Informative Nova special about solar energy. Good section on Germany's successful political involvement. Check it out.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/solar/program.html
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Site Criticism / Meeting Overview
Centralia - Very intriguing site. Has a lot of potential to right past wrongs, take advantage of an unnatural tragedy. Is a power plant really that interesting? Is it monument? This site might border on the edge of being a "one-liner," maybe there's not enough meat after the initial fascination with the site.
Monument Valley - Doesn't address an environmental disaster. Should this virgin land be touched?
Gettysburg, PA - Has the potential to become a sustainable playground. Could be all show and little substance. On the other hand, and truly unique monument in an army of classicism might bring life back to Lincoln's testament to sustainability, the Gettysburg Address. Needs to address the root issues of sustainability, and this is a possible spin, more effective than a green visitors center. I'll have to fight my deep bias for the site in order to choose the right one and not be entirely preferential to this. John isn't too keen on this one and i'm going to have to fight him if this is the direction i decide to go in.
Washington, DC - A very strong contender in my opinion. The seat of government is the perfect site for an intervention, an architecture statement on the nation's agenda. John suggested removing the White House and making the president live sustainably. Should be more radical than memorial, and does it damage the argument if the conclusion is a monumental building, not simply a monument?
World Trade Center - The perfect site for cultural relevance in terms of monument/monumentality. Will the focus be more monument or sustainability? Can they be successfully integrated. Is it wise to choose a site that has already had significant design development already? Maybe its pretentious to propose my solution is better than years of design. (i think it could be, at least for Childs' monstrosity) Maybe this site is too obvious?
New Orleans - I think this might turn into a massive gravestone. This will have to address the human desire to survive where "home" is, rather than live in a more logical area. Could be a great generator for discussion, why are we rebuilding this inevitably doomed city? I'm not entirely clear about the sustainable methods possible when i think i should be. For some reason I'm not terribly excited about this site even though it has strong potential in addressing all of my concerns.
Lisa insisted that the basis of this will be Man Vs Nature. This is more obvious in certain sites such as Centralia and New Orleans. Her preference is towards New Orleans and New York.
John is leaning towards Centralia and Washington. I need to make sure my project doesn't become a one liner, and be cautious in just adding another monument to Washington or Gettysburg.
Andrew and I share a strong interest in addressing the root of sustainable problems rather than the implementation of green tactics. He seems weary about Gettysburg. I think he is excited by its potential through reinvigorating the spirit of the Gettysburg Address, and scared of it becoming a green playground. He understands the value in keeping it local. I know PA, DC, and NY. I'm having trouble getting excited about New Orleans and Monument Valley because I'm foreign to them.
I think i'm on the right track and monday's meeting went well. I need to do a lot more research and analysis of these sites and really focus my ultimate goals. This will be a very difficult decision.
Monument Valley - Doesn't address an environmental disaster. Should this virgin land be touched?
Gettysburg, PA - Has the potential to become a sustainable playground. Could be all show and little substance. On the other hand, and truly unique monument in an army of classicism might bring life back to Lincoln's testament to sustainability, the Gettysburg Address. Needs to address the root issues of sustainability, and this is a possible spin, more effective than a green visitors center. I'll have to fight my deep bias for the site in order to choose the right one and not be entirely preferential to this. John isn't too keen on this one and i'm going to have to fight him if this is the direction i decide to go in.
Washington, DC - A very strong contender in my opinion. The seat of government is the perfect site for an intervention, an architecture statement on the nation's agenda. John suggested removing the White House and making the president live sustainably. Should be more radical than memorial, and does it damage the argument if the conclusion is a monumental building, not simply a monument?
World Trade Center - The perfect site for cultural relevance in terms of monument/monumentality. Will the focus be more monument or sustainability? Can they be successfully integrated. Is it wise to choose a site that has already had significant design development already? Maybe its pretentious to propose my solution is better than years of design. (i think it could be, at least for Childs' monstrosity) Maybe this site is too obvious?
New Orleans - I think this might turn into a massive gravestone. This will have to address the human desire to survive where "home" is, rather than live in a more logical area. Could be a great generator for discussion, why are we rebuilding this inevitably doomed city? I'm not entirely clear about the sustainable methods possible when i think i should be. For some reason I'm not terribly excited about this site even though it has strong potential in addressing all of my concerns.
Lisa insisted that the basis of this will be Man Vs Nature. This is more obvious in certain sites such as Centralia and New Orleans. Her preference is towards New Orleans and New York.
John is leaning towards Centralia and Washington. I need to make sure my project doesn't become a one liner, and be cautious in just adding another monument to Washington or Gettysburg.
Andrew and I share a strong interest in addressing the root of sustainable problems rather than the implementation of green tactics. He seems weary about Gettysburg. I think he is excited by its potential through reinvigorating the spirit of the Gettysburg Address, and scared of it becoming a green playground. He understands the value in keeping it local. I know PA, DC, and NY. I'm having trouble getting excited about New Orleans and Monument Valley because I'm foreign to them.
I think i'm on the right track and monday's meeting went well. I need to do a lot more research and analysis of these sites and really focus my ultimate goals. This will be a very difficult decision.
Site Selection
Centralia, PA - A local disaster in "Anytown, USA." Centralia is currently a ghost town after 45 years of an uncontrollable underground coal mine fire rendered it uninhabitable. It is a short drive away and representative of disasters on a small scale, not to mention incredibly bizarre and fascinating. I am not quite sure of how safe it is to make a short visit here, so the power of monument here is questionable. It would be greatly valuable in terms of sustainability; perhaps the energy produced by this disaster could be utilized and transported to surrounding towns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia%2C_Pennsylvania
Monument Valley - A vast stretch of land in Utah named for its monumental stone buttes. This is representative of beautiful uninhabited land with more than enough space to implement an alternative energy farm of pv or wind turbines. No one would go out of their way to visit a lonely solar farm, but this setting brings plenty of visitors.
Gettysburg, PA - Famous for its fierce battles during the Civil War and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, it is a gorgeous small town littered with hundreds/thousands of monuments of all scales. Gburg is a very important part of our nation's history and brings tourists from all over the country, especially relatively uninterested school children. There is no definitive monument here, all the classical gestures blend together after hours of traversing the bucolic landscape. One of the most popular destinations is the boulder outcropping known as devil's den; named for its particularly difficult battle setting for strategy, surprise, and snipery. The program proposal is a visitors center/monument that would bring a modern and sustainably built twist in a classical setting. John mentioned its intention would be similar to Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial in DC, an "antimonument." Gettysburg is a similar to small town's across the country; beautiful land that is being overdeveloped and commercialized. There is even talk of a large casino that would drastically alter the town. People here likely know little about sustainability, it is the land of vinyl siding and huge trucks outside of its beautiful historic center.
Washington DC - The seat of our government modeled after the most monumental of ancient cities. My investigations into sustainability are based on the root causes of unsustainable living, not simply green building tactics. Money and power are the root of how our society functions, and government has unmatchable power in bringing and supporting sustainable initiatives. Govt instituations that can help sustainability such as the EPA are highly inefficient and unorganized, it is a relatively new organization with a foundation of assuming its existence is temporary. Past governments expressed their ideals and power through monument, a monumental gesture signifying our government's vested interest in sustainability would be appropriate and powerful here. This would primarily be a monumental building with the possibility of an integrated monument for the public.
World Trade Center - If anything today is worth a memorial/monument, this is it. The greatest act of terrorism we have ever seen needs remembering and the emotions are still raw. Things are slow going on the current buildings and memorial. The memorial has drawn a lot of criticism, its cost (of 1 billion dollars) is double its budget, and it will cost the city $40M a year to maintain. David Childs' Freedom Tower is barely a whisper of the original design's beauty and monumentality and has been plagued by compromise, political intervention, and inneficiency. The new WTC should be the height of monumental building. If this were sustainable, it would be a testament to our goal of energy independence. Severing our reliance on the middle east would be a stronger blow in the "war on terror" than any military occupation.
New Orleans - This is the site of one of the worst hurricane disasters in history. Hundreds of deaths, an entire city destroyed, thousands displaced, and political apathy on an unimaginable scale, the name Katrina stirs up emotions whenever mentioned. The disaster should be signified, the dead should be memorialized. There is debate that these megastorms are a result of global warming, drawing a correlation to sustainability in this site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia%2C_Pennsylvania
Monument Valley - A vast stretch of land in Utah named for its monumental stone buttes. This is representative of beautiful uninhabited land with more than enough space to implement an alternative energy farm of pv or wind turbines. No one would go out of their way to visit a lonely solar farm, but this setting brings plenty of visitors.
Gettysburg, PA - Famous for its fierce battles during the Civil War and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, it is a gorgeous small town littered with hundreds/thousands of monuments of all scales. Gburg is a very important part of our nation's history and brings tourists from all over the country, especially relatively uninterested school children. There is no definitive monument here, all the classical gestures blend together after hours of traversing the bucolic landscape. One of the most popular destinations is the boulder outcropping known as devil's den; named for its particularly difficult battle setting for strategy, surprise, and snipery. The program proposal is a visitors center/monument that would bring a modern and sustainably built twist in a classical setting. John mentioned its intention would be similar to Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial in DC, an "antimonument." Gettysburg is a similar to small town's across the country; beautiful land that is being overdeveloped and commercialized. There is even talk of a large casino that would drastically alter the town. People here likely know little about sustainability, it is the land of vinyl siding and huge trucks outside of its beautiful historic center.
Washington DC - The seat of our government modeled after the most monumental of ancient cities. My investigations into sustainability are based on the root causes of unsustainable living, not simply green building tactics. Money and power are the root of how our society functions, and government has unmatchable power in bringing and supporting sustainable initiatives. Govt instituations that can help sustainability such as the EPA are highly inefficient and unorganized, it is a relatively new organization with a foundation of assuming its existence is temporary. Past governments expressed their ideals and power through monument, a monumental gesture signifying our government's vested interest in sustainability would be appropriate and powerful here. This would primarily be a monumental building with the possibility of an integrated monument for the public.
World Trade Center - If anything today is worth a memorial/monument, this is it. The greatest act of terrorism we have ever seen needs remembering and the emotions are still raw. Things are slow going on the current buildings and memorial. The memorial has drawn a lot of criticism, its cost (of 1 billion dollars) is double its budget, and it will cost the city $40M a year to maintain. David Childs' Freedom Tower is barely a whisper of the original design's beauty and monumentality and has been plagued by compromise, political intervention, and inneficiency. The new WTC should be the height of monumental building. If this were sustainable, it would be a testament to our goal of energy independence. Severing our reliance on the middle east would be a stronger blow in the "war on terror" than any military occupation.
New Orleans - This is the site of one of the worst hurricane disasters in history. Hundreds of deaths, an entire city destroyed, thousands displaced, and political apathy on an unimaginable scale, the name Katrina stirs up emotions whenever mentioned. The disaster should be signified, the dead should be memorialized. There is debate that these megastorms are a result of global warming, drawing a correlation to sustainability in this site.
Site & Program Selection Diagram
This diagram is an exercise in selecting a proper cause and setting for my design investigation. Six sites were selected for various reasons and judged on the following criteria: cultural significance, political impact, strength of monument, financial impact (cost and value for generating revenue), amount of audience, and sustainable viability.
Unnatural Disasters
Lisa suggested during our meeting last week that my "monument" should focus on an environmental disaster in order to relate to sustainability. The following list of man-made disasters provided some insight as to where and what I should investigate.
Coal mines
Centralia, Sago
Dam Failures
Johnstown, Teton Dam, Three Gorges
Government
Hiroshima, Bomb Testing, Landscape Devastation Ukraine, War for Oil
Industrial Catastrophes
Ammonium Nitrate Explosions – Germany, Texas, Gas Explosions – Ohio Mexico City
Nuclear
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
Oil Spills
Exxon Valdez
Terrorism
Oil Inferno – Persian Gulf, World Trade Center, Oklahoma City
Toxicity – Industrial, Residential
Pesticide Leaks, Dioxin Poisoning, Rhine River Poisoning,
Love Canal, Smog Pollution
Engineering Mistakes
Minnesota Bridge, Titanic, Space Shuttle
MegaStorms (possibly caused by increased carbon emissions)
Centralia, Sago
Dam Failures
Johnstown, Teton Dam, Three Gorges
Government
Hiroshima, Bomb Testing, Landscape Devastation Ukraine, War for Oil
Industrial Catastrophes
Ammonium Nitrate Explosions – Germany, Texas, Gas Explosions – Ohio Mexico City
Nuclear
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
Oil Spills
Exxon Valdez
Terrorism
Oil Inferno – Persian Gulf, World Trade Center, Oklahoma City
Toxicity – Industrial, Residential
Pesticide Leaks, Dioxin Poisoning, Rhine River Poisoning,
Love Canal, Smog Pollution
Engineering Mistakes
Minnesota Bridge, Titanic, Space Shuttle
MegaStorms (possibly caused by increased carbon emissions)
Hurricane Katrina
-Gunn, Angus. "Unnatural Disasters: Case Studies of Human-Induced Environmental Catastrophes."
Derrick Jensen on Sustainability
"For an act to be sustainable, it must benefit the landbase."
"Any economic or social system that does not benefit the natural communities on which it is based is unsustainable."
"...another reason we can't spend our way to sustainability is that we will always be outspent by those who are actively destroying the world."
"Any economic or social system that does not benefit the natural communities on which it is based is unsustainable."
"...another reason we can't spend our way to sustainability is that we will always be outspent by those who are actively destroying the world."
Abstract
Monument, Sustainability, and Change
Monument and memorial are built for a public purpose. They commemorate our victories, memorialize our dead, symbolize our cultural ideals and stand as testaments to a society’s success and vision. Monumental structures far outlive those who built them, and successful ones continue to tell modern society their stories. Their weight, permanence, and origin have given monument the title “the architecture of death,” a form of building that has always been outside the limits of function. The role of monument has changed in emerging cities such as Berlin, and today’s architects have shown that it is time to discuss whether the art form can address the public through function.
The form of monument has changed throughout the centuries as construction methods, architectural movements, and public concern has evolved. What was once conveyed in scale is now defined by reflection and experience. Monument(al) architecture addresses our concerns and cultural agendas, and holds power in reflecting relevancy in current cultural condition.
Sustainability is an emerging concern in America. Sustainability is a paramount concern in our industry, a concern that needs to be understood by the public. Sustainably built monument, or monumental sustainability in the proper setting will be a bold statement that can inform the public and signify a change of direction in our society. Government across the globe has shown tremendous support of alternative energy sources and sustainability, America needs to catch up. Monument has seen great success in symbolizing political agendas and national issues. Addressing the issue of sustainability in a public and permanent setting is a chance for monument to exist within the realm of function.
Monument and memorial are built for a public purpose. They commemorate our victories, memorialize our dead, symbolize our cultural ideals and stand as testaments to a society’s success and vision. Monumental structures far outlive those who built them, and successful ones continue to tell modern society their stories. Their weight, permanence, and origin have given monument the title “the architecture of death,” a form of building that has always been outside the limits of function. The role of monument has changed in emerging cities such as Berlin, and today’s architects have shown that it is time to discuss whether the art form can address the public through function.
The form of monument has changed throughout the centuries as construction methods, architectural movements, and public concern has evolved. What was once conveyed in scale is now defined by reflection and experience. Monument(al) architecture addresses our concerns and cultural agendas, and holds power in reflecting relevancy in current cultural condition.
Sustainability is an emerging concern in America. Sustainability is a paramount concern in our industry, a concern that needs to be understood by the public. Sustainably built monument, or monumental sustainability in the proper setting will be a bold statement that can inform the public and signify a change of direction in our society. Government across the globe has shown tremendous support of alternative energy sources and sustainability, America needs to catch up. Monument has seen great success in symbolizing political agendas and national issues. Addressing the issue of sustainability in a public and permanent setting is a chance for monument to exist within the realm of function.
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