A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR TECHNOLOGY OF BUILDING

Technology, a term widely used in recent times, is yet in need of a rigorous definition. It has been subject to a great deal of scholarly interest at various levels--from practical definitions of technology to philosophical inquiries into its nature. However existing theoretical formulations reveal not only a large variety of interpretations but also inconsistencies, limited views, historically unverifiable points and unbalanced emphases.

To improve upon them, this dissertation attempts to formulate a theoretical framework that will provide a better explanation of technology. The study of the interaction between Man and Nature is the premise of the proposed theoretical framework. This interaction takes place in man's technological domain, the constituents of which are the natural world (the totality of the possibilities that nature presents, i.e. material, energy); the artifact world (the totality of man-made objects, i.e. technics and products); and the cognitive world (the totality of persons and their mental capacities, i.e. producers, users and their knowledge). Such identification and ordering of the variables of technology comprises the definition of 'technology-as-means'. These variables, however do not exist as independent entities. Man relates them to one another in a technological process, and this relationship assumes different characteristics throughout history. A particular periodization arises when major changes in the relationship of technological variables are taken into account (i.e. stages of primitive, traditional and modern technology). Therefore, the proposed theoretical framework also allows the investigation of the interrelationship between the variables of technology. This emphasis on the activity itself, rather than on the means of undertaking it, comprises the concept of 'technology-as-process'.

The insights of this theoretical framework are derived from a review and critique of the understanding of technology in some key texts by Martin Heidegger, Jose Ortega y Gasset, Lewis Mumford and Carl Mitcham. In the latter part of the dissertation, the proposed framework is elaborated for technology of building in particular. Relevant aspects of each variable of building technology are traced historically and causes and effects of the major technological changes are examined. Throughout the history of building technology, the suggested stages of technology are identified and specified. Finally, the validity of the framework is tested through a particular case study: the city of Mardin in Eastern Turkey is observed in terms of the traditional building technology and the recent technological changes.