Preface to the English edition
Dear readers, the translation of this book was performed by a friend of our family, Anna Kanunnikova. I am deeply grateful to her for the work.
The author hopes that the proposed direction will contribute to new architectural searches and discoveries.
September 14, 2025
Preface to the 2025 edition
Dear readers, in this edition, two interrelated works on the dialectical architectural concept are published together – "Dialectics of Architecture" (2006, Moscow: Litres, 2024) and "Synthesis of Architectural Form. From Meaning to Concept" (Moscow: Litres, 2023) – as well as "Manifesto…" (2023) and articles on the architectural and aesthetic theme (2024-2025), which are close to them.
In total, the works collected in this edition outline the dialectical foundations of understanding architecture and architectural morphogenesis on the basis of the philosophy and aesthetics of Aleksei Fyodorovich Losev (1893-1988) and the propaedeutics of the school of rationalism of Nikolai Alexandrovich Ladovsky (1881-1941). The author is aware of the controversial nature and the incompleteness of the work started. But at the same time, I agree with the statement by Aldo Rossi that architecture "is developing in many paths.1"
I hope that the book will not only be interesting theoretically, but also useful in the practical search for new forms and ways in modern architectural aesthetics.
I sincerely thank my family, the teachers who taught me, my mentors and my students!
Have a co-creative reading!
Feedback and comments can be sent to email: yuripogudin@archineo.ru
Yuri Pogudin. January 18, 2025
DIALECTIC OF ARCHITECTURE
Preface
The work offered to dear readers was created in 2001-2006 and became the general theoretical basis for the book "Synthesis of Architectural Form. From Meaning to Concept" (2023) that has an applied nature. After several years, the author perceives this first attempt to create a dialectical theory of architecture as successful and imperfect at the same time. But still, after minimal processing of the text written long ago, I have decided to publish it. For those who are already familiar with my publications on the topic of architectural morphogenesis (or architectural form generation), this work may be interesting as a kind of background, and as the development of general dialectical foundations of architecture. It will also be interesting to those who value the work of the great Russian dialectic philosopher Aleksei Fyodorovich Losev as an attempt to develop his ideas in the field of architectural theory.
