Theory
The Albertian paradigm and its digital reversal
Explore in the Atlas →Alberti's orthographic system (plan-section-elevation, drawn to scale and notated allographically) was the historical condition for the 'identical copy' that defined modernity from print to industrial mass production. Digital media (CAD-CAM, BIM, parametric design, AI) dissolve identicality, enabling mass customisation, generic and participatory authorship — and, in the 'second digital turn,' a search-based, data-driven mode of design that changes architectural thinking, not just making.
Representation Knowledge Infrastructure
Details
- Introduced
- 2011
Referenced by
- Mario Carpo proposed
- The Second Digital Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence articulates
- The Alphabet and the Algorithm articulates
- Animate Form articulates
- The Alphabet and the Algorithm proposed
- Architecture as mass media relates to
Sources
- Mario Carpo. The Alphabet and the Algorithm. MIT Press, 2011.
- Mario Carpo. The Second Digital Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence. MIT Press, 2017.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "The Albertian paradigm and its digital reversal." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/albertian-paradigm-and-its-reversal/. Accessed July 17, 2026.