Probable Geometries: The Architecture of Writing in Bodies by Greg Lynn

In the excerpt, Greg Lynn attempts to convey the notion that a corollary should existing between the architectural profession and the writing profession in order to strengthen the theoretical underpinnings of didactic strategies that dictate architectural design.  He argues that writing more often than not tends to be anexact, whereas architecture is an exact science, limited by symmetry, geometry and ordering systems.  According to Bataille and Hollier, if architects were to shed their preconceived notions of formal boundaries, fruitful endeavours into the explorations of, "Transgressive," components of design could yield enchanting results.  Lynn goes on to dissect the nature of these transgressive elements, stating that while it may be difficult to diagram a blob at the macro scale, micro scale components could be capable of formal dissection through the use of descriptive geometry. 


While Lynn seems to lack intrigue over the current state of formal design, I would argue his concepts are soulless and form based, which obsess over the object rather than the experience.  When reading a novella from generations past, one can place themselves within the confines of 1960s England in the case of A Clockwork Orange, or The United States during the Cold War in the case of Harrison Burgeron.  The understanding of these time sensitive settings plays just as important a role as the prose used by the author, which leads to certain pieces of literature becoming transcendental pieces of fiction that define a moment in history.  The Arts and Crafts Museum in New York City successfully captures the motifs of its' namesake period in the exterior expression of its' facade, and it has since been heralded as a masterpiece by the architectural community.  Zaha Hadid's foray into the digitalism realm has left use with muddled urban ensembles that reject the eons of cultural history that lay beneath her graded foundations, and instead of celebrating the individuals who will create the building, she instead celebrates the machine that creates the blobs.  Her ostentatious designs remind a local populous that Zaha was here, but does little to reinforce the cultural heritage or site specific importance that a building should embody.