ABSTRACT
One might consider Viollet-le-Duc as an early “modernist”—decidedly of his time and reticent to cloak contemporary material science and industrial production in ornament. As we see from his quote above, he saw the machinations of style—a mimetic formal response—as a “parasite” on the “necessary means of construction” robbing it of its potential to speak through innovation. This chapter will propose that the tectonic nature of design, its material virtue, its systemic clarity, its acceptance of industrial process, and its commitment to the methods of construction is a fundamentally ripe opportunity for research.
Innovation – today this implies the transformation of a contemporary material or assembly into a new arrangement: novel, original, and inspirational. Exciting as this aspiration may be, it sets a very high benchmark with a concomitant concern: how can one achieve a truly revolutionary breakthrough? With the limited resources of an architecture student, how can I make a contribution to the rapidly changing field of material and structural science? The answer is in the way we state the question; based on the logic that demonstration is a thinking strategy in its own right, we should ask, “How can I demonstrate the use of this new material, this new process, this new system of construction?” Don’t be afraid to ask obvious questions. Shunryu Suzuki, the 20th century monk and teacher reminds us that “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few”. In this chapter we will see how investigating new methods of material assembly; exploring the potential of new structural systems; and demonstrating their ability to transform the shape and configuration of architectural space are examples of how we can develop a research agenda that benefits our understanding of the design of architectural space, and maybe make a contribution to the profession along the way.
