Prepositions of agent show something completed or acted through someone or some other thing. This type of preposition describes the author and the realm of the object, and it explains the means of the action or creation. These prepositions are shared with other preposition types, but the prepositions help describe the main object by the object of the preposition, as a modifier, similar to an adverb or adjective.
The preposition of agent can be used in design straight, as intended, or it can be substituted for another type, as shown before. The house in the field has a very different meaning to a house by the field. This is showing the field is the author of the house. In this example, the house is no longer just an object in the landscape. Instead, it is an object in the landscape that is designed by the field, sharing the same materials, geometries, and essence. Architects that are interested in the spirit of the place would love the house by the field. How did the field make the house? The structure uses the stones from the field, as well as the waddle and daub, which constituent parts are the grasses of the field and its earth. How is the structure similar to the field? The house is flat with small undulations to shed water from its roof, mimicking the land and its surroundings.
Some might ask why the field would make the house, and so it is important to understand the meaning and purpose of the field and the house. The field is there to grow crops or feed animals, and it has been chosen for this by its characteristics and qualities. Some places, like a beach or mountain, are not good for growing plants or sustaining livestock: it is not in their nature, they do something else. Why is the house on the site? To support the individuals working the land to provide the food source. So, it makes sense that the land might design the house. Of course, the land is not a human, so there are liberties, but using the preposition of type not only helps with the understanding of the nature of the house, but also pushes the designer to be especially conscious of how the building matches the site.
Prepositions of agent used in this work are:
About
By
From
With
Prepositions of measure describe how the quantity of something is determined. The structure might be determined by the 2×4 which means something different than a structure by the square foot. The choice of the measurement describes the quality of the object. Someone who is asking about a house and its 2x4s really cares about the construction of the house, but especially about how it is constructed with 2x4s. Whereas, a house by the square foot implies that the viewer or user is desirous of a structure with a large or small area, based on the square foot. There are many ways to measure something, even if the method of measurement is figurative or abstract. A room that is measured by hopes and dreams suggests a space that is important for the production and imagination of ideas and how to implement them.
The use of this type of preposition in design can be with substitution with another type or by manipulating the objects in the phrase. Choosing the measurement units means so much in this type, where the choice of unit determines how the object is viewed. In this way, meaning is in the eye of the beholder, and it is necessary that the one appraising understand the composition and characteristics of the work for the meaning to make sense. One might try to measure a room in pancakes, but if the architect never thought about pancakes in the composition of the space, the imposed meaning is silly. However, it is possible to post-rationalize something or even someone using a lens from a different space or time. If the object exists in the new or extended space or time, then it allowable to do this method of judgement. However, if the one critiquing the structure or space is using characteristics or conditions that are alien to the building or place, then the ideas should not be admissible. Authorship is a form of ownership, and meaning is shared between the two.
Prepositions of measure in this work include:
By
Of
With
The next two types of prepositions are prepositions of source and prepositions of possession. These last three types of prepositions are similar with varying nuances.