Parametricism - Introduction

By on

In the mid-nineties, an additional factor gained influence on architectural stylistics: the explosively growing availability of affordable, high-performance computers. Computers enabled the use of novel design methods that eventually lay the foundation for the emergence of Parametricism. “It succeeds modernism as a new long wave of systematic innovation. The style is rooted in digital animation techniques. Its latest refinements are based on advanced parametric design systems and scripting techniques.”26 The propagandists of Parametricism postulate Parametricism to be the epochal architectural style succeeding Modernism.27 In their opinion, Postmodernism and Deconstructivism failed to offer definitive solutions to the needs of the post-Fordist society. They view both styles merely as transitional.Postmodernism satisfied the desire for greater variation in formal expression after the monotony of Modernism by employing the reservoir of historical styles and motifs. Deconstructivism further abstracted the idea of complexity and diversity (collage) of the postmodernists and freed them from their ultimately irrelevant historical sources. „Parametricism advanced beyond Deconstructivism by shifting the emphasis from the mere agglomeration of differences to the organization and articulation of a complex, variegated order.”28 Thus, only Parametricism’s dynamically resonant structures can establish a reasonable dialog with the „fluctuant digital society in the global village“29 and its social and geographical networks.

26 Schumacher, P.: Parametricism. A new global style for architecture and urban design. In : Architectural Design Band 4, Nr. 79, London 2009. 27 Cf.: Schumacher, P.: Parametricism. A new global style for architecture and urban design. In : Architectural Design Band 4, Nr. 79, July/August 2009. 28 Cf.: Schumacher, P.: On Parametricism. In: Paper – Platform for Architectural Projects, Essays & Research, Band 4, University of Westminster 2012. 29 Cf.: McLuhan, M.: The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects. New York 1967.