Reece Davey

16043750
U30006: Architecture in Society
2016
Contents

CRITICAL REVIEWS
a. Art and Technology

b. Vernacular

c. The Urban Realm

d. Interior and Exterior

MANIFESTO-
THE FIVE STAGES OF (ARCHITECTURAL) GRIEF

a. Denial

b. Anger

c. Bargaining

d. Depression

e. Acceptance
Critical Reviews
 Art, Architecture
and Technology
Art and architecture are virtually synonymous, usually
appreciated by the same demographics and often used to fuel
each other. Art is indefinitely a catalyst for architecture often
colliding to form a main part of its function or aesthetic. This is
shown throughout various historic periods: Baroque, European
Renaissance and gothic to name a few. At the turn of the 20th
century, art and architecture grew apart in a literal sense. “The
perception of the body influences what is perceived by the
Fig. 1 mind.”(Merleau-Ponty, 1945) With movements such as Vorticism
and cubism sparking a conversation within the creative world; of
which barriers could be pushed and tested.

Nevertheless, as new art movements were born new architects

sprung into action with Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank
Lloyd wright at the forefront of minimalism and modernism
respectively. So much experimentation was simultaneously
materialising that the intricacy of renaissance art and
architecture almost became dormant and seemed trivial. New
experimentation into materiality and inhabitation became at
the forefront of the design agenda. Moving on from post World
War two generic terrace housing into more bespoke modernist
housing “Without the user, all that’s there is material – and no
space” (Eliasson, 2014).

Modern day architecture has such a vast amount of technology

and engineering behind it there are very few things that aren’t
possible. Zaha Hadid “ventured where few would dare”(Cook,
Fig. 2 2016) using countless new waves of innovation to create her
designs and often used oil paints during her time at The AA. The
Investcorp building, St Anthony’s college is described as having
“a surprising feeling of moulded intimacy” (Unknown, 2016) with
“strange reflections, adding to the sense of deception”(Hayes,
2016). Its beautiful undulations mirror that of a Jeff Koons
sculpture yet use stunning technologies to propel it into a
modern architectural masterpiece. Looking at both Jeff Koons
and Zaha Hadid as separate artist and architect both creating
incredibly contemporary forms which vary in scale; some of
Koons’ pieces could be classed as architectural installations
Fig. 3 the way they alter the space around them; reflecting light and
imagery onto and around the subjects.

Architecture is often understood by the general onlooker as a

very concrete thing of building design, nevertheless, an architect
knows much more about its connection to the world of art and
how truly alike and cohesive they are.
 Architecture
Design and Vernacular
Semantically, vernacular is the direct correlation between place and
linguistic characteristics. Idioms and “regional dialect” (Oliver,1997)
complete subsections within language adding complexity and culture.
Similarly, in architecture the dexterity of design comes from “folk
Architecture” (Alcock, 1997)-architecture not designed by architects
but simply built for function by small communities with individual flare
and aesthetic. An architects role is to respect these traditions whilst
learning from them and allowing them to evolve and manifest into
something that the fast pace of modern life can benefit from and use.

In modern context vernacular design is often lost in a world of glass

and steel. Can vernacular architecture and the egos of modern day
“starchitects” coexist in harmony? Or is the modern day reach to
claw back vernacular simply a lost hope, trying to contain our expo-
Fig. 10 nentially growing population? Contrastingly is maintaining this ideal of
tradition simply stopping civilisation from moving on, with everything
from political movements to popular culture romanticising the past
“dependency on tradition is a bulwark against change” (Olivier, 1989).
Nevertheless at the crux of this issue is “maintaining the status quo”
(Richardson, 2001) of architecture keeping the rich, rich and the poor,
poor.
Fig. 11
This perpetuates through the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford; the build-
ing is a beautiful example of collegiate architecture but can only be
accessed by a very select few. The design using crafts from across
the globe “Mr. Artari, an Italian, to be their plaisterer in the fret work”
(Graham Jackson, 1924) but the building only giving pass such a small
percentage of people. Unfortunately, the reality of vernacular architec-
ture is that when introduced to the concepts of modern architecture
it often becomes out of touch, and out of reach for the very people
the design originally came from.

Fig. 12 Vernacular architecture is an engaging and beautiful way of under-

standing the culture, history and the very social fabric of a community.
However, this can be exploited and appropriated by developers to
come across as ‘exciting, new and ephemeral’ and can often leave the
indigenous designers feeling cheated. Despite these factors, the col-
laboration and amalgamation of cultures and design practices can be
a very successful and inspire new designers to push what architecture
and especially vernacular architecture is.
 Architecture and
the Urban realm
The line between public and private space is being increasingly
blurred by the rise of capitalist architecture. The “Urban Realm” can
be divided into two very clear areas: Public and private. The rela-
tionship of the two is dictated by the users that reside with in them
“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city people make
it, and it is to them not buildings that we must fit our plans” (Jacobs,
Hirt and Zham, 2012). Some designs see the difference as strict as
‘solid vs void’ with the void being an area with complete access. But
the 21st century has warped the idea of what truly is, public space
“the ‘general public’ does not want a Saturday morning at the shops
to be marred by the reality of homeless people, or to see the vomit
spewed by their kids the day before”(Deutinger, Fillipas, Mavrikaki,
Mante, 2016).Subtle architectural techniques are used to control
Fig. 7
the public: metal brackets along the edges of pavements to prevent
skateboarders from congregating, opera music playing outside of a
department store to stop young people doing the same. Unfortu-
nately, architecture is changing from this public interest dynamic into a
new form of capitol. When talking about New York City Richer Meier
said the new wave of architecture is “disrespectful to the whole city”
implying that it does not “respect the context” (Winston, Dezeen,
2016).
The Urban realm is currently changing to accommodate for the rich
1%, with a large percentage of buildings being built in densely populat-
ed cities being economically out of reach for the average city worker.
Fig. 8 Oxford Brookes’ Headington Campus is a micro community in itself
with cafes, shops, banks and over all (often ambiguous) public and
private spaces. Although open to the public, often patrons are asked
to leave the building after certain times if they are not students. Much
like urban planning on a large scale, there are miscommunications
between designer and inhabitant - such as the Colonnade. “Public
Fig. 9 space is the stage upon the drama of communal life unfolds” (Carr,
Francis, Rivlin, Stone,1993) as the opening statement of the building,
the Colonnade lacks social catalysts. So many people meander across
it yet so few interact. But is this at the fault of the architect as the
mediator between subject and space; or is it the rapidly changing age
of technology that is driving the wedge between society?

Architecture can only control so many variables and as strenuously as

an architect envisions a perfect utopia usually the case is not so shiny.
Architecture within the largest cities is simply a pawn in the Residen-
tial development game where generic luxury apartment blocks all
stare at each other across a skyline that could be of any city.
 Architecture:
Interior and exterior
Furnitecture is the amalgamation of furniture and architecture as a
means of blurring thresholds and uniting interior and exterior spaces.
“The essential purpose of architecture and furniture boils down to
the same thing: to support, contain and render accessible the third-
vertical-dimension of space” (Yudina, 2015). Furnitecture is a new
expression that is being associated with a practice centuries old,
seen in the painting: St.Jerome in His Study by Antonello da Messina
(Figure 4). The painting is framed by a classical piece of architecture
(a stone arch) but a complete room, without any sort of threshold, is
depicted in the center of the piece. It is not a room and is not a desk;
it is a piece of “furnitecture”. The space is defined by it yet it is not a
space in itself, the perfect marriage of form and function is achieved
Fig. 4 and creates a harmonious void in the space between furniture and
architecture for the subject to carry out his work, ‘architecture is
fundamentally a people-system, not a thing-system.’ (Silver 1969).

The Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford used a central

rotunda to define the bulk of the public space. It assists and
directs people through the space but it is not a space in its self.
A fundamental piece in defining furnitecture nevertheless it is not
inspired by a traditional piece of furniture such as a table or chair.
Fig. 5 Furnitecture being such a new and seemingly unexplored word, it
still stands in a semantically liquid form, available to define a whole
plethora of things. Deepening the research of where the inauguration
point of furniture and architecture lies and where it can be obscured
and distorted.

Although a relatively modern ideal, the concept of furnitecture is

generating trends and establishing avant-guard aesthetics. Something
refreshing in the comparatively stale contemporary architectural
movements. ‘creating maximum impact from minimum resources,
whether space, time or materials.’ (Yudina, 2015). Nevertheless,
Fig. 6
furnitecture feels much more ephemeral and of the time than
architecture itself. With it being so newly acquired within the context
of design as a stem and moreover its own entity within architecture
its life span is yet to be distinguished.
Manifesto
The five stages of (architectural) grief
DENIAL
The transition from education to client

Out of university after designing elaborate

projects based on wildly conceptual briefs
architects can struggle when constrained by
the needs of a client. But nevertheless, the
architect without a client has no opposition and
is left to roam free. “Where an architect adopts
an unconventional role, such as becoming a
developer, being their own client, or developing a
building product, then the possibilities of making a
critique of existing working practices or products
are opened up” (Wigglesworth, 2007). The
ultimate threshold to consider is where to draw
the line between design integrity and the needs
of the client “one is paid to furnish one’s clients’
desires, not to question them.” (Wigglesworth,
2007) The ultimate alliance of architect and client
is two apposing equal opposing forces that collide Fig. 13
together to challenge and provoke ideas and
synthesise concepts to create a piece that does
not compromise the architect’s design integrity
but maintains and upholds the clients wants and
needs.

ANGER
Ignorance of context

Vernacular and place, the very fundamental

pieces that directly affect the design process
and often steer the design to a place that can
be developed and refined. “modern buildings
once tended to be conceived as pure, abstract
objects, independent of what was beside them”
(Goldberger, 1981). Unfortunately, in developing
countries such as china, architect Lyndon Neri
explains that projects are “done in such a half-
assed way that it becomes scary,” (Dezeen, 2012). Fig. 14
The rate at which the population is growing is
so vast that the minds of architects can often
struggle to keep up. The 1950s were a time of
experimentation and conceptual thinking but as
more economical and social issues arise architects
need to use context and culture to make sure
our cities don’t just “consist of isolated oases
of glassy monuments surrounded by a limbo
of shacks and beige constructions” (unknown,
2016). It is crucial that the initial driving force to
pursue this career is not distorted by the hunger
for fame and that the context of every project
is taken into consideration over a designers
personal design agenda.
Fig. 15
BARGAINING
Technological vs manual

“When I draw something, the brain and the hands work together. My
hand is the extension of the thinking process—the creative process.
The computer offers another kind of creativity. You cannot ignore
the creativity that computer technology can bring. But you need to
be able to move between those two different worlds.” (Ando, 2002)
Technology has completely changed the way we approach architecture
whether through elaborate algorithms or intricate 3-D modelling and
rendering. It allows a definitive outlook of what a design will really look
like and can give a client a true look at what their project will look like. Fig. 16
Despite all of these developments can the essence of a classical etch
or drawing be established in these perfect renders? Do they take the
charm of architecture away from the construction stage? It is no doubt
that technology has started an architectural revolution but it is up to the
future architects how this new leap is monopolised and furthermore
that the staring point of architecture; the pen on paper drawing isn’t lost.

DEPRESSION
The glass ceiling of urban design

The reality of 21st century architecture is highly generic, high rise

apartments across new ‘up and coming’ areas of major cities pushing
the poor further out, this is urban sprawl. “architecture is a field of
repression” (Libeskind, 2015) So many modern studios are required by
developers to design for profit. Even though through out training to be
an architect we are taught to think outside the box, to be radical and
Avant guard. What is architecture? Students spend 7 years throughout
their RIBA qualification on their own personal path to discover this
often to discover that it is what the client tells you it is. The future of Fig. 17
architecture is to really push the envelope of what a city can do and
provide for the average person. “10% of people lived in cities in cities in
1900, 75% of people will b living in cities in 2050” (Burdett and Sudjic,
2008). It is up to the next generation of architects to take not only the
developer but also the general public out of this urban design plateau.

ACCEPTANCE
Designing for the future: dystopia or utopia

The future often seems hostile for the likes of an ambitious designer,
what is there left to design? The future of design lies very much in new
technologies and urban planning. The grand scheme of architecture
needs to have a position shift towards master planning and working
together to try and create as close to a utopian society as possible. The
current practice format is slightly archaic and worked well when there
wasn’t much of a population swell. The rat race of architectural design is
taking its toll on cities like London and New York. Ephemeral structures
are being put up at an increasingly rapid pace and without any form of
intervention, the utopian fantasy will soon transform into dystopia. “We
should be less interested in the idea of transgressing the normative, and
more interested in reinventing what is normal.” (Parvin, 2013).

Fig. 18
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