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>I actually like that - nature easily integrates it back into itself. Water infiltration causes mould and other nasty problems for the people inside, and it ma

by _dain_ 3y ago

>I actually like that - nature easily integrates it back into itself. Water infiltration causes mould and other nasty problems for the people inside, and it makes the exterior physically crumble apart. It's not a thing to be celebrated. "It looks good when it's fucked up" is the last refuge of indefensible monumentalism; reminiscent of Albert Speer's "Ruin Value", likely devised because he was smart enough to realize his buildings wouldn't survive the decade. It shouldn't have to be said, but the main function of a building is to keep nature out. >As for the anti-human, I always read it as a reminder that there are things bigger than human, which may be why brutalism is so popular with governments. You can make big things to provoke feelings of awe and wonder, or feelings of intimidation and powerlessness. It's a choice. And art is only a welcome "reminder" when it's occasional. People put a skull on their shelf, so that when their eye lands on it some drowsy evening, they are reminded: memento mori. But nobody would like it if every advert on the tube said "you're going to die someday lol". You can't get away from architecture; a brutalist city is one where people cannot go about their day without being reminded that they are tiny and insignificant, and powerful people can do what they like to them.

robertlagrant 3y ago
Well, lots of things do look good like that. E.g. a cottage with roses growing round the door. But agreed that just lack of environmental control, while beautiful in its own devaying way, is not great for the people who have to use the building.
rbanffy 3y ago
> Water infiltration causes mould and other nasty problems for the people inside Then build it accordingly - use water management techniques such as impermeabilization, double walls, drainage, and so many others that ensure the building is safe and sound because rain tends to fall on them anyway and it's not like things like green roofs are a universally bad thing - they even help with heat management. And suspended gardens were even a thing in Babylon. > It shouldn't have to be said, but the main function of a building is to keep nature out. No. It's to keep people comfortable, to foster human relationships and social activities within and around it, gently guiding people towards a goal without them realizing it. Architecture was never about buildings - it's about the people who use them.

by _dain_ 3y ago

robertlagrant 3y ago

Well, lots of things do look good like that. E.g. a cottage with roses growing round the door. But agreed that just lack of environmental control, while beautiful in its own devaying way, is not great for the people who have to use the building.

rbanffy 3y ago

> Water infiltration causes mould and other nasty problems for the people inside Then build it accordingly - use water management techniques such as impermeabilization, double walls, drainage, and so many others that ensure the building is safe and sound because rain tends to fall on them anyway and it's not like things like green roofs are a universally bad thing - they even help with heat management. And suspended gardens were even a thing in Babylon. > It shouldn't have to be said, but the main function of a building is to keep nature out. No. It's to keep people comfortable, to foster human relationships and social activities within and around it, gently guiding people towards a goal without them realizing it. Architecture was never about buildings - it's about the people who use them.