Analogical Thinking in Architecture

Book excerpt: Since the turn of the 21st century, "design thinking" has permeated many fields outside of the design disciplines. It is expected to succeed whenever disciplinary boundaries need to be transcended, and it is imperative when thinking "outside the box." This book argues that these qualities have long been supported by "analogical thinking"-an agile way of reasoning in which symbolic connections allow designers to address the complexities of the design process. An active field in cognitive sciences, artificial intelligence, psychology, and philosophy, "analogical thinking" has yet to be theorized within the built environment. Analogical Thinking in Architecture looks at how this approach offers an agile way to respond to the heterogeneous, and often contradictory, value systems prevalent in architectural design. The book is organized into four case studies: the first reviews analogies in current models of design thinking; the second surveys the revivals of biological analogies from the 19th to the 21st century; the third probes cult architect Aldo Rossi's theory of the Città Analoga (Analogous City); while the fourth uncovers the role of analogies in critical and theoretical writing. Offering a reappraisal of theories on the role of "analogical thinking" by prominent architects, including Rossi, Peter Eisenman, and Frederick Kiesler; historians Peter Colins and Philip Steadman; and theoreticians Geoffrey Broadbent, Colin Rowe, Peter G. Rowe, Chris Abel and Donald A. Schön; the book provides both a comprehensive introduction to the concept of "analogical thinking" in architecture and the first theorization of analogy specifically within the field of the built environment.