Coffee Window
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8TPAC7KATE
How can everything we design be special?
I resonate with these questions because they force me to conform to the reality we live in.
Not all architecture should be prize-winning projects or receive notable awards.
It is ok to design with a simple format, one that can be acceptable. The Devil is in the details. And
There is an appreciation for the drive-thru fast food establishments and walking-up-to-the-window
restaurants. Not all architecture has to be glamorous. Architecture does not have to be unique,
but it does have to function and be well executed, and the users will take it from there.
Growing up in Miami, one the most visited areas for locals are Cuban cafe shops.
Not because of the architecture, but for the highly caffeinated coffee and the endless conversions
(in Spanish) one can have with strangers who will happily discuss politics, baseball, local news,
or whatever comes to mind. These unplanned/undesign places give the community an identity
to be special.
Great points Edgar! Architects don't always create community. Community creates architecture. Architecture doesn't need to be the primary focus in every space, but the use and functionality should be what is most important.
ReplyDeleteEdgar, beautifully written. In architecture school I think a lot of use forget about everyday architecture like this because so many are busy striving to become the next Starchitect. It's important to keep spaces like this well designed but also affordable for all involved lest we become a player in the role of gentrification.
ReplyDeleteEdgar I agree. We do not always have to solve the problem or create some grand space or building. Rather we can be advocates for community spaces and then give them the platform to be able to transform the space to what best suits them.
ReplyDeleteI never really payed attention to drive - through or walk-up fast food establishments in their architectural manners but I agree with what you're saying. Architects can only think or believe what type of spaces will bring communities together. They can maybe collaborate or use ideas from past projects that might have been successful but it is ultimately the community that decide how they interact with each other within the spaces.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point. Architecture doesn’t have to be beautiful to be useful and to create a sense of place within a community. Just take a look at any Sonic on a Friday night.
ReplyDeleteEdgar, this is a great point. When I find myself needing some social interaction with friends, a coffee shop is the first option I always think of. While Cubans of Miami see these cafe shops as a location for their community, one could argue that the barber shop is a similar equivalent for the black communities of cities all over the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to add a few thoughts to your “User takes it from there”. Architecture is never complete. It is subject to change in every stage of its life cycle. With the user deciding the way the space is going to be used, it turns successful. When these spaces don't give the user the power or flexibility to do things that they want to do with the space, it fails.
ReplyDeleteHey Edgar! In my personal understanding of design and the standard for architects, I don't believe designing for an award or recognition of a project is the goal of a designer but it should be to design for the people, as I believe you are also alluding to. Ultimately, this is why architects are relevant/needed; to design a place for people to thrive.
ReplyDeleteI like the points you make here. A lot of the time people are striving to become the next starchitect winning all these awards for their beautiful designs. It’s ok to not be recognized for your designs or your buildings if they are achieving the function they were built to do. I feel that the fact that the client/user is pleased with the design and is using it how it was intended should be good enough.
ReplyDelete