R. M. Schindler's theory of space architecture and its theoretical application to his Space Development of 1945

Rudolph Michael Schindler has been known as the first and foremost space architect, in his own words, whose devotion to space as defining architecture remained vital and remarkably consistent throughout his professional career. The purpose of this article is systematically to interpret Schindler's theory of space architecture, and then to discuss his theoretical project: Space Development. The first part investigates Schindler's underlying forms of conception. For Schindler, forms of architecture begin with the space architect's process of thinking, shaping, and feeling the building in the mind. Using a recently uncovered series of Schindler's 1916 lecture notes, from the Schindler archive at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), the investigation presents a new and critical examination of his theory. The second part interprets his theoretical project, Space Development, to strengthen the understanding of Schindler's notion of space architecture. Along with Space Development, Schindler also evolved two related projects in the same year, sharing the same compositional logic. This article further examines the spatial paradigm pertinent to his Space Development, investigates its relationship to two other designs, and demonstrates how his design theory became further clarified and strengthened through it in the final phase of his career.