| Summary: | This study explores compositional abstraction in architecture. The act of squinting adopts
propositions from Christopher Alexander and structuralist Marcel Mauss. An analytical
method based upon element density and regularity is tested through residential facade
studies. Observed limitations prompt the introduction of a third axis of exceptionality.
Generative possibilities are investigated through a series of facade games.
Focus turns to the facades of parking garages as a neutral background for the examination
of compositional qualities. Notable garages are examined, and local design guidelines are
critiqued.
Finally, a garage in Halifax, Nova Scotia is redesigned. Compositional ambiguities inherent
in the existing confi guration prompt the introduction of an alternative, associatively rich
diaphragm system based upon the compositional and structural logic of trees. A review of
the associative method notes its value as an explicit decision-making tool, but suggests
that key formal moves remain beyond the generative scope of organizational modelling.
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