Identity of Architecture: The Case of the National Library of Kosovo

Abstract

This article is part of a research on concepts that belong to theoretical speculation sin the discipline of architecture. The main intention is to shed light on the relationship of these theoretical concepts with the construction of architectural form and the episteme of architecture itself. One such concept is the identity of architecture. In this context, this research aims to clarify the interplay between identity – as a theoretical concept that is directly related to the form – and the architectural discipline. The first hypothesis is that architectural forms do not have a particular identity detached from their formal essence, but have an identity expressed by morphology. Second, different architectures, being forms of representations, express an external identity depended on the historical, political, social or cultural conditions. This article defines three main plans through which the identity of an architectural work is manifested: formal, stylistic/linguistic, and technological. The followed methodological approach is based on a theoretical analysis of the concept of identity, its contextualization within the discipline of architecture, and the interpretation of the results of such analysis through the case study of the National Library of Kosovo, built in Prishtina during 1971-1982. The study of the National Library is conceived as an example where the results obtained at a theoretical level and which aim to further clarify the discourse on the presented concepts, are expected to be verified.