Junkspace and the Pandemic
Rem Koolhaas discusses his disappointment with modern architecture in Junkspace. He thinks this has led to our buildings becoming boring and ordinary. Koolhaas even stated, “If space-junk is the human debris that litters the universe, junk-space is the residue mankind leaves on the planet.” Koolhaas is saying that our cities are becoming overwhelmed with junkspace or decaying architecture; he believes it is a by-product of ‘self-replication’ and it has created a Bermuda triangle of concepts.
From my understanding Koolhaas’ description of
Junkspace is the architectural spaces that we design and build with the
intention of trapping inhabitants within. Some examples of these space that he
lays out are shopping malls, casinos, and airports – what he refers to as an
accumulation of conditioned and conditional space. In these spaces people can
lose the concept of time, lack of direction and ultimately stay longer.
We can already see some examples of junkspace with
the decline of shopping in malls or department stores, because of the incline
in virtual and online shopping. This brings up an interesting point concerning
the present times we are living in with the pandemic… It gets you to start
thinking how many more things will continue to be transitioned to online and
continue to drive these buildings to abandonment. He even speaks of the office
and it becoming one of the new junkspaces in the future… something to think
about.
Overall, junkspace is about Koolhaas’ reaction to
the modern city, how it’s developing. He suggests the city may be building too
quickly with standard architecture, designing things we do not need. Basically,
not letting the city breath…
However, modernization has enabled people
to use any sort of material or form… I think the idea of the junkspace could be
more related to the discrepancies in city planning and maybe not the entirety
of modern architecture. Poorly planned spaces that do not serve the purpose do
add up to a lot of underutilized spaces, but honestly, I do not think modernism
is to be blamed for this.
Pretty cool analysis Ms. Gannaway. Love the clear interpretation of Koolhaas text and how you summed it up. My comments are mostly regarding when you highlighted the fact that the pandemic might change the way we look at "junkspaces".
ReplyDeleteDo we need more junkspace, less of it, or none at all?
Thinking about the context we live in (pandemic, development of more and more freelance careers, decline in primary sector jobs and boom in secondary and tertiary sectors professions), I think we need more of it because we are advancing in technology in science and in material research, building structure and sustainable practices (we are the future) just to name a few of the great things that marked our Millenium. Junkspace to me isn't born from matter or form, it is mostly born out of our imaginative thinking about reinventing spaces for the better (more entertainment, museums, malls, hotels, etc..), for the worst (high rises that are used for work only and don't have any social impact on users wellness), or just to satisfy our eyes and inner desires for spaces that we think of as "magical, exciting, simulating, or again, impulsive."
All in all, this is a subject for debate and my thoughts are that junkspaces are a driver for catalyst change, they help architecture balance the old and the new and also teleport us into the future. To me that is the beauty of it (they are a byproduct of what architecture is and what it can be).
And on an end note, I agree with you on the fact that you can't blame modernism for it, it comes from our rational interpretation of architecture and our willingness to try new things to advance the profession for better or worst.
I had a blog post very similar to this and I think it is an excellent point. These junkspaces are turning into a new form of junkspace: void of the social aspect that used to, in a sense, unite them. They were never really beautiful to look at or experience, but they were convenient and practical and provided a level of social interaction that isn't often found in many other places. Now, however, these junkspaces are becoming more and more obsolete and abandoned. It seemed to happen slowly and then all at once when the pandemic hit. The challenge is going to be finding an "middle ground" architectural solution between these abandoned strip malls and function-prioritized distribution centers.
ReplyDelete