Does Architecture exist where Unbuilding Happens?
Thursday, 13. September 2012
Author
Some thoughts on Jane M. Jacob’s presentation
The world upside-down: Once, architecture doesn’t contribute to the genesis of a building but to the end of a building. What was thought to be a big vision and thus built for “eternity” was – some decades later – declared to be unviable. Buildings fall out of value, because values are subject to change. How can architecture face this challenge and be involved in the life cycles of buildings and not just in their genesis?
In Glasgow a building called “The Read Road Flats” which was constructed in the early 60ties was brought down by demolition in 2012. New standards were set which made the building obsolete, but not unloved. Thus, the Glasgow Museum tasked a group of architects, geographers and artists to create a legacy of the building. This interdisciplinary group thought about what should be transferred when the state of a building is changed. They agreed on making a model of the house in form of a box that contains a lot of material put into smaller boxes and drawers. Just like a shoe shiner’s box….
