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contents
00 introduction: welcome to the jungle
01 whats the story morning glory?
message
02 one
uniqueness
03 seven nation army
vernacu lar id entity
04 take a look around
reason
05 conclusion: house of the rising sun?
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a great epoch has begun
there exists a new spirit
le corbusier, 1927
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Yet architecture, although built of matter, need not be dead: it can be life-filled. Its constit-
uent elements and relationships can sing and the human heart can resonate with them
Christopher Day, Places of the Soul
Architecture is a man-made extension of the nature. Most of us spend more time in this artificial world of
buildings than in nature itself. Nature communicates with a person on a spiritual level, addresses his emotions
and makes him feel alive. It has sheltered people for thousands of years. Times have changed now. Instead of
living in forests, we live in concrete jungles now. Our world has changed so rapidly in last decades that some
things have escaped out of control.
Architect is an employee of the society, of the individuals and their needs, including emotional ones. However,
very of ten th is is not the case. A perso n cann ot communicat e spiri tually with anything that i s dead. There are
many architects and theorists that in the same way as Christopher Day above believe that architecture does
not need to be dead and soulless, just because it is created out of dead and soulless materials. Peter Zumthor,
Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate for 2009 is one of the strongest advocates of this notion, and his seminal
work Thinking Archit ecture was an important st arting poin t for this dis sertat ion.
Architecture has a strong bond to life and hence should have a soul.
(Zumthor, 2006, 12)
Soul is a spiritual or immaterial part of human
the only acceptable kind. Soul gives architectu
tecture is unique and meaningful and in teracts
Juhani Pallasmaa in The Eyes of The Skin sees
and integrates physical and mental structures, g
ence and significance. (Pallasmaa, 2005, 12) A
intensifies the spiritual experience in people.
However, in several cases the exact opposite ha
ways forgo tten that the person is t he mo st imp
taken into account, architecture is dead. In man
istics such as individuality and meaningfulness
intentionally or unintentionally. This resulted i
and fuelled by several factors, such as social, ec
in architecture but also in art, music and other
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The aim of this dissertation is to identify what is soulful architecture, what is depersonalized architecture and
find reason and motives for both. Story is split in four chapters and each of those chapters examines archi-
tecture from a different point of view, by taking a look at characteristics of soulful architecture. First chapter
about message in architecture takes a look at communication between a building and its dweller and tries to
find a reason for emotional connection between them. Second chapter deals with issue of uniqueness in archi-
tecture, since individuality is one of the most important characteristics of soul, and loss of uniqueness one of
the most common reasons for depersonalization. Third chapter is a continuation of the chapter about unique-
ness, but takes a look at local consequences of global way of thinking. It focuses on importance of vernacular
identity and its disappearance. Last chapter is about reason in architecture and reasons for architecture. It
discusses the ifluence of social, economical and technological factors on message, uniqueness and vernacular
architecture, since it seems that those factors are becoming tru e reasons for architecture instead of people.
This is a dissertation on architecture, however in several places, where needed, we will borrow knowledge from
music, not only to explain principles of beauty, but also to show that architecture is not the only discipline of
art that suffers depersonalization.
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imperfect balance of complexity and order, where order slightly outweighs the complexity. The human brain
will misread a mes sage t oo complex, but a mes sage t oo uniform will be p erceived as bo ring. In both cases no
emotional response will be triggered by the message.
Smith explains that:
If they had realised (modern architects) what harmony means in musical terms, things
might have been much better. For example, in the tonic chord of G-major, there is a sig-
nificant level of clash between the wave profiles of the notes, but the rate of overlap or
synchronisation exceeds the rate of clash, so order succeeds in outweighing complexity.
(Smith, 2003, 21)
A few examples will help to illustrate the ideas about complexity and order.
Frank Gehrys Guggenheim museum is a building that has, whether we like it or not, challenged perspectives
on architecture and aesthetics in t he same way as perhaps Villa Savoy in the 1920s or Pompidou Centre did in
1970s. In terms of aesthetical delight Smith seems confused whether Gehry takes randomness in his buildings
beyond boundary in which there c ould be said to be any underlying lawfulness(Smith, 2003, 115)
In musical terms this building is a case where no laws of tonality are respected: we have randomness and
therefore no chance of perceiving a pattern or order. And so: when a work of art defies all efforts to uncover
any underlying orderliness, the result for most people is ugliness and rejection. (Smith, 2003, 21)
But if architecture is the art of creating places for people, is it fair that the human is excluded from architec-
ture and all focus is devoted to the randomness
ture at Georgia Tech identified this particul ar p
Owens Architecture, Ethics and Globalization:
When it focuses only on the form it is not look
building has to inspire faith (Dunham-Jones
moral obligation of the architect to comply with
a positive emotional response from the people.
On the other hand could it be argued that com
another road to labelling and uniformity? In fac
consequently refusing progress?
Another extreme can be well presented with eit
his Linked Hybrid in Beijing. Both pieces of arc
though rhythm is a natural phenomenon (heart
Whitehead agreed that: A mere recurrence kil
(Whitehead, 1919)
Daniel Day in Places of the Soul also turns to m
Repetition is the basis of rhythm. It ca
zation by repetition is organization by t
(Day, 1990, 90)
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the point where the main theme disappears, but then in the end intr oduces it again, closing a perfect circle of
harmony, filled with variety and similarity. And according to architectural theorists mentioned above, all these
principles should be used in design process in order to create alive buildings that speak to us.
Examples and opinions might suggest that contemporary architecture in many cases fails to address the very
crucial member of the design process the dweller. Instead of filling the dweller with life, many of todays
buildings leave him cold or confused. Do we really want to run towards uniformity, meaninglessness and soul-
lessness, to run away from what makes us human?
But as said before, there is more to message than just the visual aspect. In fact Pallasmaa argues that t he very
visual fixation , which we suffer from, is the reason for archi tecture beco ming d etached from emotions.
The world becomes a hedonistic, but meaningless visual journey
(Pallasmaa, 2005, 22)
Pallasma sees reasons for emotional detachment in architecture in advent of computers. He claims that: Com-
puter imaging tends to flatten our magnificent, multi sensory, simultaneous and synchronic capacities of
imagination by turning the design process into a passive visual manipulation, a retinal journey. The computer
creates a distance between the maker and the object (Pallasma, 2005, 12)
As a consequence of a dishonest relationship between the maker and the object the connection between a
building and its dweller can hardly be genuine and spiritual. Sensory reductivism to strictly visual, which is
clear in case of the Ghost House, but was prese
However, Le Corbusier as the voice of the moder
by stating, Architecture is a plastic thing. I me
(Le Corbusier, 1959, 164)
If we take a step back from visual communicati
have seen some rules might be applied in terms
influences on comprehension of the message, su
We can speak about nostalgia and memory in ter
this case an emotional response is elicited after
tion arises whether a strong emotional response
of a time factor and idolized past.
Pallasmas opinion is that Buildings and cities
2005, 52) Buildings and songs in a way become
Nevertheless is sentimental longing for the past a
seen as blasphemy, backwardness. Le Corbusie
principle. He sees memories that cannot remain
If we feel inclined to converse with bei
lively and accurate than memory rouse
(Le Corbusier, 1925, 189)
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Jean Baudrillard, a renowned French philosopher in his architectural writings agrees that we should not seek
message in the past:
We are looking for a lost object we have to confront what we have lost and anticipate
what is ahead of us.
(Baudrillard in Proto, 2006, 26)
However architects such as Peter Zumthor find memory as a crucial part of experiencing a building. As archi-
tect he is very interested in objects that have meaning and that evoke memories in dwellers of his buildings.
He achieves this with materiality and detailing. When I think about architecture, images come into my mind
I can almost feel a particular door handle in my hand I can hear the heavy front door closing (Zumthor,
2006, 7) Zumthor opposes sensory reductivism, since he finds all senses equally important for understanding
the message a building conveys to the dweller.
All these subjective biases may contribute t o the full understanding of a message. Together with visual aspect
they might be the reason for a complete emotional experience of architecture.
In the first part of the chapter we have seen that message is understood as a relationship of signs. Is it possible
that same signs could have a different meaning to different people and so evoke different memories? After all
we don t all share the same past, or do we ?
Is it possible to talk about universal message or
in the same way exactly as the artist predicted?
This is difficult to predict because it
meaning of something in the end the
who receives it that creates her/his ow
impersonal, and will not succeed in cre
(Baudrillard in Proto, 2006, 179)
These words put into question not only the above
architecture and possibility of a universal messa
for discussions about uniqueness and mass cul
the third chapter.
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Everything merges into everything else, and mass communication creates an artificial
world of signs
(Zumthor 2006)
Thoughts of Peter Zumthor describe the world we live in today. They put into words our state of mind and epoch
of our time. Unification that we experience today on all fronts is for some people a terrible side effect of the
global life that we live and a beautiful symbol of development for the others. In architecture is the presence of
universal aesthetic values very strong. A question is whether there is a difference between styles that existed
in the past and the mass identity architecture of the last decade or two. Is unification and sampling really a
sign and necessary side effect of our technological and mental evolution or does the reason lie somewhere else,
perhaps in economics, politics, or just pure disappearance of ideas?
Are unification and sampling just outcomes of some yet unknown reason that might be identified later in this
chapter or is unification in architecture actually a consequence of sampling itself? Because it just might be that
copying has brought us to the point where the original is unrecognizable. But if everything actually merges into
everything else, where is beauty then when everything looks t he same? Where is identity in mass architecture?
Where is soul in cities and buildings without identity? There are many questions that dont always lead to the
same answers. But they must be answered, because global merging of moral and aesthetic values might just
become something that will distinguish our generation from previous ones.
There are several aspects of this issue that we will examine, but since last chapter already started to talk about
diversity and beauty lets see how unification in architecture can be explained in aesthetic terms.
Nature is again a perfect place to l ook for answer
rule of similarity and novelty was applied to si
and rhythm were used in relationship to pattern
at relationships between buildings.
Lets imagine a forest where all the trees are n
meadow of only flowers of the same kind. Even t
the same when it gets lost in the bunch? Nichol
Thus while the flowers of one species
added poignancy by the contrasting rhy
(Humphrey in Mikellides, 1980, 68)
In architectural terms a forest of the same trees
hood such as Rainbow Neighbourhood in Neth
units all of the same shape and colour. Except of
and the architecture used. There is no diversit
even though architects claim that in ternal spac
side does not make the dweller feel special at all
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Another way we can use trees to find out whether there is a connection between mass production and experi-
ence of beauty is if we imagine that trees were mass-produced in the same way as cars or nowadays houses,
that same trees would grow in all the forests in the world. How would this affect our perception of their beauty
and uniqueness? One of the few things that I remember from my trip to Africa , when I was still a child, were
enormous baobab trees and ebony trees that I have seen for the first and only time in my life. Is it possible
that if I had a chance to see those trees every day, they would not stay in my memory for almost 15 years?
Wicham van Eyck, who is the architect of the Rainbow Neighbourhood that we have mentioned before, says The
aesthetic can be and is independent of the method of construction if one chooses it to be. (Van Eyck cited in
Arief, 2002, 63)
But French philosopher Ricoeur has a different view on universalization and uniformity in architecture: The
phenomenon of universalization, while being an advancement of mankind, at the same time constitutes a sort
of subtle destruction, not only to traditional cultures, which might not be irreparable wrong, but also what I
shall call for the time being the c reative nucleus of great cultures He then goes even further when saying:
This threat is expressed among other disturbing effects by spreading before our eyes of a
mediocre civilization
(Ricoeur, 1961, 276)
Many supporters of mass architecture would agree that we are not the first copycat generation. To be honest,
styles have existed almost since the beginning o
around the world, Gothic Cathedrals in Cologne,
that even Hanseatic houses of Belgian, Dutch or
of Mies van der Rohe, Walter Groupious or Le C
in today. However Peter Smith explains the diffe
The so called international style cr
Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Dallas a re a
this collapse we can refer to an earlier i
of the medieval transnational trading o
is immediately identifiable, but each c
(Smith 2005, 39)
Words of Peter Smith in a way suggest that ther
sees style more as a guideline, a brief that can b
to force a global identity into the cities and into
sense that mass identity is much more dangero
dangerous than mass production?
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Many would agree that in several cases a well designed pre-fabricated house is a better place to live than a bad
original, but in a moment when mass identity comes into the picture pre-fab and non-prefab houses start to look
the same, as well as museums, schools, shops and churches.
But what is then the reason for the g lobal identity in architecture of today? Is it education of architects?
Architectural schools in the past such as Beaux Arts would teach a style, not giving much space to the imagi-
nation. Nowadays an architectural student is merely guided trough the design process, but still has a lot of
freedom. Also, many of todays most influential architects were in t heir youth inspired by modernists, however
their architecture rarely resembles any aesthetic qualities of modernism. Even though some might argue that
Norman Foster, who was a great admirer of Mies and Le Corbusier in his youth, now thinks globally because of
these lessons from the past.
According to Jean Nouvel the greatest danger to the future architecture and also to music as we will see later
comes from relying solely on computer design. He sees an enemy in computer tools that have made architecture
much easier in recent years.
It is easy to copy just by changing a single parameter, without giving any thought to inser-
tion and without there being any invention in the poetic sense. The big danger is cloned or
genetically modified architecture.
(Nouvel cited in Rambert, 2005, 114)
But dont be mislead by this statement. Computers are the worst and the greatest thing that has happened to
architecture. Some of the most unique and cont
wasnt for state of the ar t software tool s. Proj ect
Gehrys Guggenheim Bilbao that we have alread
of software manipulation. But why is it then th
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles or Bar
in Architecture of the Absurd sees all recent G
Evidently there were not enough scraps left fro
No matter how original and iconic his Bilbao G
after Bilbao, which in a way drowns the original
very problem:
Bilbao in many regards is a fabulous b
so I am watching for Bilbao 2. The pr
15. Gehry is now reproducing the same
franchise. How does this building contr
has put Bilbao on the map.
(Dunham-Jones cited in Owen, 2009, 30)
Will Bilbao 15 have the same power to inspire? P
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Jean Baudrilllard questions himself wherther architecture might now be in a situation where it can only repeat
itself to infinity, or work its way through all the possible variations of the pre-programmed code, that code trot-
ting out its generic stock of of conventional forms in some pale imitation of the generic code? (Baudrillard,
2006, 170)
A very obvious question presents itself: If we have more powerful tools and building technology, if there are
almost no boundaries in terms of material limitations and if we now have software that can create any possible
shape that a human mind could imagine; why are we stuck repeating ourselves and each other?
There is an enormous amount of buil dings that are obvious examples of, as Jean Nouvel called it, genetically
modified architecture. If in biological terms genetic modification means alteration of genes in architectural
terms it means almost the same. It means taking the essence, soul, identity of a building and then slightly
modifying the characteristics.
Birds Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is probably one of the g reatest achievements of this
decade in technological terms. In terms of design it can be considered as an original building, designed most
probably with the help of software manipulation. It became a trademark of Beijing and architectural icon. In
2014 Socchi in Russia will host the Winter Olympics and the stadium designed for this occasion by Populous is
according to latest presentations going to look as a genetically modified Birds Nest, with slightly altered shape
and patterns, so that similarity is slightly camouf laged.
Austrian architect Frederick Kiesler in Francis Ramberts Future Architecture confides that: There are three
kinds of architects. Those who have ideas a long time in advance, so that the second lot can adapt them; and
the third lot who are just reactionaries. Rambert then continues by saying:
Today with the new tools that are ava
more easily. But the important thing is
allowed others to convert their touchdo
(Rambert, 2005, 57)
Sampling and remix are just musical terms for
haps in music even stronger than in architecture
problems or challenges as architecture. Comput
last decade. In the last chapter we have compar
cluded that the computer-generated sound is pe
tion. Computers can now generate any sound th
this suggests that music of the new millennium
with thousands of st yles, rhythms, and mean ing
Music is becoming genetically modified. After c
butes a little so that repetition is not obvious.
But even when repetition is obvious no one seem
vanguard music is very much fas cinate d by how
calls this phenomenon in music, has become som
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Th ld d f l d h f l H h b l l
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The old idea of originality in production gives way to another of originality in consump-
tion which means that we now measure originality of sampling the precedents. Selec-
tions sampled may be traceable or untraceable, it need not matt er. Reference is not the aim
so much as a kind of creative consumerism.
(Cutler 2004, 153)
Brian Eno one of the most important and inf luential figures in modern music agrees with Cutlers opinion that
talent and originality have been replaced by the skill of sampling. But bad judgement can lead to uniformity in
music and architecture, which kills their human characteristics.
The great benefit of tools like Cubase is that they remove the issue of skill, and replace it with the issue of
judgemen t. With Cubase and Phot oshop anybody can do actually anything, and you can make stuff that so unds
very much like stuff you d hear on the radi o, or l ooks much like anyth ing you d see in magazines . (Bri an Eno,
1995)
If we take a look at US iTunes chart of singles for October 2009 and compare top ten songs on the chart, we
notice that all ten songs use the Auto-Tune voice-modifying tool. Auto Tune has first been used in rap and rnb
music but has now spread to the extent where there is very hard to find an Auto Tune free song.
Architects of popular music have, instead of using the powers they were given to create diverse, beautiful and
soul-filling music, in many cases turned it into a cheap mass product. In the same way that a prefabricated
house is built like a car, a song is now a mass-produced prefabricated house that does not need a context.
But why are we not even trying to move towards uniqueness, originality?
Here together are cannibalism, lazines
been originated, so that it is enough no
all.
(Cutler 2004, 153).
In music we get even a stronger feeling that ev
notable inflation of love related songs has occur
of popular songs of last decade are far from uniq
that 6 out of 10 songs in October 2009 have a s
sexual revolution, Honky Tonk Woman by the Ro
among 20 songs on the Billboard Chart.
It seems that music and architecture have both t
they were forced into doing that by some other
was not an int ention of this chapter to argue wh
was to show that we should fight not to drown in
have at our disposal to create diverse environme
identity is what makes us human. And as archit
words of Peter Zumthor from the beginning of t
Everything merges into everything else, and
signs
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Does being part of the culture impose a systematic dishonesty upon us because we are far some suggest modern and traditional should
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Does being part of the culture impose a systematic dishonesty upon us, because we are
part of a culture and not free?
(Rem Koolhaas, Architecture and Globalization, 1996)
In first two chapters we have taken a l ook at disappearance of message and uniqueness, that both contributed to
what seems t o be deperso nalizat ion in ar chitecture. Thi rd chapter focuses on c ulture and the vernacular aspect
in architecture. In a way it is a continuation of the chapter about uniqueness, but from a more locally oriented
point of view. If the previous chapter was more focused on unification as a phenomenon, this chapter will focus
on consequences that our global way of thinking has caused on a local scale.
Vernacular is the dialect, a language of ordinary people in a certain country or region. Diversity of our languag-
es is one of the crucial characteristics that makes us unique as groups of people or individuals and differenti-
ates us from other groups and individuals. Vernacular identity is an important aspect that gives architecture
soul in its environment. Some might say it gives people feeling of safeness and familiarity that comforts them,
but at the same time it also makes sure that a building blends in perfectly with existing architecture. It does
not only have a role in preserving the national or cultural identity, but it gives cities a special quality that
distinguishes them from other cities and cultures, ju st like language does. In the times when media, technology
and advances in travel almost erased borders between cultures, in times when a new global culture is emerging,
traditional cultures are fading away. The question is whether this is a problem or not? There are several dif-
ferent approaches to this issue, but what is the correct approach to vernacular architecture? Many architects
see the vernacular context as one of the crucial things to be considered in the design process, some take it too
far, some suggest modern and traditional should
architecture completely and get rid of the shack
is the right way to go?
French philosopher Paul Ricoeur in History and
In order to get on to the road toward m
old cultural past which has been the ra
(Ricoeur, 1961, 276)
This sentence raises not only the question of
whether the battl e between modern and verna
architect that builds with vernacular character
not capable of letting go of the past or is he on
Ricoeur calls culture raison dtre which in tran
that architecture made us into what we are now,
other essay. Buildings are museums of our c ultu
raison dtre a correct way?
Rem Koolhaas in the first quote of this chapter
obey the rules of your own culture takes freedom
that there is an emotional connection between a
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sciously it leads him. But Koolhaas does not want this. He is prepared to reject his raison dtre. However the Is it possible that the global architecture is becom
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y p p j
only way he can do this is to go abroad, think globally and not locally. If he goes abroad he can get rid of the
chains that did not let him be free at home. Abroad he has an excuse not to obey rules of the culture because
he is not a part of it. And so he says that:
Maybe one of the exhilarating possibilities of a leap somewhere else, where we no longer
have to posture to become members in good standing of our communities, is this uncam-
ouflaged freedom.
(Koolhaas, 96, 236)
But is it moral to build abroad when with leaving home to abandon the emotional guilt he admits that what
he builds there has no emotional and spiritual connection to him and to the people there? To be honest, not
many firms in the world can solely rely their existence on the work abroad, This could mean that the reason for
universalization lies in the local architects in the modern world who no longer feel the emotional connection to
their own culture and rather copy the soulless ic on.
This way a new international style spreads like a virus, killing the vernacular architecture. And Koolhaas sees
vernacu lar as unimpor tant. In Understa nding the New Ur ban Condit ion in his eyes th e new era and the new
condition do not allow us to rely on the past. We must move forward and address the issues such as flows of
traffic, flows of human beings, fl ows of money (Koolhaas, 96,13)
p g
and disappear?
Without a doubt the world has changed a lot in
change. And this is sort of an alibi for the uni
followed the road that we took in other aspects o
for mass production, prefabrication and global st
todays architects seem to forget that there is mu
the buildings. There is a strong emotional conne
nostalgia, feeling of warmth, feeling of safeness
questions or just ignore them?
Allison Arieff in Pre-Fab links question of subj
mass production should not be an excuse for rej
Ideally, prefabrication combines tradi
ics, to create innovative housing solutio
However she then realizes the reality of the si
structs-prefab and stick-built alike-cling formula
the need for energy efficiency and environmen
desired by a new generation of the home buyers
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It is imperative that the home evolves to meet those needs. (Arieff, 2002, 36) Every town and city is a unique spe
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Her opinion is that with the technology aquired we should be able t o build even prefabricated houses that would
be bespoke either to users or local cultu re. Even though current situation is not very bright, she still sees the
light at the end of a tunnel even for mass production.
Prefabrication for twenty-first century allows for repetition of the same systems without
replication of the same house, and this promise of mass customization may be the last best
hope for prefab that really works.
(Arieff, 2002, 36)
Peter Smith interprets idea of vernacular architecture a bit differently. He takes a more biological approach.
He sees the battle between contemporary and vernacular as a battle between genes and environments in our
body, where genes are the cultural identity and environment is the contemporary needs and forces. In biology
this principle is called epigenesis. C.J. Lumsden in Genes, Mind and Culture describes it as: The process of
interaction between genes and the environment that ultimately results in distinctive anatomical, physiologi-
cal, cognitive and behavioural traits of the organism. (Lumsden, 1982, 370) Which means that a successful
design is at least according to Smith the one that does not egoistically reject everything but modern view and
also does not overreact with genetic characteristics of the culture. Smith transfers this biological knowledge
into architecture:
y y q p
buildings and spaces constitutes the epi
sets the fundamental rules for the way
context.
(Smith, 2003, 50)
To explain the principle we should take a look
Mongolia is an emerging city that has been built
is divided into 100 parcels, each of them 1000
27 countries have been invited to Mongolia to en
it. Desert is clearly a perfect tabula rasa for
is it correct to say that there is no background
buildings that clearly do not in any way, spiritua
desert such as Ordos desert has some sort of ver
such as mud huts and tents, which does mean
inappropriate. However there are things such as
purpose All these factors contribute to buildi
its inhabitants, gives them more than j ust a roo
villas show ignorance of local people and use t
suggestion that local community is involved spir
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daylight that a nomad can hardly interact with a concrete vill a on a spiritual level. So to answer to Rem Koolhass, it might be that b
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But this kind of erasure of vernacular architecture and ignorance of specific local needs, values and memories
is happening all around t he world. There are millions of examples where international architects seek freedom
and high commissions and flee abroad to build in a global manner. Consequence is that cities such as Shanghai
or Beijing, cities with strong and admired vernacular architecture are slowly starting to become identical to
New York or Singapore. This plague then spreads to local architects and the vernacular slowly starts to disap-
pear.
Even though it would be expected that the star architects are to blame for disappearance of the vernacular there
are some bright exceptions that take context into account and then build around it. David Chipperfield is one
of those architects who does not reject the spirit of the place.
Whats needed is continuity, and our responsibility is to find clues to this memory in
context.
(Chipperfield cited in Rambert, 2005, 21)
Chipperfield is the author of River and Rowing Museum at Henley - on Thames, where he appreciates local,
slightly conservative values, vernacular tradition and intelligently mixes them with his characteristic minimal-
ism. The result is a building that communicates and breathes with the community.
tects, but architects are in the same way as man
themselves. Building because of money and ego
and seeking for excuse in globalization and econ
and more architects start to think differently. I
who would ident ify with almos t anything, it mig
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Reason: (n) a cause, explanation, or justification Le Corbusiers opening thoughts for his essay E
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(v) think, understand, and form judgments logically
Last chapter of this dissertation will in a way try to bring all the previous chapters together and look at reasons
and possible consequences of depersonalization. The chapter will deal with dilemma whether architecture alone
is the one responsible for this depersonalization or was it just not strong enough to cope with external forces
and pressures. We will examine the extent to which factors such as technological development, social changes,
politics and media pointed architecture in the direction it is heading now. We will take a closer look at the role
of the architect and the moral perspective of the profession. As the beginning suggests we will try to find a
reason, a cause, a context, a backg round behind this depersonalization.
Many writers who share this opinion describe contemporary architecture as inhumane. Inhumane means lack-
ing human characteristics of compassion and mercy. Word indicates insincerity in communication between
the inhumane object (architecture) and a person. Pallasmaa sees the r eason for the disregard for humanity in
technology, as the most influential force.
The inhumanity of contemporary architecture and cities can be understood as the con-sequence of the negligence of the body and the senses () The growing experiences of
alienation, detachment and solitude in the technological world today may be related with a
certain pathology of the senses.
(Pallasmaa, 2005, 17).
There exists a new spirit. (Le Corbusier, 1946
spirit. In 1926 he envisioned a change, but the
controllable. Technology not only changed our li
the disease of our senses. This detachment of em
have made our generation probably the most soc
offered us only an illusion of actually being with
words and images and v ideos, but can hardly con
hugs, pokes and presents, but are those re
fear that this disease of the senses could eventu
artificial feeling could unconsciously become a r
In architecture technology allows architects to d
people they have never met in the cultures they
find out more about those cultures. This not onl
but also between architecture and environment
tual, cultural and environmental contexts becom
when they c ould fuel the de sign and connec t it w
in many cases technology works perfectly fine a
people. We have seen that with technology we in
is certain that technology is whether we want it
in architecture. But even if technology offers infinite possibilities, we use this against us. Why? This question the reason for absurd architecture such as Burj
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is everything but new. We are not the first generation with a new acquired technology. In the same way as
computers changed our generation of architects, advances in building technology and engineering caused an
enormous change in construction methods in the first half of the previous century. Le Corbusier was thrilled
about limitless potential for construction, however modernism remained a relatively unified style. Architect
Kunyo Mayekawa wrote in Thoughts On Civilization in Architecture:
Modern architecture is and must be squarely based on solid achievements of modern sci-
ence, technology and engineering. Why then does it often tend to become something inhu-
man? () Modern architecture must recall its rudiments, its initial principles as human
architecture. Whereas science and engineering are the products of human brains, the mod-
ern architecture and the modern cities which are built by them tend to become inhuman.
He then suggests that there must be some other underlying cause for this. I believe that one of the main rea-
sons is that it is not always created merely to satisfy human requirements, but rather for some other reason,
such as t he profit motive (Mayekawa, 1965, 229-230)
And so we move to the next strong force in architecture. Monetary influence is strongly connected to ethics,
since once money enters the game, all the other reasons become unimportant or of almost no importance.
Architecture stops being an art of creating living spaces, it becomes a tool, manipulated by everyone else but
architects. Money can guide architecture in two ways. There is one direction where abundance of money is
with reality and r eason, but most importantly i
important thing. And so architects flee abroad to
ethics is then on trial. Usually money wins the
On the other side is reality, where money is bec
that monetary condition in many cases leads to
Because after all as Gary Stevens says in Archit
Architects are a lot less important as
down to whos paying you, and very few
from that.
(Stevens in Owen, 2009, 60).
Ellen Dunham-Jones in the same discussion con
artist, and I am often somewhat jealous of how
have to justify it. (Dunham-Jones in Owen, 200
certainly specific. But does it have to be a rule th
architecture? We have discussed the idea of suc
previous chapters. This certainly is one of the w
There are more and more people who can acqu
given opportunity even to people without talent. But in cases such as the one we described above, where funding this kind of architecture. On the other hand:
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is limited, skill is not enough. This is where talent is needed badly, since in cases like this talent is the factor
that draws the line between successful and depersonalized architecture. Music is facing the same problems.
Anyone can create music because anyone can learn the skills. Brian Eno explains this issue perfectly:
...the question becomes not whether you can do it or not , because any drudge can do it ()
the question then is: of a ll the things you can do now, which do you choose to do? This is a
whole issue for which there are not manuals!
(Eno cited in Cox, 2008, 363)
Question arises whether it is the architects fault for caving-in under the inf luence of money. In the case where
money is limited talent is an important factor. In cases where money is abundant it is the question of architects
ethic principles, since he has an opport unity to say no if he wants to.
Pallasma as well sees a problem in moral values of the architects. In his opinion many of the 21st century
projects, celebrated by architectural press, were designed by two sorts of architects: narcissists and nihilists.
He makes a distinction between the two by saying:
The narcissistic eye views architecture solely as a means of self expression, and as an
intellectual-artistic game detached from essential mental and societal connections.
Architectures of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid or Daniel Libeskind would probably be most appropriate examples of
nihilistic eye deliberately advances sen
Instead of reinforcing ones bodycent
nihilistic architecture disengages and is
reconstruct cultural order, it makes a re
(Pallasmaa, 2005, 229)
Oxford dictionary describes nihilism as rejecti
meaningless. In terms of our time, nihilists wou
situation. Nihilists would be those who have acc
increase in population, technology, media and m
the people. They have accepted the fact that the
factors. Rem Koolhas identifies this new c onditi
Confronted with this mutation, this nthat we are powerless to forestall it
(Koolhaas, 1996,13)
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city of tommorow
He then goes on by trying to explain this with an example: It seems clear that somehow we should
be able hen gi en the impossibl diffic lt problem of designing in t o eeks a cit for three million
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be able, when given the impossibly difficult problem of designing in two weeks a city for three million
people, to respond with vigour and skill. (Koolhaas, 1996, 13)
Does this sound like reality or only like a bad joke?
Has the state of the world changed so drastically that this is actually our reality or is designing a cit y
for three million people in two weeks in a way violation of human rights and dignity?
If the social, economic, technological and political factors are so strong in the new millennium can
we real ly bla me arch itecture and arch itects for the deperso nalizat ion? Perhaps not, but t hey sure did
give-in very quickly, even though they had the power to fight back.
As architects we must be careful about this issue, because one day, not far from now, we might reach
the point where globalization, urbanization, increase in population, technology, media, money and
similar factors will become the only reasons behind architecture instead of people, culture and envi-
ronment.
That does not sound very reasonable does it?
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On our journey through four chapters, we tried to understand the spiritual connection and non-verbal com-
munication between a building and its dweller, as an important attribute of architecture with soul. We then
now more than ever has the power to be inspirin
no need whatsoever for architecture to comply w
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u cat o betwee a bu d g a d ts dwe e , as a po ta t att bute o a c tectu e w t sou . e t e
focused on repetition and mass identity that evolved from this repetition. We examined the impact of this global
phenomenon on local cultures and local traditional architectures. In the previous chapter we have tried to
identify a reason for loss of spiritual connection, mass identity and vanishing of the vernacular identity and
taken a look at ethical perspective of the profession. We concluded that this c onglomerate of reasons is slowly
excluding a human from design process and human characteristics from architecture.
Buildings are the pressure cookers of cultural change. This is because, as artefacts they
are large and unavoidable.
(Smith, 2003, 15)
Architects obligation is to fight back at global pressures that indirectly control our lives. Instead in many
ways h e m isunderstands these globa l signs and uses them as alibis to play god. Without taking other people
into account, an architect is in many cases no longer a decorator of our lives, but the organiser. (Ginzburg
in Rambert, 2005s, 110)
As Peter Smith stated before, buildings are unavoidable artefacts. They show our state of mind, state of de-
velopment and s tate of our emot ional i ntell igence. And especially the lat ter is of cruc ial impo rtance in th is dis-
sertation. A dissertation, which started with a reminder that even though buil dings are built out of dead things,
emotionless things, architecture does not need to be dead and depersonalized. Quite the opposite. Architecture
o eed w atsoeve o a c tectu e to co p y w
to work side by side with all those factors and e
uniformity and soullessness, to run towards ma
It is true that the new epoch has begun and it
dead thing. History has proven that periods of
are emotional beings with souls and hence we d
treats them as equals.
There are small and large, impressive
dwarf me, that oppress me, that exclu
buildings or ensembles of buildings, b
make me feel good, that make me look
freedom, that make me want to stay aw
Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture
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Abel, C. (2000) Architecture and Identity: Responses to Cultural and Technological Changes, Oxford,
Architectural Press
Mikellides, B. ed. (1980) Architectur
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Arieff, A. (2002) Pre Fab, Layton, Gibbs Smith Publisher
Broadbent, G., Bunt, R. et al ed. (1980) Architecture and Signs, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons
Bullivant, L. (2006) Responsive Environments, London, V and A Publications
Cox, C., Warner, D. ed.(2008) Audio Culture: readings in Modern Music, New York, Continuum
Day, C. (1990) Places of the Soul: Architecture and Environmental Design as a Healing Ar t, London,
Thorsons
Eno, B. (1995) Strategies for Making Sense: Interview With Paul Shutze, The Wire
Heathcote, E., Moffat, L. (2007) Contemporary Church, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Martin, E. ed. (1994) Architecture as a Translation of Music, New York, Princeton Architectural Press
Rambert, F. (20
Ricoeur, P. (1961) Universal Civilization and
Kelbley, Nor
Silber, J. (2007) Architecture of the Absu
Smith, P. (2003) Aesthetics of De
Smith, P. (1987) Architecture and the
Taylor, T. D. (1997) Global
Xenakis, I. (2008
Zumthor, P. (20
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oxford, february 2010