（男 士 版 特 刊）
Spring / Summer 09
BILINGUAL BIANNUAL 中英文半年刊
westeast | architecture
ARCH-SCULPTURE
Le Projet Triangle
Dynamic Tower
Vitra Museum
建築：新藝術
Text by Yen English Translation by Ren Wan Photo Courtesy of Foster & Partners, Herzog & de Meuron, TVSA, JDS, Zaha Hadid Architect, MAD, Dynamic Architecture, Vitra Museum
Moscow City
Signature Towers
WestEast MEN looks into the new vocabulary in architecture.
Finally, the functional truce between talent in architecture, design and art has become a unified effort. Once, architects designed furniture, and designers dabbled at art; now architects and designers are banding together in anticipation of a new challenge. Last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale was entitled, “Out There: Architecture Beyond Building,” and demonstrated that architects are prepared to adopt techniques more usually associated with other disciplines, as well as new technologies, in the immediate future. Whilst art moves toward an “alien aesthetic,” modern architecture remains loyal to an emphasis on visual impact, creating innovation out of incredible conceptions. Some believe that the fusion of architecture and art renders architecture mainstream, and architects, mere PR pawns. But this ignores the constant stream of genuine innovators, such as Foster + Partners, the masterminds behind Crystal Island, a development contained within a soaring, swirling, energy-efficient peak. This spiralling superstructure is the product of geometric play. Power is evenly distributed, thanks to the structure’s insulating spiral. Its adaptable outer shield and pillar-less design allow daylight to flood in. In Paris, Herzog & de Meuron, the architectural giants behind the ‘Bird’s Nest’, have begun work on the 180-level ‘Projet Triangle.’ German reporters have described it as ‘a mountain or a pile of chocolates,’ but this shark’s fin-shaped edifice is incredibly light. According to its designers, the structure’s triangular profile ensures that it will never cast a shadow on its neighbours. Its compact shape limits its ground impact, and optimises its use of wind and solar power. Herzog and de Meuron’s masterpiece will be imposing in appearance and unobtrusive in its impact. Considered alongside each other, the most recent projects by leading architects demonstrate the influence of futurism, and are shaped by smooth, almost ‘organic’ lines. Dubai Towers by TVS, a cluster of four snaking towers, unequal in height, is a poetic translation of candlelight, and a pioneering masterpiece of organic style. Zaha Hadid’s Signature Towers is a three-tower complex that caused terrible difficulties for the designers required to arrange basic facilities within its bendy body. MAD’s Absolute Tower and David Fisher’s Dynamic Tower might initially appear similar, but the latter is startlingly innovative. The Dynamic Tower, acting up to its name, is so dynamic that each of its floors is designed to rotate independently. Yet can architects prolong their prestige, on the basis of this bold, demanding, expensive work?
These days, enormous architecture projects are bestowed on designers who use them to build their reputations. Architectural ‘icons’ and ‘starchitects’ are the subjects of a general obsession. The rise of the ‘starchitect’ in the 1980s and ‘90s was the sequel to a fervour for museum design. Cities tended to team up with acclaimed architects to build museums. For example, the Vitra Design Museum was rebuilt by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Ando Tadao. The term ‘the Bilbao Effect,’ named after the city’s collaboration with Gehry, identified the strategy’s surprising success. But ultimately, do those who commission starchitects just want to create a buzz around development? Are they paying a fortune simply to advertise their city? As developers try to attract cult interest by hiring ‘starchitects’, the creations themselves no longer reflect the vision of designers: they reflect the market. European and American architects may have contributed an astonishing page to the history books, and outrageous architecture might invite shock and awe, but do these designs convey originality? It no longer matters whether architecture achieves the status of sculpture, as different fashions are absorbed in a freestyle approach. If this phenomenon has a name, it might be “Computerism,” a fusion of structuralism, futurism and expressionism. Frank Gehry’s Bilbao design was inspired by a computer program, and Zaha Hadid has been a powerful innovator ever since she employed software. Rereading Aaron Betsky’s introduction to the Venice Biennale, it becomes clear that the evolution of architecture is most affected by the public. Historically, the needs of the people have been a major influence. “Buildings are not enough,” writes Betsky: “It takes more these day to make architecture, and to many people this is confusing because they think that architecture and buildings are the same thing, but they’re not […] Architecture is everything that is about buildings: it’s the way we think about buildings, the way we talk about buildings, the way buildings are drawn and composed and designed, and that means that buildings are the most complete way that architecture appears. But it also means that it’s very difficult to find architecture in buildings. Buildings are the tomb of architecture. The architecture is hiding in the walls, and floors and ceilings.” He couldn’t be more right. The architect’s skill is suited to building homes, not art pieces with which to show off our taste.
Dubai Towers 245