Concept Inflation in Architecture: The Gap Between Design Discourse and Spatial Reality
This article examines "concept inflation" in architecture not merely as an increase in intellectual production, but as a discursive technique that obscures design decisions and distributes responsibility. The focus of the discussion is the discontinuity between the design discourse produced at the level of text/concept/narrative and the material-functional reality of the drawn or constructed space. The article argues that conceptual proliferation "reproduces" the architectural object through representations, rhetorical figures, and project texts, rather than explaining it; and that this reproduction often optimizes discursive persuasion strategies rather than spatial outcomes. Consequently, "concept inflation" is interpreted as a symptom of a regime that measures design success not through spatial performance, but through narrative consistency and marketability.
Authors
- Murat Tunçel
Publication Details
- Journal
- ResearchEquals
- Published
- 2026-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.53962/hya7-ajkj
- Primary Topic
- Architecture, Modernity, and Design
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00