Chapter 3: Fame and Architecture

In the inspirational architecture world, architecture is the platform that enables architects to visualize, live and feel those dreams. In other words, they are trying to create the Utopia. Most of the time designers are not able to achieve it through reality but in visual aspect. It leads to virtual reality which is physical and virtual, rather than real and virtual. Today, the space appears as a place of uncertainty and of invention. The concept of reality is the key to understanding a radical change in the manner of re-presenting new ideas. We have reached the point in technical development whereby it enables us to produce convincingly realistic models of space and form.

Figure: The two users interact with the virtual model through the glasses and computer vision techniques.

Virtual reality in architecture design is so impactful due to the rapid-paced, innovative and continually changing nature of technology development. It is an obvious scenario where by this technology has the potential to enhance design. During the design process, it helps designer to experience more in visualization and save more time in drawing many drafts of a particular building. Once designers are able to design their preference, they post and share it on their blog, personal website and competition to create ‘attention’.

Media is important in our daily life. Through different types of media, we are able to get connected to large number of people. It also informs us what is happening around the world which reflects everything about the society. The media is slowly shaping our perception through the visuals because the society is constantly facing media whenever we are. It has also shaped our perception of what a design is supposed to be. Beside books, there are a lot of magazines available which are published every month to keep the society up to date of what is happening around the design and architecture world. Facebook, Blogger, Youtube which are the popular social network services nowadays also influence the audience of what is the new thing that could ‘wow’ everyone which makes them to share it out.

Figure: Architecture and Interior Design Group that is created in ‘Facebook’ for students, professionals, and people who like design to join so that they will keep up-to-date of what is the newest trend in the design world.

Figure: There are a lot of websites/blogs created to show off projects and art works of various designers.

Figure: Various types of magazines to reveal what is the latest trend.

Fame is the lifeblood of architecture. Fame and architecture examines the dynamics behind the fame game in architecture from a historical perspective, impact on education and the way in which contemporary architects negotiate it. (Wiley) The media is the most powerful media tool to ‘born’ a celebrity architect as known as Starchitect. It sets out to display some of the most creative designs from works around the world. Designers seek the publicity and establish themselves and their work ahead of others. They need to establish a strong reputation in this most competitive professional field in order to become famous. In fact, there are a number of highly influential designers and architects who are bringing the architecture trend to the market through all these media. Somehow, it influences the design process to change and they may turn out to be asking themselves, ‘how to show off among the best in this Starchitect Century?’

In order to stand out among the best, designers would design something impressive in form but how about the function which is not a very healthy scenario. Fame has motivated architect to build ever more ambitious architecture in the starchitect world. Fame has made architects design because of publicity in the world. It, in other way, affects the mindset of designers, architects and students to design something to impress people and make people how to just to remember you but not the architecture. The society behaves such a way to expect a better or extraordinary design is because it involves the pride of an individual. It represents a sense of one’s personal status or ego emotion that is a product of praise on independent self-reflection. (Wikipedia) The architecture is now representing a self, a culture, a society and a country.

For example the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao which is a museum of modern and contemporary art by Frank Gehry, an American who achieved popular fame in Spain. It is a building structure made of titanium, glass and limestone was celebrated as the most important building at that time. The project was successful to get the attention in an architectural competition. The competition was held to actually redevelopment the city of Bilbao and the Basque Country by Basque government authority. Because of the use of unorthodox materials and inventive forms, Gehry’s design was selected to win in the competition.

During his interview, he mentioned that he does not get fuss to detail everytime he designs; instead he goes with flow of the construction. Although he brings architecture experience into play, he lets the form be the main thing concern. The reason why he has such idea is because the form is able to replace decoration of architecture. He is putting passion and feeling into the building without restoring to 90’s century model. He noted as well that architecture is becoming an icon and legion. Gehry is designing based on what looks good which have successfully caught the judges’ attention. The building function is following the form whereby the form has created something new to open the eyes of society. The society talks, discusses and critics about this museum. Regardless of how well or bad the building was designed; it has successfully grabbed the attention almost the whole architecture world.

Yet, in order to design something impressive, it often involves the extraordinary form of a building. The form plays important role here. This is a dangerous thinking which abandons the originality function of a building that would cause the crisis of form and function.

Figure: There are many new buildings designed which involve outrages form published on media to the pleasure the eyes of society.

Many of the architects or designers see the potential to become famous by designing an outrages form of building. Therefore, they are having a mindset to create attention during design process. A lot of visual drawings are produced with the advancement of technology regardless of whether it will be built or not. Having design competition is also one of the reasons that drive them to produce more. The drawings may be seen exciting to the judges, critics and public as they portray what may be physically impossible or unrealizable. However, some designs normally generate controversy in design competitions. The design now is going insane. Designers are trying hard to impress in a way causing the form is not functioning. They are trying hard to ‘pleasure’ the audience eyes as human are normally judging things by the way they look.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, although it has successfully revived the town by having the iconic building, it does not really work as a public space. Critics arise that the form might be great but not for the architectural spaces. The large scale has ignored the human perception which created uninviting up close distance.

Some even named the building as a Hall of Shame as it does not fulfill the requirement as a public space. It actually ignores the relation to its context although it is near to the centre of the city. Secondly, there are too many of randomness used on the form throughout the design process. To many, it is an art piece rather than a building which abandons the original function of a building.

Similar to those creative design works, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao affected many of the new designers to design something impressive which adapt the randomness to apply into the design. There is no objective-oriented design process where everything is created by random. It will eventually also produce buildings with only the aesthetic value but without the functionality of a building.

Figure: New generation designers’ art work with bombastic form.

The visual culture has affected the process of designing which contributes to produce our architecture nowadays. It has affected the new generation of designers to design also something just to impress people’s eyes in future. At the end, randomness seems to be applied in the design and thus there is no objectivity in designing a building in future anymore.

Previous Comment:

The last paragraph in this chapter needs to be more controlled and validated. I understand that this is still a draft, but your passion for this is obvious. You need to direct that passion and ensure that the points are communicated clearly; with adequate explanation, examples and, most importantly, objectivity.