Islamic Art

Islamic Art

Comparative Comparison of the Views and Thoughts of Mulla Sadra and Bryan Lawson on Creativity and the Coming-into-Being of the Architectural Work

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Parisa Shahverdy
Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ias.2026.569100.2450
Abstract
In the architectural design process, creativity, as the creative force of the human mind, plays a key role in the emergence of works. The present research aims to reflect on the process of creativity by comparatively comparing two different approaches; the first approach belongs to Bryan Lawson, a contemporary researcher in the field of architecture and psychology, and the second approach relates to the Iranian philosopher Mulla Sadra. The research is of a theoretical-developmental type and has been conducted using a descriptive-analytical method and employing the method of comparison and analogy. Data have been collected qualitatively through library studies. The findings of the research indicate that both thinkers consider creativity to be the result of the interaction between conscious and unconscious activities of the mind, with the difference that Lawson explains the process of creativity in the form of cognitive stages such as engagement with the problem, the incubation period, and the emergence of the idea, while he does not fully clarify the reason and ultimate origin of the emergence of the idea. In contrast, Mulla Sadra, relying on the foundations of Transcendent Philosophy, considers creativity to be an existential process in which the idea is formed in the levels of perception and the imaginal world and, in a gradual journey from potentiality to actuality, leads to the objective realization of the work. The results of the research indicate that the difference between Lawson's and Mulla Sadra's views is not merely a difference in the method of analysis, but is rooted in two fundamentally different conceptions of the creation of the architectural work; one with a problem-oriented and cognitive approach, and the other with an ontological and meaning-oriented perspective. This distinction can provide a theoretical basis for rethinking the concept of creativity and how the architectural work is realized, especially within the framework of Islamic architecture and art.
Research Objectives:


Explaining and deepening the theoretical understanding of creativity and the process of creating the architectural work based on a comparison of the views of Mulla Sadra and Bryan Lawson.


Utilizing the research findings to enhance designers' awareness and improve educational approaches regarding the process of creating the architectural work.


Research Questions:


How is the nature of creativity and the process of the coming-into-being of the architectural work explained in the thoughts of Mulla Sadra and Bryan Lawson?


Regarding creativity and the coming-into-being of the architectural work from the perspective of Bryan Lawson and Mulla Sadra, what commonalities and differences exist?
Keywords
Creativity
Architectural Design Process
Bryan Lawson
Mulla Sadra
Islamic Wisdom and Art
Subjects
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