Once and future architecture.To round off this issue's survey of The Architectural Review's last quarter-century, I asked some of the architects and critics who have often appeared in these pages to comment on what they perceived to be the most important ideas and buildings of the last 25 years and to speculate on what will happen in the next 25. Responses varied a good deal: some concentrated on individual experience, some on future potential, with some focusing entirely on me. I am too vain (and touched) to leave the latter out. Illustrations are some of my favourite covers. Redefine perception [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KEN YEANG Dr. Ken Yeang (Chinese: 杨经文/楊經文; pinyin: Yáng Jīngwén) is a prolific Malaysian architect and writer best known for developing environmental design solutions for high-rise buildings in the tropics. , Selangor, Malaysia Saving the environment from our continued devastation is the singularly most dominant and vital issue affecting our tomorrow, feeding into our fears that this third millennium shall be our last. In the next decade or so, we desperately need answers to the question of how to design our built environment and manage our businesses for our sustainable future. We need to redefine our perception of architecture, how it is to be designed, how it should function in the biosphere biosphere, irregularly shaped envelope of the earth's air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see ecology), sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and of and why we also need to design its after life, regarded from the perspective both of an ecologist as well as of a designer. Our built environment--and this includes everything that we as humans make from buildings, roads, bridges, factories, cars, refrigerators, to toys--no matter how aesthetically pleasing, how well designed or made, is simply materials that are extracted and taken often from far off locations, transiently (compared to ecological time-frames) processed, manufactured and fabricated into food, artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. , facilities, infrastructures, enclosures (as concentrations into a single locality for our habitation HABITATION, civil law. It was the right of a person to live in the house of another without prejudice to the property. 2. It differed from a usufruct in this, that the usufructuary might have applied the house to any purpose, as, a store or manufactory; whereas and other human purposes), whose manufacture, processing, assembly, construction, operations and consumption often use huge quantities of non-renewable energy resources, can significantly affect the ecology of its locality and of the biosphere, and whose eventual disposal (at the end of their useful life) needs to be accounted and benignly reintegrated back into the biosphere. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Will to form MICHAEL HOPKINS Sir Michael Hopkins CBE RA AADipl (b. May 5 1935 in Poole, Dorset) is an English architect. He studied at the Architectural Association and after working for Frederick Gibberd and a spell in partnership with Norman Foster[1] , London In spite of a number of dotty byways along the way, both the Functional Tradition, identified by J. M. Richards in the AR in 1957, and the Modern Movement, have survived the last 25 years. In the process, they have grown richer and more complex. In the next 25 years the Will to Form will continue to be inspired by function, technology, a sense of place and history and above all, optimism for the future. Courage to create TADAO ANDO, Tokyo In the last quarter-century, architecture has acquired a technology that makes freedom of expression possible. I am referring to the emergence of computers. Thanks to precise simulation analyses, architects can now be as adventurous as they please. It seems fitting that the quarter-century should conclude with the Guggenheim Museum Guggenheim Museum, officially Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, major museum of modern art in New York City. Founded in 1939 as the Museum of Non-objective Art, the Guggenheim is known for its remarkable circular building (1959) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. . Bilbao, Frank Gehry's notable work. That is because the first work to raise the issue of freedom of expression and make an impact on architecture was the Gehry House of 1979. Its technology was by no means advanced, but that little building was full of ideas that anticipated subsequent developments in contemporary art such as the use of irregular forms seemingly free of gravity and the juxtaposition of samples of different materials. This shows the tremendous speed at which architecture, liberated from preconceptions, has evolved. In fact, today the speed of development might be said to have outstripped the human power of imagination. I feel that the significance of the work left by Louis Kahn Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky) (February 20, 1901 or 1902 – March 17, 1974) was a world-renowned architect based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own firm in 1935. becomes greater as time passes. In turning his back on trends of the period and returning to the classics, he showed contemporary architecture a new direction. Kahn's architecture seems to offer silent protest against contemporary work. It is courage to create, not technology, that opens up a new horizon. Courage must be backed by ideas, and architects' ideas are now being called into question. Low energy solutions NORMAN FOSTER, London In 1979, if issues of energy and the environment were discussed at all, they were framed in terms of 'the oil crisis'--shorthand notation for the belligerent attitude of the Middle-Eastern oil-producing countries and their tightening of the financial screws. In the UK, if we were encouraged to 'clean our teeth in the dark' it was to stave off imminent power cuts rather than to conserve finite global resources. Undoubtedly one of the most significant changes in attitudes of the intervening 25 years relates to the environment and our broadening understanding of the concept of 'sustainability'. Another radical shift in architecture--both in terms of process and product--has been brought about by the computer. Twenty-five years ago the 'computer room' was the hallowed preserve of the few. Today the computer is completely ephemeralized. New computer software has allowed us to explore in quick-time forms and geometries that would once have taken years to refine, and it has enabled us to engineer low-energy environmental solutions--an example of technology and sustainability working hand-in-hand. Vital now, these issues will become ever more pressing as we face an uncertain environmental future. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Great step forward CHRIS WILKINSON Chris Wilkinson (born January 5, 1970 in Southampton) is a former tennis player from England, who turned professional in 1989. He represented Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the first round by Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui. , London In the 1980s, confidence in British architecture was hugely boosted by the successful completion of two key projects--the Lloyd's Building The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at One Lime Street, in the City of London. It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built over eight years from 1978 to 1986. by Richard Rogers For the American composer, see . Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside FRIBA (born 23 July 1933) is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs. & Partners and the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank by Foster Associates. They both pioneered innovative thinking and the use of new construction technology as a natural progression of the ideals of the Modern Movement. Many young architects involved in these projects gained invaluable experience which inspired them to start their own practices, and they were first recognized by the AR's 'Up and coming in England' issue in May 1989. Since then, many more have flourished, nurtured by other creative incubators and benefiting from the Jubilee Line The Jubilee Line is a line on the London Underground ("the Tube"), in England. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross in Central London, and later extended in 1999 to Stratford in East London. and Lottery-funded projects. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This represents a great step forward from the low morale of the '60s and '70s and should, provided that it continues, result in a significant improvement in the quality of the built environment. These new buildings are visually more exciting but perhaps the big issue still to be properly addressed is that of sustainability. Another form of culture FREDERICK COOPER Frederick Cooper is an American historian who specializes in colonialization, decolonialization and African history. Cooper received his Ph.D from Yale University in 1974 and is currently professor of history at New York University. LLOSA, Lima My architectural recollection of the past 25 years deals mostly with the struggle to uphold the main values of the rationality which the Modern Movement introduced in the handling of contemporary building within a country such as Peru striving to achieve economic and cultural development. This concern has led me to seek ways of processing the theoretical and professional options devised by architects and critics whom I regarded as coincidental with my own conceptions. I recall the role of Peter Rice in closing the gap between architecture and structure as particularly enlightening. Aldo Rossi's pertinence in claiming the concomitancy between architecture, the city, history and modernity. Kenneth Frampton Kenneth Frampton (born 1930, Woking, UK), is a British architect, critic, historian and Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, Columbia University, New York. in illuminating the potential of rationality through the diversity of regional experience. John Hejduk John Hejduk (b. New York, N.Y. 1929; d. New York, N.Y. 3 July 2000), was an architect, artist and educator who spent much of his life in New York City. Hejduk is noted for his use of attractive and often difficult-to-construct objects and shapes; also for a profound interest in the in approaching architecture and poetics. Richard Rogers in extending the role of rationality into the realm of sustainability. Rafael Moneo José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born May 9, 1937) is a Spanish architect. He was born in Tudela, Spain, and won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996. He studied at the ETSAM, Technical University of Madrid (UPM) from which he received his architectural degree in 1961. in claiming the constant role of culture in architectural invention. Alvaro Siza for being a constant reminder that architecture is about the joy of transposing the vernacular into fragrant spaces, shapes and materials. Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (September 14 1937) is a world renowned Italian architect and Pritzker Architecture Prize winner. Biography Piano was born in Genoa, where he still maintains a home and office (Building Workshop). for his structural and aesthetic convictions. Over the next 25 years I foresee a declining influence of the traditional role of architecture, as the global process of urbanization expands. The universalization In social work practice and psychotherapy, universalization is a supportive intervention utilized by the therapist to reassure and encourage his/her client. Universalization places the client’s experience in the context of other individuals who are experiencing the same, or and spectacular improvement of communications will undoubtedly develop exhilarating cultural forms at an unmanageable pace. I can only explain this condition as a process leading to another form of culture, an experience which I regard as comparable to that which followed the decline of the Romans, or of the Prehispanic civilizations in present-day Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. . Globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation commands RICHARD WESTON For Richard Weston (1577-1635), see . Richard Weston (c.1733 - 1806) was an English botanist. Very little is known of his life; in 1769 he describes himself simply as "a country gentleman", and on his death in 1806, his obituary merely mentions that he was "formerly a thread , Bristol Globalization has been the major theme of the last 25 years: of techniques (CAD, numerical modelling of building performance); of technologies (rainscreeen cladding, structural glazing); of problems ('sustainability' in its manifold aspects); and of talent (architects as international superstars). In retrospect, I suspect this period may come to be seen as the apogee of the separation between design and making, building and place, that began in the Renaissance. In striking contrast, the refinement and diffusion of CADCAM CADCAM Computer-Aided Design - Computer-Aided Manufacturing technologies over the coming decades will equip architects with the tools to begin to challenge these centuries-old divisions. The most potent means of global homogenization homogenization (həmŏj'ənəzā`shən), process in which a mixture is made uniform throughout. Generally this procedure involves reducing the size of the particles of one component of the mixture and dispersing them evenly , digital data, might yet combine with environmental imperatives to be the catalysts for the emergence of diverse new building cultures, globally aware yet locally grounded. Resisting conformity CHARLES JENCKS, London The following predictions (illustrated below) of the next fifty years were made for Architecture 2000 and Beyond, published in the year 2000 as an update to Architecture 2000, written in 1969. They are the backdrop for more purely architectural forecasting. Most such prediction is too general to tell us anything useful about a specific field though it does put a discipline in perspective. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some things look like coming true much faster. For instance: Culture, 2015, '25 per cent of shopping done on the internet' was almost true last Christmas, with '21 per cent'. Politics, 2012, 'Muslim Anthrax anthrax (ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis attack on Israel/American targets'. It was not Anthrax on September 11 2001, but later. Social, 2009, 'hydrogen fuelled cars'. They will probably come sooner. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the 1960s, when I first wrote this book, prediction was taken more seriously than today, and it was done systematically and structurally. Hence the evolutionary tree and structural diagrams. Architectural trends evolve, like species of animal, in a rich background of ecology. As in nature, variety and pluralism are keynotes. The future? It will have a continuity of past architectural species, those with cohesion and consistency, with the addition of a few mutations and hybrids. The background of war and ecological crises will make society and architects more conservative and rule-bound. Risk-aversion will dominate. Thus the role of Architectural Review The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects. and other professional magazines will be, all the more, to promote architecture as a cultural discourse resisting the ever-stronger forces of conformity, philistinism and government by fear. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Revolutionary? EVA Eva to marry winner of singing contest. [Ger. Opera: Wagner, Meistersinger, Westerman, 225–228] See : Prize 1. Eva - A toy ALGOL-like language used in "Formal Specification of Programming Languages: A Panoramic Primer", F.G. JIRICNA, London When I was first introduced to Peter Davey, I had a vivid image Vivid Image is a firm specializing in web design, online advertising and software services for a range of FTSE 100 and Global 1000 companies. Founded by Philip Warner in 1997, Vivid Image was joined by Damian Kimmelman in 2005. of him as a Russian Revolutionary, a Communist poster cut-out, a red star aloft in his right hand, marching forward to create a new world! Later on I discovered he was indeed a real revolutionary, an idealistic fighter, always carrying a torch to brighten up the future. What else can I say, other than that I wish him the best of luck and that he continues his journey with his passion unabated--Peter, at your age you are not going to change direction now, and thank God for that! Integral part of the drama JUHA LEIVISKA, Helsinki Twenty-five years is a very short timespan in architecture. The basic values and creative principles in architecture remain the same throughout the ages. I have the flaw that to be able to concentrate on my work in peace I cannot follow international architectural publications. Many of them only present the newest and most astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. trends that lead astray especially the youth and make me all confused. The most important architectural events and ideas are born locally and individually. They are born out of the task and environment in which they are rooted in a natural way as a part of an entity, at times in an overpowering, at times in an accompanying or complementing role. Instead of emphasizing our own work we need to concentrate on whole environments. To me, architecture is creation of spatial events and processes. Architecture, like music, is experienced by moving from one space to another. There are pauses, there are highlights. One needs to create subtle yet dynamic solutions where buildings and their interiors are an integral part of the drama with the environment. Reconsidering life ITSUKO HASEGAWA Itsuko Hasegawa 長谷川 逸子 (1941 - ) is a noted Japanese architect. Hasegawa was born in Shizuoka, received her degree in architecture from Kanto Gakuin University (1964), trained with Kiyonori Kikutake until 1969, and then studied and worked , Tokyo Looking back on the past 25 years means thinking back to a 25-year career for me. During my trip to Europe right after graduation from college, I met Archigram in London and Hans Hollein Hans Hollein, (born March 30, 1934 in Vienna) is an Austrian architect. Hollein achieved a diploma at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1956, then attended the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1959 and the University of California, Berkeley in 1960. in Vienna for the first time. Nothing but the experience told me a new wave was coming in architecture. After that, when I was working at the Kazuo Shinohara studio at Tokyo Institute of Technology Tokyo Institute of Technology (東京工業大学 , another movement of 'Disconstruction' by Arata Isozaki Arata Isozaki (磯崎新, Isozaki Arata; born 23 July 1931) is a Japanese architect from Ōita, Ōita. He won the RIBA gold medal in 1986. He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and is an apprentice of Kenzo Tange. , which was started as a series of articles in a magazine, made a strong impact on me. These two deeply affected my philosophy of architecture. It was innovative enough to reset conventional fixed ideas one after another. I liked the free and pure feeling of it. I found something intriguing in architecture then. Especially graphical, enjoyable, beautiful and intense drawings by Archigram made us reconsider our life, architecture and cities as living individuals of freedom and fun. Instant-City, Living City, Walking City and Capsule Homes, symbiosis symbiosis (sĭmbēō`sĭs), the habitual living together of organisms of different species. The term is usually restricted to a dependent relationship that is beneficial to both participants (also called mutualism) but may be extended to with nature showed us possibilities of designing architecture related to urban dynamism from the point of view of us as living things Living Things may refer to:
Again, for me, the '60s architectural movement, which was in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of my school days, could have been the most stimulating in my life. A real flowering EDWARD CULLINAN Edward Cullinan, CBE (born 17th July 1931) is a British architect. Cullinan was educated at Cambridge University, the Architectural Association and UC Berkeley before working for Denys Lasdun where he designed the student residences for the University of East Anglia. , London With the overthrow of social democracy by Thatcher Thatch·er , Margaret Hilda. Baroness. Born 1925. British Conservative politician who served as prime minister (1979-1990). Her administration was marked by anti-inflationary measures, a brief war in the Falkland Islands (1982), and the passage of a in 1979, the birth of monetarism monetarism, economic theory that monetary policy, or control of the money supply, is the primary if not sole determinant of a nation's economy. Monetarists believe that management of the money supply to produce credit ease or restraint is the chief factor influencing and the old-fashioned Falkland War; there emerged from the backwoods various establishment figures, moaning about Modernism and tilting at concrete towers long after the last was built. And the most powerful of these was Prince Charles Noun 1. Prince Charles - the eldest son of Elizabeth II and heir to the English throne (born in 1948) Charles whose tastes exactly reflected the tastes of his landowning class, which grew up in Georgian mansions. He made a speech in 1984 which semi-closed the doors on invention, thoughtfulness and the exercise of imagination in architecture over large areas of these islands for the next ten years. The planners' question: 'Would Prince Charles like this?' became commonplace. But the Modern tradition lived on and developed and grew, mostly in other parts of Europe and in America, but here in many heads. Now we are experiencing a real flowering and development of imagination and invention in architecture. Long may it last. At least let it last for the next 25 years while the lovely concept of abstract composition can respond poetically to the demands of sustainability. PoMo's absurdity HARRY SEIDLER Harry Seidler, AC OBE (June 25, 1923 Vienna — March 9, 2006 Sydney) was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus , Sydney After many years of following The Architectural Review, I believe that it continues to be about the only architectural publication that goes beyond the shallowness of other merely picture-book reviews. This is obviously due to the 25 year editorship of Peter Davey. The measure of the man during critical periods is his conviction and strength to debunk de·bunk tr.v. de·bunked, de·bunk·ing, de·bunks To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of: debunk a supposed miracle drug. , in erudite er·u·dite adj. Characterized by erudition; learned. See Synonyms at learned. [Middle English erudit, from Latin essays, the dead-end directions embarked on and followed by particularly American publications. Thankfully he exposed 'Post Modernism's' absurdity, as he did with Johnson's Chippendale Cabinet skyscraper and Prince Charles' espousal of Classicism classicism, a term that, when applied generally, means clearness, elegance, symmetry, and repose produced by attention to traditional forms. It is sometimes synonymous with excellence or artistic quality of high distinction. as hollow pastiche pastiche (păstēsh`, pä–), work of art that combines themes and styles from various sources in such a way as to appear obviously derivative. . We can only hope that Peter's leaving will encourage others to continue steering The Architectural Review into a penetrating and insightful conviction to build upon and expand the architecture of our time. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Environmental inspiration NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, CBE (born 9 October, 1939) is a prominent English architect, particularly noted for several modernist buildings, including the international railway terminal at London's Waterloo Station and the Eden Project in Cornwall. , London The last 25 years: By far the most important thing to happen in architecture in the last 25 years is that a large percentage of architects seem to have decided that form no longer needs to remotely follow function. The next 25 years: I believe that climate and environmental issues will finally start to fundamentally affect the way buildings look and the way they function. This will be inspiring. Everyone's life CHRISTOPH INGENHOVEN, Dusseldorf Globalization might be the most influential idea appearing in the last 25 years and we are still struggling to follow this idea with our conscious mind. There are concepts and problems all over the world, belonging to nearly everybody's life, such as climatic change Climatic Change is a journal published by Springer.[1] Climatic Change is dedicated to the totality of the problem of climatic variability and change - its descriptions, causes, implications and interactions among these. , ending resources, natural disasters, terrorism, clash of civilization, but also fusion, cross over, multi-culturalism, and there is still hope for a more peaceful future to come, although it is very difficult to see how this could happen. Why do I think that Habitat, the Club of Rome's reports, the Kyoto and Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, city, Brazil Rio de Janeiro (rē`ō də zhänā`rō, Port. rē`  thĭ zhənĕē`r Conferences are relevant for architects? I still hold on to an understanding of architects not being fashion designer or being mainly interested in the most fancy materials and facades. There are challenging questions and as architects we should use the next 25 years to move ourselves again into the middle of this discussion. So for me, environmentally-friendly sustainable building, housing the masses, excellent infrastructure and quality of public space is more than enough for us to cope with in the coming decades. Rationalize light MAX FORDHAM, London The need for natural light will make buildings thinner so that the light can penetrate from the windows. The use of glass in buildings has to become more rational. Horizontal rooflights provide two and a half times more light than vertical windows and glass close to floor level provides very little useful light, so 100 per cent glazing for walls is not sensible. Of course, modern high-tech glass construction is so stylish that it will be a pity to see it go--unless something better turns up to replace it. That will be the innovation. No to no poetry RAJ REWAL, New Delhi New Delhi (dĕl`ē), city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. Like many architects of my generation, I learnt the first principle of good architecture is an honest functional building, where constructivist con·struc·tiv·ism n. A movement in modern art originating in Moscow in 1920 and characterized by the use of industrial materials such as glass, sheet metal, and plastic to create nonrepresentational, often geometric objects. principles are observed and the materials frankly expressed. From my own observations of traditional Indian architecture I added other attributes to honest architecture: humane values and climatic concerns (shades of Aalto). My third discovery was about architectural expression. Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel had certainly bent the principle of honest building but introduced poetic elements or to use an apt Sanskrit word imbued it with appropriate spiritual 'Rasa' or flavour. The correct expression for different building types is an important principle for me but hopefully remaining faithful to the ideals of honest and humane architecture. Computers and rapid advance in technology give us new tools to deal with space, light and structures. Architectural fads and trends “Craze” redirects here. For the material science topic, see crazing. “Fad” redirects here. For the acronym "FAD", see FAD (disambiguation). A fad will continue to dominate from time to time but I believe the eternal values of authentic architecture based on necessity, sense and reason without rejecting poetry of building. I have one hope for the future--that a new generation of photovoltaic The generation of voltage by a material that is exposed to light in the visible and invisible ranges. See photoelectric and photovoltaic cell. panels can be impregnated im·preg·nate tr.v. im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing, im·preg·nates 1. To make pregnant; inseminate. 2. To fertilize (an ovum, for example). 3. or fused with other materials to create revolutionary buildings each of which can generate enough solar energy for its own requirements. Shed end? SANDY & CLARE WRIGHT, London We think the most important influences have been technical, societal and political. The development of computer programs and model-making facilities have greatly influenced architectural design. Although this has opened up fantastic new possibilities, too often there are instances in which the building becomes the model rather than the model the building. As historian Eric Hobsbawm said, the greatest change in the twentieth century was the growth of the idea of a democratic ideal; and for the postwar generation, an emphasis on the importance of the individual over the collective. These ideas have been reflected in buildings which are non-hierarchical spatially and this, with particular developments in engineering, has led to a strong strain of shed buildings, which are principally concerned with themselves and not their context. Developments in technology in the future are not only inevitable but also to be welcomed. We hope having the facility at our fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States. becomes a means to an end rather than an end in itself. We think architectural design is moving towards a better reflection of the complexity of society and our humanity. Interestingly, we think this shift can be seen in recent buildings by some of the original shed makers. Technical potential TONY HUNT, Stroud Events * The death of Post-Modernism and the rise of late modernist architecture in the UK. * The increase in collaboration between the disciplines of architecture, structure and building services, resulting in better buildings. * The huge advance in computing power enabling solutions which would have been undreamt of a few years ago (Catia and so on). * The so-called death of Cartesian grids for design--I don't believe it! * The Millennium fund which produced a number of significant buildings. Ideas * The development of more technically sophisticated and energy efficient glazing systems. * Advances in structural membrane technology. * Development of ETFE ETFE Ethylene/Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer foils. * Advanced uses of green timber. The future * Development and acceptance of high performance lightweight 'exotic' materials, such as resin/carbon fibre, Airex and others to replace metals and concrete in building and bridge structures. This will come as costs come down. * An emphasis on energy conservation, both in the embodied energy in producing building materials and in the building's use. * Strict regulations on recycling of all building materials. * Development of alternative fuel sources for vehicles such as electric motors and hydrogen fuel cells. * Advances in wind and wave energy systems. * Further advances in glass technology. Urban return TOD WILLIAMS AND BILLIE TSIEN, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Last quarter Computers define the image of architecture. Next quarter People will return to the cities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fantastic opportunities STEFAN BEHNISCH, Stuttgart The last quarter of the twentieth century was characterized by architectural trends of completely different quality. There have repeatedly been fin-de-siecle tendencies which have been warmly welcomed by neo-conservative circles. We have experienced Post-Modernism, an international phenomenon, and the obstinate ob·sti·nate adj. 1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action. 2. Difficult to alleviate or cure. rigid reconstruction architecture in Berlin--originally restricted within the bounds of the city itself before proliferating into the remotest corner of the republic and generally disseminating a certain gloominess. On the other hand, there have continued to be fascinating, though often short-lived, tendencies: Metabolists, the hybrids, megastructures MegaStructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel and Five in the United Kingdom. Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction , Deconstructivism, and, towards the turn of the century, the beginning of new, more expressive tendencies. All of which were able to stir general enthusiasm for architecture far beyond expert circles. Of late, more attention has been paid to the issue of sustainability. Maybe it will become an integral part of our thinking, a core discipline of our planning and design work, once we start to master the subject. The structures of our cities will continue to undergo far-reaching changes as we experience the transition from the industrial through the post-industrial to the knowledge-based society. This change will leave profound marks, but without doubt also open up fantastic opportunities. Peter principle MICHAEL SORKIN, New York Is there anyone but Bush who doubts the planet is going to hell in a hand-basket? Urbanizing at the rate of a million a week, half its population already living in cities, and two billion of us mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in grinding poverty, the earth is in big trouble. Meanwhile, we first worlders and our running-dog wannables like the Chinese--fouling their nest with cars, nukes, and sprawl at truly breakneck break·neck adj. 1. Dangerously fast: a breakneck pace. 2. Likely to cause an accident: a breakneck curve. speed--continue to mouth bromides about the environment while consuming at a rate which, should it spread to the rest of the world, will require the addition of another planet to provide enough productive surface to allow us to eat, breathe, bathe, move, and enjoy a modicum mod·i·cum n. pl. mod·i·cums or mod·i·ca A small, moderate, or token amount: "England still expects a modicum of eccentricity in its artists" Ian Jack. of good times. Buildings--consuming half the energy and generating half the pollution on earth--are implicated im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. in this disaster and so are we. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Waiting for a technological fix, trusting our moronic mo·ron n. 1. A stupid person; a dolt. 2. Psychology A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or neo-liberal leadership to come up with a solution, waiting for the market to house the homeless, and thinking of all this as someone else's problem, adds up to a formula for suicide. As does the distraction of a phony--if comforting--environmental rating system that may curb some excesses at the top end but does absolutely nothing at the scale which can save us. Although there are many rascals to be thrown out, we can only deal with impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. apocalypse by changing ourselves and our piggish pig·gish adj. 1. Greedy: a piggish appetite. 2. Stubborn; pigheaded. pig habits. The issue is not to transfer our know-how to everyone else but to find a way of living more like they do. Heads need to begin popping out of the sand, self-indulgent, near-criminal debates about blobs, shards, and the regulation of suburban decor must ebb, and we must begin to do with less, much less. Architects of the world unite: you have nothing to lose but your Porsches, Poggenpohls and position on the wrong side of virtually every real issue of importance. Mutual enrichment BING THOM, Vancouver If one is to choose the single most impacting event of the last 25 years on architecture it would be very difficult to walk away from the tragedy of 9/11. It is a day that stopped time and forced us all to search within ourselves to find the values that motivate our actions. It brought forth the fundamental question of why we advance our ideas and how we should expend our energy to better the world we live in. The attention focused on how to rebuild on the WTC WTC World Trade Center, see there site became a question all architects attempted to answer to better understand themselves. Is it a place to strike fear or is it a place to make peace? The destruction of the WTC continues to remind us of our vulnerability and inadequacy in addressing the problems of our world. The next 25 years will be marked by the interpretations of this event and the way architecture works to express itself through a recovery process. Truly great architecture is achieved by mutually enriching individual and collective actions for ourselves and the planet. Stewardship JAMES POLSHEK, New York The most important event of the last quarter century has been your stewardship of The Architectural Review. In particular, the explorations of emerging architects, Third-World design achievements and experimental advances in environmental technology have been unique. It may well be that the inventiveness and vitality of The Architectural Review's initiatives have inspired the work that you publish: that you have created a self-sustaining journal! The qualities of generosity, collegiality col·le·gi·al·i·ty n. 1. Shared power and authority vested among colleagues. 2. Roman Catholic Church The doctrine that bishops collectively share collegiate power. , and independence so evident in much of what appears in the AR are sadly absent on the US architectural stage. Over the past decade or so, a number of the most innovative Western European and Japanese architects have brought your pages to life here in the US--architects most certainly influenced by your reign at the magazine. The likes of Piano, Foster, de Portzamparc, Maki, Coop Himmelblau, Taniguchi, Snohetta, Shigeru Ban, Chipperfield, Nouvel, and Rogers have creatively intervened in our relatively moribund and dollar-conscious building environment. Over the next 25 years I believe this benign 'invasion' will result in the elevation of US design standards, the expansion of public institutional building budgets, the emergence of a rational process for competitions and a more aggressive search for effective conservation strategies. If my optimism is warranted, Peter Davey and The Architectural Review will deserve the everlasting gratitude of all of us on this side of the Atlantic. Mini head here RICHARD ROGERS, London Some of the most important architectural events of the past 25 years and for the future: * The information network which allows us to exchange ideas and receive information. * The growth of environmental responsibility. * The urban renaissance and the growth of social architectural culture. * The development of new technology and materials. Range and scope KENNETH FRAMPTON, New York Even though Bruno Zevi was the sole editor of the magazine Architettura for virtually half a century, 25 years is nonetheless a long time for someone to serve as the editorial point man for a leading architectural magazine, particularly in this day and age when editors come and go after a few years with distressing rapidity and when architectural editors with a discernible editorial line are few and far between. Peter Davey's inclination was only too evident from the very beginning, dating back to that transitional moment at the end of 1980 when he was promoted from the restricted status of Executive Editor for Buildings to what was presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. the more powerful position of Managing Editor; a role he would then be destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to play for the rest of his career. His stance in this regard is already manifest in the November issue of that year wherein he promptly reveals the two primary interests that would consistently preoccupy pre·oc·cu·py tr.v. pre·oc·cu·pied, pre·oc·cu·py·ing, pre·oc·cu·pies 1. To occupy completely the mind or attention of; engross. See Synonyms at monopolize. 2. him throughout the next two decades; on the one hand, then as now, the much neglected civilized modernity of the north, meaning the architecture of Scandinavia in general, with a particular penchant perhaps for Norway, and on the other his constant commitment to the representation of the 'other' which, in the case of his last issue as building editor, focused on the Aga Khan Awards of that year with respect to which he would already display his critical discernment by regarding the famous Kuwait water towers as bordering on the flashy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By 1985, when the once luxurious partially tinted paper format of the Review had become finally curtailed, a victim surely of the perennial falling rate of profit, Peter's editorial team, with Peter Buchanan as his deputy, entered into its stride giving appropriate attention to the maturation of European High-Tech, past and present, along with Dutch Structuralism structuralism, theory that uses culturally interconnected signs to reconstruct systems of relationships rather than studying isolated, material things in themselves. This method found wide use from the early 20th cent. in its prime and the long standing 'other' promise of the German organic tradition extending from the pre-war work of Hugo Haring to the postwar production of Behnisch & Partners, and on to Fehling and Gogel and the brilliant but still largely unappreciated Seldwyla Siedlung designed by Rolf Keller. While this is not the place to indulge in a critical resume of the vicissitudes vicissitudes Noun, pl changes in circumstance or fortune [Latin vicis change] vicissitudes npl → vicisitudes fpl; peripecias fpl of the Review under Davey's direction, one cannot help remarking on certain trends particularly as Buchanan gave way to Catherine Slessor in the second position and as the journal seemed to shift via the light neo-Finnish Constructivist line of Gullichsen, Kairamo & Vormala to the spectacular high-flying tectonics of Calatrava. The March 1995 issue gave special attention to South African architecture: a focus surely unique among Western journals and one to which Davey has returned intermittently. Apart from the ill-fated Millennium Dome and the new Tate, the year 2000 brought with it not only a new morphology, pace Buro Happold, but also a more diverse scene in general. Through all this Peter was able to maintain the Review as the peerless magazine of record in the Anglo-American world, one that, while global in scope, would nonetheless remain on a par with the challenging achievements of such distinguished Spanish journals as Luis Fernandez-Galiano's A & V. AR in the year 2000 also carried my millennial key note to the UIA UIA Universidad Iberoamericana (México) UIA Union of International Associations UIA United Iraqi Alliance UIA University of Antwerp UIA Union Internationale des Avocats in Beijing, not without adding to my heavy polemic a certain graphic scrambling a la mode, which I like to believe caused Peter a certain embarrassment. [It did. PD] As far as critical commitment is concerned, it is to Davey's credit that he would steer clear of the pastiche excesses of Post-Modern stylism, being on one occasion so bold as to criticize the over celebrated guru figure of Aldo Rossi and going on towards the end of tenure to adopt an overt stance that was as categorically political as it was cultural. I am alluding to his publication of the justifiably critical reportage written by Tom Kay from the frontline city of Ramallah, in the long nightmare of the Israeli/Palestine conflict which may now, at the time of writing, have a fragile chance of being brought to an equitable resolution. I am well aware that the Review took a public beating for this audacious editorial stance and it is surely to Peter's honour as a public intellectual that not for an instant did he deem it appropriate to back down. Thus one comes to see that the somewhat dandified dan·di·fy tr.v. dan·di·fied, dan·di·fy·ing, dan·di·fies To dress as or cause to resemble a dandy. dan , detached front of the editor was always a mask that served to conceal a critical acumen of exceptional range and scope. We shall surely miss his bloody-minded, compassionate sensitivity which is a prerequisite I would say for an editor who, in one way or another, is going to be worth his or her salt. What else can one say apart form the mandatory hail and farewell in perfectly parsed Latin? What about chapeau as they used to say laconically la·con·ic adj. Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. See Synonyms at silent. [Latin Lac , now and then, on the other side of the channel? |
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