Deconstructivism

Deconstructivism is an architectural development that was a response to post-modern architecture, this specific development began in the 1950s and was structurally based on  and practically thought out based on the theory of deconstruction, which consists of methods of how a surface can be manipulated, and the purpose of doing this. What this means for not only architects, but the change it can create for civilians in a landscape (Society). The surface manipulations included heavily abstracting elements of architecture, such as the envelope of a building that dictates the buildings resistance to the natural elements, including the overall finish, control, and finish of a building. This was targeted by architects who followed the Deconstructivism development as it was one of the simplest (And essential ways) to manipulate a surface and use it to challenge the overall harmony (the negative space it creates) of the building and how that communicates to the civilians and environment it surrounds.

What truly impacted and solidified Deconstructivism as a development was the 1982 Parc De La Villette architectural design competition which (later) saw the entry of many architects (that followed this development) including Jacques Derrida, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Daniel Liebskind , Zaha Hadid, and of course the architect who won the competition Bernard Tschumis. Here is his winning design:

Bernard Tscumis was personally against calling Deconstructivism a movement, and saw it more as retaliation against postmodern architecture, similarly this was mainly the context behind Deconstructivism, and it was seen as a rebellious form against the order that was commonly involved in (post) modernism.  It allowed architects to disassemble the elements within the structure, using the geometry involved as the main focus, to what determines both the buildings overall function, structure, and spatial impact. This was a stage that wasn’t available with post-modernism as it often focused on glorifying the historical movements that came beforehand.   

The philosophy behind Deconstructivism involved a combination of many other movements, for instance (one of the main influences of Deconstructivism) Russian Constructivism which was a form of architecture that came from the Soviet Union around the 1920s-30s. Russian Constructivism was known for unifying the functions of both advanced technology and engineering to create a communist social purpose. Communism was a political ideology that prioritized the means of production, rather than the levels of hierarchy and how that divided a particular society. Constructivism itself targeted a similar goal to Deconstructivism, which was of abstracting structures and elements. Russian Constructivism was also a response to a movement, which was the Russian Futurism movement that was based off Fillippo Marinetti’s goal to become detached to the past and focus on our future (present) achievements such as speed and the growth of the industry. Deconstructivism is relatable with transferring architecture into a linguistic force, but also the way that it wasn’t involved in the may debates that reflected upon our progress In history such as weather form follows function or what not. Jacques Derrida, Peter Eisenman, and Daniel Libeskind believed in this, and were concerned with the special elements and impact of presence. Other influences include artists such as Kazmir Malevich, and Naum Gabo who focused on the graphical elements involved with geometry, which is seen in Zaha Hadids later futuristic styled architectural work. 

There were many artistic influences involved with Deconstructivism, such as the cubist and minimalist movements, that taught individuals to dissect and analyse every detail involved with the presence of an object, such as how it influences a space, how it influences perspective, and the purpose of the objects presence. These influences were apparent in Deconstructivism, with how the art form was able to adapt and take on a variety of different expressions at one time. A well-known artist known to greatly inspire Deconstructivism themes is Wasiily Kansinsky with the way that he unified expression with geometry.

The use of computer related design technology is an essential tool for Deconstructivism design as it is mainly used (CAM) to create models. CAM is very useful and efficient as it allows production for more than one part, it is also cost efficient for what it provides to designers.

Not all agree on the value of Deconstructivism architecture, in fact many question its purpose and believe that it lacks consistency and is quite detached, some go as far as to completely disagree on architectures potential on being a language, and that by doing so architects get in the way of the design process.