Re: Innovative Architecture

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>what i was commenting on in general is the dangerous and misleading quest
>for 'innovation' as an end in itself.
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So one of the dangers---I like a little melodrama---of innovative
materials is that the 'how to use them' has not been developed.
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I don't put emphasis on 'innovation' as an end in itself. But I do put emphasis
on
'innovation' as a demand to the architectural profession. If someone feels more
comfortable in the neighborhood of commercial buildings from the early part of
this
century than in the neighborhood of more recent buildings it indicates that
today's
architecture maybe has failed to suit the needs of modern society.

It is the architects' task to design buildings which suit the needs of the
society
and this means that he has to call traditional principles, methods and solutions
into
question. 'Innovation' means to be ready to experience new methods with the aim
to
find better solutions for specific tasks.

My experience is that there is little or no readiness within the architectural
profession
for changing things ("... we have always done it this way, so why should we
change it?").
Not only that it becomes obvious in the way architects design and construct (if
they
construct) buildings, it also becomes obvious in the way they organize their own
work.
Many architects use CAD-systems, but how few really improved the quality or
quantity
of their work?!

David Sucher is right to say that it is the "how to use" that has not been
developed, but
the absolute prerequisite is that architects are really willing to try out new
avenues.

However, my interest to do research in the field of intelligent building and
related
disciplines does not mean that I reject every traditional way. But whenever
there is an
alternative to the traditional way that seems to be more efficient I would
prefer to
choose this alternative.

tml


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KAHLEN+PARTNER ARCHITECTS
Thorsten Michael Loemker
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