ABSTRACT
An ‘architectural intent’ for the Museum of Childhood was defined by far more than dimensional exactitude, referencing conceptual aims, historical homage and the promised economies of digital fabrications. Acting as no more than an opening statement, the specifications for a 6mm mastic joint and a 4mm mortar joint anticipate the limits of precision in defining the quality of a constructed work of architecture. Advocating political, economic and technological engagement with materiality, an emotional resonance is pursued through the pragmatics of architectural practice. The ‘real intention’ may be woven throughout even the most prosaic of instructions in daily architectural practice, as the site where the architectural intent is proposed, argued, negotiated, adapted, agreed and constructed. A comprehensive and precisely written specification, exemplifying all recommendations of contemporary architectural practice, could not fully convey the architectural intent of a smooth façade with fine joints, like marquetry.
