Paper short abstract:

Among architects nostalgia is generally considered a regressive emotion exclusively dealing with the past. This paper presents an alternative interpretation in which nostalgia is a directive emotion in re-creating present home-environments or even projecting ideal home situations in the future.

Paper long abstract:

Collective expressions of nostalgia in the West have been interpreted as signs of societal malaise and escapism, indicative of an ill-feeling for the present. Although the notion of loss, or near loss is also at the root of modern nostalgia it does not lead to mourning, but to glorification instead. Modern nostalgia is presented as a collective celebration of the spirit of a past period or a glorification of a traditional way of life, often on the verge of extinction. As such it does not necessarily refer to a self-experienced past. When the history of western architecture is taken into account there is a wealth of evidence that nostalgic glorification is at the root of western art and culture. The international and bicentennial popularity of the so-called Swiss chalet, from Norway to Northern Spain and from the States to Germany may serve as an example to illustrate my point.