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You may be interested in the Alexander/Eisenman debate[1], if you've not encountered it before. On the one side, an architect who believes in designing buildin
by ashark 11y ago
You may be interested in the Alexander/Eisenman debate[1], if you've not encountered it before.
On the one side, an architect who believes in designing buildings largely as a means of communicating artistic messages—even, and perhaps especially, designing the building to make people uncomfortable[2], because to make a building that comforts and reassures is a bit like lying about the state of the world, or doing a broader disservice by reinforcing the status quo. Buildings as statements, buildings as jokes[3], even.
On the other, an architect who finds this view practically psychopathic, since, after all, people will live their lives in these places. Buildings, in his view, should serve people over communicating a message and, above all, should please the humans who will look at them and crawl around in them.
[1] http://www.katarxis3.com/Alexander_Eisenman_Debate.htm http://www.katarxis3.com/Alexander_Eisenman_Debate.htm
[2] http://socks-studio.com/img/blog/eisenman-alexander-01-800x600.jpg http://socks-studio.com/img/blog/eisenman-alexander-01-800x6...
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Eisenman#/media/File:Greater_Columbus_Convention_Center.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Eisenman#/media/File:Grea...
- zyxley 11y agoArchitects who purposefully design buildings to be uncomfortable seem like people who I would find extremely annoying or even infuriating to deal with. Except in very special cases, an architect's job is "design buildings for people to use", not just "design buildings".
- widdershins 11y ago>On the one side, an architect who believes in designing buildings largely as a means of communicating artistic messages—even, and perhaps especially, designing the building to make people uncomfortable, because to make a building that comforts and reassures is a bit like lying about the state of the world, or doing a broader disservice by reinforcing the status quo. Buildings as statements, buildings as jokes, even. Yeah, that's pretty much the premise of brutalism [1]. Actually I think there's a place for that kind of thing and some of the best examples in London are really awe-inspiring and interesting places to hang out (e.g. the National Theatre, the Barbican). But of course there are some 'concrete monstrosities' as well. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture
- aptwebapps 11y agoI don't think that brutalism goes as far as that. It does try to be 'honest' but it does not deliberately try to be uncomfortable.