I had planned on posting a picture of and commenting on Frank Gehry's new concert hall in Miami, but decided that that would be too upbeat. So, onto Sheffield, England and a picture of the lovely Kelvin Flats. This photo was taken by a fellow named Peter Jones, who published an online book about his experience there.
Rather than pollute my blog with facts or research I will merely speak my mind. This is modernism gone mad--a twisted model of urban living run amok on some drafting board and then rendered in concrete and glass and asbestos. And yet, there is a Sheffield still there, a discrete, British town with typical streetfront shops and houses with tiny rooms.
This is still considered a good idea. Some of the detailing has changed, but the philosophy of the homogenized, large scale approach informs both aesthetic and economic arguments in contemporary development.
who else is hearing the Monty Python "Architect" sketch in their mind looking at that photo?
ReplyDeleteArchitect: "and then the residents will be transported along the ramp, past the rotating knives--"
Client: "I'm sorry, did you say knives?"
A: "Rotating knives, yes, and then the blood--"
C: "I'm sorry, are you planning on murdering our clients?"
A: "Was that not your intention? You see, I normally design slaughterhouses."
C: "And this one is a beauty. But you see, we did want a block of flats and not an abbatoir."
A: "Ah, I had not correctly divined your attitude toward your clients. Mind you, you won't go wrong with this. None of your shoddy workmanship, blood flying everywhere jobs."
C: "Good morning!"
Or something like that.
Looks John Cleese packed up his designs and took them to the good folks at Sheffield, who had a different attitude toward their clients.