Permutation House
The project rearranges a set of elements developed through a large number of previous projects of the practice. Most elements of the design are recognizable as direct quotations from other schemes, but collaged together they create a unique composition. Each referenced element takes on a new character due to its displacement, and juxtapositions with excerpts from other projects. Conversely, all of the components carry with them a memory of the previous projects within which they were developed. The particular circumstances of the scheme also precipitate subtle changes of proportion and scale to each repeated design element, resulting in a building that is a unique arrangement of sculptural form and space. The design process for the project could be understood as analogous to a musical arrangement, where preexisting architectural compositions are adapted into a new piece of architecture, using different instrumentation, in the form of changes of material, proportion and scale.
