The importance of diagrams in architecture as a field of cultural-political plasticity

The architectural diagram can be used as a device that blurs the distinction between subject and object, bringing forth tensions of looking in and through, of being in and out. Jacques Derrida, a French continental philosopher primarily interested in deconstruction, has notably theorized the use of the architectural diagram, and an important idea the Derrida has raised was that of différance. Différance, for Derrida, means not only to ‘differ’ but also to ‘defer’ the meaning if anything, endlessly, because it is never total or finished. This open process of meaning is an obvious fact of cultures since they are historical and changing. For Derrida, an architectural diagram subverts the dominant oppositions and hierarchies currently constitutive of the discourse, and can be modes of becoming an emergence of différance. Architectural diagrams in this sense can operate as an abstract machine that describes the power relations and the narratives of the city.

Operating from a place similar to that of writing, the diagram can be experimental in the sense that it can achieve emancipation and autonomy in the discipline, it can be anti-hierarchy, anti-form, anti-structure, and it can reveal clearly the power relations and mosaic of the city. The diagram as an abstract machine composed of these elements are activators that help trigger constructions that are neither objective or subjective, neither before theory nor after theory, neither conceptual or opportunist, the location of the diagram is in the inter-subjective, durational and operational field where meanings are formed and transformed interactively.

This thesis will outline the methods of achieving such a diagram, will analyze the current use of diagrams in architecture, outline the implications of which (history, trends, influences), and will aim to bring about a contemporary (in an Agamben sense of the word), autonomous place of abstraction where objective aspects of location (Buffalo, NY as test site for this thesis) combined with subjective experience will be achieved through compressing the GIS data acquired (objective aspects) with the subjective experience of the city (the perceptions of the people who live there), found by geo-referenced* data from the internet, as well as subjective maps used to narrate the city to outsiders (e.g., tourism maps).

*Georeferencing here means to associate something with locations in physical space

The research methodology requires two components: literature review and precedent study. The literature review requires gathering relevant data from the specified documents and compiling databases in order to analyze the material and arrive at a more complete understanding of the various topics. These various topics were the new trends that colleges are going through and should be considered when regarding their dorm design. The three main trends are: creating a safe space, ensuring health and wellness, and creating a work-life balance. Through each of these are sub categories where the literature review was based on. For creating a safe space, the topics are gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and race. For health and wellness, the topics are nutrition, exercise, allergies, and toxicity. Lastly, for work-life balance, there are productivity, leisure time, and support through living-learning communities. All of this information comes from journal articles accessed from the UB library and Google Scholar.

The precedent study will consist of three different kinds of precedents. The first is, through site visits and research, the facilities of local colleges in the Buffalo area will be analyzed. Each campus that offers freshman housing has its own different room styles and amenities. A preliminary analysis will be done comparing and contrasting the schools housing features. The first thing to check is to see how many out of the 9 schools in Buffalo actually offer housing. Another thing looked upon are the kind of rooms the schools offer. Usually this differs between traditional or suite style dorms. Also, the amenities in these Buffalo schools will be looked into. These amenities are: a fitness center, a dining hall in or connected to the residence hall and if not, one nearby, a kitchenette, a laundry room, lounges, a business center, and a convenience store. The second kind of precedent study are good examples of residential design. There are exceptional residential facilities that are recognized by the architectural community. The last kind of precedent study are looking at issue based dormitories, meaning looking at dormitories that are mentioned within the articles in the literature study.