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  • WELCOME
  • ABOUT
    • Henry has a Masters of Architecture from UT Austin ...
  • The 5x5 House
    • 1. Overview
    • 2. Context
    • 3. Principles
    • 4. The Plan
    • 5. The Entry
    • 6. The Master Suite
    • 7. Version A / Version B
    • 8. Technical Details
    • 9. The Cost
  • WRITING
    • MY PHILOSOPHY
    • ESSAYS
    • FRAGMENTS
  • ARCH. SCHOOL
    • All Studio Projects
    • VII. AUSTIN MUSIC HALL
    • VI. Brixton Studio
    • V. One House, Four Rooms
    • IV. Santa Fe: Residency
    • III. New Braunfels: Hydrology
    • II. Austin: AEGB Headquarters
    • I. Lampasas: "Graduation Wall"
    • 0. Application Portfolio
  • CARPENTRY
    • ALL CARPENTRY PROJECTS
    • John John's Game Room
    • Front Entry, Seattle
    • Oak Bedroom Set
    • Bathroom Remodel
  • 35MM FILM
    • MOST RECENT
    • North America - 35mm
    • Japan - 35mm
  • MIXED MEDIA
    • ALL PROJECTS
  • (Re)SOURCES

"Starchitecture and Sustainability" 

9/24/2016

 
Picture
Master Plan render for "Arabian Canal," Dubai. Calthorpe & Associates.
"Starchitecture and Sustainability: Hope, Creativity, and Futility Collide in Contemporary Architecture" by Josh Stephens on Planitezen.com

Josh Stephens addresses a complex set of interrelated questions in this short article. First, he looks at the wild creations of the world's most media-savvy celebrity architects and questions the incentives and costs of these structures. He makes an interesting comparison to the fine arts, namely, the sheer magnitude of embodied energy in these monuments, versus, say, the oil on a Picasso canvas or even the steel in a Calder flamingo. Is it possible that this difference in degree is so severe it actually marks a categorical distinction that separates fine art from architecture? One which effectively limits creative freedom? Certainly architects object, but that hardly answers the question.

Stephens also addresses the important distinction between an individual building and a city, rightly suggesting that it is on scale of the city (including its suburbs) where true ecological gains are made: "Even some of the most appealing green techniques," Stephens writes, "appear trivial as opposed to wholesale revolutions in public policy and behavior." The question remains, however, whether and to what extent this obviates the social and ecological responsibilities of the architect.

The article is replete with intriguing quotes from contemporary practitioners:

  • "Selfish starchitecture ... is all about media, flash, avant garde shock, and sex appeal. In many cases, they're just buying consultants. They'll introduce green to the extent that [they] like the way it looks, but they're not going to let green overrule their aesthetic sensibilities." —Douglas Kelbaugh, former dean at Michigan, winner of 2016 AIA Topaz Medallion for excellence in education. 
  • "I think there's a very important role for monuments in the urban landscape. We need special buildings that speak more to culture and innovation and social identity. But they should be few and far between." --Peter Calthorpe, planner and architect, leader in the "Smart Growth" movement. 
  • "Environmentalists need to be the biggest advocates for infill, density, and transit-oriented development. They need to stop the greenwashing of sprawl, that a couple solar collectors on the roof and a straw bale wall sometimes camouflage." —Peter Calthorpe
  • "If you really want to solve the problem, you have to now solve it in terms of land use planning, the way cities develop. You're going to look for intensification, transportation." —Thom Mayne, winner of 2005 Pritzker Prize.
Starchitecture and Sustainability - full text
File Size: 67 kb
File Type: pdf
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Essay on Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker recipient, by Lebbeus Woods
File Size: 437 kb
File Type: pdf
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© A. Henry Rose, 2021. Excerpts and photos may be re-published provided that full and clear credit is given and directly linked to the original content.