Everyday Monumentality

 

In the article by Habraken we discussed briefly in class, there are many ideas that contradict the idea of everyday life's essential nature in architecture. He looks at architecture first through the lens of the architect, in the emergence of modernism and Alberti's perspective - which, in my opinion, is not healthy but on the edge of egotistical. Alberti wanted "to be free from everyday environment and its traditions, constraints, and limitations. From now on, focus was on new innovations and a new way of building." As designers we do need to look towards future innovations to improve the resiliency of design, but does that mean we need to dismiss everyday places, common as they may be, to being problematic? I would argue that some of the most meaningful elements of architecture, especially in an urban setting, exist in the alleys, street corners, and busy sidewalks that inevitably lead us to our desired "destination." Is the monumental mindset we place on architecture simply an ignorance of the beauty already existing within those everyday spaces? When I lived in Italy for a time, it was clear that the traditional way of living and walking through a city had NOT transformed directly with the emergence of new buildings, and because of this, the people often seemed more connected with each other. This quote sums up our oblivious mindset, albeit a "modern" one, very clearly - "When we travel to see architecture, we walk through the streets and squares of a foreign town towards our destination: then we stop and look." Why can't we always take our time to appreciate the everyday built environment, which we encounter even more often than those special "monuments?"