*현대건축 어디에 서있나요? Property Developers & City Councils Fail To Build Iconic Buildings

두바이에서 부터 시드니까지 세계 각국에 위치한 건축물의 얼굴을
이루는 공통분모는 무엇일까요?
개발분모에 따라 자생적으로 발생하는 인자들의 합집합일까요?
그렇다면 그것의 캐릭터를 갖게하는 힘은 어디에서 온다고 생각 하시나요?
최대한의 용적율을 뽑아내기 위한 공간 또는
도시컨텍스트와는 이율배반적이지만 독특한 개성을 갖는 파사드로
남들의 주목을 받는 공간들은 공통분모가 아닙니다.
그 무엇도 정답이 될 수 없습니다.
그렇습니다. 우리의 행위를 위한 공간은 평면이지만 감성적인 공간을 만드는 것은 입면/단면 입니다.
하지만 그것은 20세기초 근대건축의 아버지로 부터 시작된 이원화로 인하여
공간의 이율배반적인 행위들을 방관하게 하는 시초 또는 합리적 도구로 적용되기 시작하였습니다.
물론 지금의 건축을 있게한 훌륭한 선지자임은 틀림없습니다. 부정하지 않습니다.
그렇지만 우리에게는 해법이 필요합니다. 그래서 시작된 포스트 모던 이후
건축은 그와같은 이율배반적인 행위를 거부하며
평면과 입면 그리고 단면을 머지하는 통합공간을 구축하기 시작합니다.
지금 여러분이 보고 있는 세계유수의 건축물에서 그 해답이 보이시나요?
그렇습니다. 이러한 시작은 단지 유니크한 형태를 위한 오브제를 만드는 것이 아니라
작게는 내부 각 프로그램에 맞는 공간계획에서 넓게는 도시컨텍스트의 흐름에
거스르지 않는 건축을 만들고 있습니다.
이러한 과정은 국제적인 인포메이션으로 통합된 닮은꼴의 건축물들을 생성하기까지 합니다.
하지만 그것은 절대적인 가이드가 아닌 최소한의 기능적 수반을 위한 공간에 적용하여야 함을
잊지 말고 각자 대지에 맞는 건축공간이 만들어 져야 합니다.
그것이 건축을 하는자가 일반 대중들에게 주어야 선물이 아니라
건축가라는 이름을 갖게하는 당위성이 아닐까 싶습니다.

reviewed by SJ

Over the past seven years, at our creative agency, Access, we have worked with a number of residential and commercial property developers from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, helping them with development and strategy.

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Yet we see so often the sad sight of yet another mediocre building going up. We see city councils approving mediocre design and we see cities looking uglier because of it. We see property developers rushing to get their building up, wanting to make a quick sale and profit, and not really caring or thinking about the aesthetics of the building.

Does the building enhance the surrounding area or make it worse? Will the building still look great 10, 15 or 20 years from now? Will it become an iconic landmark and a beloved site, or will it become a dated gimmick?

What will the resale value be down the track? Will anyone want to live in or buy property like it?

Property developers — and city councils — need to wake up and realize their influence on the cityscape and take that role seriously. This is the case not just for residential development — the same applies to office buildings, hotels and all public buildings in general.

As a developer and as a city council, do you want to be known as an organization that values and understands design and creates iconic developments? Or will you be known as the ones who created eyesores, or worse, caused a devaluation of an entire area or neighborhood?

The aesthetic of a building should be the Number One priority. There is not much point in creating and promoting beautiful interiors when the exterior tells a different story. The whole building should tell a cohesive story.

So many developers do not see the value, or even think about the aesthetics of the car park, for example. Would it hurt to splash some colour and graphic design on the concrete? Would it hurt to make the lifts and foyer more like those of a great hotel and less like a jail or a warehouse?

What amenities does the building provide? Is there a café, a library, a car wash? Engage us and wow us to the point that we cannot wait to sign on the bottom line! Excite us enough that when you go to market, so much buzz has been created that the units sell in 24 hours and at the price you asked for.

If a building is desirable and unique, and offers something truly beautiful, trust us, consumers WILL buy. It’s a no brainer, yet so many buildings keep going up that do the absolute minimum. They may tick off a few boxes and get the interior right, but not the rest. It’s not enough.

Every day, I am inundated with material from PR people and developers about new projects. Literally hundreds of submissions a day. So, over the past seven years, I have seen everything. And believe me, so have consumers.

Your potential buyers, the couples and the mums and dads and even grandparents are design conscious these days. The internet has opened everyone’s eyes to what is possible. People browse sites all over the globe, they learn, they engage in design. Design is no longer a closed shop. It is everyone’s.

Kids growing up now understand that design plays a crucial role in everything they consume, from the car they buy to the clothes they wear, to the headphones they listen to, to the cookware they cook, to the hotels they stay.

My advice to developers and city councils: Save yourself a lot of money, time and headache, and get it right the first time! Take design seriously now and you will be glad you did. - Bill Tikos

from  thecoolhunter