Two modes of a literary architecture: Bernard Tschumi and Nigel Coates

Nigel Coates began teaching with Bernard Tschumi after graduating from Tschumi’s Unit 2 in 1974 and together they developed a discourse that grew from literary and narrative concepts – that would eventually diverge in their individual work. Grounded in the architects’ shared teaching at London’s Architecture Association (AA), the article discusses the early briefs and projects that shaped the directions they would each take. In this respect, the article locates the teaching ‘unit’ and the architectural brief, as a site for architectural enquiry – and contributes an understanding of how pedagogy shapes architectural concepts.