Diversity of Scarcity
I’ve always understood scarcity as a shortage of supply of
something widely demanded – i.e., not enough masks for doctors right now, too
little housing units in the Bay area, not enough space in studio for all of our
section relief drawings.
But from what we discussed in class on Thursday, scarcity has
a broader, somewhat unexpected meaning for architectural theory.
On one hand – the more obvious definition - scarcity is a
design constraint as a result of lack of resources (money, materials, time,
etc.), an example being rural studio and MASS design group. Their projects are
typically smaller-scaled, hyperlocal in terms of materials and labor, and
low-budget. But the designers take the limitations to their creative advantage.
Two examples of this that we did not discuss in class are Rural studio’s Glass
Chapel – which uses car windshields salvaged from a Chicago scrap yard as an
envelope material – and Brooks + Scarpa’s South Los Angeles Charter High
School, a tight-budget project that used color to maximize its impact.
Another type of scarcity is refers to scarcity of form,
materials, and appearance – the opposite of the frivolousness of Zaha Hadid,
Frank Gehry, or Piet Blom – or, as Jeremy Till puts it, “form of moral action.”
This idea supports a resurgence of minimal, simplistic architecture, such as
Tony Fretton’s British Embassy in Warsaw, Tom Pheifer’s Glenstone Museum, or
the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. Though upon first sign these projects contrast
the low-budget projects from the former, their simplicity in form and
materiality suggest the same honesty, thoughtfulness, sensibility, resourcefulness.
I think it’s pretty cool how these diverse set of projects
can be categorized similarly, and that their scarcity makes them beautiful and
valuable.
I agree there is a beauty in your analysis of the projects you shared as examples. I think these projects on the opposite ends of the budget spectrum sharing the same values speaks to the democratic potential of architecture and the profession. I see additional beauty in the fact that architects are applying the same rigor and attention to very different projects that come with a diverse range of clients, budgets, etc.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, great post! This post really helped me understand the relationship between the two types of scarcity. I think both methods are important when considering architecture's impact on the environment as well. If we design with scarcity and be more resourceful, I believe architecture, or buildings in general, will in turn consume less energy to build, to keep conditioned, transport materials, etc.
ReplyDeleteReally good post Charlotte! It reminds me of something Dan kept telling our fluid studio last semester. "Is music the sound of the notes or the silence between the notes?". The ability to creatively do without in a world full of excess is powerful.
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