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Posted by RicodJour on July 3, 2007, 12:19 am
> GrandTradition wrote:
> >O
>
> >So sue me for having an architectural preference! You have imagined
> >me (I'm afraid) completely 180d from reality. I may have come on
> >strong, but this IS an architectural newsgroup, supposedly.
>
> It's _alternative_.architecture. Your alternative may be someone else's
> mainstream.
>
> You're entitled to your own perceived or rehashed preconceived
> alternative. If someone buys your BS and your schematics, and you
> actually get to build your perceived alternative, or if you have already
> put up a couple examples for us to discuss, please let us know. I
> clicked on this group as a lark and rather enjoy it., so far.
>
>
>
> >I have a similar story to yours, Michael, except that it involves the
> >entirety of my formal education, which was Mod. Everything
> >traditional I've learned about architecture, other than the
> >historian's cut-and-dry time line of events, is a product of my
> >personal study. I've seen cities go down the tubes due to glass box
> >syndrome (GBS?), as I'm sure you have; and I've also witnessed the
> >sorriest revival of traditional architecture since revivals started
> >happening (in my opinion). It's not the brightest day for architects,
> >and quite frankly, I keep running into architects who ultimately don't
> >care, including some of my classmates from college.
>
> >I sometimes ask them why they're so non-chalant, and they reply with
> >the same stuff: "It's just my job." "The client made me do it."
> >"What do you mean?" "I've got to put bread on the table." "Let's
> >talk about something else."
>
> >I am definitely an advocate for traditional architecture, but
> >ultimately I advocate GOOD architecture. Putting bread on the table
> >doesn't usually produce good work. To those who I know who make that
> >claim, I tell them to pull away for a while and do something else that
> >"puts bread on the table." Overall, I get it (I think). There are a
> >lot of architects out there; and just like any other profession, there
> >are those that actually love what they do and excel, then there are
> >those who do it for other reasons, who usually do not find that
> >magical mix of circumstances required to do really well. I'll readily
> >admit I'm not the brainiest architect of the lot, but I do love my
> >profession- and I feel like cities, towns, villages, and families all
> >depend on architects to make the world as livable as it can be.
>
> >Have you seen a new traditional building that exceeds the design
> >success of a similar building erected 100 years ago?
>
> There's this little matter of cost and commission and hubris and a
> numbing numbe of very practical issues. The present day cost of the
> trades and materials to construct that building are astronomical. There
> are few commissions on grand budgets.
>
>
>
> > Have you seen a modern building that exceeds the design success of a similar
building
> >80 years ago? I blame the laissez faire attitude of many architects
> >today. I say get the f*ck off your asses and do something responsible
> >next time someone wants to do something on the cheap!
>
> >American culture being despised around the world? McAnything, let
> >alone McMansions? Buildings designed to fail after 20 years?
> >Disposable culture is dispicable to me- it's just irresponsible. And
> >the world (or at least the first world) can see the horrible direction
> >the US has taken culturally over the last century. And please believe
> >me: I don't want to return to the 1920's. I want 2007 to be the best
> >that the US has ever known. Who will paint our murals, sculpt our bas
> >reliefs, and plan our gardens in such a way that guides us forward
> >while giving us hindsight after the last of the master craftsmen are
> >gone? Are we going to import everything from other countries,
> >including craftsmen, to the extent that we have to start all over
> >again?
>
> >Enough for now. I've said too much already. Please proceed with the
> >stoning and tarring and feathering.
>
> I once went this lecture by an acting dean at a grad architecture
> school (flag me if you know him) accompanied by congratulatory sighs and
> hurrahs by his fawning grad students, some of whom were just hoping for
> the recommendation to someone somewhere for a job, any job, hopefully a
> lucratice job, dare they even hope for a job where someone actually
> would allow them to design?. One of his ideas had to do with not
> understanding the slightest bit about Islam but willing to embarrass
> himself about interesting things he was willing to do with Korans in a
> mosque of his imagination. Some people begged to differ, this being a
> public forum and he no longer being in his precious ari element. The
> next idea had to do with his concept of painting miles of reflective
> stuff on the surface of moon rock so everyone with a telescope could
> literally bask in his immense creativity. That's thinking outside the
> box! Until someone asked whether he should be allowed to denigrade vast
> acres of the universe with what possibly non peelable substance? I
> personally love dialogue.
>
> The capstone of the night came not from dean but from his personal pet
> in a little session in which the grad students were supposed to express
> their architectural vision about how they conceived their practices.
> The little darling opined that he would personally not accept a
> commission for anything that he could not guarantee would stand for two
> centuries, anything else being beneath him.
>
> I couldn't help but ask who he planned to bankroll this personal vision,
> and did this personal vision have any particular shape, material or form?
There's no reason that a well maintained wood frame house can't last
two centuries. There are plenty of them around New England and the
rest of the world. That's how New Englanders view it - New England
and the rest of the world. ;)
R
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