Recently I had a chance to visit this nearly 100-year old building designed by Keiichi Morita, the architect who initiated a field of study at Kyoto University, namely, theory of architecture.
According to him, as a field, theory of architecture is about this purposive inquiry:
What is good architecture for humans?
While this sounds so broad, I always wonder if in practice it is meant to be more of a touchstone for architects.
The word "good" suggests not only values in utilities and aesthetics but also moral values. And the phrase "for humans" orders those values to be objective beyond generations and cultures, which seems to be crucial particularly in the context of Kyoto.
Thus, to me the inquiry sounds like an invitation for architects to pursue higher objective values. And if in Kyoto, perhaps the values are expected to match Kyoto's cultural wealth.
