A historical-analytical reading extending Joseph Rykwert argues that Vitruvius, Laugier, Semper and Le Corbusier used the Primitive Hut as an origin narrative that legitimized new architectural paradigms as necessity and continuity.
Key findings
- Vitruvius linked dwelling origins to language and political order; Laugier used nature and reason against excess; Semper shifted origins toward cultural technique; and Le Corbusier recast origins through machine rationality and geometry. Meanings changed with each era’s crisis.
Why this matters globally
The analysis helps contemporary architecture scrutinize how appeals to basics, nature or new beginnings construct authority and value.
Thai researcher contribution
Silpakorn University researchers contribute Thai-based theoretical scholarship to international architectural historiography.
Limitations to consider
The framework centers four Western theorists and Rykwert, excluding other architectural traditions. Selection and interpretation remain contestable and are not tested against practitioner or public reception.