Theorist

Umberto Eco

1932–2016 Semiotics

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Ritual Memory Exchange Power

Details

Nationality: Italian

Classifications

Holder: Individual
Source of authority: Reason
Subject: Human centred
Mode of transmission: Text drawing
Knowledge type: Propositional
Epistemic cluster: Western philosophical

Notes

[DRAFT] Italian semiotician, medievalist and novelist. His essay 'Function and Sign: The Semiotics of Architecture' (1968, English 1980) treats buildings as systems of signs that communicate beyond their utilitarian function, distinguishing primary (denotative) from secondary (connotative) architectural meaning. His semiotic framework recurs across the Atlas's ritual, memory, exchange and power themes.

Connections

authored Function and Sign: The Semiotics of Architecture
proposed Semiotics of Architecture (Function and Sign)
associated with Postmodern Architecture

Sources

Umberto Eco. A Theory of Semiotics. Indiana University Press, 1976.

Cite this entry

First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026

CLAD. "Umberto Eco." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theorist/umberto-eco/. Accessed July 17, 2026.