1. Interaction
Our personal interactions very much affect the definition of a building. Heidegger points out that building and dwelling viewed merely as a means-end relationship over-simplifies the definition and the sense of a place. He states that although people can dwell (i.e. to remain, to stay in a place) in buildings, “not every building is a dwelling. Bridges and hangars, stadiums and power stations are buildings but not dwellings.” These hangars and stadiums are places where people may stay, but are not places where people can be “set at peace” and “remain at peace with the free.” He goes on further to describe how people’s activities affects what a building is to each: “the working woman is at home in the spinning mill, but does not have her dwelling place there; the chief engineer is at home in the power station, but he does not dwell there.” Each person’s activities in a building affects what the building is to that person and how the building is perceived.
2. Authenticity
A search for authenticity is valuable when making architecture because it directly affects the quality of that architecture. According to Heidegger, beyond being judged as a piece of art or by its technique in construction, the quality of architecture can also be measured by human experience. His writing shows that people feel discomfort with their dwelling when it does not set them at peace and does not give people the desire to stay. This seems especially true when observing architecture in relation to its local context. When a design is unfamiliar, has too few recognizable elements, or is not relatable to people’s lives, people tend to avoid such places, or see and use it as a temporary setting, rather than a place for dwelling. Without an understanding of what is authentic to the users of a building, architecture of high quality cannot be made.
3. Permanence
This sense of permanence — that the earth, sky, and seasons will continue to run their course even after we have passed on — is not a subject of choice. In comparison, the architecture that we design and build will always be more temporary than the earth and sky. In this way, we have no choice but to design with this sense of permanence — knowing that the structures we build are somewhat ephemeral, but also recognizing that our designs have immediate impact on our current short period of existence.
—Tina
