I'll buy a diagram

The role of the diagram is the key driver for projective architecture, it filters down an entire work into a singular idea. While this serves as an instructive tool for communication it has become the new currency in architecture. Architecture by diagram is becoming a part of pop culture, especially through works by BIG and Snarkitecture such as the Maze and the Beach at the National Building Museum. There is a playful simplicity in these works but they have left patrons of the museum waiting for the next "fun" idea.

The diagram relies on the ability of one to read it. Ideally it operates without words, a complete separation from language which was so powerful in the evolution of critical architecture. While the diagram can have inherent complexity, if that goes unnoticed by the observer then a key part of a project is lost. Architecture may not need to be a manifesto, a timeless novel, but it should be more than a picture book.