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Wed Feb 10
25 posts in the last 24 hours

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EdificeComplex 02/09/10, 02:26 PM

The work of Zaha Hadid: Petroleum Research Center or alien capital ship coming to conquer earth?

[www.inhabitat.com]

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EdificeComplex 02/09/10, 03:56 PM

@Roklimber: As a stand alone prayer room, I think it's quite beautiful. With, I'm assuming, the focus of the room on Mecca. But yes, I do agree it does raise concern seeing as it's part of a research center. It's interesting that Islamic belief is so ingrained into the daily lives of its followers, that it was seen necessary to build a specific prayer room into the design. Giving a potential heavy religious bias to whatever work the research center produces. Would this be the equivalent of building a church at CERN? It does give me pause as to the state of religion and science, and the idea that some may think they are interchangeable.

To go a bit off topic, I wanted to share some thoughts on the TED lecture you linked me to. Liability has had a negative impact on the profession of architecture. I don't mean to say that as architects we shouldn't be held responsible for our work, we most certainly should. But I think we've gotten to a point where we no longer take risks (in terms of design not structural aspects). With the exception of architects like Hadid and Calatrava, our profession has become stuck in a rut where we create rather than invent.

I'm intrigued by the way Prince-Ramus worked with client to create architecture as infrastructure. For the longest time architecture as been focused on form, space and order. With the idea that form and function are two separate things. With the form of a building coming from its function. The idea of form IS function is really quite interesting. Imagine if architecture as agency were applied to all of society's built forms. Right now, homes are designed with specific rooms that meet a specific function. We have rooms for eating, rooms for sleeping and rooms for working. How would human beings interact with their built environment, if that built environment adapted and changed to meet certain needs? It's quite possible that such adaptation in one's personal, living space could be a disaster, but it would be interesting to try.

Could a home adapt and change it's physical self to meet the changing needs of a family? The home could reconfigure itself to meet different stages of life. From a family with small children, to a family with teenagers, to an empty nest couple and finally a couple that needs assistance in their final years. The building in which these people live is no longer some detached piece of art that has been created. But rather a place that function with people rather than for people. A building that has been invented to meet its owners needs.

This is what I love about science fiction. It asks the question "What if?", and invents new worlds and possibilities. Rather than creating different versions of the same thing. Thank you for pointing me to this lecture. The ideas presented really are something our profession needs to address. Especially if we want to move beyond the marginalized sense of our buildings being detached from their users. Also, some of the general ideas could be applied to almost any profession, not just architecture.

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Edited by EdificeComplex at 02/09/10 3:57 PM

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EdificeComplex 02/08/10, 05:24 PM

An inverted underwater skyscraper! Supervillains of the world, I think we've found the ultimate secret lair.

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EdificeComplex 02/06/10, 12:05 PM

Can wind generated by passing cars power lighted highways?

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Edited by EdificeComplex at 02/06/10 12:06 PM

#futurism

In The Future Of Eating, Could We Put Ourselves On The Menu?

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#design

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#conceptart

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12/30/09

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#supervillainlifestyles

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#architecture

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#conceptarchitecture

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#architecture

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