Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at architectural details — usually the index of excellent design — as operating in the intimate nexus between design intention and construction, focusing on how that nexus can be interpreted relationally, socially, and non-hierarchically. It examines contemporary architectural tools that organize our design work, specifically parametrics, to explain why this new tool means such different things in different parts of the discipline — speaking to those interested in an avant-garde. The book argues that the architectural cooperatives are a reaction to architecture’s assumption, enforced by antitrust laws, that competition is natural for professional success.