Money, money, money

To what degree has our capitalist and consumerist society created the problems discussed by Giancarlo deCarlo? If real world construction is about budgets and schedules, is there time for consideration of the users? Individuals or entities with the most immediate, direct stake in projects make fast design decisions hoping to erect buildings as quickly as possible to mark their place in the world. These status symbols stand to say “This person made this money, they benevolently commissioned/designed this building, now use it.” Do these issues relate to Koolhaas’ later argument that our consumerist society and its relation to modular, easily produced wall materials create junkspace? Can junkspace be defined as architecture that does not consider or involve the user? I think so; but by this definition, some seminal works by iconic architects would be considered junkspace, like many of the Brutalist housing projects. But this might also offer an explanation of the “failure” of the modern movement.

Over winter break, in my hometown of Bowie, Maryland, I saw numerous signs in various neighborhoods protesting the construction of mid-rise housing behind a newly completed strip mall-like town center. Both the mall and the housing are ubiquitous in the United States; designed fast and built cheaply with little consideration for the site, users, or neighbors. This developer driven process alienated the neighbors and therefore galvanized them to protest its approval by the city. The indirect users became involved and participated, but much too late in the game. It’s interesting to note that in examples like this, the lack of participation or consideration of the user in the beginning stages of the design process leads to their participation on a larger scale at the end stages. In the long run, do clients, developers, and architects spend more money revising designs to retroactively involve the users than if the users had been engaged from the beginning?