Da Referência à Abstração: um ensaio sobre o diagrama como ponto de inflexão no projeto arquitetônico

Starting from the principle that the diagram functions by abstraction and that, in most cases, its use today is limited to an explanation, this essay explores some of its aspects that make possible its use as an instrument for the architectural design project. By doing a brief analysis on how architecture used to take onto itself a symbolic value engendered in Antiquity and how it came to be seen in an abstract manner, a parallel is drawn between modes of thinking architecture and how abstraction moves away from the dependency of a reference to construct meaning. Whilst abstraction is intensified, architectural elements carry less meaning within a referential system and are seen more according to how they relate to each other. It is by considering the relations that can be absorbed by an architecture that the diagram finds its potential to precede form and reshape how we think the design process.