Reflection of the Emergent Design Process Model (Bax Model) in the Reading of Eisenman’s Houses 1–10

Abstract

The present study aims to provide a comparative and critical analysis of Peter Eisenman’s first ten houses (House I–House X) based on the Bax emergent design process model (Bax M.F.TH). This model, grounded in domain theory, conceptualizes architectural design as the result of the interaction among three axes: “form,” “process,” and “function.” In the second half of the twentieth century, Eisenman, as one of the influential figures in conceptual architecture, sought to elevate architecture from a merely physical and functional domain to one of thought and language. His ten-house series are not merely constructed dwellings; rather, they reflect the evolution of design thinking from geometric order and structural formalism to conceptual and process-oriented deconstruction. The methodology of this research is qualitative–descriptive and based on documentary content analysis. Within this framework, each house is examined as an independent case study and subsequently compared through cross-case analysis according to the three axes of the Bax model. The findings indicate that in the early projects (Houses 1–3), the dominant axis is “form,” with pure geometric construction and grid-based order governing the design logic. In the middle houses (4–7), the “process” axis becomes prominent, and design transforms into a field of transformation, contradiction, and subtraction. In the final works (8–10), architecture rises to a conceptual level in which “function” is articulated not in its physical sense but in its perceptual and interpretive meaning. Cross-case analysis further demonstrates that the Bax model successfully represents the cognitive structure of Eisenman’s design approach and can serve as an effective framework for understanding the relationship among theoretical thinking, design process, and spatial experience in conceptual architecture. In conclusion, the research shows that Eisenman’s design trajectory evolves from “self-formality” toward “self-conceptuality,” and this trajectory fully aligns with the internal logic of the Bax model. Thus, the Bax model not only provides a framework for analyzing Eisenman’s works but also constitutes a tool for understanding architecture as a process of thought and the experience of ideas in space.