Inside Out
Architecture for the public and architecture for the private. Both relationships carry an underlying theme; they are built for the user. They are built for people, they are built for moments, they are built for function. Throughout my time in architecture school, I have always been focused on spaces, programs, and they way the inside of a building works. For me, this is intuitive, this is the way it should be. I struggled tremendously in undergrad trying to design facades and create large gestures of what my building would be trying to do. Just look at some renderings of mine from undergrad. It's horrific. Over time, this has progressed, (thank goodness) but still could get better. I do not fault myself too hard though for thinking in this way. I don't fault myself in not having the ability to think of good architecture as a polished looking shell. I pride myself in the ability to figure out the inside, to make it function, to make it work, to make it user-friendly. While no one wants an ugly building, no one also wants a poor functioning one. We can fix ugly, but we can't always fix its use. Good architecture starts from the inside out. It might not get you on the cover of Architectural Record or make you one the people we talk about in school. These things are superficial and shallow. What matters is designing quality spaces, that users enjoy, clients are happy with, and you feel accomplished by. Isn't that why we are here? Let's not lose sight of that.
Which is what?
I agree with everything you are saying but one thing I would say is that there's a fine line between creating spaces that are memorable and functional and the ability for new architecture to push innovation. without using the advances in technology that pushes the building construction, our profession would become stagnant. with that said there's a small percentage of these buildings that are actually making a difference but is that not enough to advance our profession?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in the sense that designing a functional space is always important. I think good architecture is a balance between functionality and innovation like Edgar was saying. As architects, we should always looking at ways to provide the user with a unique experience that you cannot get in any another building.
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