The State of Architecture

http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-state-of-architecture-koolhaus.html

Bernard Tschumi
tschumi.com

Hello Everyone:

Time once again to go through the drop box folder and see what inspires me.  Today we ponder the state of architecture, at least Klaus Philipsen does in blog post "The State of Architecture (Koolhaas, Tschumi and Baltimore)."  What is the state of contemporary architecture?  Mr. Philipsen starts his post with this Rem Koolhaas quote, "Junkspace is the sum total of our current architecture: we have built more than all previous history together, but we hardly register on the same scales."  Pretty apt description if ever was one, most of what goes up these days appears to be nothing more than vanity projects, if you ask me.

In 2003, Bernard Tschumi convened a conference at Columbia University where is considered the "State of Architecture in the 21st Century."  A book followed the conference in which architects, theorists, and critics all responded to this question with their opinions.  "Asking such a immoderate overreaching question," according to Mr. Tschumi, has merit, assuming that architecture matters, different cities attract and nurture a variety of architecture, architecture is somehow "better" in some cities than others, and one could find a common ground to communicate all this thinking.  Mr. Philipsen took it upon himself to pose a similar question vis-a-vis his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland to a diverse group of people and asked them to present their thoughts in a public forum.  The group consisted of observers of architecture, not makers including the architects he queried.  The forum, "Design Conversation #62" took place at Baltimore's design center (D Center).  Mr. Philipsen topics for discussion were less academic and esoteric than the one put forth by Mr. Tschumi, simply asking:

Headquarter for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com

   * Are we keeping up with national and international standards for creative good design, or is Baltimore architecture lame, timid and average?

* What is "local Baltimore design that is special to our city?

* Do we meed national and foreign talent to come in or should we build with local talent?

* Does our current architect meet what the city needs the most?

These questions address the more pertinent issues of Baltimore than the high-minded topics such as: Aesthetics & Urbanism (Mass, Sorkin and Stern), Form & Influence  (Eisenmann, Gehry), Envelope & Public-Private (Tschumi, Koolhass, Hadid), Globalization & Criticism (Norton).  Mr, Philispsen shared with his readers some of his notes and observations that not only apply to Baltimore but to other cities as well.

Baltimore Federal Building
part of Jeremy Kargan's presentation:
Baltimore urban renewal vestige
archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com

A city such as Baltimore is very conscious of its place in American history.  This means that discussions regarding the "state of architecture" center around one or two ideas in relationship to historically designated buildings, thus it is necessary to begin with an overview of the city's architectural history, courtesy of James Dilts, a former journalist for the Sun and author who penned the column "the changing city."  Mr. Dilts's current interest is re-opening the (Charles Wilson) Peale Museum, also known as the Municipal Museum of Baltimore, as an architecture museum.  Mr. Dilts is quick to point out these facts: first, great architecture is linked to great prosperity.  Not such an earth shattering revelation.  Second, working of the former, the best Baltimore architecture is found in the distant past, the most current examples date back to the twenties and thirties.  Third, there is a degeneration of planning from a strong field of study and city department to the point where there are simply no real plans for the city.

Legg Mason Building
Harbor East
Baltimore, Maryland
flickr.com

Architect Magazine writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickson brought Rem Koolhaas into the conversation when she posed his question, why "architecture disappeared in the 20th century."  Using Facebook, Ms. Evitts Dickson surveyed her friends to find out what they associated with Baltimore's architecture.  No surprises here, rowhouses, the wire, stoops, yet not a thing about the glittery new Harbor East or any new architecture at all.  As a means of comparison, Ms Evitts Dickson used New Orleans as an example of finding vernacular architecture in response to resilience requirements following Katerina. Specifically, how after the flood waters subsided, planners were quick to come to conclusions on where and where not to build until the people, who lived in the flooded areas, had their say.

 City-Paper journalist Kate Drabinski responded to the questions posed by Klaus Philipsen from the perspective of a local bicyclist.  In Ms. Drabinski's presentation, it appeared that Rem Koolhaas's assertion, "Infrastructure is much more important than architecture,"held true.  Ms. Drabinski focused on street and sidewalk issues.  Her point, walking and bicycling force a person to see the city.  This is especially true of Baltimore's first "bike boulevards," Fallsway Guildford Avenue, which passes right in front of the city's prison.  She used this case study to pose the question "which city builds their prison a mile from the waterfront?" Um, I don't know, Baltimore?

Baltimore row houses
baltimore.tumblr.com

The fourth speaker at the conference was Morgan State University Architecture professor Jeremy Kargon. Prof. Kargon used a Frank Lloyd Wright quote, though it refers to London it sort of seems apropos, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you city is senile."  He did not mean it as a direct insult to the city, per se, rather it was intended to spice up his presentation with subtitles like "Sclerotic City" and "Architecture of Sclerosis."  Prof. Kargon continued by stating, "we have since long lost our ability (in Baltimore) to characterize or express [a]nd consistent design culture."  To clarify, Prof. Kargon is a die-hard modernist and bemoaned the fact that Baltimore pays scant attention to modern fabric embedded in the city during the fifties.  Further, Prof Kargon observed, "My point is that identifying a consensus about urban morphology is critical if we [are] to characterize some kind of 'Baltimore architecture.'"  He went on to verbally level the iconic rowhouses, "The 'Baltimore Rowhouse' is an obsoleter and deceptive cliche, like baseball, motherhood, and apple pie-enough already!  Even when it's well designed, exciting, and architecturally significant, the rowhouse is failing us."  His point was the iconic residences were too small, too numerous, and did provide the necessary density to rebuild the city.

Proposed 43-story skyscraper
Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz
Inner Harbor Baltimore
baltimoresun.com

The conference was joined by a group of young artists from the nearby Maryland Institute College of Arts mixing with the established notables of Baltimore architecture to create an eclectic mix never experienced before.  They were completely amazed at how really bad the local architecture was.  It fell to people like University of Maryland architecture professor Gary Bowden to inform the that the talk "wasn't about architecture at all."  Prof. Bowden went on to remind the assembled crowd of Vitruvius's three purposes of architecture: "utility, structure, and delight" and the difference between landmark and fabric architecture.  He then proceeded to answer all the questions, concluding, "Baltimore is holding its own, but it certainly is not in the lead."  Although Baltimore is no Washington D.C. or New York City, it was fortunate to have Johns Hopkins and other fine universities that could replace long gone industries and some of recent architecture was good in spite of everything. In addressing the issue of local versus imported architects, Prof. Bowden noted that while many local architects preferred to remain local, as a individual, how could he not want the very best for his city? Prof. Bowden opined that the new Harborpoint developed looked promising as do Union Wharf, the Fitzgerald, and University of Baltimore law school.  He also cited numerous adaptive reuse projects such as the Baltimore Design School, asking, "what better project than one to create a place to educate the architects and designers of the future?"

An example of affordable housing
Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD
archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com

The crowds, comments, and observations were diverse but Baltimore "the city" got very little credit.  It seemed that the city neglected and disregarded the small businesses, seeking to push out existing enterprises.  One developers emphasized the importance of investments in low-income neighborhoods, an award winning local architect spoke on the necessity of a bigger picture, "If we are part of the megalopolis of Boston-Washington, the richest, largest and most powerful conglomeration the world has ever seen, can't make it, who then."  This question led to a digression from the central issue: "How good is our local architecture?"  Not that anyone cared if the UB law school was very good, a knock-off of the Boston Genzyme Building, or just plain hideous with a ceaseless checkerboard on sections of a three-part cube.  It was Elizabth Evitts Dickson's Facebook poll that inspired Mr. Philispsen to pose the "State of __" question in the first place.  However, architecture as a vital sign is too elusive.  It's more about infrastructure, schools, social justice and everything else.

Silo Point Condominiums
baltimoregrows.com

Truth be told, it is probably a good thing that architecture is not "The cult of architectural objects" replaced by the "docile forms of urban planning." (Greg Pasquarelli, SHoP Architects, from Tschumi book).  Why should a second tier city, like Baltimore, engage in vanity competitions between starchitects begetting vanity projects instead of innovations?  What if Baltimore not bothered with trying to entice internationally known designs only to end up with the left over projects?  Rather, what if Baltimore fostered its own design community in which established but daring firms were given room to roam in response to the city's actual needs?  Guerilla architecture anyone?  Yes, sure why not, if it works for local music and art why not architecture?  Imagine the endless possibilities.  I always said that Baltimore has a great deal of potential to be even  better than it is already.  A community of established but avant garde firm good put this on the  architecture map and really make it a great place to be.

Perhaps architecture is what it should be.  To borrow another Rem Koolhaas aphorism, "People can inhabit anything.  And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything.  More and more I think architecture has nothing to with it.  Of course, that's both liberating and alarming."  That, my dear readers, is what makes architecture a thrill ride.