Play of Difference
I found the reading by Margret Crawford to be very provoking and had me asking myself several questions. In the introduction Crawford writes "For
us, the play of difference is the primary element in the 'real life' of the
city." She then goes on to write "...abstract urban spaces, primarily designed to be reproduced, 'negated
all differences, those that come from nature and history as well as those that
come from body, ages, sexes, and ethnicity.'"
These quotes made me reflect on the process of architectural education. At university we work to develop new and innovative ideas that might captivate our minds and those of our professors but the question then is what really is the point. We receive projects briefs that are for museums, galleries, skyscrapers, or in some cases briefs without an actual progress or context. To me these are projects about architecture and nothing more. How often are we asked to design "everyday urbanism". Have we ever designed a grocery store in school or a gas station? We come in contact with a gas station much more than we do a museum.
The second part of this is the question of intent. Is our work meant to just be architecture for the sake of architecture of to have a larger impact? If you want it to have a greater impact wouldn't you need to understand the "real life" of the city and embrace the diversity. A project cannot be meant to simply be a one size fits all model because we live in a world of such immense diversity.
These quotes made me reflect on the process of architectural education. At university we work to develop new and innovative ideas that might captivate our minds and those of our professors but the question then is what really is the point. We receive projects briefs that are for museums, galleries, skyscrapers, or in some cases briefs without an actual progress or context. To me these are projects about architecture and nothing more. How often are we asked to design "everyday urbanism". Have we ever designed a grocery store in school or a gas station? We come in contact with a gas station much more than we do a museum.
The second part of this is the question of intent. Is our work meant to just be architecture for the sake of architecture of to have a larger impact? If you want it to have a greater impact wouldn't you need to understand the "real life" of the city and embrace the diversity. A project cannot be meant to simply be a one size fits all model because we live in a world of such immense diversity.
Thoughtful question about why we don't design normal spaces like grocery stores or gas stations in school. I wonder how our everyday environments would be different - probably a whole lot better - if actual architects did design these types of spaces.
ReplyDelete