Deconstruction in Architecture – Continuous Translation through an Open Project

Abstract

Jacques Derrida developed deconstruction as a way of thinking which constantly examines the nature and possibilities of meaning. The paper analyses spatial-economic, cultural and social context in which deconstructive discourse was translated into architectural discourse. Translation between these two discourses happens vice versa. Deconstructivism emphasizes the formal properties of architecture, like postmodernism, which is the subject of exploration by architects such as Coop Himmelblau, Frank Gehry, Eric Owen Moss, etc. According to some interpretations, the only solution for deconstruction in architectural work is incompleteness, an open project which represents never-ending deconstruction. There are different solutions for open projects, and the article highlights projects by architects mentioned above, which seems to manage to achieve continuous deconstruction in practice.