Architectural Anthropology in Urban Housing Complex: A Spatial Study on the Culture Construct of a Community Design Architecture

Abstract

The science and art of architecture skilfully relate parts to a greater whole as well as creates a form, which is uniquely appropriate for the exercise of a specific set of functions. There is no single approach to the study of architecture, but many. Anthropological approach considers buildings as cultural artefacts and can be revealing of the relationship of dwellings to family, social structure and mores. Architectural anthropology is an emerging discipline which has its scope in the interface of physical and cultural spaces of a community. The present study is an empirical attempt to understand the anthropological and phenomenological dimensions of architecture in two urban housing complexes located in Kolkata in India. The key concept to be used in the present study is space both in terms of theoretical discourse and empirical representation. The study do establish the fact that buildings have social lives with physical structure, needs, uniqueness, characters as well as cognitive identity. The social identity of these buildings is drawn from a number of socio-economic variables of the residents guided by time–space determinants.