Looking into what may be termed a tradition of architectural phenomenology, and the criticism it has encountered over recent decades, this dissertation contends that the recent attempts to transform and reinvent architectural phenomenology make it urgently necessary to address intersubjectivity in the development of a phenomenological understanding of architecture. Contrary to the widespread interpretation that architectural phenomenology deliberately endorses a specific way of life, a specific account of the body and a specific conception of subjectivity, and is therefore unable to take alterity and novelty into account, the dissertation seeks to demonstrate that architectural phenomenology has instead underplayed the theme of intersubjectivity and underestimated its importance. A phenomenological investigation of intersubjectivity, it argues, contains philosophical insights into alterity and novelty that are highly constructive for architectural theory and practice.The dissertation provides a genealogy of architectural phenomenology, assesses the coherence of its discursive practice and clarifies the notion of intersubjectivity through the support of contemporary phenomenology. It traces this underplayed theme within the tradition by taking two prominent figures, Dalibor Vesely and Ernesto Nathan Rogers, as anchors for contextualisation. Through a critical examination of their theoretical contributions, together with the relevant philosophical problems, it reveals the overlooked potential of architectural phenomenology to address other subjectivities and new works concretely situated in environment and history.In doing so, the dissertation proposes an alternative approach capable of engaging socio-political issues. It concludes by arguing that this approach, grounded in a phenomenological sensitivity to alterity and novelty, signals a significant shift in theorising the communication and production of meaning, and sheds new light on the ongoing polemics surrounding architectural phenomenology.

Qing Liu graduated from Tongji University with a BEng in Architecture in 2015 and a Master of Architecture in 2018. Before joining the Architectural Association, she worked with Rurban Studio in Shanghai on museum competitions and bidding processes across China. She later completed her PhD at the AA. Her research explores the relationship between architecture and philosophy, with particular attention to phenomenology, perception, embodiment and image consciousness.