Thought: For a growing number of us, light and space (indoors and outdoors) is limited and even diminishing. We live in cities that grow taller with parks that are strips not plots and apartments that shrink and look out at walls. Even suburbia gets curtailed by a time & distance to employment equation which sooner or later leads to greater and greater density. It is therefore a growing responsibility for brands and public bodies to provide us with environments that give us light and space to satisfy the absence created by our personal circumstances.
Public bodies seem to be doing this very well. It’s amazing to think that many of the most creative buildings being built today are public projects. The library in downtown Seattle is a great example – providing plenty of space and light.
People should be attracted to brands that provide a similar service. Before, brands have tried to create hyper-efficient environments like supermarkets to satisfy our time-starved lives, but maybe now they need to create space and light giving environments too.
The picture accompanying this article is of a new building on Crosby Street in New York. Crosby Street is a lovely little cobbled street sat between SoHo and Nolita, but it’s also very narrow and fairly dark. Having been thinking about this theory of Light As Luxury, we came across this building and looked at how it was juxtaposed by the the much older, more windowed buildings from a time of more space and light. We couldn’t help asking, ‘Why did someone build this with such small windows when we’re in a time when we all need light in our personal lives?’
Just a thought.
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Yes, but then. I agree with the light and growing cities getting more and more dense, narrowing streets etc.
But then I recently read an article about a book called “5 codes” which develops a view on architecture in times of paranoia and constant terror threat categorized by those “5 codes” of terror danger.
The article says that architecture in NYC is also reflecting this. Like the freedom tower, however it will be built then, but the socket of the freedom tower will inhabit the worlds largest Bunker structure. No windows. No light. Just a huge concrete cube.
Also many architects seem to move away from times where prestigious buildings could be read by their facades made entirely of glass. It is regarded as vulnerable today.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
the book you describe sounds like a total drag.
April 13th, 2007 at 11:18 am
REALITY LESSON 101:
1. Earlier in history, buildings had far fewer windows because of the
structural incapacity of brick or stone. And absent Air Conditioning
at the time, they became oven hot in the summer for lack of adequate
air circulation making smelly people spent a whole lot more time
outdoors.
2. The invention of steel beam construction in the late 1800’s in
Chicago structurally allowed for many more windows that provided
summertime air circulation — and added a need for more heat in winter
but which was readily available at low cost.
3. The mid-century invention of air conditioning eliminated the need
for that outside air circulation and, thus, eliminated the need for so
many windows.
4. The substantial cost increase of fuel is now leading to more
insulation and fewer windows to reduce both air conditioning and
heating need.
5. All of the above: Architectural aesthetics are not simply an “art
form” but rather artful solutions to REALITY matters.
April 14th, 2007 at 2:28 pm