Deconstruction will replace
Structuring,
Quotation will replace introduction,
Intermediation will replace
synthesis,
Transformation will replace
adaptation,
Sophistication will replace
clarification,
and Connotation will replace
denotation."
— Kisho Kurokawa.
deconstruction. well i think that word first crossed my lips in the late seventies when i was part of a reading course at trent university run by sean kane. if not there then in a room and with a person not too many steps removed from sean. i had no idea that as a concept, deconstruction would cross into all and every facet of life including architecture.
i love buildings that are different, that step away from the box in some way. the box was the be all and end all when i was a kid and of course over time that box has been pulled and tugged and melted and curved and all sorts has been done to make large buildings more appealing or challenging to the eye.
so what's deconstruction architecture about?
“It is characterised by ideas of fragmentation, non-linear processes of design, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, and apparent non-Euclidean geometry, which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The final visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the myriad deconstructivist "styles" are characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.”
controlled chaos. words that resonate with this boy's ears. that's a mantra. that's a way of being. that's an end in itself. so how does controlled chaos play out in a building. see i feel comfortable in buildings that are controlled shall we say. not so much chaos.
well some of the buildings that have emerged from the deconstructionist movement are downright messy and interesting more for the empathy one feels for the men and women who had to build them. i cannot imagine the blueprints and architectural renderings for some of these places. i like the separating of component pieces and the bending of previously rigid planes into beautiful and irregular curved forms. but there’s something essentially human still missing in them and as a result of countless hours of research by the team here at the golden fish world headquarters, i have come across a building that might speak for what i think of as beautiful now in a structure. but, that’s for another day. maybe tomorrow!
for today, i’ve collected some of my own favourites together here.
the first is in the city of almere, near amsterdam. almere, is not only the youngest but also in terms of architecture one of the most interesting cities in the netherlands. amongst the many clever new buildings constructed here are these apartments called "the wave", a design by rene van zuuk.
the second is the stata centre designed by star architect frank gehry for m.i.t.
this is “the dancing house” in prague co-created by gehry and czech architect vlado milunic.
a more curvaceous design - again by gehry. this building has a page dedicated to it that you should read and see here:
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/ingles/edificio/el_edificio.htm
and that’s where i’ll leave off with the deconstructivists.
either you like it or you don't. it's gimmicky to look at but then it also exposes our strange need for sameness and solidity and maybe even predictability in those structures that line the streets of our cities. and what is a city but the extension of all the minds that live in it? somehow, non conformity to the ruler based buildings of the sixties and seventies just makes so much more sense now.
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