Exponential Space as a Fifth Urban Figure

Toward a Phenomenological Actualisation of Françoise Choay's Quadripartition

Abstract

This article explores the evolving relationship between the human body, space, and architecture, tracing its intellectual roots and contemporary implications. Wittgenstein’s notion of reality as a “system of structured facts” (1922) frames the discussion, highlighting the interplay between physical facts and the structures that bind them. Drawing on Husserl’s phenomenology, the body is seen as central to shaping subjective and intercorporeal intentionality, rooted in aesthetic-sensual cognition and finitude (Formaggio, 1996). The study revisits pivotal architectural theories, from Scott’s emphasis on the “enclosed void” (1914) to Focillon’s exploration of internal and external masses in space (1934). Zevi and Moretti expand these ideas, linking interior space and the rupture of Renaissance spatiality, while Giedion connects Cubism and Einstein’s simultaneity to modern architectural perceptions.Contemporary insights from neuroscience, particularly Gallese’s “embodied simulation,” validate these historical intuitions, situating the human experience of architecture in sensory-motor mechanisms (Mallgrave, 2015). Modern challenges arise from “exponential technologies” (Kotler, 2012), necessitating a redefinition of corporeality and the dialogue between body, space, and hyper-technology. This paradigm shift calls for new theoretical categories to navigate and integrate the fragmented perceptual and expressive dimensions of today’s world.