While reading
Scarcity contra Austerity by Jeremy Till, one of the examples he presented is one of my favorite ideas about how architects can think critically to make a difference in the world, but don't always need to use architecture to do it.
"One more example, this from another innovative collective, the
London-based 00:/.
For its entry into a competition to redesign the congested corridor of a
secondary school, the firm took a strategically modest approach. They
spent days carefully watching the space, noting when and how it was
used, and then, rather than proposing a redesign, they proposed easing
the crowding by retiming and staggering the daily breaks. The physical
arrangement of the corridor would remain as it was."
- Jeremy Till (from Scarcity contra Austerity)
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| Rosan Bosch Vittra Telefonplan |
I've brought up this design problem in many different conversations, and I think it is a super strong idea. Architects study a wide range of topics throughout school, in order to become better problem solvers. Although it may seem that coming up with a solution that doesn't involve a building would be going against the practice of architecture, I believe that these types of innovative solutions are the key to finding true sustainability.
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| Hakusui Nursury School - Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop |
I'm extremely excited to start a job working in the education market of architecture because of the wave that has started, pushing for innovation and new technology use. I believe that with the design of new schools, it will be important for architects to forget what they think they know about how a school should be designed, and begin thinking way outside of the box to propose creative and innovative solutions to current problems in the design of educational facilities.
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| Farming Kindergarten - Vo Trong Nghia Architects |
I definitely was struck by that quote as well. It's a great example of a solution that was so specific to the problem that the answer wasn't found in the built realm at all. It might go against the capitalist side of the business but definitely stays true to the values that architecture holds as a profession.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you brought up the example of the congested corridor and how the best response didn't even effect the built environment. I think it's easy for us as architects to jump to the conclusion of building something new or different to solve the problem when that's not always the most efficient or appropriate response. It also reminds me of the Newcastle example when he talks about "working not so much with the hardware of the city — the built environment — but rather with its software, “the rules and restraints that are imposed and enforced by governments.” He goes on to say that you need to rewrite the software to change now what the city is but how the city behaves. I think it really sums up the ideals of critical regionalism.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned how we as architects can help enhance learning by designing spaces that promote it for our schools. I worked in K-12 last fall and was working on a new high school project and a lot of the features that it had completely blew my mind. It was very different than my high school was. That is not to say my school was outdated by any means but, having graduated almost 10 years ago, it is crazy to see how much things have changed in those times. The architectural differences in that project were a reflection of the changing technologies and how education is now being administered.
ReplyDeleteThis effort of problem solving with limited resources also reminds me of the Alejandro Aravena TedTalk where the city experienced tsunami problems. Instead of building a wall to hold back the water, they placed a public park on the waterfront to let the forest naturally slow down the water. This also gave public space back to the city. Nothing was physically built, but the problem solving was extremely effective.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Congested Corridor' example exemplifies that fact that as architect, we can also act as consultants. Every solution isn't always something built. A professor from my undergraduate studies, AnneMarie Jacques, always told me that a degree in architecture is a degree in problem solving. The value of a solution isn't always built.
ReplyDeleteArchitects are problem solvers ultimately. Sure we design and have a technical repository of information, but at the end of the day those are tools and not the job. Our role is to solve problems and I loved this anecdote because of that.
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