ARCHITANGRAM is a 23-piece puzzle for endless architectural creations

italian architect and graphic designer federico babina presents ‘ARCHITANGRAM’, a puzzle to fuel creativity. the game is made up of one black square, divided into 23 geometric pieces, which players can shape into any composition they like. there are no rules and no goals; no winners and no losers. it’s simply a fun exercise for the imagination.

images © federico babina

babina‘s idea for ARCHITANGRAM came from how a limited number of pieces can create infinite compositions. just as defined letters of an alphabet can generate countless words and seven musical notes can compose infinite melodies, ARCHITANGRAM’s 23 pieces can create endless architectural expressions.

the 23 pieces, ranging from rectangles to triangles, represent an ‘architects’ alphabet’. from here, players can form unique designs, or recreate their favorite building as shown in the illustrations here by babina. in essence, the puzzle is a playful way to explore architecture. 

‘playing is about learning through exploration and fun, the original expression of creative thinking. and this is whatARCHITANGRAM wants to be: a fun experiment that uses the game to understand the problems of space modulation borrowing logic and invention to rediscover compositional rules,’  says babina. ‘so, switch on the creative mind and keep it fluid and elastic. bruno munari liked to repeat ‘a creative child is a happy child.’ I like to say that a playful mind is a happy mind.’

project info:

name: ARCHITANGRAM
designer: federico babina

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom