Voids and bodies: August Schmarsow, Bruno Zevi and space as a historiographical theme

Abstract

August Schmarsow and Bruno Zevi worked in contexts separated by language and time. They stand out among other architectural historians because they both recognized the notion of space as the essence of architecture and because in different ways they intended to bring architecture closer to the public by presenting dynamic worldviews organized around the individual human being and her perception and creation of space. This paper aims, primarily by discussing works by Schmarsow and Zevi while also introducing the contexts in which their works were made, to consider the possibilities and dangers that may arise when the notion of space is used to explain architectural history to architects and students of architecture. Although tendentious at times, Schmarsow’s and Zevi’s historiographies provide intriguing perspectives towards architecture as a diverse process where concepts and matter are related through continuous acts of experiencing, analyzing and making space.

Keywords

• Schmarsow
• Zevi
• space
• historiography
• architectural education