A History of Thresholds : Life, Death & Rebirth

A call for the concept of Thresholds to be reconsidered in modern architecture.

Thresholds are an—often overlooked—anthropological constant found in every era and every culture. From the spatial understanding of Greek antiquity to the establishment of the private sphere in the eighteenth century and the transparency of modern architecture, the threshold has always been a central architectural element. Like a visual symbol of a boundary or a transition, thresholds divide spaces, but are also a connecting element, opening up ways through and across, which have a subtle influence on one’s own perception of space.
It is only in recent decades that thresholds have lost significance as part of our everyday experience with architecture. What remains is a growing emptiness between people and the spaces in which they live.
Sensual City Studio not only provides an inspiring overview of this important architectural stylistic feature from all eras and cultures, but also shows in particular: thresholds can and must be rethought and rebuilt. In this respect, this book is a plea for the renaissance of the threshold and therefore also a manifesto for a human architecture.