The Human in Architecture

Architecture is about people, created by people and experienced through people. It fosters identity, belonging and interaction. Architecture influences people on emotional and physical levels, while people shape space as designers. Given this fundamental interaction between people and space, the question arises: Shouldn‘t humanism actually be the decisive factor in the built environment? This thesis aims to demonstrate that a humanistic approach to space requires (re-)evaluation in the contemporary context, and that humanism
should serve as a fundamental design principle. The analysis focuses on Piazza architecture in Italy from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which has remained a symbolic public space for centuries. The legal requirements of the time, such as the Loggia being used as a representative outdoor space offering protection from the weather or urban spaces being designed as backdrops for social gatherings, demonstrate the deep integration of human values into the architecture of the period. Particular attention is paid to the consistency and timelessness of city squares. Despite social, political and contextual changes, these public spaces have retained their significance and improved quality of life to this day. This raises the question if spatial and design qualities have made these places so durable and adaptable. It also considers how these aspects could be applied in today‘s architecture to give people, as emotionally driven users, more significance in space. This analysis aims to demonstrate how the design ideas and principles of Italian square architecture can be applied to contemporary architectural challenges, despite their historical origins.

Particular attention is paid to the role of public spaces, as places of social interaction and identity
formation. The spatial and social functions of carefully selected examples are analysed, as are the building regulations in force at the time. A crucial part of the analysis is the theoretical definition of humanism, both in isolation and in the context of architecture and the city. The historical definition is discussed, as well as the development of the term through various political and social changes, which form the basis of the humanistic design principle. These investigations provide the basis for an architectural design that combines humanism, as I define it, with the results of theory and analysis. Located at Linke Wienzeile, the Biosphere Workshop is a nourishing space for humans that takes a clear position on the topic of humanistic architecture. This approach demonstrates how the human perspective can and should be (re-)integrated into contemporary architecture and urban planning to create spaces designed by, for and with humans as formative and shaping users.

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