Interpretation is everywhere in architecture.; it is evident in the very act of architectural creation. This collection of essays captures the reflective experience of teachers in the architectural design studio who take interpretation as the core of architectural production and hence of architectural understanding. The introduction of the computer in the design studio revived expectations of a more scientific approach to architectural design. This revival in design methods has been largely eclipsed by a more lucid approach to method. But in many respects the studio climate is similar to that in which eighteenth and nineteenth century humanists defended interpretation as the mode of reasoning in the humanities and social sciences.
This anthology is structured around six interpretive themes: play, edification, metaphor, authority, otherness and equipmentality. This book is unique in drawing together strands of thought informed by the diverse reflections of hermeneutical scholarship, the uses of digital media and studio teaching and practice.

Drawing on cultural theory, phenomenology and concepts from Asian art and philosophy, this book reflects on the role of interpretation in the act of architectural creation, bringing an intellectual and scholarly dimension to real-world architectural design practice. For practising architects as well as academic researchers, these essays consider interpretation from three theoretical standpoints or themes: play, edification and otherness. Focusing on these, the book draws together strands of thought informed by the diverse reflections of hermeneutical scholarship, the uses of digital media and studio teaching and practice.

A close analysis of the architecture of the stupa a Buddhist symbolic form that is found throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia. The author, who trained as an architect, examines both the physical and metaphysical levels of these buildings, which derive their meaning and significance from Buddhist and Brahmanist influences."