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Deconstructivism is a development of postmodern architecture beginning in the late 1980s. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, non-linear processes of design, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, and apparent non-Euclidean geometry, which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the myriad deconstructivist "styles" is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos. Some of the architects involved have been influenced by the writings of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida and his ideas on deconstruction; others have been influenced by the idea of reiterating the geometric imbalances of the Russian Constructivist movement. Important events in the history of the deconstructivist movement include the 1982 Parc de la Villette architectural design competition (which included entries by Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman and winner Bernard Tschumi), the 1988 Museum of Modern Art’s Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition in New York, organized by Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, and the 1989 opening of the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, designed by Peter Eisenman. (More...)

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