100-story to Superblocks
“its
architecture promotes a state of congestion on all possible levels, and
exploits this congestion to inspire and support particular forms of social
intercourse that together form a unique culture
of congestion.”
According to Koolhaas, a culture of congestion
is important for the identification and analysis of a city. But the concept of
having a single building that would support various niches takes away the
presence of people in a city. Personally, I think Barcelona’s concept of
superblocks in Poble Nou district seems more favorable to the individual in
a city.
Although Barcelona’s concept of superblocks is more of an
action to take the streets back from cars and make the area more walkable for
its residents, within the superblock, the resident will already have what is
needed, therefore applying Koolhaas’s idea of the 100-story building in a more
engaging way. The superblocks represent a more radical approach that
fundamentally challenges the notion that successful urban planning always comes
full circle back to its basic needs. Every superblock ends up like a small city
with its own character.
While seemingly similar, the sky scraper and the super block, the experience of both is so different. The super block is discover-able, interesting to walk around. In the sky scraper you have to know where you're going already. The ultimate symbol of American efficiency, the opposite of the Spanish life style.
ReplyDeleteI think the comparison of Koohlhass's 100-story building to the superblocks in Barcelona is very intriguing. In a way they resemble Koolhaas's notion of merging various functions within a single space, creating a smaller micro-climate or city within a city, but in a more engaging and successful way that does not cut off and isolate people from the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteBarcelona's superblocks are a very simple idea that works great. In the meantime, there are multiple proposals for skyscrapers that aim to work as vertical cities, some of which are well over 100 stories and would require lots of resources. I know it is important to experiment and pushed the boundaries but something it feels like architects are just overcomplicating things.
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