- - The original note follows - -
From: jmcd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John McDonald)
Subject: How Buildings Learn
Date: 23 Jan 1995 17:59:58 GMT
This book, "How Buildings Learn", is a real pleasure to read. Several
serious critiques of the Architectural profession are offered in it,
including the inability of architects to learn from how a building
adapts to the uses of its occupancy (for instance, how post-occupancy
evaluation is the next-to-last thing surveyed architects want to improve).
One day, several years ago, i attended a short public colloquium at
Brandeis University on architecture in Boston. Several people spoke,
architects, critics and professors. One of the architects, Gund, took
the opportunity to tout his latest building (Boston is full of his work).
During the Q&A session, i asked about the Rowes Wharf development in
Boston. One person had commented that it was full of architectural
"plays on words", little architectural jokes or puns. The panel
chuckeled knowingly. So i asked, if it is appropriate for an architect
to tell architectural jokes if the occupants of the building won't
be getting them, or understanding the structure. They all looked at
me as if i had committed some sort of architectural sacrilege. I don't
remember the exact answer, but the gist was that architecture seems to
be for other architects, not the occupants....
Anyway, i highly recommend this book for people concerned about
making architecture more humane...
John
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| `A society of "astronomers" would be, || John McDonald |
| at least on paper, better capable of || SDSU Dept of Astronomy |
| gauging the proportions of our || jmcd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| existential dilemmas.' ==Paolo Soleri || |
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