To Be Able to See Architecture

Bruno Zevi's "Knowing How to See Architecture" is on shelves with its new edition!

Bruno Zevi's most famous work, "Knowing How to See Architecture," by one of the twentieth century's leading architectural theorists, has taken its place on the shelves with its revised new edition. "Knowing How to See Architecture," translated into Turkish by Alp Tümertekin and edited by Aykut Köksal, is a work written by Bruno Zevi in 1948 that defines architectural reality through various factors and examines different approaches, and has been translated into all languages ​​to date. With this book, Zevi offers one of the brightest examples of modernist architectural literature.

Architectural historian Bülent Özer said the following about this book in 1961:

"Two distinguished figures renowned worldwide in the field of contemporary building art employ almost identical accolades when describing a third. The praisers are F.L. Wright and Lewis Mumford, and the praised individual is Bruno Zevi. Let us first listen to Mumford: 'Bruno Zevi is the leader of architectural thought not only in Italy but throughout Europe!' Wright's judgment is in some respects even broader and more definitive: 'Bruno Zevi is the most profound and sincere critic of our age. He possesses the power to see the art of building and to express what he sees in fearless, illuminating terms!'

One of the most important foundations of these positive judgments must be the architectural views and evaluations boldly put forth by the author in the essay titled 'Saper vedere l'architettura.' We can translate this title into our language as 'To Be Able to See Architecture.' The essence of the book and the thesis it advocates are encapsulated in three words in the title of its English edition: 'Architecture as Space.'

Architecture, contrary to popular belief, is not merely a summation of certain widths, lengths, and heights, but rather the very emptiness one feels and experiences, the enclosed space one moves and circulates within, the interior space itself. For judgments related to the art of building to attain a certain definitiveness, terms related to space must be applied to architecture. Until this is done, investigations and research in the field of architecture will not be able to transcend the boundaries of social factors (function), construction data (technique), volumetric or decorative qualities (plastic and pictorial elements).

When we say that the essence of architecture is interior space, we do not mean that an architectural work is entirely determined by spatial data. Indeed, every building is created under the influence of economic, social, technical, functional, aesthetic, decorative, volumetric, and spatial factors. Interpretations can even be made based on any of these. However, it is important not to forget that the reality in a structure lies in the totality of all these factors."