Dystopian Architecture
|
“Architecture and war are not incompatible. Architecture is war. War is architecture. I am at war with my time, with history, with all authority that resides in fixed and frightened forms” Lebbeus Woods “In 1973, we felt our mission in the avant-garde had run its course, We hadn’t won the war, only a few battles.” Adolfo Natalini WHY? The war as Lebbeus Woods described is physical violence causing casualty of inhabitants and destruction of city; the war as Adolfo Natalini described is intangible established culture and associating social norms with politics, sociology and philosophy. Both considered architecture in its boarder meaning as a weapon to reconstruct the city as ideology. Architecture should have the power and privilege to critically reshape the society, as architects did for long in history. Statement Architects, during the energetic period of 1960s – 1970s, revaluated the socio-political agenda in the discipline of architecture, at the time they believed there was emergency that architects had a role in designing the future. The myth of Utopian Architecture visualizes the imagination and conceptual nature of architectural design. However, utopia never exists. Today architecture, under the materialistic world of consumerism, have been exploited to a tool of strengthening the capitalistic world: the only possible reaction is a return to order, to the once fascinating subjects of searching for better environment of living. WHAT? Sino-British Joint Declaration provides Hong Kong a period of 50 years remained unchanged in its way of life until 2047. The stance for remain unchanged is reluctant and refusal to option. What it comes together as we witness is the diminishing freedom and liberty in culture, speech, protest, etc. Instead of qualifying the nostalgia of the colonial period, “To be, or not to be, that is the question…” assuming the negotiation of Hong Kong with China is turning white-hot, what architects can participate in? The thesis analogizes dystopia (negative utopia) to the discipline of architecture, questioning the stability and permanence of architecture, and more, the stability of society. Amplifying the impact of radical architecture as existential meditation, various scenarios of social conflicts are brought to discussion, in search of design potential of spatial quality and arrangement is required in such debate. HOW? Pre-thesis Period: Research and Analysis (Urban Scale) Outline of research. Through a series of mapping, intangible qualities and values in Hong Kong are uncovered in search of design potentials. Review 1.0 – Site Analysis and Precedent Study (Urban Scale) 3 emergent sites in Hong Kong, are expected to be designated. Spatial qualities and programmatic arrangement are analyzed in plans, sections and axonometric drawings, in addition to precedent study. Review 2.0 – Methodology (Building Scale) Design prototypes and spatial strategies are developed to manifest the thesis statement in site. “If there is no idea in the drawing, there is no idea in the constructed project. That’s the expression of the idea. Architects make drawings that other people build. I make the drawings. If someone wants to build from those, that’s up to them. I feel I’m making architecture. I believe the building comes into being as soon as it’s drawn.” Lebbeus Woods Review 3.0 – Detail Design Design progress in terms of models and drawings are examined. Different means of presentation will be tested. Review 4.0 (Final) – Refinement Detail design and further revisions of the thesis working in both drawing and models.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography 01: Theory
Bibliography 02: Techniques
Bibliography 03: Seminal Text / Current related projects
|