66
a composition, the parts are assembled into an articulated
unity in such a way that a relationship of equilibrium is
achieved between the self-sufficiency of the parts and the in-
tegrative force of the whole. The composition is a decisive
aspect of architectural design on every scale, from that of the
> spatial structure of the building, to that of a town and the
surrounding landscape, but also that of the formation and
interconnection of individual building parts and constructive
elements, which are themselves in turn also composites. Com-
position is a means of avoiding arbitrariness, and not only
renders recognizable the intention that gave rise to a struc-
ture, but endows with expression its painstaking crafting. For
architecture, this intention is so essential that Le Corbusier- who used the term architecturer as a verb – nominated it
as a core task. Composition not only assigns the parts of the
building or the town to their correct locations, but also pre-
pares the situation as a whole for users so that they are able to
locate sought-after places and appropriate routes.
Renouncing compositional demands, however, are those
groupings or clusters of constructive units that are primarily
concerned with flexibility and standardization. In a mega-
structure that supplies a scaffold on the basis of a > row, grid
or spatial lattice within which individual elements occupy
flexible positions, as in the works of the Japanese group Me-
tabolism, an almost arbitrary number of units can be added
or subtracted without interfering with the total structure in
any essential way. By contrast, a composition is based on a
highly sensitive form of precarious equilibrium, one that is far
from easy to achieve.
In a general sense, we understand the word architecture
to refer to a well-planned construction, a > structure whose
parts have been assembled into an ordered whole. An essen-
tial precondition is the recognizability of the way in which
the composition has been articulated through the addition of
individual structural and spatial elements (Latin: articulus, an
individual member). Articulated through the type of compo-