The Mathematics of Place: Measure and Geometry, in the Making of Habitat from Palladio to Van der Laan

Wojciech Januszewski

doi:10.2478/he-2025-0034

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The Mathematics of Place: Measure and Geometry, in the Making of Habitat from Palladio to Van der Laan

Środowisko Mieszkaniowe/Housing Environment

Volume 54 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)

By: Wojciech Januszewski

Open Access

|Feb 2026

Abstract

This paper examines the role of mathematical order in the formation of the built environment and its influence on the creation of existential space. It traces theories of architectural proportion from the Renaissance to the 20th century, focusing on Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Palladio, Le Corbusier, and Hans van der Laan. Classical approaches, grounded in the notion of universal harmony, are contrasted with modern perspectives that emphasise visual perception and its part in shaping habitable space. The central argument presents architecture as sub-creation – a creative continuation and complement of natural order. In the context of sustainable development, mathematical order is shown to be capable of integrating built form with landscape, producing environments that are perceptually legible and consonant with the deeper structures of nature.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/he-2025-0034 | Journal eISSN: 2543-8700 | Journal ISSN: 1731-2442

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Language: English

Page range: 38 - 55

Submitted on: Feb 13, 2025

Accepted on: Nov 11, 2025

Published on: Feb 25, 2026

Published by: Cracow University of Technology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

proportions,

geometry,

habitat,

architecture

Related subjects:

Architecture and design,

Landscape architecture,

Landscape architects,

Architecture and design, other

© 2026 Wojciech Januszewski, published by Cracow University of Technology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 54 (2026): Issue 1 (March 2026)