of a man’s stride forms a relationship with the build world, reflects on Le Corbusier’s work with Le Modulor.  Le Modulor was developed by Corbusier to design every element of a project according to human scale and proportions. Using this method of scale and proportion gives the architecture a unique personified characteristic that pays tribute to the people inhabiting the spaces.

            In addition to human proportion and scale there is another element that can help link man back to architecture. The connection between the built environments we all inhabit and the daily objects we all use. Kenzo Tange argues that there are two conflicting extremes “the major structures which have long life cycles… restriction individual choice… and the minor objects that we use in daily living… expression of free individual choice.” One main goal of structuralism is to “create an organic link between these two extremes…” (Tange) I believe that individuals would be more satisfied with their living and working conditions if the spaces reflected a style which conformed to their personal needs. After all is a building truly functional if it fails to accommodate the needs of its inhabitants? 

Works Cited:

Kenzo Tange, "A Plan for Tokyo, 1960: Toward a Structural Reorganization," from Architecture Culture 1943-1968: A Documentary Anthology, edited by Joan Ockman (New York: Columbia Books of Architecture/Rizzoli, 1993) 

Le, Corbusier. The Modulor: a Harmonious Measure to the Human Scale, Universally Applicable to Architecture and Mechanics. Boston: Birkhauser, 2000. Print.