Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings
An illuminating account of how new knowledge about human respiration impacted architectural design in the early twentieth century

Breathing Space is a compelling and wide—ranging analysis of pneumatic phenomena in modern culture. Architect and historian Tim Altenhof brilliantly explores the physiology of breathing and its reciprocal relationship to bodies and buildings, both of which share a common atmosphere. Because breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be willfully overridden, it takes place unconsciously and involuntarily—most of the time. However, beginning in the mid—nineteenth century, attitudes toward breathing changed significantly. Breathing became a widely investigated cultural and physiological phenomenon and was the basis for techniques and bodily practices that heightened pulmonary awareness. New understandings of air pollution and disease stimulated a widespread preoccupation with ventilation, impacting architecture in countless ways. Altenhof’s close readings of built structures show how the science of breathing was incorporated into architecture, whether in the design of factories, residences, or medical facilities. The lungs form a major part of the respiratory system and like no other organ tie the living body directly to its surroundings. Yet the role of lungs also poses a topological problem: engaging in atmospheric transfer, they dissolve the division between inside and outside, and despite being an internal organ, they sustain a permanent and living connection to the external world. This ambiguity and permeability constitute the spatial dimension of breathing.

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Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings
An illuminating account of how new knowledge about human respiration impacted architectural design in the early twentieth century

Breathing Space is a compelling and wide—ranging analysis of pneumatic phenomena in modern culture. Architect and historian Tim Altenhof brilliantly explores the physiology of breathing and its reciprocal relationship to bodies and buildings, both of which share a common atmosphere. Because breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be willfully overridden, it takes place unconsciously and involuntarily—most of the time. However, beginning in the mid—nineteenth century, attitudes toward breathing changed significantly. Breathing became a widely investigated cultural and physiological phenomenon and was the basis for techniques and bodily practices that heightened pulmonary awareness. New understandings of air pollution and disease stimulated a widespread preoccupation with ventilation, impacting architecture in countless ways. Altenhof’s close readings of built structures show how the science of breathing was incorporated into architecture, whether in the design of factories, residences, or medical facilities. The lungs form a major part of the respiratory system and like no other organ tie the living body directly to its surroundings. Yet the role of lungs also poses a topological problem: engaging in atmospheric transfer, they dissolve the division between inside and outside, and despite being an internal organ, they sustain a permanent and living connection to the external world. This ambiguity and permeability constitute the spatial dimension of breathing.

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Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings

Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings

by Tim Altenhof
Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings

Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings

by Tim Altenhof

Overview

An illuminating account of how new knowledge about human respiration impacted architectural design in the early twentieth century

Breathing Space is a compelling and wide—ranging analysis of pneumatic phenomena in modern culture. Architect and historian Tim Altenhof brilliantly explores the physiology of breathing and its reciprocal relationship to bodies and buildings, both of which share a common atmosphere. Because breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be willfully overridden, it takes place unconsciously and involuntarily—most of the time. However, beginning in the mid—nineteenth century, attitudes toward breathing changed significantly. Breathing became a widely investigated cultural and physiological phenomenon and was the basis for techniques and bodily practices that heightened pulmonary awareness. New understandings of air pollution and disease stimulated a widespread preoccupation with ventilation, impacting architecture in countless ways. Altenhof’s close readings of built structures show how the science of breathing was incorporated into architecture, whether in the design of factories, residences, or medical facilities. The lungs form a major part of the respiratory system and like no other organ tie the living body directly to its surroundings. Yet the role of lungs also poses a topological problem: engaging in atmospheric transfer, they dissolve the division between inside and outside, and despite being an internal organ, they sustain a permanent and living connection to the external world. This ambiguity and permeability constitute the spatial dimension of breathing.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781945861116
Publisher: Zone Books
Publication date: 03/10/2026
Pages: 248
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tim Altenhof is an architect and senior scientist in the Department for Architectural Theory and History at the University of Innsbruck.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“You are how you breathe: this is true of humans and their buildings. Breathing and ventilation blur brilliantly here: lungs are carpets and buildings respire. Working across several languages and with a discerning eye for striking analogies and archival treasures—the stunning images alone are worth the price of admission—Tim Altenhof gives modern architectural history its much needed pneumatology.” –John Durham Peters, Maria Rosa Menocal Professor of English and of Film and Media Studies, Yale University

“Take a deep breath—this compelling book uses breathing as a powerful metaphor throughout. From the first chapter which analyzes chimney design through scholarly research –highlighting Mendelsohn's Luckenwalde hat factory – Tim Altenhof goes on to examine Swiss environmental culture designed for air circulation and healing, exploring breathing aesthetics from physiological and psychological angles. Houses become cradles where new ideas are born and breathe. He connects architects from Ledoux to Le Corbusier with historians like Wölfflin and Giedion in their pursuit of precision. Altenhof weaves together medicine, engineering, physics, and architecture across historical periods, unified by a strong visual narrative. Through sophisticated prose, he traces an unexpected journey that will leave readers breathless.” –Maristella Casciato, Senior Curator, Head Architecture Special Collections, Getty Research Institute

“If COVID—19 reissued an alert on the effects of inhalation on human bodies, this book creates awareness of the significance of respiration for modern architectural enclosures. A tour—de—force of cultural history, Breathing Space merges seamlessly architectural history and physiological science as it whiffs its way from the classic treatises of Vitruvius and Alberti to a fresh interpretation of well—known twentieth—century buildings by Mendelsohn, Gropius, and Le Corbusier as the concrete realizations of ‘respiratory modernism’s’ pneumatic operations.” – Spyros Papapetros, Associate Professor of History and Theory of Architecture, Princeton University

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