Dear nic,
At 22:35 5/1/96 -0400, you wrote:
>the issue of how computers inform the development of architects,
>academically and professionally is not the most significant one(...) how about
>the speculative real estate market
Of course all our woes come from a societal drive to allow profit
maximization by the most powerful.
>Rather, the issue might be how the simulated
>world and computer imaging has affected the taste and interests of clients
>(i.e., culture at large). (...), what
>we are approaching is a simulacrum of that simulacrum, and entirely
>non-temporal imaging of our existences. (...) Its a bit late to
>argue the relative merits computers as design tools- there aren't many
>buildings left to be built. Ours will not (?) be a society that erects
>impressive sarcophogi.
The computer is a tool, and like architecture or technology it can be used
wrongly as above.
The question is how can it be used for human development and whether its own
intrinsic potential might not be a factor in overcoming such depressing
overall trends, either as ergonomic and mind enhancing learning systems or
as truly democratic planetary mediums.
>The biggest architectural and media event last week was the opening of the
>Virgin Superstore (whee!). This building (sic) is an unmitigated failure
>even by the reduced standards of themed retail experiences. That is where
>computers have led us (and not mostly becuase they destroyed the ability of
>architects to design-
Have computers indeed led us to this on their own, nic ?
Let us design our way out of this using our new electronic co-minds.
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Life, Love & Light
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Tano Cabanyes
Architect
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GAIATEC
Environmental Design: "as if our world could be perfect".
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