Two general questions related to this weeks reading.

In 'Toward a Theory of Normative Architecture,' what does Ockman mean by normative or 'major' architecture? Explain.

Compare and contrast Ockman's evaluation of the criticism of Tafuri and Grassi. What does each suggest architecture ought to do?

takes on Modernism

This week in class we focused on the work of Mies Van der Rohe and looked at some other Modernists... including LeCorbusier. If you'd like to follow up on the article I mentioned in class about the evolution of a Modernist housing project, you can find the link here.
I would also encourage everyone to look at this article which talks about the relative success and failure of Brasilia.

Mies Van Der Rohe Reading Response

In Hays article on Mies Van Der Rohe, there is a comparison of his work as lying directly between a dichotomy of pre-existing beliefs about architecture. On one side, architecture was viewed as a product of culture which reflected and glorified the dominant aspects of the time/space it inhabited. On the other, architecture was a purist practice of form, where the architect looked to create a work that directly referred to itself and only itself, instead of originating from historical references.

In the metropolis of the early 1900's, and indeed still today (although less pronounced), there was an overwhelming sense of diaspora and confusion as the new inhabitants of cities were bombarded from all sides with sound and visual stimuli. Many felt disconnected from their realm of culture, which can be seen in Dadaism. Gerog Simmel titled this affect nervenlebn,which produced a distinct sense of apathy and distanced attitude in citizens of metropolis cities. Van der Rohe created a building which, instead of imposing itself on the passerby, occupied its space quietly and reflected the surroundings. This created a silence and calm within a chaotic world.

Van der Rohe's building were all intended to be somewhat similar, although customized slightly to their locations. Because they generally reflected or absorbed their surroundings, they would always be participants in the current culture, always contemporary, always functional. The idea of the historical reference could be traced via a history of Van der Rohe's process and influences, but the buildings themselves seek to escape from such scrutiny.

In a departure from his general design of skyscrapers, the Barcelona Pavilion moves to the horizontal, using a variety of materials, beyond the usual glass, to create a freeflowing area. Materials reflect and mesh into each other, and provide the interpreter with a centerless, directionless area to explore as it seems natural. It is less about reflected the surroundings and more about exploring interior space within itself.

Mies in a (comic) nutshell

Questions for Hays reading

Some discussion questions for this week:

How does Hays differentiate between the notion of architecture as an instrument of culture and architecture as an "autonomous form?"

How does Hays relate the concept of Nervenleben from Simmel to the realm of architecture?

How does Hays differentiate between Mies' Barcelona Pavilion and the earlier more vertical work?

Also, I noticed that the reader has cut off bits of the text. If you're having trouble you can find a PDF here.

week one

Here's the diagram we discussed in class today. It's from a David Harvey essay entitled Space as a Key word.
We also looked at the work of Mies Van Der Rohe, Norman Bel Geddes, El Lizzitsky, Rudolf Schindler, Yona Friedman, Buckminster Fuller, Bruce Goff, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ernest Burden, Paolo Soleri, Bernard Tschumi, and Zaha Hadid.

class blog

This blog is the discussion site for a calarts class taught by Ken Ehrlich. Each week I will post discussion questions related to the readings. Please respond within the comment section of the post as a way to keep the blog relatively coherent organizationally.