Inherited meanings of architecture: deconstruction of Rem Koolhaas’ micro-floor and micro-wall narratives

Figures & data

Figure 1. Sample demonstration.

Figure 2. Visual signifier of unit of meaning (1) (Source: Easterling 2018, 4).

Figure 3. Visual signifier of unit of meaning (7) (Source: Easterling 2018, 5).

Figure 4. Visual signifier of unit of meaning (12) (Source: Easterling 2018, 6).

Figure 5. Visual signifier of unit of meaning (18) (Source: Easterling 2018, 7).

Table 1. Productive terms produced from micro-floor and micro-wall narratives.

Roland Barthes, S/Z, (1974)	Rem Koolhaas, Elements of Architecture, (2018)
	Gathered from Micro-Floor Narrative in the Chapter Entitled “Negotiating Between Gravity and the Upright Body” (Page 4, 5, 6 and 7 in the Book)	Gathered from Micro-Wall Narrative in the Chapter Entitled “Wall” (Page 91 in the Book)
Action Code (ACT)	Body (2, 7)	Division (19, 24) Openness (25, 30) Changing in section (28) Reconfiguration (29)
Hermeneutic Code (HER)	Rule of game (8) Puzzle (9) Forks in road (11)	–
Semantic Code (SEM)	Primitiveness (13) Gravity (14) Primal desire (15)	Wealth (23) Open plan (27) Privacy (31)
Cultural Code (CUL)	Iconography (1, 12) Starting point (3) Mathematical fascination (4) Architectural technic (5) Technology (6, 16)	Iconography (21)
Symbolic Code (SYM)	Fatal error (10) Non-modern man (17) Emptiness (18)	Temporary barrier (20) Dynamic function (22) Destruction (26) Go up and down (32)
Number of Productive Terms Gathered from Texts	15	12
Total Number of Different Productive Terms	26

Easterling, K. 2018. “Floor: Negotiating Between Gravity and the Upright Body.” In Element of Architecture, edited by R. Koolhaas, G. Harvard, and S. Trüby, 1–81. Köln: Taschen.

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Barthes, R. 1974. S/Z. Translated by R. Miller. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ( Originally published 1970).

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Koolhaas, R. 2018. “Elements: A Brief History.” In Element of Architecture, edited by R. Koolhaas, G. Harvard, and S. Trüby, XLII–LI. Köln: Taschen.

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