Design Observer :: Join the Discussion http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/ en-us Design Observer Group 2010-10-18T06:14:21-05:00 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0 Nichole L. Reber http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-18T06:14:21-05:00 http://www.flickr.com/photos/anamarialeon/5070064746/]]> ana maría http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-16T16:09:16-05:00
This ties into another good point that was tangentially expressed, but needed to be pushed further. Design for social change fails as both discourse and practice because it does not properly engage the political. That is, it fails to demarcate clear and proper imperatives for action, and therefore always falls into the mire of a feel good, techno-centric, pluralistic mush. Designers have to recognise that in order to express a politics through their work they must learn to identify and take sides against ways of thinking and practicing that sustain conditions of inequity and unsustainability. It is not sufficient to have good intentions anymore; if designers wish to be authentic in their ethical commitments must stake a claim against destructiveness of the status quo, and forge new practice in line with supporting the displacement (not amelioration) of current condition for something fairer and more sustainable. ]]> m http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-16T00:58:30-05:00 Cities and to a lesser extent buildings have always reflected established social norms and aspirations though tempered by rise and fall of economies and technology. The author is right to question the idea of change; against what parameter is this “Big Change” measured and how do we measure it. Ultimately, it is people and organizations that create the environment for social change.
The realization of architecture's subordinate role as an agent of social transformation, however, does not diminish the importance of good design; the judicious use of material and technology in creating an environment that supports human activity. In the words of Sola-Morales, “This is the strength of weakness; that strength which art and architecture are capable of producing precisely when they adopt a posture that is not aggressive and dominating, but tangential and weak”.]]> Chevy Sidhu http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-13T14:48:08-05:00 Emily http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-13T09:29:15-05:00
Do the architectural achievements of the Primary School or the Handmade School or Inner-City Arts matter as much as the skill and dedication of the educational non-profits they house?

I would answer with a qualified maybe. Having a well done (as in cheap and/or beautifully designed) space/architectural design matters in terms of the reception of the project. So good architectural design has a direct impact in terms of publicity/PR and attention. In this case the design achievements support the project but perhaps aren't the project. Yet, if the non-profit is focused on housing specifically then the architectural design matters more, they have to build good houses.

The real key imho is for designers to begin to frame the arguments for their project within terms of value added. As opposed to simply based on having a better designed building. This value added could be PR, or ecosystem services via greenroof/urban ag, greater social inclusion or whatever. This seems to me to mirror the trend towards a performative evaluation of projects (net-zero etc) but involves extending performance to include less traditionally architectural issues.]]> Nam Henderson http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-12T16:45:50-05:00 Meredith http://places.designobserver.com/feature/relearning-the-social-architecture-and-change/19128/#comments 2010-10-12T15:33:10-05:00