Unit 5
FAULT LINES
Julia Backhaus, Pedro Font Alba “Crises are ultimately productive. They force invention. Breakdowns incubate breakthroughs. Radical destruction gives way to new forms of production… Architectural design is the child of crisis” Mark Wigley, ‘Space in Crisis’ Volume Magazine Issue 19 (2009) B Sc Arch Un i t 5 — pa g e 92 — B A RT LET T 2012
Our world has become spectacularly unpredictable. Another year has passed where we are continuously flooded by extraordinary stories of the unforeseen. It is not just our social and financial models that show signs of exhaustion but the very ground we walk on is in a state of upheaval. Between the virtual collapse of the banking network worldwide - entire countries on the verge of bankruptcy - social unrest not seen for decades, environmental changes like extreme rainfalls and crippling droughts, earthquakes and tsunamis: the state of uncertainty and change seems to be the new global paradigm. In times of upheaval comes an opportunity to leave the familiar behind and challenge conventions with alternative propositions and novel ideas. How can we as architects respond to environments that face challenges of an unpredictable scale and frequency? How can Architecture become a critical tool to remedy political, cultural or environmental conditions that are straining our defences? How can our sophisticated production methods provide solutions to the ever-growing social demands? Our unit briefs set out to investigate sudden change and slow shifts as a potential catalyst for innovation, speculation and adaption. We are interested in finding ‘ad hoc’ responses to the rapid pace of our times but are equally interested how to choreograph the slow and minute shifts in our surroundings that can lead to large and unexpected consequences. As a unit we place emphasis on the unique relationship between the building and its unique immediate and wider environments and encourage our students to speculate towards architectures that are both lyrical and relevant in their response to our changing natural, cultural and social environments. This year Unit 5 went on an architectural adventure beyond the familiar in search of novel architectural tools for an increasingly uncertain world. Our unit explored present conditions through speculation about possible futures, considered relevance over indulgence and identified opportunities for tactical intervention. ‘What if’ became the mantra for the year. The first project was sited in London. Students were asked to identify a fault line and explore an architectural response to the phenomenon of sudden change. From the streets of the recent riots, extra-ordinary pressures onto the already congested city during the Olympic games, to the bleak forecast that