Boundaries of Congestion
Congestion is symbolic of the metropolis.
But where does congestion stop and rational order take over. At the urban
scale, Manhattan is an island made up of over 200 well organized blocks of
similar size that, along with the surrounding water, provide the limitations
for congestion at the ground level. The blocks provide a boundary and influence
the movements and experience of the user. On each city block the congestion is
controlled and concealed by each building. Rem Koolhaas’s discussion of the
Downtown athletic club exemplifies this idea. The exterior of the building and
the structure control the “congestion” of the interior program so that the
constant state of flux is not apparent to the outside observer. The interior
functionality is limited by the structure requirements and the building
technology in a way that the spontaneity must fit in to the system. Does congestion
need these boundaries? Is the culture of congestions a rational response to
limitation?
Rem Koolhass with Zoe Zenghelis, The City of the Captive Globe, 1978
Rem Koolhass, Downtown Athletic Club
I don't think congestion needs the boundaries postmodernism creates. Congestion itself has a connotation of chaos. In my opinion, I think it is impossible, and dishonest, to try and control congestion. But then again, congestion may be a product of boundaries. So maybe it's more of a question of what comes first, congestion or boundaries?
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