Quantitative assessment of deconstruction buildings using a Building Deconstruction Matrix

Abstract

This study investigates how deconstruction theory has influenced architectural design in semantic, physical and technical characteristics of buildings and proposes a new assessment tool for measuring key deconstruction criteria in every building. An overview on contemporary architecture styles traces new philosophical notions, such as deconstruction within the theoretical realm. In this study, after a review on deconstruction philosophy, an assessment tool is arranged based on building characteristics and deconstruction criteria. Using this matrix, twenty-three famous deconstruction buildings are evaluated from two perspectives: according to their designers and based on deconstruction criteria. The results indicate that deconstruction criteria are mostly realized in physical characteristics of buildings, rather than semantic or technical characteristics, which has been the primary objective of deconstruction theory in the first place. It is also observed that deconstruction theory has been quite successful in fostering creative thinking and developing personal styles by emphasizing a certain deconstruction criterion.