2.3.3

Architecture

This chapter addresses architecture as a cultural and visual medium, in which the design process is typically hidden in office archives and the multiple media of design genesis. In modernist architecture, the architect was seen as a visionary genius and a semblance of “purity” was integral to understanding a building’s design. This stands in contrast to how buildings have historically come to be: it neglects the many actors and elements that “construct” the final project, from materials available to local building habits and from contractors to codes and regulations. Revisiting the design process from the perspective of genetic criticism allows a review of the multiple paths that are brought together in a final, working drawing from which the contractor can begin to build. This chapter addresses the pre-construction design phase from initial sketch to final plans in order to reveal how different media intervene in the thought process, and how building cultures express themselves in the result.