Architectural Mashup

Bridging the past and changing the future

A mesh-up for architectural theory.

For these reasons, architects are less often treated by the upper levels of government and private enterprise with the respect that they should deserve. Deconstructivist architecture, however, is not an architecture of decay or demolition. Architecture should be the top of the tree in the construction industry; not one of its half-dead branches. It gains all of its force by challenging the very values of harmony, untiy, and stability, proposing instead that flaws are intrinsic to the structure Architects should be and can be the driving forces of construction creativity and innovation. And how we manage the creation of the future built environment -- and the use of what we already have -- is going to be greatly influenced by what happens to the practice of architecture. We are all affected by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and Mies van der Rohe. But no less than Bramante, Borromini, and Bernini. The first point to make in any guessing game about the future is that it is not wise to extrapolate existing trends. History tells us that no trend is immutable and eternal. Whether we break with tradition or enhance it, we are still connected to that past. We evolve.The only constant is change, and change is often abrupt and dramatic. The role of an architect in this rapidly changing context is also changing, just as the role of traditional developers is changing. 

Resourses:
"The hallmark of deconstructivist architecture is its apparent instability. Though structurally sound, the projects seem to be in states of explosion or collapse....Deconstructivist architecture, however, is not an architecture of decay or demolition. On the contrary, it gains all of its force by challenging the very values of harmony, untiy, and stability, proposing instead that flaws are intrinsic to the structure." "I approach each building as a sculptural object, a spatial container, a space with light and air, a response to context and appropriateness of feeling and spirit. To this container, this sculpture, the user brings his baggage, his program, and interacts with it to accommodate his needs. If he can't do that, I've failed."—from the 1980 edition of "Contemporary Architects" 

Craven, Jackie. “Frank Gehry, Deconstructivist Architect.” About.com Architecture. Accessed : http://architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/gehry.htm.


We are all affected by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and Mies van der Rohe. But no less than Bramante, Borromini, and Bernini. Architecture is a tradition, a long continuum. Whether we break with tradition or enhance it, we are still connected to that past. We evolve."

Craven, Jackie. “Frank Gehry, Deconstructivist Architect.” About.com Architecture. Accessed : http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/meier.htm

For these reasons, architects are less often treated by the upper levels of government and private enterprise with the respect that they should deserve. Architecture should be the top of the tree in the construction industry; not one of its half-dead branches. Architects should be and can be the driving forces of construction creativity and innovation. And how we manage the creation of the future built environment -- and the use of what we already have -- is going to be greatly influenced by what happens to the practice of architecture. The first point to make in any guessing game about the future is that it is not wise to extrapolate existing trends. History tells us that no trend is immutable and eternal. The only constant is change, and change is often abrupt and dramatic. The role of an architect in this rapidly changing context is also changing, just as the role of traditional developers is changing. In the century just ended, the built environment has been fundamentally altered by the motor car, the aeroplane, the elevator, air-conditioning, steel-framed construction and -- how can we forget? -- the computer. But we should also remember that we still use clay bricks and concrete pretty much as the Romans did 2000 years ago. Service, Jim. 2000. "Architecture's Future." Architecture Australia 89, no. 2: 84. Art & Architecture Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed June 25, 2013).