What is it about?
Paul Frankl was one of the leaders of German architectural history when the Nazi regime closed his position and forced him to emigrate to the United States, where he spent the last two decades of his life. During that period, Frankl significantly developed his thinking about the role of construction (the activities of the lodge) in Gothic architecture. He discovered that construction process was not merely a matter of executing given designs, but the generative framework and creative lifeblood of Gothic.
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Why is it important?
Frankl's provocative but neglected thought about Gothic construction can inspire new interpretations of the creative process of early builders, for example the authors' algorithmic models simulating how Gothic carpenters devised wooden roofs.
Perspectives
When looking at buildings of the past, we easily forget to ask how the builders developed designs that were practicable at the time, and how their ways of doing so may have differed from those of today. Frankl's obsession with questions about the builder makes his thought perpetually fresh.
Dr. Joseph C Williams
University of Maryland at College Park
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This page is a summary of: Paul Frankl and the Physicality of Medieval Design, July 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004731677_007.
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