Show How a Proportional System Might Be Used in Deconstruction

Title: Show how a proportional system might be used in deconstruction

Name: Matheuss Adriano Bintoro

Proportional system and deconstruction are symbolized as oil and water that in an instance can’t be integrated as one element, but somehow it compliments each other. The former is a method that emphasizes in playing with scale and form which must be logical and can be identified clearly, it has to be in exact order or has certain pattern that can be understand easily. The latter is a style that emphasizes more on freedom of form, doesn’t have certain logical order and also highlights abstract form and random scale. It seems to be determined by the architect’s own expression and creativity and this is exposed in this style. Fundamentally, both notions are contradicting each other.

Even though the principles and characteristics of both proportional system and deconstruction doesn’t seem to fit or contradict each other, some deconstruction architects incorporate some aspect from proportional system in their buildings. In particular, this is found in Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum in Berlin, Zaha Hadid’s Moonsoon Restaurant, Peter Eisenman’s Waxner Centre. This essay will explain the proportional system and deconstruction style of architecture, and fully discuss how proportional system may be used in deconstruction architecture through different examples of deconstructionist architect’s building.

Proportional System

Proportional system is known to be the ‘foundation of architecture’ (Frings, 2002, pg. 9). It can be defined as a system of measurement and scaling. The idea and principle of proportional system is derived from several different aspect of life such as nature, human body scale and even maths. Marcuse Vitruvius was one of the philosophers that put his focus on proportional system which are inspired from human body. As an architect and writer, Vitruvius accomplished his theory of human proportion by the invention of Vitruvian Man which was

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