Yale University, School of Architecture

Diagrams
Author(s): Douglas Graf
Source: Perspecta, Vol. 22, Paradigms of Architecture (1986), pp. 42-71
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567093 .
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42 Diagrams Douglas Graf

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The reductiveaspect of analysis- etymo-
logically, the "loosening" of a buildinginto
its constituentpieces and relationships-
inevitablycreates, among its products,an
element of loss. The act of analysis incor-
poratesthe activity of losing as a result of
the transformationit performson a build-
ing, removing it from the firm position of
artifactto the more uncertainterritoryof
artifice. As the object of analysis, the build-
ing is reduced to information,information
is reducedto invention, and inventionto
interpretation.The process wrests the build-
ing from the tangible world of the specific,
complete but unclear, and deposits it as
fragments,clear but incomplete, in the in-
tangible world of the general, a world in
which genera become central. The pro-
cess of analysis involves a review of the
fragmentsin a search of opportunitiesfor
It is clearly impossible to fully "know" a
building. We can only understandit as a
simultaneouslymanifestedgroupof diverse
abstractions,a reduction, a series of frag-
ments, the boundariesand propertiesof
which have a tendency to drift and expand,
causing any enumerationof constituent
parts to beg for constantrevision under
the scrutinyof the eye, the testimony
of the object, the analysis of active cogni-
tion, the reflectionof subjectivediscovery,
or to whateverone might subscribeas the
source of the need for interpretation.At the
same time it seems even more difficultto
understand,let alone fully "know," the
fundamentalnatureof the abstraction
"architecture"- if, in fact, it has one - since
physically it can only be manifestedby spe-
cific, discontinuousobjects. The necessity
of searching for the general in specific
instances is a condition createdby the
unyielding presence of the object and the
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recognition, a "re-cognition"that acknowl-
edges familiarityand abandonsthe specific
as a mere vehicle for manifestingthe mean-
ing in the general.
Thus the readerof buildingshas an immedi- a legitimate type form, against which the
ate need for a referenceto the recurringand similar, the almost, and the barelyrecogniz-
familiar, the genera that standbehindthe
artifactbut are central to architecture.The
characteristicsof these genera may be dis-
covered throughquestions concerningtheir in essence inimical to architecturalmanip-
situation inside history, their discretelimi-
tations in numberor their perceptualor
cognitive natures, their timelessness or gen- orthodoxy stands mute in instancesof
eration in endless profusion, their range of
operation, and their relationships to each
other, among others. In effect, all these
questions deal with issues of type, and
some resolution would presumablyresult
in a generally availableoperanttypology.
While we wait for the heraldedbut some-
what tardy appearanceof such a typology,
some benefit may be gained by reviewing
potentialdifficulties of using type as an in-
terpretivestrategy.
perceptionof it. The goal of ordering
(bringing "specificity" to the general)is
conditional to the existence of the subject
and cognition.
The difficulty of resolutionseems to spurus
on to ever greaterartifice, wanderingbe-
tween the extremes of primacyfor the
specific, which may be characterizedas
"romanticism,"and primacyfor the general
or, with equal license, "classicism." Within
these extremes interpretivestrategicsfor
formal analysis range from those that use
typologies of elemental componentsfor the
former to those that use typologies of con-
figurationalorganizationfor the latter. For
the process of analysis, it would be useful
to have availablean "interpreter,"a device
that could simultaneouslynegotiatebetween
a series of opposing propositions,between
typologies that identify the organizationand
those that identify the components,between
the specific qualities of the buildingand the
general qualities of architecture,between
processes of cognition and processes of
perception, and between the dynamismof
operationand the stasis of configuration.
This is the role of the diagram.
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Among the difficultiesposed by type-a
concept that has replacedthe anxiety of
originality with the anxiety of origin-is
the decision concerningthe criteriathat
must be presentto allow the recognitionof
able will always be in varying stages of
revolt. The "proper"manifestationof type
develops the notion of an orthodoxythat is
ulation and to the specificity of a build-
ing as opposed to "building." Such an
hybridization,where typologies of form
must give way to typologies of operation.
Additionally, its proposalfor certainty
of recognition stands in opposition to
the "strongreader's"revisionismand
reinterpretation.
The diagramas intermediaryloosens rather 43
than loses, developing its attributesfrom
both aspects of opposing dualisms and thus
presentingratherthan representing,explain-
ing ratherthan embodying. The proposalof
the diagramis tentativeand temporary.It
makes more apparentthe processes of type
referencingthat propose strength,certainty,
and origin and that establishthe "lateness"
of the activity of readingbuildings, at
the same time providingfor the endless
reinspectionof the specific attributesof a
building. Such ongoing examinationex-
poses weakness, uncertainty,and originality
and establishes the revisionarycharacterof
interpretation.The diagram,then, can be a
simultaneousdiscussion both of the thing
itself and of what it manifests. This feature
 establishes the possibility of a dialogue not
only between object and type, but also be-
tween types and between typologies.
Diagrammingcan investigatethe relation-
ship between fundamentalelements and
fundamentalforms. If point, line, plane,
and volume can be seen as a "micro-
typology" of components, center and pe-
rimeter may be an equivalentlyprimitive
typology of figure. Since all objects can
be diagrammedas "points" (for example,
Beijing in relationto the GreatWall), even
such a simple system tends to collapse
into the singularidentityof two "Ur-
types" -point and center. Alternately,
the system may be seen to spawnthe imme-
diate subsets of center componentsand
perimetercomponents, point and volume
forming the first group and line and plane
the second (fig. 1).
44 E16metrS
.-P e7 17
2
Temple of Athena Nike,
Athens, 427-424 B.C.,
Kallkrates
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The diagramcan also investigatethe
link between the original elements of a
hybridized form. The collision of "column-
wall," for example, spawns a series of
diagrammaticsyntheses, rangingfrom a
"wall" of columns, in which a groupof
columns manifests a plane, to an inter-
ruptedplane, the fragmentsof which
suggest columns. A building may indicate
both, as do the facades of the Temple of
Athena Nike and especially the vestibule
perimeterof the LaurentianLibrary,where
a continuous change of state from column
to wall and back is evident (figs. 2, 3, 4).
The Temple facade facing the city both rein-
terpretsand signs for the Propylaeumby
CE"WER eggIMe-rgR
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13 A
3
4
Laurentian Library,
Florence, 1526, vestibule,
Michelangelo
offering the juxtapositionof closure and ac-
cess. The vestibule of the Libraryoffers
either the access of a cortile or the protec-
tion of an exterior wall. Like a partially
frozen lake, its surface shifting back and
forth from solid to liquid, the activity of the
packed columns oscillates with the passive
unity of the planarwall surfaces. Insteadof
suggesting the easy transformationfrom
one element to another,a "column-wall"
can present its components in a more con-
frontationalsetting. For example, "entry"
may be seen as a two-componentsynthesis
of barrierand procession. Barrier, as a wall
separatingspace A from space B, can ac-
commodate entry as a specific exception to
a general condition. Procession, as a plane
separatingroute A from area B, can accom-
modate entry as one more event in an
episodic chain-as a link ratherthan a
break. Two columns could be a possible
representation,establishing simultaneously
a transitionalplane into which they are in-
corporatedto delineate differenceand a
A'
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processionalplane which they flank, to
markthe continuity of the path (fig. 5).
Examplesof this diagramrange from
aggressivejuxtaposition to accommodative
integration.The former is in evidence at the
propylaeaof Egyptiantemple compounds
(fig. 6)-compound in this instancebeing
a doubly appropriateterm, since dia-
grammaticallybarrierand procession are
juxtaposedin the mannerof a split screen.
Integrativeaccommodationis the strategy
pursuedon the entry facade of the Vanna
Venturihouse (fig. 7). In both cases the
doorwayis in opposition to the idea of bar-
rier, createdby the plane as fact on the
lowerhalf of the facades, but is in easy
agreementwith the idea of procession, sup-
portedby the double pylons that also
PRoc,ssloo
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Temple of Horus, Edfu,
Egypt
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establish the plane as fiction. Both build-
ings also evidence maximum"grommeting"
above the portal;this device reinforcesthe
special characterof the center and, more
important,provides for the simultaneityof
two readings. The first is as one wall, with a
void at the bottom edge of the facade, iso-
lated as a ground-relatedexceptional figure
in an otherwise continuousplane. The sec-
ond is as twin pylons, a duality promising
easy passage by defining center as absence
ratherthan object; this absence is not an-
tagonistic to the pylons' integrity;it is, on
the contrary,its result. The voided spaces
above and below the lintel are thus both the
same and worlds apart, that above being a
nothing and that below being a something
(fig. 8).
To an extent, then, these facades sharea
diagrammaticstructure,and the same could
be said of the plan form. But the diagram
that clearly differentiatesthem shows the
opposing natureof the space enclosed by
the perimeterwalls. Edfu is void-centered
4m
VannaVenturiHouse,
ChestnutHill,
Pennsylvania,1962,Robert
Venturi
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
and axial, while the Venturihouse is object-
centered and centripetal. One establishes a
precinct that is object-vacated,while the
other provides a precinctthat is object-
inhabited.
The recurringthemes of presence-absence,
barrier-passage,and opposites-equalssug-
gest the usefulness of a diagrammatic
model that displays its categorizingprocess
and its elements simultaneously,a sort of
display rack for elements, a primitivehut
for diagrams. A combinationof the
"microtypologies" of compositionand con-
figurationreveals that the basic components
form spaces that fall between the two ex-
tremes of precinct space, in which the
boundariesare certain, and vicinity space,
in which the center is certain. Essentially
the palazzo-villa argument,this combina-
tion differentiatesbetween object as
45
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 perimeterand object as center. One would Module can be considered a more complex In some way, then, each of these figures
establish the certaintyof containmentbut form of perimeter, since it is composed of calls for the generationof the other three.
lack the quarry;the other, stressing the cer- figures that void center and are adamant Modules create axes, which result in inter-
tainty of occupation, would generatea zone about precinct; intersectionmay be seen as section; intersectiongives rise to center;
of influence with sure center but indetermi- a restatementof center, since it similarly center provides vicinity, which promotespe-
nate edge, creatingon each hand an anxiety establishes vicinity. The figures can also be rimeter, which in turn creates module (fig.
of absence that would be mutuallyad- diagrammedas manipulatedversions of 12). The last link results in two arguments.
dressed by the opposing subset. These two center-perimeter,although, dependingon Although consistency of perimeter(circle)
figures may thereforebe seen separatelyas the operation, either of this pair may be argues for center, inconsistencyof perim-
opposing configurations;and yet, when they assigned the maternalrole. Thus, intersec- eter creates "microprecincts"in terms of
are combined, they appearas a unified tion can be viewed as perimetercollapsed enclosure and "microcenters"in terms of
whole composed of two mutuallyreferenc- or center extended, while module would be figure. If the continuity of a perimeteris
ing pieces that assist in the generationof generatedby the multiplicationof center or strainedby sufficient aberration,the line is
each other (fig. 9). division of perimeter,in each case the fragmentedto a degree and a new figure
operationsthemselves being pairedin op- emerges. This may be the corner, which
These figures can also been seen as the position: multiplication-divisionand possesses the characteristicsof dispersed
relationshipbetween unity and closure. A extension-collapse (fig. 11). centers; alternately,the new figuremay be
parallel system of opposing figures, inter- found within the enclosure, the module,
section versus module, can be generatedby with some of the characteristicsof a frag-
the operations of division and multipli- mented precinct (fig. 13). The point at
cation (fig. 10). Both are necessarily which perimeterbecomes module is a per-
composed of multiple elements, again sistent moment in architecture,not merely
graspableas inverses of each other;but they in its manifestationas comer, but more
also form special subsets of the first system. clearly in the generationand fusion of new
centers and new precincts. Emphasison the
former is exemplified by the Chateaude
Chambord(figs. 14, 15) and on the latter
by the amazing public buildingson
Freudenstadt'scentral square(fig. 16).

46
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Ch4teau de Chambord,
begun 1519, exterior

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 An example of the phenomenonof pro- These four organizationaldiagrams, each
gressive configurationalgenerationcan of which, althoughhaving specific charac-
be found at San Carlo alle QuattroFontane teristics, contains the suggestion of the
(fig. 17). In its cloister the cornersbegin to other three, contributetheir distinguished
exact the characteristicsof module. The yet interrelatedpartsto a unified whole. It
plan of the churchitself continuesthe se- is interestingthat in combinationthese fig-
quence accordingto the earlierargument: ures form a familiarpatternin Western
perimeterto module to intersectionto cen- culture with clear cosmological overtures,
ter (fig. 18). While the modules emerge the paradisegarden. One is temptedto read
from the perimeterof the cloister, they are San Carlo, therefore, as a dissected version
of receding importancein the sanctuary, of paradise, a diagramconnecting figure
where the cross-axis of intersectionis and component.
emergent and the center ever imminent.
Thus, the series may be seen as a para-
digmatic generatorof the churchitself, a
space in which perimeterand module dance
to the tune of axes and center (a theme
suitably enthronedin the coffering of the
dome), and conversely in the cloister,
forming an exploded, episodic version of
these relationships.

47
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16
St#dtldrche, Freudenstadt
Square, 1601-1609, .
'
exterior from northwest,
Heinrich Schickhardt

18

17
San Carlo alle Quattro
Fontane, Rome,
1638-1641, plan, Francesco .#*
Borromini

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 19
Villa Rotunda, Vicenza,
c1550, plan, section,
Andrea Palladio

P 30

48

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If these four figures constitutean unavoid-
able, thoughprimitive, typologicaluniverse,
their analytical value requiresthem to be
"found" in some combinationvirtually
everywherein ways that, when diagrammed,
seem interpretivelyvaluable. For buildings
such as the Villa Rotunda,the diagram-
matic applicationof these figuresin a
search for meaning may seem an exercise
in reaffirmingconvention. Since diagrams
promote endless reinspection,however,
the possibilities remainof findingcracks
within the categories of similarityand
type throughwhich even buildingssuch as
Rotundaproduce endless reinterpretation
and invention.
In all the progeny spawnedby Villa Ro-
tunda one set of elements is usually absent;
the wing walls with incorporatedarchesthat
flank the porticoes seem to be found super-
fluous or inappropriateand are edited out
(figs. 19, 20). Their presence, however,
provides opportunityfor revisionist dia-
gramming. These aggressive elements make
several claims. One is kinship with the
colonnade, underscoredby recordproximity,
a sort of intensifiedAthena Nike. Another
is an ambiguous identificationwith the
perimeterwall of the main block; it both is
and is not a continuationof the perimeter
wrapper.Given the possibility that it is not,
a third claim can be made, for an exposed
segment of a wall slicing throughthe facade
of the squareblock-in fact, partof a
completely independentbuilding all but
submergedwithin the larger squarevolume.
Thus, Villa Rotundacan be read as the
juxtaposition of three buildings, two
rectangulartemple forms and one square
Renaissance block, superimposedon one
another.This device is not uncommonto
the interpretationof Palladio'secclesiastical
architecture(fig. 21). Corollaryarguments
can indicate a "history" of imposition,
based on the interiorplan and the notion
that earlier figures are obscuredby later
ones (fig. 22). This may be a "history" of
attrification,based on the notion that the
perimeterof the squareis the ultimate
determinantof pure volume, suggesting that
the porticoes representa disintegrationof
the perimeterwalls of the two rectangles
(fig. 23). Alternately,it may be a "history"
of centralization, a Manneristattackon the
consistency of Renaissancespace. Positing
equal density for the volumes of the three
enclosures results in the doubling and tri-
pling of densities in the overlapsculminat-
ing in the explosive generationof the
central volume (fig. 24). Its "belated"
appearanceoffers both the stasis of the
paradise garden and the instabilityof
revision, arguing for center as the generator
ratherthan the result.

49

21

20 22
Villa Rotunda, Vicenza,
exterior, Andrea
clSSO50,
Palladio

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 If Villa Rotundaoffers revision by addition, uncanny resemblanceto nasal passages.
Foscari provides it by removal. Again the Thus, a reinventionof Foscari is provided
building can be seen as a superimposition by a diagramthat reinterpretsthe elements
of figures with a resultantcenter. The front and assigns them the roles of generatorand/
portico seems to slice effortlessly through or resultant, creating a history, a cataclysm,
the villa block, and the main salon is con- and a revision, which move the building
figured by their intersection(figs. 25, 26). away from the paradisegardenas "Ur-
The rearfacade, however, has been sliced type" as well as propellingit towardthe
off, as a conquistadorwould cut off an type, locked in a world neitherspecific
Aztec's nose, leaving a facade as scar tissue, nor general.
seeking an uneasy integrationwith both
perimetervolumes, and providingan oppor-
tunity for exit by the center space, always in
competition with the perimeterfor the role
of supreme object (fig. 27). It also creates
an excellent opportunityfor the introduc-
tion of thermalwindows, which underscore
the unusual quality of this membraneand
perhaps reflect the former volumetriccon-
nection across the wall as well as bearingan

50

26
Villa Foscari, Malcontenta,
1559-1560, river front,
Andrea Palladio

27

25
Villa Foscari,Malcontenta,
1559-1560, plan, Andrea
Palladio

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 In Rotundaand Foscari, an element was
selected from which to springthe diagrams-
the wing walls and the gardenfacade
respectively. In the case of Chiswick, the
amazing porch may be used as a point of
departure(figs. 28, 29). The T-shaped
porch plan extends the perimeterfacade to
the central space of the building and dra-
matically replaces the experience of the
entry portal with a gaping absence, a sort
of Egyptiantemple front layeredin plan.
The linear disposition of rooms along
the perimeter,the de-emphasisof center
along the gardenfacade, togetherwith the
peculiar entrance, seem to arguethat this
centralizedbuilding is really a bent bar, a
simple linear element caught in the process
of becoming perimetrical,creatinga new
center that is, ambiguously,both integral
and exterior to it. If the rotundais seen as
a resultantvoid, the temple frontbecomes
a bridge between the two ends of the bar;
if the rotundais a generatingcenter, the
temple front becomes its expressionon the
exterior, a manifestationof its ability to
communicatedirectly with the landscape,
independentof the perimeter(fig. 30).
Thus, in both Villa Rotundaand Chiswick,
the center can be rediagrammedas not
original to the scheme but a developmentof
it, an evolutionaryadditionen route to the
stasis of "completion." The actualattain-
ment of this state would, of course, resultin
the complete loss of individuationfor the
building, which would become subsumedin
the generality of the type form.

51

29
Chiswick House,
Middlesex, FngnInd, 1727,
exterior, Lord Burlington

-30
30

t-gW- l-I-

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 Inspiredby the comparativedifferencesbe-
tween those two buildings, a cycle of type
forms may be diagrammedin which center
and perimeterare seen as the dominantop-
posing configurationsand which develops
the themes of juxtaposition,capture,sub-
jugation, integration,domination,escape,
independence, and absence (fig. 31).
Although there are probablyan infinite
numberof such cycles, for whateverthemes
and figures, the importanceis that any one
of them can establish a kinship of interpre-
tations of a single building as well as a
diverse set of buildings. This kinshipis evi-
denced not only among those buildingsthat
show a configurationalsimilarity,but also
among radicallydivergentbuildings, which
can share a single diagramor sequential
adjacency.Thus, CrownHall (fig. 31i) is
related to the Domus Aurea (fig. 31f),
which in at least one instancesharesa dia-
grammaticidentity with Villa Foscari (fig.
3 le), both of which just fall shortof Vaux
le Vicomte (fig. 31g).

52
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It would be ludicrousto arguethat any
building respondsto a single diagram,since
diagrams articulateargumentsfor certain
characteristicsof a building and ignore
others, and these same characteristicscan
supportadditionalargumentsand additional
diagrams. The notion that a buildingcan
supportbut a single diagramis unsupported
by even functionalor programmaticconsid-
erations and ignores the endlessly inventive
capacities of reading and reinterpreting.
Thus it is difficultto imagine a buildingthat
does not suggest multiple diagrams,regard-
less of its apparentsimplicity. A building
such as the Kimball Art Museum (fig. 32),
for instance, may be regardedas an as-
semblage of module, (fig. 33a) a perimeter
containing object, or (fig. 33b) a grid with
column clusters demarkingthe intersection
(fig. 33c). It is the simultaneousexistence
of at least these which provides the building
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with its richness of meaning. The garden dominance at Villa Rotundainto the relative
courts may be seen as voids in scheme 1 eclipse of the transverseaxis at Chiswick.
and solids in scheme 2. In scheme 3 the The result is similarto the partialcollapse
courts seem superfluous.In readingor ex- of a simple perimeteror the partialexpan-
periencing the building, these conflicting sion of a simple intersection,a position
perceptionscause constantconceptualshift- intermediateto complete focus on the one
ing, perhapsinsuringthat the viewer will hand and complete dispersalof focus on the
grapple with the building'sfundamentalpre- other (fig. 34). It would be a useful device
cepts, and perhapsstressing the structure to begin the dispersalof a precinctorgani-
that underlies architecturein general, the zation into the largerlandscape, while
latter including the searchfor classes of fig- avoiding the singularcenter, which greatly
ures, of elements, and of operationsand reduces the possibilities of defining, much
their diagrammaticrelationships. less ordering, the near ground.
Just as buildings are open to multiple
configuralinterpretation,within a single
diagramthe elements can have a shifting
series of roles and emphasis. At Chiswick,
for example, the diagramproposes multiple
opportunitiesfor the role of center. Three
of these are (1) the centralroom on the gar-
den facade (which, as the center of the bar,
can claim originality);(2) the rotunda;and
(3) the portico, which so aggressivelycen-
tralizes the entry facade. The combined
effect of these is to stretch "center"along
one axis, transformingthe subtle axial
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35

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 Such is essentially the diagramfor Vaux-le- is juxtaposed to the river, it respondsby de-
Vicomte, which explodes the enclosed gar- composing in an effort to accommodateand
den along an axis and into the landscape reconfigureto the demandsand complexi-
(figs. 35, 36). The perimetersremainfixed ties of a largerlandscape. The juxtaposition
along two sides; the northis definedby the creates a new dominantaxis along which
road and the axis of the service buildings, the original figure deforms, providingcen-
and the south by the river'sedge. Otherele- ter for a largerlandscapewhile leaving the
ments are located only with respect to these old precinct as a datum, a vestige of a con-
two edges and the centralaxis which medi- dition before this "history"began to evolve
ates between them. The encapsulatednature (figs. 37, 38).
of the court of honor from which the cha-
teau seems to withdraw,the similarityin
dimension between the forecourtand the
moated island, the curious wing walls that
bind the moat to the forecourt,the organi-
zation of the gardens, and the organization
of the chateauitself, all supportthe fol-
lowing diagrammaticproposal. It suggests
that when an initial perimetricalbuilding

35
Vaux-le-Vicomte, Vaux-le-
Vicomte,France,
1656-1660, site plan, Louis
Le Vau

36
Vaux-le-Vicomte,Vaux-le-
Vicomte,France,1656-
1660,exterior,LouisLe
Vau

55

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 Thus the positioning of the river against the
chateaucan be interpretedas introducing
time into the diagram, especially given the
river's organizationas it passes throughthe
garden. Not only does it establish a direc-
tion by its flow-a was, now, and will be;
it is also born and suffers death at the two
edges of the garden. Birth is signaled by the
circularcollection basin to the east, around
which there is a gentle ford; death is shown
by the dramaticcontrastof the cascade, at
which point the river simply slides off the
edge of the earth onto the rocks and into
the darkHades of the forest below. As the
chateau moves towardthis new element
of time, its figure is deformed, marking
its passage from the ideal to the real, the
timeless to the timely, and the static to the
dynamic. Like a diagram, it is caughtbe-
tween a world in which things happenand a
world in which things are, a world of mak-
ing and a world of origins. The gardenitself
is composed by a series of proposalsfor
a new center (fig. 39); since these move
across the landscapewith the viewer, they
always establish the notion of centrality
as the domain of the presentandjust
as quickly demolish it as folly by the
provision of a new perspectiveand its
attendent revision.

37
Vaux-le-Vicomte, Vaux-le-
Vicomte, France, 1656-
1660, plan, Louis Le Vau

56

??__
_I__?_

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The attainmentof constantillusion in a
landscape of such presumedclarity and
composed of such pedestrianelements
marksVaux-le-Vicomte'sunrivaledposition.
The serial positioning of centers along the
axis allows for the constantreevaluationof
the significance of a numberof positions.
The diagramsdescribingthe experience of
the garden, however, also coincide with
those of its reconception, since recon-
ception is so adamantlyproposedby its
experience. Thus, the experientialcenters
of the gardenoccupy the same places in
space as the centers for the garden-as-
history occupy in "time." If the chateau
was originally the center of a paradisegar-
den, it has left this special precinctto
command the domains of a series of
vicinities, contrastingthe past vicinity (fig.
39a) with the presentvicinity (fig. 39b).
A I
1.
P -
I-
. -1
mf
I^
I
_I
38
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That this all will end at the river seems
assuredby the squarebasin along the canal,
where the edge on the south side (estab-
lished by a recognizablyclassical wall of
fountain and sculpture,a sort.of intrusion
into the age of heroes) is pairedwith the
GrandeCascade to the north, an element
that seems to take basementretainingwalls
as its motif (an offering from the age of
contractors).Thus a position for the cha-
teau is alreadyin preparation(fig. 39e),
leaving the fountainto denote centeras
midway between beginning and end (fig.
39c), and the watertable at the end of the
Allee d'Eau to markthe point at which the
A 0
39
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
distance from the end is the same as it is
"now" from the beginning, a sort of end
minus one (fig. 39d), establishingits af-
finity with the chateauby allowing the moat
to be reinterpretedas an identicalpool in
which the chateauis sitting. The diagram-
matic thrustof this axis of history extends
across the river to a place outside of time
yet within its gaze, an Arcadianlandscape
of mythology, introducedto us by the fig-
ures in the grotto and inhabitedby the
enormous statue of Hercules, a redundant
deus ex machinawho providesboth the mo-
tive power necessary to drive the mobile
chateau and furthertestimonyto the charac-
ter of this sanctuary.His position affordsa
new perspectiveof the garden,revealinga
model of history as contrivance,a tilted of-
fering on the platterof fiction, fixed on the
axis between certaintyand myth.
57
. ,'
P E F
 The building itself offers the readingof a
differentiatedpiece emerging as a new inde-
pendent center-gardenpavilion, a scheme
relentlessly pursuedby the Germanbaroque
(fig. 34). As a basic diagram,this notion of
the gradualdifferentiationamong pieces or
a single undifferentiatedpiece is relatively
common. Within the sanctuaryof Asklepios
at Pergamon(fig. 40), for example, a se-
quence of four buildings along the eastern
interiorfacade can be interpretedas a pro-
gression from perimetricalorganizationto
central, from orthagonalto radial, and from
dependentto independent.In the series the
final temple can be seen as a responseto the
diagonal of the sanctuary'srectangularpe-
rimeter, and thus as a terminationof the
sequence, or as the generatorof the diago-
nal, and thus the origin of the sequence. It
can also be seen as the productof the sanc-
tuary's "history," an object generatedby a
pavilion machine (fig. 41).

58

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A similar diagramcan be discernedat the
Meeting House for the Salk Institute(figs.
42, 43). South of the centralprecinctthe
rooms depend on the centerbanquethall for
their organizationand size (fig. 44a). To
the east, though their organizationis still
dependent, the rooms begin to indicate in-
dependence from the facade (fig. 44b). To
the northeastthe bar as a series of cells is
replaced by the cell as object, a square
composition in direct confrontationto the
central precinct (fig. 44c). To the northwest
a new series of objects (fig. 44d) is sprung
in contrastto the previous square,using its
corners to spawn new objects, the interior
geometrics of which become radialand in-
dividuatedonce the thresholdof the central
banquethall is breached, treatingthe or- compared to the hyperarticulatednorthwest
thagonal geometry as a fragmentingshell. dining rooms, while the east-west axis jux-
The motif is reversedto the west, where the taposes the beginnings of articulationat the
shells become radial and self-interestedand bar of guest rooms with the ending of articu-
the organizationarounda common centeris lation at the departingreadingrooms (fig.
abandonedin favor of more ambiguous 46). The sequence is preventedfrom un-
abutment.Between these last elements, raveling furtherby the gardenedge and the
comprising the readingrooms, and the cen- auditorium,object fragmentsthat restorea
tral banquethall, lies the library,a space semblance of perimeterand readdressthe
literally poised between two worlds. The underarticulatedbar, subtly implying that
world of the object, the independentcenter, the bar as perimeter,ratherthan the central
and vicinity is embodied in the reading hall, is generator(fig. 47).
rooms, in contrastto that of the place, the
enclosing perimeter,and the precinct, as de-
fined by the central hall. The contrastis
dramaticallyenhancedby the strong asser-
tion that the libraryis also to be seen as
identical to the emerging bar on the op-
posite side, except that it is in the process
of being vacatedby its cells, which thus
achieve figuralindependence(fig. 45). The
central hall is bisected by axes that establish
both equivalence and differenceon the sur-
roundingsides; the underarticulatedbar is

..... '''''''- ' 'I'''-'-'- ------------

43
Salk Institutefor Biological
Studies,La Jolla,
California,1959-1965,
courtyard,LouisI Kahn

42
Salk Institutefor Biological
Studies,La Jolla,
California,1959-1965,
first-floorplan, LouisI
Kahn

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 -4
^_~~~~~~~~~~~~~
n- n ?o
ele
ool 59
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45 ?)

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46

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 The notionof diagrammatic evolutioncan
be presentin verymodestways. Somewhat
the oppositeof whatprevailsat the Salk
Instituteis evidencedat LaTourette(fig.
48). The unrulyindependence of the visi-
tors'chambersandporter'slodgeis checked
only by the commonaccessspine,theirpe-
rimetersremainingtotallyself-serving.
Alongthe eastern,southern,andwestern
extentsof theenclosingblockinterimspaces
becomesimplesegmentsof a largervolume
exceptfor the refectoryandkitchen,in
whichthe spacesencompasstheentire
widthof the volumeandthe structures be-
come orderedto the spacesandcelebratory
of them,ratherthanindependent or indif-
ferent.The sanctuarymarksthe complete
fusionof spacewithenvelopeandstructure
withperimeterwalls(fig. 49). Thesefour
conditionsof internalorganization maybe
thought of as of
expression the individual,
submissionof the individual,community,
andunion,all perhapsforminga spatial
metaphorfor the religiousvocation.

60

W I~~~~~~~4
.

48

49 J

48
La Tourette,Eveaux-sur-
Arbreuse,France,
1956-1959,plan and
exterior,Le Corbusier

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In searching for the paradisegarden, dia-
grammaticevolution need not be a modest
proposition. The Villa Savoye (fig. 50),
for example, might seem less than fruitful
territoryin this regard;but with a little
madness the figures emerge in profusion.
If the ramp is seen as the folding of one
arm of a cross-axis onto itself, a reading
supportedby the adjacenciescreatedat
each end of the ramp(figs. 51, 52), this
withdrawalessentially moves a notion of
center along the axis of the building, as in
Vaux-le-Vicomteor Chiswick, from the
pinch of the ramp againstthe east facade
(fig. 53a) throughthe rampas object cen-
ter (fig. 53b), circulationas intersection
(fig. 53c), and the salon as voided center
(fig. 53d) to the west facade in its display
of the U-plan union (fig. 53e). Intersection
as center proposes four modules. Two are
0so
Vimla
Savoye,Poissy,France,
1929-1930,exterior,
Le Corbusier
51
VillaSavoye,Poissy,France,
1929-1930, first-floorplan,
Le Corbusier
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unified by the expanse of the salon, partof
which, with the kitchen, forms the "food"
quarter,the remainderbeing the "living"
quarter(fig. 54). The bedroomscomprise
the thirdmodule and the terracegardenthe
fourth, its occupation by the study reinvok-
ing the garden-integratingstrategy,in which
the villa pushes a representativepartof it-
self towardthe largerlandscapeto become
a gardenpavilion, as at Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Thus the study itself becomes anothercan-
didate for center, all but isolated in the
gardenby the major axis and especially as
it readdressesthe salon and establishesa
solid-to-void connection between them,
not unlike the libraryat Salk (fig. 55). Si-
multaneouslythis opposition supportsthe
perimeterin an argumentthat the study and
salon are part of a continuumand that Sa-
voye is a perimetricalscheme in which a
bent bar "becomes" the precinctit soughtto
define (fig. 56). In a series of evolutionary
steps the isolated figure of the object as
solid (the study) metamorphosesinto the
figure of the object as void (the salon and,
in extreme, the terrace), transposingthe
composition from a state of isolation to one
of integration.
r~--
I
I
I
I
I
i *
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II
51
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
A more radical searchfor the paradisemotif
in Savoye could again incorporatethe acute
disruptionof the free plan by the rampin
additionto the argumentof the elevations,
especially the remarkablyodd-man-outeast
facade. Since the terracehas alreadybeen
seen as integralto the bar scheme, rather
than as residualspace, the villa becomes a
U plan; if bent back without mercy, it would
form a "palazzo," with interiorcortile and
central entry (fig. 57). Thus Savoye can be
categorized as a revisionist villa, negating
its antecedentsas it extends them, in that it
removes villa as type and makes it a subset
of its opposite, villa as "antipalazzo."As a
diagram, it splits and pushes entry to the
peripheryand restorescenter as a series of
events along the dominantaxis, the power
of which diminishesas it moves from the
west facade. The focus of cortile, of course,
is now dispersedoutwardto a largerland-
scape, precincthaving been equatedwith
infinite vicinity.
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 pq.I
Cs
l-jl

' Mi

I Io

I nI~~~~~~~~~~~

1601- I 0~~~~~~~~~~~

*i- i
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t.

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 Given this case of transformationbetween
one element or figure and another,and the
ability of one componentto adaptthe as-
pects of another-center to perimeteras in
Salk, for example-it is evident that rich
metaphoriccontent can be elucidatedby
diagrams. A diagramof the Swiss Pavilion
(figs. 58, 59) might align it organiza-
tionally with Vaux-le-Vicomte,presenting
a sort of Hegelian history of architecture
(fig. 60). First, a primitiverubblewall, in-
sistent in its objectness, is bent just enough
to denote a new discovery, defined space,
the simultaneousinventionof implied pre-
cinct, module, perimeter,and center. The
discovery is used to reconceptualizethe
wall as both space definerand structure,
causing these roles to be extricatedfrom
each other in the salon and the office area.
Finally, the two are resynthesizedin the res-
idential slab, under which the wall returns
in the form of a structural"antiwall"(fig.
61) which in its metamorphosisrecapitu-
lates the initial premise of the rubblewall
and makes it heroic. Volume is returnedto
the wall as the building itself becomes wall,
the superstructurebeing constructedof in-
crementalunits like the individualstones.
This diagramis essentially anotherversion
of the end of time at which point space
becomes a transcendentand architectureab-
dicates its attemptto make place.
While the groundfloor is not quite "there"
to the slab, which may be seen in section as
a total inversion of it, the slab is at the same
time a continuationof two conflictingmo-
tifs established by the vacuity of the ground
floor: palazzo, in which the rubblewall and
the slab wall are consideredequals, forming
a perimeterwith a voided center;and oc-
cupied precinct, in which the housing slab
is the perimeterto the object-centerimplied
by the rubble wall (fig. 62).

A 63

! l:
I
_
: *!I

I 9

I
II" _S %ool I

I- ;
62

60
SwissPavillion,Paris,
1930-1932,exterior,
Le Corbusier

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 In a sense James Stirling'sOlivettiTraining
School at Haselmere(figs. 63, 64, 65)
takes the configurationof wall and bar
present in the Swiss Pavilion and combines
them in one figure, the brokenbar. In this
instance the spatial neutralityof the element
is compromisedby breakingratherthan
bending;the device indicatesenclosureon
the side towardthe original complex, thus
moving the manipulatedbar into the role of
perimeter(fig. 66). True to the natureof
fracturingmaterials,the outside edge breaks
apartas if from tensile stress, while the
interioredge is crushed. The breakprovides
an opportunityto establish a cross-axis that,
being conceived as a void, is sheathedby a
glass structure,with each side claimed by
the geometry of the adjacentbar fragments.
The crushedbits on the inneredge-per-
haps taking a cue from the transformation
of coal to diamond-are reformedinto a
perfect "gem," a miniatureparadisegarden
whose imperfectionsare limited to an ab-
sent center and a fragmentedperimeter.The
dimensions of the reconfiguredmodules re-
flect the width of the parentpieces, which
correspondto the extrudedsegments of the
bar and thus maintaina consistent and rec-
ognizable genealogy. The positioningof two
64
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
of the new quadrantsmerely by a slight ro-
tation from the initial configuration(the
"rip" being immortalizedin the sawtooth
stair'sedge along the corridor)reinforces
this idea of origin. The argumentthat
module begets intersectionis echoed here
by the transferof sectional prominence
from quadrantto cross-axis, similarto
the way the cross-axis createscenter at the
Villa Rotunda.
Although the surfacesof the glass enclosure
can be seen as a mirroredpair, each side
belonging to the adjacentbar fragments,the
enclosure is also a centralizingfeatureof
the cross-axis, creatingthe uncannyper-
spectival differences at each end that allow
a single event to supporttwo conflicting
diagrammaticrepresentationsof one scheme
(fig. 67). Viewed from the old building, the
addition is read as a tightly wrappingpe-
rimeter element, subservientto the old
center. From the opposite end, however,the
view from the new facility is towarda rela-
tively remote older complex with somewhat
63
Olivetti Training School,
Haslemere, England,
1969-1972, isometric,
James Stirling
the same configurationas the new, an H
plan of connected equals, (fig. 68), the dual
readings metaphoricallysuggesting the co-
lonial experience. The spiral staircase
complicates the H by markingits position
in the junctureas a sort of wispy center, a
propositionthat unites the glass link to the
corridorsof the brokenbar in a figurethat
stands in open competitionwith the old
complex. The tauntinginsubstantialityof
this object-centeris stronglydefended,
however, by the amassedstrengthof the
four-squaremultipurposespace, which ex-
tends its control from afar, not unlike the
French fleet at Yorktown.In this case the
instrumentof expression is the diagonal, for
which the bracketingmushroomcolumns
act as on-the-scene representatives.Thus
conflicting diagramsare set up between the
new and the old. From the perspectiveof
the old the new building is an addition,
while from the perspectiveof the new the
organizationis one of equals, in which a
new center is sharedbut bears a predomi-
nantly superiorrelationshipto the new,
from which it originated. The former
can share the diagramof Beijing and the
GreatWall, while the latteris akin to Vaux
le Vicomte.
64
Olivetti Training School,
Haslemere, England,
1969-1972, first-floor plan,
James Stirling

65 \m 65
OlivettiTrainingSchool, !wat,
Haslemere,England,
1969-1972,exterior, 66 _
JamesStirling

67
%l
Olivetti Training School,
Haslemere, England,
1969-1972, interior, '\
James Stirling I/ '', \/

q<;^- I

68

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 I.
..*

.. :1:

~~~~~~~~..X . .... tsXW ir

H:':: .._.
..::^::S2'. ...._
. ....... *-a -
-. * ........
-e......... W | | N
.... "
m
. ^te - u j tE
'.*.............2 l;

"-'''.
... .Z ......, ..... .,.,.

....B'..:.. ':-.
......... i ! :; :;.

69
69
Notre
Notre Dame
Dame du
du Haut,
Haut,
Ronchampnear
Ronchamp near Belfort,
Belfort,
France, 1950-1955,
France, 1950-1955, plan,
plan,
Le
Le Corbusier
Corbusier

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If Olivetti is seen diagrammaticallyas an
originally neutralelement that deforms into
perimeterin deference to anotherobject,
Ronchampis an example of an object that
defers to an object of its own creation, or
perhapsdeforms aroundan object that is
not there, reflectingthe relentless "inef-
fability" affordedthis buildingby its critics.
Unlike Olivetti, Ronchamp'scontinuityis
broken not once but many times, and per-
haps a useful diagramfor an analysis is
something along the lines of the Salk Meet-
ing House, a continuitydescribedby the
continuous change arounda centralvoid.
As a perimetersystem, Ronchampunravels
very handily. Specifically the handleis the
diagonalprotrusionof "TheWall" (figs. 69,
70), a sort of trimmed-downversion of the
diagramfor Pergamon(fig. 71). Otherinter-
esting characteristicsof this wall include its
attemptto encompass the wall behind the
altarin its system as an equal, at the same
time denying this connectionby insisting
7U
Notre Dame du Haut,
Ronchamp near Belfort,
France, 1950-1955, exterior,
Le Corbusier
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on its identity with the alternatewall. Its of the wall but is the transformationfrom
similarityto the rubblewall at the Swiss wall to volume itself. At this point, where
Pavilion is noteworthy,althoughin this in- it is least planelike, "The Wall" metamor-
stance the obvious lack of uniformwidth phoses into "pure"plane, indicatingits
along its length calls forth notices of begin- reconceptualizationas an abstractionde-
nings and endings. In this last respect "The claring that it is capable of capturingas
Wall" may be regardedas a reconceptual- volume the space aroundit, ratherthan
ized version of the interchangeablewalls manifestingvolume itself- a capabilityof
and columns of the Laurentianvestibule; which it almost immediatelyavails itself
but in this case a steady progression,rather in the creationof the first chapel (fig. 73).
than a constantlyshifting duality,is formed A question markmay be seen to possess
from line to wall to volume (fig. 72). a similar narrativeprogressionin its
Ratherthan Michelangelo'sscheme, in plan form.
which the emergent wall is evidenced by the
mere two-dimensionalityof the surface Thus within its own unfolding(or more lit-
while corporealityis the domainof the erally in this case, its folding) Ronchamp
packed columns, at Ronchampthe wall provides a metaphoricalglimpse into the
emerges as a volume from the abstracted beginnings of architecture,from intimations
column of the first edge. of concept at the first line throughmaterial-
ity to a returnto concept. The entry into the
Just as at the Swiss Pavilion, however,the building is establishedat that point in the
physical existence of the wall does not pre- perimeterat which the power of wall to
vent it from being the springboardto a make enclosure is most adamant,thus mak-
furtherconceptualization-that it is a maker ing entry conceivable. One enters, then, at
of space, evidenced in both buildingsby the that point where rationalitysubsumesthe
bends that suggest the beginningsof en-
closure and at Ronchampthe thickeningof
"The Wall" to the point at which it is not
merely a manifestationof the corporeality
PER^0AM*b 67
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 immediate materialityof the object to the
abstractionof surface and the immateriality
of object as space. The large chapel can
thereforebe seen as an element in opposi-
tion to "The Wall" even as it is, in a sense,
a continuationof it. The birthof a new
element, figural space, createsthe same
sectional response as seen in Villa Rotunda
or Olivetti, giving rise to the towering
monitors. The opposition of the chapel to
"The Wall" is also testifiedto by the effort
of the chapel to complete itself, an effort at
which it both succeeds and fails. It succeeds
in that the surroundingplane maintainsa
unifying concavity, the edges of which es-
tablish a notion of closure withoutever
actually completing it. It fails in thatthese
edges are configuredso as to create two
distinct areas within the overall perimeter
(chapels 1 and 2). This creates a duality
ratherthan a unity; the device separates
these areas from each other as much as it
unites them. The localized clarity of space
68 -
I7 to
A. B.
74
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within this chapel area, and thus its iso- The axis establishedby the configurationof
lation from the rest of the church, is the chapel area-the axis of "symmetry"
constantly checked by its decomposition for the building at least in referenceto the
into smaller distinct units; these are isolated
plan configuration-creates a notion of
from each other but closely relatedto the similaritybetween two ratherdisparateag-
abuttingperimeterforms, in an effort to gregates, the opposing interiorelevations.
provide constant ambiguityof readings This notion reinforcesthe concept that "The
along the perimetervacillatingbetween sep- Wall" and the firstchapel are to be read
arationand attachment(fig. 74). with reference to each other and that the
arrayof spaces along the northwall may
Given the earlierargument,the ambiguity contain similar relationships,especially
within this area of Ronchampmay be in- those supportingnotions of progressivede-
terpreted as a recapitulationof the four velopment. Thus, the four spaces may be
elements of the paradisegarden, or perhaps read as a sequence in the establishmentof
as the initial enumerationof the elements at basic principles:perimetricalenclosure and
the origins of history- an Eighth Day of the creation of precinct space (fig. 76a); the
Creation, a Pandora'sbox of mutuallygen- replicationof elements and establishmentof
erative figures whose presence at the primal entry-the Egyptianportal again (fig. 76b);
scene is made all the more emphaticby
their creationfrom a single element. This
element, "The Wall," becomes plane, estab-
lishes perimeter(fig. 75a), which generates
center (fig. 75b), which replicatesinto mod-
ule (fig. 75c), which establishesintersection
(fig. 75d). This last element is the device
that orders the largerconfigurationof Ron-
champ by creatingthe centralaxis.
/
J, I /
I
/-1
// J rJ A-
A. 6. C. D.
75
 the extraction of precinct from the singular
significance as object to the interchange-
ability of cell (fig. 76c); and the reintegra-
tion of inside to outside and the reduction
of precinct to nuance, since the walls that
define the enclosure for this area clearly be-
long to other systems (fig. 76d). This way
sequence may lead us to interpretthe perim-
eter of Ronchampas a paradigmfor the
history of architecture,from the initial iso-
lation of closure to the reincorporationof
inside with outside and the reductionof
precinct to vicinity and enclosure to frag-
mented object. The review extends from
Ramses to Riegl.
Variousother aspects of Ronchampsuggest
different interpretationsof the same se-
quence. The diagrammaticsimilarities
between the two "halves" of the perim-
eter-wall to place and places to space-
allow them to be seen as reciprocalfigures
A/B-A'/B' (fig. 77). Alternately,they can
be seen as a continuousprogression,wall to
place, place to object, objects to bar, bar to
space (fig. 78). This last seems an espe-
cially successful device for diffusingthe
special focus of the chapels acrossa broader
area, allowing center for the buildingas a
whole to be establishedby a perimeterthat
seems orderedby a figure it is yet ignorant
of, the precinctquality of the centralspace
actively embracedonly by the special re-
sponse of the east wall to it (its intruding
bend and its axis) and the placementof the
altar(fig. 79). When the singularconvexity
of this wall is viewed from the interior,it
presents a new diagramthat suggests a
space outside an orthodoxreadingof the
perimeter.Because this space is both inte-
gral to the longitudinalaxis and final to it,
the argumentof history can be extendedto
read "perimeterbecome center."The crea-
tion of enclosure and thus precinctspace
results in a division of space that will ulti-
mately be redressedby a reunification
negating precinct and turningperimeterinto
center-that is, object itself, This reduction
of opposites to a unity in which one mem-
ber contains the other brings the argument
literally full circle, as at Salk, collapsing
difference into similarity.Thus Ronchamp
can be seen as providingone narrative

69

1. 1.
2.

3.
A I5'
4.
76 77

78

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79 ?

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 within two. The narrativearguesthat from
a progressionwhich establishes an origin
and througha progressionwhich posits an
opposing goal, the goal as end point is
equally the reiterationof origin (fig. 80).
If it is possible to draw an architectural
"history" from this diagram,it lends itself
to a theological one as well. In this scenario
"The Wall" remainssynonymouswith the
creation myth, the first chapel representing
Adam, the second standingfor Eve, and the
north entry and its breakin continuitycon-
noting the expulsion from Eden, followed
by the disarrayof Babel, with the world-
liness of Cain and the dispatchof Abel
(fig. 81).
70
ADAM
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80 1- - - -
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Perhapsa more substantialalternativein-
volves a more careful readingof the formal
relationships.If the regulatinglines can be
regardedas "prophetic,"for example, the
attemptat closure by the first two chapels
can be read as the Old Testament,from
Jehovahto the prefigurementof Jesus, a
coupling that is itself predictedwithin the
- -
process of creation again, "The Wall"
which also establishesthe diagonalthat
breaksthe sequence along the northern
perimeteras surgicallyas a laser. Thus,
subsequentevents constitutethe New Testa-
ment, the thirdchapel being labeled Holy
Spirit, fixing the Trinitywith the three tow-
ers. This in turn is followed by the modern
age and the diffusion of space into less fo-
cused forms. Though the perimeterseems
played out, there remainsthe hidden fixity
of the plan, with its certaintyof a future
that will tie the end to the beginning and the
futureto the past, give focus to the plan,
and bring The Second Coming to the origi-
nal Godhead(the fourth "chapel" ad-
dressingthe promise of the thirdand nicely
bracketingthe elements of the northwall).
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81
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In this representationit is interestingto
comparetwo similarbut conflictingorganiz-
ing elements. The longitudinalaxis is, in a
way, counteredby the regulatingline from
"The Wall" to the northportal. The former
proposesthat the building is composed of
two halves in agreementabout a sense of
origin that is outside knowing and a sense
of destination-that is, a straight-line,
positivist notion of history. The second, in a
diagramof return,argues for a cyclical no-
tion of history, an origin that is a known, a
determinant,and an ultimatedestination.
The first allows the east wall to be read as
odd man out and thereforediscounted(ex-
cept perhapsfor a sense of source in the
ideality beyond time, the prismaticsolids in
the cistern). The second proposes that the
west wall is odd man out. More specifically,
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the first refuses the east wall its role of es-
chatological messenger, while the second
denies any ultimate significanceto the birth
of consciousness and abstractionwithin the
west wall, thus constitutinga sort of battle
between, perhaps, "humanism"and theo-
logical determinism.
The roof at Ronchamphelps to make this
argumentmanifest. A section just inside the
west wall reveals the roof to be organized
along the longitudinalaxis. However,the
"handle" of "The Wall" strikesa relation-
ship of equality between the east and south
walls along the diagonal axis; the roof sup-
ports this relationshipat the east end.
Within the building, althougha center is
clearly established in plan by the combina-
tion of the east-west axis and the perimeter
wall, a sharppull to the right by the rising
roof line at the east elevation focuses atten-
tion back toward"The Wall." Thus in the
theological as well as the architecturalnar-
rative the east wall poses a dilemmaof
82
Notre Dame du Haut,
Ronchamp near Belfort,
France, 1950-1955, exterior,
Le Corbusier
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anticipation,whetherthe futureevolves
from the past or returnsto it. This dilemma
also seems central to the productionand
interpretationof architectureand to the role
of recognition. To the degree that the mak-
ing of architectureis reducedto repeating,
the search for type isolated from its ma-
nipulationis a quest for reductionrather
than for inspection. Inventionis the
struggle with tradition;in fact, it is the
tradition.
It is interestingto note that in Ronchamp
the dominatingroof form, indicatingthe
closure and purposefulnessof the inte-
rior volume, is completely eclipsed when
the perimeterwall assumes the role of
consciousness, abstraction,history,or civi-
83
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lization, appearingonly above those areas
representingorigins or the promise of the
future (fig. 82). As is true of the interior,
the perimeterorganizationis forced to look
within itself for its meaning, seemingly ig-
norantof the role of the plan as generatoror
of the roof's heraldingof object and union.
Thus Ronchampitself is a double metaphor
between singularityand type, in which the
specific is seen to standfor the general, and
the uniquenessof "now" is both generated
by, while itself generating,the "then."
Given Ronchamp'spromiseof and progress
towardcompletion (fig. 83), one may fur-
ther understandthat at the end of time,
when history ceases and the necessity for
productionand reproductionvanishes, when
traditionis reunitedwith origin,
Ronchamp'splan will become one with its
perimeterand the building will become its
own Jerusalem,the paradisegarden.
I 71
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