The Use of Paradigm as a Complementary Concept to Type in J.N.L. Durand’s Architecture

This paper examines the use of paradigms, particularly through the work of Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand and the theoretical framework on paradigm by Giorgio Agamben. Architectural types often serve as abstract, adaptable structures that guide design, while examples are viewed as specific instances without any respect to overall context/structure. However, this study argues that paradigms serve as a complementary concept to types and examples, with types providing continuity and structure, while paradigms introduce specificity and adaptability within the typal framework. Durand’s systematic methodology and typal plates illustrate a “constellation of knowledge” in which paradigms are not isolated but interact with types to form a coherent intellectual framework while maintaining its specificity. Agamben’s concept of paradigms as “dual specificity models”—grounded in both universality and particularity—further supports this argument by emphasizing how paradigmatic examples can both respond to unique contexts and transcend them. By analyzing Durand’s theory on architecture, this paper highlights the nuanced interaction between types and paradigms.