The Ultimate Judge





The readings this week propose many questions of how building envelopes influence a community and how the atmosphere within the environment is viewed. In Zaera’s The Politics of the Envelope, it is stated that “...the renewed importance of the envelope as a central problem of contemporary architecture derives from the evolution of its production technologies.” I find it interesting to think about how the future of technology in architecture will eventually dictate a building’s facade and envelope in not only appearance, but in a sustainable and renewable way. Thinking back on the Spaulding Paloozi attempt Clemson was pushing for in their new Charleston Design Center, everything revolved around the envelope. There was even a lawsuit against the school because of the envelope. Even though the intentions of the architect were justifiable and worthy, the public eye had the last say. It was a very political debate that centered around the look of the building in its built context. Whether we are discussing the historical context or any urban environment, the ultimate judge is the public and how they perceive the building. These readings have opened my eyes to how important the skin of what we design really is. We are not only building for something amazing, but we are building for the earth and people that are being served.

Comments

  1. Molly, the Spaulding Paloozi building is a great example about the influence the public has on the outcome of a building's facade. This opens up the discussion from previous weeks about how much does the architect need to be aware of the history and context of where they are building and how much are they trying to integrate within that fabric while pushing forward with inventive technological uses.

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  2. Molly,
    It’s very interesting to look at this week’s readings in terms of projects and cities that we are so familiar with. This certainly helps to contextualize the things Alejandro Zaera speaks to in his article. As we advance façade technologies, how are we supposed to integrate them into a historic context, such as Charleston? In regard to public feedback – how can an architect convince a community to invest in technology that they are not familiar with? There will undoubtedly be many obstacles for architects attempting to utilize advanced building envelope technologies in the coming years.

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  3. I think in the US, we have a particularly bad tendency to fixate on skin articulations without delving into discussions of substance. I think the conversations around the Charleston Design Center really point towards a misunderstanding of preservation. Charleston wants to preserve its history, which is a good desire, but something completely new does not threaten the old. Dense European cities have figured this out pretty well. In Barcelona, you have Casa Mila and the Fendi Barcelona on the same street. These architectural expressions could not be more stark from each other, but what they do is they respect the context and the footprints given to them in the urban space. The envelope dates the period of experimentation, but the success of these buildings transcends the envelope because they respect the context.

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