Design Intentions
“Design within everyday space
must start with an understanding and acceptance of the life that takes place
there… Whatever the intention, professional abstracitons inevitably produce
spaces that have little to do with real human impulses.”
This quote mentions a relationship that is known to exist, a
relationship that is represented by a disconnect between the desires/needs of
public space and the desires of the architect. However, I do not believe this
to be completely true. Of course, there are plenty of designed urban spaces
that are terribly designed, which led to the creation of the quote above; but there
are also urban spaces that are just perfect.
As architects and aspiring architects, we seek to create
those perfect spaces, the spaces that never cease to be utilized or inhabited;
this includes the spaces that are forgotten or abandoned that need to be
brought back to life. The quote above could not be more correct, for us to do
this we need to understand the atmosphere and context of the space as well as
what it needs to be in order to be successful.
Top: Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago
Bottom: City Thread, Chattanooga
I'm glad you did this quote. I thought about talking about it too but you say it perfectly! I agree, as designer we should do our absolute best and beyond to create places that relate to the people they are intended for. Although sometimes we may not be as familiar with the place or its culture I believe it is our duty to become familiarized with them if we are chosen to do a project for them. We may succeed or fail but sometimes those "professional abstractions" have been pretty successful so completely discarding them seems a little too radical to me. Nevertheless, just get familiarized! In aaannyy project. I think that is what makes good design in the first place. Understand whom you are designing for is crucial.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Elisa's comment. I think it is extremely important for us as designers to understand for whom we are designing for and understand their culture and way of life.
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