‘Five principles define any digital object according to media theorist Lev Manovich: numerical representa­tion (all digital objects are made up of code and can be described mathematically), modularity (all digital objects are discrete and can be divided into parts), automation (all digital objects can be programmed and produced automa­tically by computers), variability (all digital objects are edi­table and hence variable at their most essential level), and transcoding (all digital objects require computers to be tran­slated into readable data in multiple forms by humans).

Al­though these principles have little or no connection with the semantic field traditionally associated with design theory and manifestos –with, perhaps, the exception of modulari­ty– they have unwittingly set the tone for the architectural discourse in the last twenty-five years or, in other words, ever since the last of these principles became a reality in the world of architectural design. In fact, we could say that the embracement of the computer as the primary medium for the production of architectural projects has been paralleled by theoretical propositions pivoting, more or less explicitly, around the creative potentials that stem from each one of these five attributes.’