Beyond Direction and Control: Irrational Grids as Architectural Design Method

Abstract

This paper proposes the possibility of the grid system to operate irrationally in producing architectural space. This proposition challenges the rational-functionalist paradigm that has dominated the use of grid in modern architecture. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of détournement, the study conducts a qualitative comparative analysis of three architectural case studies: Hejduk’s Bye House, Tschumi’s Parc de la Villette, and MVRDV’s Pavilion at Expo 2000. The study identifies criterias of irrationality, comprising of ambiguity, separation, non predetermined function, and diversity. Based on such criteria, the research demonstrates how irrational grid systems do not constitute as design failure but represent a productive alternative design methodology. These findings suggest that there are some transformations that occur when the grid is détourned. Such transformations exist when the design purpose shifts from control to disruption, when uselessness is reframed as a generative spatial strategy, and when architectural meaning shifts from functional prescription to human interpretation. Thus, the paper contributes by expanding the understanding and application of grid as the basis of design method, moving beyond functionalist perspectives of architecture.