Discrete

Definition

The discrete names an architectural approach, associated with the "second digital turn," that rethinks architecture's ontology through mereology (the study of part-to-whole relations): architecture is understood as composed of discrete, self-similar, combinatorially assemblable parts (treated as digital data, "like the 1s and 0s of computer code ... not entirely dissimilar to Lego"), made and assembled via digital fabrication. It contrasts with the first digital turn's emphasis on continuous, homogeneous, inert matter subjected to idealizing simulation. Its proponents claim it is more participatory, open-ended, and accessible.

Key Thinkers

• Mollie Claypool — documents the "discrete turn" and the shift to part-based, active-matter ontology.
• (Related, not yet paged: Gilles Retsin, José Sánchez, Philippe Morel, Manuel DeLanda, Mario Carpo — see log.)

Related Concepts

• Architectural Object — discrete parts as the (re)constitution of the architectural object.
• Parametricism — the earlier, continuous formal paradigm the discrete revises.

Source Support

Sources in the wiki that discuss this concept:

• The Discrete Turn: A Reconsideration of Architecture's Ontology
• Parametricism Is the Architecture 'of Neoliberalism Itself'
• Parametricism as Style — Parametricist Manifesto

Open Questions

• Is the discrete a genuine alternative or a new production paradigm continuous with parametricism's dependence on digital/neoliberal logics?