In the contemporary world, it is not the argument between the historic versus the modern that is important, but rather what is place versus non-place. Just as the political distinction has shifted from the ideological left versus right to the more general and polarizing "open versus closed", architecture should embrace the new distinctions and categories that have been brought along by technological change and globalization. Sure, the old texts on aesthetics are still important and "canonical", but the more pressing matters of the age is the more purely "contemporary" sense of dislocation.
Today, buildings (and building types) live on the spectrum between the polarizing extremes of the domestic and the logistical (infrastructure). The domestic is the realm of the traditional home, where we see the traditional elements of architectural design (that has lasted so long, such as the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom), and the logistical is the realm of non-place, or the spaces between. As human life shifts more and more to the virtual space, individuals increasingly inhabit INFORMATION spaces, or at least the spaces of flow and transition that are very dislocated from any concrete idea or reality of place. Meanwhile, the domestic space has retreated into a primitive state, where nature and natural materials roam free (albeit with Wi-Fi connection), where there is a perception of “Non-information”, and perhaps the more egalitarian aesthetic of the “information space” recede in the background, and a kind of sumptuous hedonism takes over - a place with food, pillows, balconies, fireplaces, windows, and nice recliners. The current trend of the Japanese MUJI style, which advocates for simplicity and a return to nature, is emblematic of this worship of /emphasis on the domestic, and it stands out so starkly (and so welcoming) in a digital age. Aureli’s illustrative one-point perspective renderings, with its rendition of the platonic frames and geometries and simple finishes, is the academic powerhouse of this new emphasis on the domestic. (as is John Pawson, etc.) Other offices, whose work emphasizes the triumph of technology, scale, and information, in an attempt to capture the contemporary zeitgeist, may be Zaha Hadid Architects or Morphosis, which has predictably turned away from the domestic masses and their non-monumental considerations.
So, in this separation between data space and domestic space, or a polarization between human space and data space, is there such a thing as a middle ground/third space? And if so, what is the primary driver for this “middle ground” or intermediate aesthetic?
The domus or the internet...
What about the basilica?
Questions to Consider:
Environment
The Domestic Space and the Data Space both exist independent of environmental locations, in many instances. How can environmental data and environmental perception come together to form this new intermediate understanding?
Interior
If 90% of human activity takes place indoors, what does indoors mean?
Activity / Active Programs
There are activities you cannot do at home, and things you cannot do in data spaces. What are those things which are so vital to the formation of society’s third spaces? What third spaces have withstood the onslaught of technological progress?
What are the new and real community spaces?
Are there community spaces that are more domestic or more data-driven?
Today, buildings (and building types) live on the spectrum between the polarizing extremes of the domestic and the logistical (infrastructure). The domestic is the realm of the traditional home, where we see the traditional elements of architectural design (that has lasted so long, such as the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom), and the logistical is the realm of non-place, or the spaces between. As human life shifts more and more to the virtual space, individuals increasingly inhabit INFORMATION spaces, or at least the spaces of flow and transition that are very dislocated from any concrete idea or reality of place. Meanwhile, the domestic space has retreated into a primitive state, where nature and natural materials roam free (albeit with Wi-Fi connection), where there is a perception of “Non-information”, and perhaps the more egalitarian aesthetic of the “information space” recede in the background, and a kind of sumptuous hedonism takes over - a place with food, pillows, balconies, fireplaces, windows, and nice recliners. The current trend of the Japanese MUJI style, which advocates for simplicity and a return to nature, is emblematic of this worship of /emphasis on the domestic, and it stands out so starkly (and so welcoming) in a digital age. Aureli’s illustrative one-point perspective renderings, with its rendition of the platonic frames and geometries and simple finishes, is the academic powerhouse of this new emphasis on the domestic. (as is John Pawson, etc.) Other offices, whose work emphasizes the triumph of technology, scale, and information, in an attempt to capture the contemporary zeitgeist, may be Zaha Hadid Architects or Morphosis, which has predictably turned away from the domestic masses and their non-monumental considerations.
So, in this separation between data space and domestic space, or a polarization between human space and data space, is there such a thing as a middle ground/third space? And if so, what is the primary driver for this “middle ground” or intermediate aesthetic?
The domus or the internet...
What about the basilica?
Questions to Consider:
Environment
The Domestic Space and the Data Space both exist independent of environmental locations, in many instances. How can environmental data and environmental perception come together to form this new intermediate understanding?
Interior
If 90% of human activity takes place indoors, what does indoors mean?
Activity / Active Programs
There are activities you cannot do at home, and things you cannot do in data spaces. What are those things which are so vital to the formation of society’s third spaces? What third spaces have withstood the onslaught of technological progress?
What are the new and real community spaces?
Are there community spaces that are more domestic or more data-driven?
RSS Feed
