Narrative // building architecture around a story

In essence, narrative is a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, and/or in a sequence of ‘moving’ pictures. Above all a narrative is a form of communication, in other words, a story unfolding until its meaning brings revelation, which implicates a narrator and a recipient.

“In architecture, narrative prioritises human experiences and the need to shape them into stories. It places the emphasis on a building’s meaning rather than performance. To architects, the enduring attraction of narrative is that it offers a way of engaging with the way a city feels and works. Rather than reducing architecture to a mere style or an overt emphasis on technology, it foregrounds how buildings are experienced.” [1]

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