Tectonics

The expression of how materials and joints reveal construction.

Tectonic expression appears when laid stone, bolted steel, or cast concrete leaves evidence of assembly. It concerns the honesty of making rather than image alone.

When ornament hides structure or form is unrelated to construction, critics may call it anti-tectonic or scenographic.

Mies’s steel-and-glass details, Kahn’s brick arches, and Scarpa’s joints are frequently cited.