Mass Produced Junk
In Junkspace, Koolhaas talks about the lack of boundaries between private and public spaces. How public spaces were moving into modernity where public space meant freedom, and how all of the world became public space. And everything is minimal. There is minimal decoration and sparse surfaces, “to minimalize the shame of consumption”. He thinks that Architecture today is a by-product of mass consumerism. It is true that we have a lot more access to materials and sources these days due to our access to the internet, but I don’t think that this always leads to the mass production and monotony that he depicts.
Having such a vast pool of resources means
that we can draw pieces and ideals from many different designers from anywhere
in the world. By merging so many ideas, design methods, or material choices, we
have the ability to create really unique and creative designs. This doesn’t always
mean that that is done. Some design decisions are driven too heavily by the
consumerist society that we live in which can create some monotony, but we have
the power to break away from that and be individualistic in our design.
I agree, we should begin to break away from the common and what appears to be the decisions that restrict our design. To often we find ourselves not following the design because there are material choices to be made, or it will cost to much to build, or what ever it may be. In the past architects chose to build structures the way they did not just because it was all they had, but because that was the way the project was envisioned. I think we find ourselves to comfortable with alternative solutions and the idea that it will be similar to what we want. We should keep the design pure and make decisions for what's best for it.
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