Design Constraints
After this weeks discussion of Santiago Cirugeda I found an appreciation for unconventional architecture and designing with limited resources. I have found that when designing it can be helpful to have the challenge of designing with constraints on the project, like having an existing structure, diverse terrain, site specific challenges, etc. on the site that limit your design. It allows you to narrow in on a method/parti and always return back to it in order to ensure that your design is headed in the right direction. I think that the parti for Santiago often relies on the materials in which he is supplied with and that allows him to narrow in on a design. This is also true with unique sites and locations that he builds in. This style of designing makes me wonder what can be done in our own communities and how we can apply this type of learning to what we do in the profession. Obviously a difficult challenge is abiding by codes and ordinances from governing authorities that will shut your project down if you are not following those. And typically codes and laws are in place because of the effect of someone else doing in the past, so you have to follow. But these codes and laws are standardized across the board and sometimes may seem completely irrelevant to a project or site, so, like Santiago, we see opportunity and try to implement something for the better of the people directly effected by the situation.
I think it would be interesting to see what would entail if standard codes and laws could be taken on a more case by case basis. All throughout college (especially in our first years) we are never really told to follow codes because they have a sense of "hindrance" in design; they impede on creativity. And to an extent that may be true, but maybe we do need to see opportunity in the standardized codes and test their boundaries instead of always complaining about them.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like having a very specific constraint (e.g. cheap materials) provides a lot of clarity in design. We look at his work and say "wow, look what he did with so little". On the contrary, when anything and everything are possible, we look at design differently. We start to say "well they could have done this or I would have done this differently" because of the lack of constraints.
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ReplyDeleteWorking with constraints, whether it be enforced codes or a lack of access to funds and resources such as in Santiago’s case, I believe really allows us to be more creative as designers since it often forces us to look at a project from a different perspective that we wouldn’t otherwise have thought of if everything were possible and we had all the resources available at our disposal.
ReplyDeleteI also agree, having design constraints allow designers to think outside the box, within set parameters, that one might usually not consider if given free reign. Design partitions help use create safe and aesthetically pleasing architectural environments for the public.
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