House X

by Peter Eisenman

Uses the architectural design of a house to show the principles of structuralism and a possible reaction against traditional functionalism

Genres: Architecture

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1983

About the author

Peter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's professional work is often referred to as formalist, deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist, etc. A certain fragmenting of forms visible in some of Eisenman's projects has been identified as characteristic of an eclectic group of architects that were (self-)labeled as deconstructivists, and who were featured in an exhibition by the same name at the Museum of Modern Art. The heading also refers to the storied relationship and collaborations between Peter Eisenman and post-structuralist thinker Jacques Derrida.

Reviews

[Douglas Murphy]

When I was an undergraduate student, I became a little bit obsessed with the period of deconstruction in architecture. In, I think, the break between 1st and 2nd year, I made a 3D model of the house featured in this book, for practice, and made some images out of it (all deleted now, as far as I can tell).
More than two decades later, I find myself deeply embarrassed by the artist but still strangely drawn to the work. I think this project is intriguing *despite* Eisenman's navel-gazing self justifications, the desperate cargo-cult intellectualising and the fact that he completely ignores what actually makes architecture interesting, i.e. moving material around.
There's something I enjoy about it that is perhaps spatially similar to serialism in music – an intense, busy formal abstraction.

[Sepehr Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

much more that a building... conversation between the truth and the abstraction of truth