Non-Referential Architecture

Non-Referential Architecture is a manifesto for the radical present. In a world that no longer shares fixed values, architecture loses its traditional foundation of relying on historical symbols or social analogies. Non-referential architecture marks the end of an era in which buildings had to refer to something outside themselves in order to gain legitimacy. Instead, Non-Referential Architecture proposes an autonomous existence where a building generates its significance from its own internal logic. This shift places the ideational authors at the center, tasking them with creating a formal…