The Ultimate Junkspace: The Cookie-Cutter Apartment Building
The ultimate form of Junkspace is the new cookie-cutter apartment building. We've all seen these 3 to 6 story, bland and blocky monstrosities popping up in every "up and coming" neighborhood across the country at an unbelievable pace. They're advertised to the young professional looking for a taste of a trendy urban lifestyle. They're rented at $1,200 for 400 square feet of space with half of the unit dedicated to washers, dryers, dishwashers, and all the other modern amenities that people need to have within their own four walls. Their exteriors resemble a stage set; they look great from a distance but upon closer inspection they lack depth in the facade, authenticity in the use of materials, and quality in their construction. They've mastered a few tricks though to deceive people into thinking they're high design. A few bump-outs and material changes in the facade go a long way. Maybe they throw in an asymmetrical window mullion pattern to really get the people going.
Yeah, those buildings.
They're not a sustainable model and sadly they will lose their sheen one day, leaving us with a graveyard of discarded, cheaply built structures that had a sole purpose which can no longer be fulfilled. They can change property managers as many times as they like, introducing new branding and maybe a flashy new website. They can splash a couple interior walls with lime green paint or install the shiniest of appliances every few years. But these forms of life support can only be performed so many times and for so long. We should all fear the day we're left with this wasteland of shoddy apartment buildings that so quickly became outdated that the trendy hipster no longer wants to live there but the lower income population still can't afford them. But none of this matters to the developer, the contractor, or the architect. They've already made their buck and are now working on the next one.
Yeah, those buildings.
They're not a sustainable model and sadly they will lose their sheen one day, leaving us with a graveyard of discarded, cheaply built structures that had a sole purpose which can no longer be fulfilled. They can change property managers as many times as they like, introducing new branding and maybe a flashy new website. They can splash a couple interior walls with lime green paint or install the shiniest of appliances every few years. But these forms of life support can only be performed so many times and for so long. We should all fear the day we're left with this wasteland of shoddy apartment buildings that so quickly became outdated that the trendy hipster no longer wants to live there but the lower income population still can't afford them. But none of this matters to the developer, the contractor, or the architect. They've already made their buck and are now working on the next one.
I can't agree more about these terrible apartment buildings. I shivered thinking about how architect's will approach these years down the road. Re-use will probably out of the question due to the poor quality of construction and there won't be anything of value to salvage. So, how can architects 'leverage' their special knowledge to educate developers and the general public about all of the negative consequences associated with these buildings.
ReplyDeleteThe trendiness of these types of apartment buildings reminds me of the trendy stores and shops in malls that receive a facelift every time a new tenant arrives. I agree that property managers will attempt this with small upgrades or paint colors, but unfortunately you can't rebrand bad quality as good quality even if it's "trendy".
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