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International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013 314
ISSN 2250-3153
which any individual building is constituted. Each basic type or
prototype in the architectural practice was described, its
programs were set forth in detail and its special characteristics
were accurately depicted. Anthony Viddler asserts that the idea
of peculiarity was then confined to buildings’ outward
appearance (Viddler:1977:99:101) (Abdul Aziz : 2007).
4.d. The Root of Type in the Presentations of Antoine
Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy
Antoine-Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy’s
presentations are considered one of the most remarkable
architectural literatures that have dealt with the concept of type.
They were adopted by post-modernism theorists and critics in
building up their theories and criticism about the concept. de
Quincy wrote the article of Type in the 3 rd section of his
encyclopedia late in 1825 in an attempt to establish the original
and the abstractive meaning of prototype - the germ, the rote - at
which he represents the architectural prototype from his point of
view, the architectural prototype was at once pre existent germ,
origin and primitive cause (Viddler:1977:104) (Abdul Aziz :
2007).
He also pointed out that thousands of things of each type,
come down to us via norm and that one of the basic tasks of
science or philosophy is represented by searching for its primary
origins and causes so that we can realize its objectives, and this is
called prototype in architecture (Bell:1991:27).
He, as well, advocated Marc-Antoine Laugier’s point of
view in returning to the classic origins represented by the
primitive cottage, de Quincy explained his visions on type
considering that, ” the organized building art is generated from a
pre-existent source and this source stand for the idea of
prototype. He explains his concept on the ideal type as follows:
the word prototype presents less the image of a thing to copy or
imitate completely than the idea of an element which ought
itself to serve as a rule for the model (Rowe:1988:
191)(Broadbent:1990:90) (Viddler:1977:191).
De Quincy, in his presentations distinguishes between the
prototype and the model stating that, a model stands for a thing
that can be repeated as it is, as an antithesis of prototype by
which we can realize works dislike each other. He also confirms
that, the whole could be accurate and hypothesized in the model,
whereas, in prototype, the whole is more or less ambiguous
(Broadbent: 1990:91).
David Bell’s presentations have pointed out to the symbolic
implications of the concept of the ideal type in de Quincy’s
definition, demonstrating that de Quincy’s definition of prototype
proves that it is something shining with meaning, embodies and
even expresses basic and significant architectural essentials
throughout history (Bell: 1991:23).
4.e. The Root of Type in the Presentations of Jean-Nicolas-
Louis Durand
Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand adopted a new point of view on
type. His presentations have confirmed that classic orders don’t
simulate the natural primitive cottage or the human body.
Ttherefore it cannot be considered an essence for architecture,
and would be in contradiction with the former architectural
theory and on the contrary, adopting the Positivism view which
for the first time called for the autonomous and self - sufficient
architectural theory, and the one that is specialized and
constituted exclusively from rational evident facts and pragmatic
values (Gomez:1984: 299:300) (Abdul Aziz : 2007).
Accordingly, Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand started the 19 th
century project of type formation based upon the rule of internal
structure and the programmed functional aspect of things as a
logical outcome of rational classification of the Enlightenment
movement, establishing distinguished shapes for each type and
assembling the architecture’s basic elements that couldn’t be
reduced like walls, columns and openings…, in accordance with
inferred rules for each type to yield the authentic origin of the
abstractive typical schemes. This art of assembling and
organizing of each type was directed by a program derived from
a study of all previous similar programs and is subdued to the
dominant law of economy (Viddler:1977:108).
Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand was also interested in typical
classifications, distinguishing the type nature that is related to its
formation and structure and disregarding the architectural
model’s outward properties, so that the preliminary step
represented assembling and comparing classes via assembling
and matching architectural models of each type, the old and the
modern ones (Viddler:1977:107).
Some of the effects of Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand’s order is
his unintentional definition of the historical idea in architecture
historicity. So his simple idea about progress sought to
superiority for each type, via the internal understanding of the
laws that constructing types and the dynamic changes of such
laws under the effect of the outward change or the internal
requirements which were able to pave the way towards realizing
a sort of development in architecture (Viddler:1977:108).
V. THE ROOT OF TYPE IN ARCHITECTURAL PRESENTATIONS
AT THE MODERNISM AGE 1900 - 1960
Following the new classicism of the Enlightenment age, the
idea of type revived again after forty years to be in the interest of
the second industrial revolution Its pragmatic positivism
contributed in fusing the concept of type in two major crucibles
as follows: functionalism and standardization(Abdul Aziz :
2007).
5.a. The Root of Type in Peter Reyner Banham’s Study
Peter Reyner Banham (1922 - 1988) the prolific
architectural critic and writer discussed in his book Theory And
Design In The First Machine Age the intellectual base of the
evolution and the development of the concept of type in
modernism architecture, indicating to the establishment of the
fundamentals of theory of type by some members of the Cubism
movement in France affected by common inclination towards
Plato’s vague notions, and confirming on the similarity between
art and machine influenced by the call to return to order ,and to
the literal meaning of returning back from Cubism to Classicism
to centrally visible things and those of standardized construction
(Banham:1976:220).
His presentations confirmed that, the idea of simple
geometrical designs which are easily produced as a whole
represented a common property by the end of 1920s’, and that
the reason behind its widespread is integration with the theory of
types as well as with the notion of Purists on object - object , at
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