The New Utopia

The lectures and readings on retroactive manifesto have been eye opening and more relatable to me than the utopianism architecture of the 20th century.  It seems to be more similar to how we learn in school today.  Before we start to design, we first ask ourselves, what is here? Then we ask ourselves, how to we respond to this?

The writings by Robert Venturi and Denise Scot Brown as well as the lecture discussion about Coney Island represent a new kind of utopianism in culture that is still present today.  A utopia of escapism, in this utopia leisure and pleasure are distilled and magnified in specific locations such as amusement parks and casinos.  As architecture follows culture it makes one question the polarization of work and pleasure.  A factory or similar job that is so miserable an amusement park such as Coney Island must be developed to forget about one’s everyday woes.  In both places there are fascinating lessons in architecture, for anyone who has been to Las Vegas it truly is a city that’s an amusement park.  The organization and combination of programs is evident on a city scale opposed to confined to a building as Koolhaas is interested in.  

The combination of programmatic elements and observation of a natural development of consumerism and escapism that has bloomed architecturally during this time period taught the profession of architecture much.  One of the biggest lessons it may have taught us is what can we learn from designs that are not necessarily conceived by architects.