Back to the past, but better | xi. sustainability
I like the idea of not having to think about sustainability at all. When you make sustainability a thing, things become less sustainable as people think of it as a differentiated/additive system, instead of sustainable ideas informing the design-thinking from the get-go.
There need not be a (false) dialectic of culture vs. innovation. Instead of innovation replacing/challenging cultural knowledge, we need to think of it as being mutually respectful of each other, making each other stronger.
This is nothing new. Iñaki Abalos brings up the example of a diagram being circulated by Arup over a decade ago. It uses inverted triangles to show the relationship between past, <present> and future. In the present we have been distracted by the innovation happening in sustainability, but it is thought of more as an additive and active system. (Similar to a sustainability of austerity rather than one of scarcity.)
The future is an enhanced version of the past, in which respect has been paid to the (evolved/refined) knowledge of the past. This calls for a return to an emphasis on form and passive processes contributing the weight of sustainability. Active systems are used as needed but there is not a major dependence on it.
The opportunity here is that by being able to return to the past, sustainability can be thought of as more connected to, even directly defining, the aesthetics of the design.
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"Architecture is activated air." - David Franco, 2018
There need not be a (false) dialectic of culture vs. innovation. Instead of innovation replacing/challenging cultural knowledge, we need to think of it as being mutually respectful of each other, making each other stronger.
This is nothing new. Iñaki Abalos brings up the example of a diagram being circulated by Arup over a decade ago. It uses inverted triangles to show the relationship between past, <present> and future. In the present we have been distracted by the innovation happening in sustainability, but it is thought of more as an additive and active system. (Similar to a sustainability of austerity rather than one of scarcity.)
The future is an enhanced version of the past, in which respect has been paid to the (evolved/refined) knowledge of the past. This calls for a return to an emphasis on form and passive processes contributing the weight of sustainability. Active systems are used as needed but there is not a major dependence on it.
The opportunity here is that by being able to return to the past, sustainability can be thought of as more connected to, even directly defining, the aesthetics of the design.
</end of class notes>
"Architecture is activated air." - David Franco, 2018
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| diagram by Stefan Behling (Foster + Partners, together with Arup) |
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| Samurai Jack (season 5; 2017) |
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ReplyDeleteI like the diagram that was described in the reading by Inaki Abalos but never included with the text - I appreciate that you were willing to dig that up and include that in your post.
How does Samurai Jack fit into this?
I thought Jack works better than pictures of cute cats, especially because he managed to return to the past in a bittersweet ending to the series last year. Also, "gotta get back, back to the past, samurai jack."
DeleteI think the human need this kind of process of exploring, from the past to today, looking for new technology, and then they will find that the best way is the past way. But much better because the new technology will support the past way and make them meaningful.
ReplyDeleteYup, Yage. That is beautifully put.
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