PHOTO: HELGA STIKBAKKE
The Trollstigen viewing platform on the network of National Tourist Routes in Norway
Charles Jencks, one of the leading figures in creating destination land art, explains the contribution of the iconic in his book, The Iconic Building: The Power of the Enigma. “A new type of building has emerged in the last 10 years: the iconic landmark building, which challenges the traditional architectural monument,” Jencks writes. “In the past, public buildings expressed shared meaning and conveyed it through well known conventions. Today a new type of global landmark has a more difficult task.” Jencks then explains the rationale for the phenomena that is the surge by destinations to have their own iconic buildings. “This is driven by social and commercial forces and the need for instant fame; it has to be an amazing piece of surreal sculpture and something that appeals to broad audiences. At once, provocative and practical without the past justifications that religion and ideology provided.”
INHEREN T SENSE OF PLACE So, instant fame – capturing the attention of the world’s media – providing destinations with the imagery and tone that will encapsulate their tourism brand and position. It’s “the war of the hot labels”, Jencks says, referring to the whole process of place promotion and marketing. So where does this take us? Rob Burns, urban design and heritage manager for
CLAD book 2017
We must look to hybrid thinkers and embrace alternative voices, skills and talents Liverpool City Council, neatly expresses the conundrum facing all destination placemakers and place promoters: “Each destination has its own DNA created by the combination of its people, culture, climate and the built environment. The latter is frequently a multi-layered townscape or landscape resulting from residual heritage buildings through to contemporary structures, with the public realm a glue that provides a cohesive element.” “Each urban centre and rural location is unique,” Burns says. “People, and in particular designers, inevitably make their own mark on a place and cities are characterised by constant change. While this is inevitable, and welcomed, without a feel for context and local distinctiveness some changes can lead to a dilution of character. The key starting point for any new design is assessing and defining the particular qualities of a place and ensuring these are reflected in the design approach.” Plagiarism doesn’t work. Ever y destination needs to find its own narrative
and convert this into a design specification for placemaking. This must be informed by the destination’s core values, its territorial, cultural and heritage assets and its inherent sense of place. In the increasingly competitive global tourism market, destinations are striving to stand out. However, too many are following others when their real need is to be different. As a result, we are drowning in a sea of sameness. We must break from this trend by looking to hybrid thinkers to deliver hybrid solutions. It means that the architecture and design industries together with its paymasters in the tourism industry must be willing to embrace alternative voices, skills and talents. Patrick Torrent Quell, deputy director of the Catalan Tourist Board responsible for the development of architecture-related tourism initiatives in Catalonia, says: “Interesting things happen when you allow different clusters to collide.” We are entering a period of unprecedented experimentation where, according to the editor of Wired, “old formulas no longer hold true … traditional forms of partnership and collaboration will have to change … hybrid solutions will prove to be winners.” Terry Stevens is a consultant specialising in feasibility studies and economic appraisal for the leisure and tourism industries
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PHOTO: JARLE WÆHLER
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