2 words, 5 letters: Rem Koolhaas, SMLXL
Also, see Greg Lynn's essay in Peter Eisenman's El Croquis
Other architects - UN Studio [Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos]

buy every Frank Ching book you can.

diagram diaries: eisenman (excellent essays by bob somol and eisenman on the concept/use of 'the diagram'.....i don't agree with everything they say, but still great writing/discussion)......

the work of OMA, coop-himmelb(l)au, where they actually build their
diagrams........

so many different types of diagrams....key thing is that they are clear, simple, understandable, and relay information that is relevant.....regardless if it is an urban project or an interior...

Stan Allen's "Field Conditions", Points and Lines: Diagrams and Projects for the City.

James Corner, "Eidetic Operations and New Landscape" Recovering Landscape.

Ben Van Berkel & Caroline Bos, "Interactive Instuments in Operation Diagrams"

Edward Tufte , Envisioning Information

van berkel and bos have a book "MOVE" there they explain how they understand the diagram in one chapter, the book is cute too

Diagram Diaries is one of my favs. I LOVE his diagrammatical work!!

Hadid has superb diagrams of motion, time, and space (Betsky's essay in the beginning of her last one was very good).

MOVE is a good set of books (3 books in one package).

Morphosis (all their books)

The best, though is Columbia Univ's ABSTRACT series. But you have to get them pre 1991 (before Maya took over).

You can also look at UF's books, although there aren't many. We did some kick ass diagrams back then!



Start buying that basswood, museum board, plexi, etc. Nothing is better for understanding diagrams then doing it with your hands.

Crillywazzy:

I have a series of photocopies that I recieved from a professor that where extremely helpful for me when I was in school. If you want, I could mail (yeah, I'm old fashioned I guess, but too lazy to scan them all) them to you if you're not looking for an immediate solution.

Email me with your contact info and I'll get it out within the next couple days.

thanks y'all. i'll start digging in.
pixelwhore; i emailed ya.

the rotovision series of books (such as "mapping") are useful, and on the supplies list for students in yale's graphic design department at the school of art.

eisenman's "diagram diaries" (out of print) is good.

If Diagram Diaries is gone, look at his El Croquis, it's almost as good.

Just try not to lose your initial sense of indignation toward the task at hand. You can't diagram emotions as easily as other things, so you'll become skilled at suppressing them - great for doing diagrams, bad for doing architecture.

Manhattan Transcripts by Bernard Tshumi is probably the most famous example.

Anything Bruce Mao has done: http://www.tooperfect.dk/

Diagraming is still very much alive and well at Columbia U, check out:

http://www.arch.columbia.edu/Students/Fall2003/Sohn.Oliver/index.htm

and

http://www.arch.columbia.edu/Students/Fall2003/Marsh.Kamali/

for my teams work

http://www.arch.columbia.edu/Studio/Spring2004/UD/

just click on "bucharest", "skip intro"(it is way too long), "toxic Bucharest". the forward/reverse arrows are hard to see, but are in the lower right hand corner.

hope that helps

...another take at the 'diagram', or more importantly making complex information understandable:

Understanding
by Richard Saul Wurman

amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967453607/qid=1105579430/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/104-6761578-8892736

great graphic resource , graphic designers, artists, architects take a shot at making/graphing/visualizing complex information.

ANY 23: Diagram Work: Data Mechanics for a Topological Age

http://www.anycorp.com/a_magazine/23.html

i shure all of these books help A LITTLE. ------FORM SPACE AND ORDER is the best possible book for a beginner to learn how to make diagrams

Diagramming was a fad about 5 years ago... seems like its still with us to some extent.

The HOPE is that by making some sort of rigorous "investigation" into some aspect of the building's future design, the architect (student) is able to offer some sort of novel solution made possible by their wit and intellect.

The reality is that "diagramming" was dreamed up by people who were no good at the visual/sculptural/graphic aspects of design as a way for them to define a territory for their own work (stan allen, mvrdv, rem...<--not to be confused with the very talented TEAM at OMA, however).

On the rare occasion, something useful is gained from the process. However, the other students (who's diagrams went nowhere) are usually pretty quick to appropriate the fruits of the "successful" student's labors. So much for that.

Usually, the "diagram" process exists in the beginning phases of the studio, usurping the "formative" period that "site research" or "precedent research" formerly held.

THe problems for the student are the same as they were in any of the former "formative" phases: namely that the student gets lost in the process and is unable to pull up and and be oppurtunistic enough to find a way forward. Then spends a frustraited two weeks trying to rescue an "idea" from their failed diagrams, then finally gives up and starts making form based on a traditional "bubble diagram" of program and area.

THE WAY FORWARD:

The diagram should be your "alibi" for design. It is nothing more than a good excuse to make the building the way you want to make it. Find a set of things that you KNOW will be able to find a way into the final design of the building (like structure, parking, HVAC, building codes) and cross reference it with something "softer" that is more malleable in both the diagram and in the building (circulation, form, materiality, perception). Mix the two together and, POOF! A project.