Michael Hensel

Architecture is on the brink. It is a discipline in crisis. Overthe last two decades, architectural debate has diversified to thepoint of fragmentation and exhaustion. What is called for isan overarching argument or set of criteria on which to approach thedesign and construction of the built environment. Here, theinternationally renowned architect and educator Michael Henseladvocates an entirely different way of thinking about architecture.By favouring a new focus on performance, he rejects longstandingconventions in design and the built environment. This not onlybridges the gap between academia and practice, but, even moresignificantly, the treatment of form and function in design. Italso has a far-reaching impact on knowledge production anddevelopment, placing an important emphasis on design research inarchitecture and the value of an interdisciplinary approach. Though ‘performance’ first evolved as a concept inthe humanities in the 1940s and 1950s, it has never previously beensystematically applied in architecture in an inclusive manner. HereMichael Hensel offers Performance-Orientated Architecture as anintegrative approach to architectural design, the built environmentand questions of sustainability. He highlights how core conceptsand specific traits, such as climate, material performance andsettlement patterns, can put architecture in the service of thenatural environment. A wide range of examples are cited to supporthis argument, from traditional sustainable buildings, such as theKahju Bridge in Isfahan and the Topkapí Palace in Istanbul tomore contemporary works by Cloud 9, Foreign Office Architects,Steven Holl and OCEAN.

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