Dammit Martha!
Right again....
In the article, "Martha Stewart is Editing Your Life (That includes you Bill Gates)"
Rem Koolhaus is seemingly interviewing Martha on her unique approach to the household and how it affects architectural design. She explains how her living spaces are laboratories and Bill Gates's compound is outdated now. Being that the article was dated in 2003, the outdated-ness refers to lack of foresight into a digital world that was wireless...(apparently Bill Gates had tunnels to house the passages of wires for his at home computers). Martha explains that houses are changing at the speed of technology... amongst other things, and that it will continue to be that way.
So, in terms of sustainability, what makes a good design in this discussion? Are we making a period piece? Maybe so. Those are needed to describe history right. Those are needed to describe the social and political atmosphere. Those are need to build up progression.
But I will say that sustainability, as I wrote last week is derived from working with the environment. We need to be working towards structures that are malleable, movable and breathable. I think that includes erecting shells of buildings that are free of these 'tunnels' for the snapshot of time that it is built in. Allow the tunnels themselves to house any type of technology or system. The main points of design and architecture go back to shelter and functionality and beauty right? Let the design be versatile so that it can be managed EASY in the future.
Hey Ian,
ReplyDeleteDo you think Rem Koolhaas and Martha Stewart ever... nevermind.
But when I look at the world, I think it is a little difficult to create the flexible tunnels that you are mentioning i difficult to create in an ever changing technological and societal world. Think about how Bill Gates initially created the tunnels to PREPARE for all the wires that would be required for his home. To him, he was probably under the impression that he was the innovator. When in reality, the world can develop in completely unforeseen ways. I'm sure that in the moment, wireless electronics were a pipedream. Should we as designers use this as fear in our desire to design flexibly? What if in trying to innovate for the future, we end up handicapping ourselves instead.