Oublier Domino On the Evolution of Architectural Theory from Spatial to Performance-based Programming

The conception of the architect as form-giver has since historical times dominated the field of architecture. It is precisely this image which has devalued material practice in the distinction between form and matter consistently inherent in architectural discourse. Recent technological developments in the field of design computation, coupled with environmental concerns and philosophical debates have contributed to the shift in focus from form, as the exclusive object of design practice to matter and materials as an alternative approach to the conception of form. Such a shift calls for a reorientation of existing protocols for design generation. Design based upon performance appears to justify and make sensible computational design processes that integrate material properties with structural and environmental constraints. These processes, as demonstrated here, contribute to the elimination of traditional architectural typologies replaced with spatial organization driven by need and comfort. This paper proposes a new approach in design where processes of formgeneration supporting sustainable design solutions are directly informed by structural and environmental constraints. Computational models are developed and implemented that incorporate data-driven form generation. Fabrication tools and technologies are customized to include material properties and behavior. The projects illustrated in this paper are currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art. 1. Modernism: Forgive and Forget 1.1. From Spatial Canons to Material Practice From the early writings of modern theoreticians such as Giedeon, theories of form have dominated the discourse of architectural modernism. Form rather than performance has been the central locus of practice and theoretical discussion. Performance has been significant in its influence upon form, but only as an agency at its service, rather than acting as the origin of creation. This cultural election of form as an indicator of architectural content has not been exclusive. There have been design experimentalists such as Gaudi, Fuller, Prouvé, and Otto for whom research in material and experimentation has been a legitimate field of design activity. However, form has been such a dominant factor in the culture of modern architecture that it has also affected related fields in design and architectural research. We currently appear to be in a period in which the contribution of material experimentation is emerging as a new locus of theory and research in architecture. Formal knowledge and the theoretical dominance of spatial typologies have long promoted a mono-functional approach to architectural design as manifested in the early 20’s with the establishment of the Modern Movement. Le Corbusier’s canonical essay, Five Points for a 1 Giedion, S. Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Fifth Edition, 1941 2 Drew, P., Otto, F. Form and Structure, Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1976. First International Conference on Critical Digital: What Matter(s)? 393