Hey Biomimicry guys, have you seen this video?

The Critique

I would like to continue our discussion from class last week regarding critiques in architectural publications perhaps being too chummy, generally over-flattering, and most definitely uncritical towards the work being written about.

Given the nature of architecture school and how constructive criticism is crucial to the learning process, how do professionals grow and learn from other prominent projects when nearly everything written in major publications about new buildings lacks depth, insight, critical feedback, and reads like a plug for the designer and/or profession?

Is a shift in the architect's understanding of the critique to be once again accepting of legitimate criticism about a project possible in the professional realm? If so, how?

Manifesto Part 2

Do manifestos have more power as words or as artifacts that show what is being described? Would it make sense to show imagery for a design manifesto to better explain what is being talked about?

Do you think that typography is enough to explain concepts of a visual design format?





The image above is from Patrik Schumacher talking about Parametricism. Does it better explain parametricism then his manifesto?

image from http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/

Theoretical Lens

Does a designer need to adhere to one specific theory? Can one theory create an all-encompassing understanding of design? Is the Pluralist approach more appropriate for contemporary design , or does this method of inclusion dilute the architecture?

The Manifesto

What is the importance of a manifesto? What do manifestoes contribute to the design community? In addition to defining principles, it is intended to evoke emotion. This emotion is meant to spark action. Manifestos innately are tactile, or more than just words, they find a form to provide a message to a community. Architects as well are striving to find a form that evokes an emotional response and provides a message to a community. Successful architecture exists within a specific place and time, are manifestoes intended to exist only within a specific space and time, or are they eternal?

boundaries

Heidegger states that “A boundary is not that at which something stops but, the boundary is that, from which something begins its presencing”

As we define place within architecture, it is important for us to understand the boundaries that are created within our environment, both physical and perceived. What makes these connections tangible and why is it important to “embroil” them into architecture? What are we connecting to?

Structuralism....What does it mean to architecture?

Language has been said to be not just a cultural phenomenon but the source of it.

What is the source of architecture? What can we claim the sole source of "good" design is from our architectural language of diagrams to buildings? Is there a figurative structure that we design to other than the restrictions of building codes?

setting the stage of our lives: an architects quest

It has been said a picture is worth a 1000 words and a model is worth a 1000 pictures. What should be said about a building? What does a building mean to a city?

Before a building is built in a city it goes under review. What would you want to know if you were part of a Design Review Committee from the designers?

Time

If we look at ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs or Mayans who used the sun and moon to dictate much of their design, would one be able to claim that these civilizations were more advanced in the concept of time than we are today? Do designers knowingly use time as a concept or reasoning to the form and functions of a building in today's age? Is the idea of 'time' something designers only discuss or is it really scrutinized when designing a building or planning a city? To what extent should the idea of 'time' affect the design of a building?

The relevance of story-telling

One of the greatest exemplars of technically sophisticated architectural design of our day, Renzo Piano, once stated very earnestly (in an interview with Charlie Rose), that every building 'must tell a story'. How do you think a building can tell a story?