Tigerman wins the AIA Topaz award for his long term contribution to architectural education. It may be a Chicago enigma that I was also in doctrinated in, "Form folows function." Sullivan and Wright did alot to in grain that into the Chicago culture. Stanley's podium is social responsibilty. How good architecture does good not just looks good. The following quotes are from:
Tigerman Sees Red (and Topaz)
Topaz Medallion winner Stanley Tigerman calls it like he sees it.
By Eva Hagberg
Metropolis, May 16, 2008
Architects should be championing making society better. I see alot of worker housing is rentals. Much of the traditional starter houses have been converted to rentals or improved beyond starter housing reach. The lack of true starter homes is having profound impact on our society. Home ownership has been the key to our economy. We are slowly erroding our middle class away. Who is going to be our next move uppers or luxuary home buyers. Someone needs to champion the needs of the working class. Why not Architects. Why not developers? Why not lenders? Why not local, state and federal government.
Just as the soldier returning from WWII deserved homes our soldiers from Iraq deserve a good start for the rest of their life. Returning soldiers from WWII were a major driving force in their boom. I believe that returning soldiers from Iraq with alot of hard work can have their own boom.
Commercially this needs to happen too. Who is going to make the jump from garage to incubator to HP, Microsoft or Apple. This drives the economic growth.
Everyone deserves to have their space designed by an architect. Not just the outside. Is good architecture to design from the inside out or from the outside in. Every designer has had the experience of trying to find a spot for a broom closet. In designing from the outside in it is a whole project being compromised by chasing space and limited by the constrants of a rigid rationalized facade that does not relate to the purpose and desires of the inside. Beauty comes from within. Outer beauty fades with the styles and trends. Inner beauty transends fad or fashion. That is the good in good architecture. The marriage of the outer environment with inner function.
Responsible architecture is understandable. The mystique is how do we support the funtion of the building. Often the inside out design telegraphs the important elements even to the outside. The entry experience, the dominate spaces and even the secondary spaces are referenced to the user even before they go inside the building.
Tigerman can be crass and abrassive. One of his students confirmed this to me shortly after her graduation. But it is with reason, to draw attention to our own crassness and abrassiveness of our societies neglect of what ought not be neglected.
Tigerman Sees Red (and Topaz)
Topaz Medallion winner Stanley Tigerman calls it like he sees it.
By Eva Hagberg
Metropolis, May 16, 2008
Hadberg:
I think it’s important that architects translate what they’re doing into visual cues people can understand. What do you think they are supposed to be doing?
Tigerman:
Taking the high road! And showing a better way! Not formalistically, but paradigmatically. They’re supposed to be working with the homeless and the poor. Not all the time, but not just when accidents of life happen that a client walks in the door.
Architects should be championing making society better. I see alot of worker housing is rentals. Much of the traditional starter houses have been converted to rentals or improved beyond starter housing reach. The lack of true starter homes is having profound impact on our society. Home ownership has been the key to our economy. We are slowly erroding our middle class away. Who is going to be our next move uppers or luxuary home buyers. Someone needs to champion the needs of the working class. Why not Architects. Why not developers? Why not lenders? Why not local, state and federal government.
Our world offers sufficient resources for meeting everyone basic needs. Scarcity is a lack of imagination, lack of skills or systemic limitations.Citation unknown
Just as the soldier returning from WWII deserved homes our soldiers from Iraq deserve a good start for the rest of their life. Returning soldiers from WWII were a major driving force in their boom. I believe that returning soldiers from Iraq with alot of hard work can have their own boom.
Commercially this needs to happen too. Who is going to make the jump from garage to incubator to HP, Microsoft or Apple. This drives the economic growth.
Hadberg:
I think there’s space for the formalists, and rich people need houses.too.
Tigerman:
Absolutely. There ought to be space. But the entire space? I don’t think so. Students in architecture school are impressionable, gullible, and a new “interesting form” is attractive to all of us. I’m from Chicago. I was born here. I’m still here. Mies van der Rohe said, “I’d rather be good than interesting.” I think that’s a pretty powerful statement. Sure there ought to be space to explore forms, but you’d think that’s all there is.
Everyone deserves to have their space designed by an architect. Not just the outside. Is good architecture to design from the inside out or from the outside in. Every designer has had the experience of trying to find a spot for a broom closet. In designing from the outside in it is a whole project being compromised by chasing space and limited by the constrants of a rigid rationalized facade that does not relate to the purpose and desires of the inside. Beauty comes from within. Outer beauty fades with the styles and trends. Inner beauty transends fad or fashion. That is the good in good architecture. The marriage of the outer environment with inner function.
Hadberg:
That’s what we get taught, though. Things didn’t make any sense to me in architecture school. We were shown images, then told, “You won’t understand this for five years but that’s ok.” I thought then when I didn’t get it that it just meant I was stupid. I think now that was an unfortunate way to teach. Why is architectural education so incomprehensible?
Tigerman:
It’s to perpetuate a myth. In the same way that people talk in an arcane language. It’s not so that you can understand them, but so they can retain the myth. And architects are no different. You present it as part of a mystique.
Responsible architecture is understandable. The mystique is how do we support the funtion of the building. Often the inside out design telegraphs the important elements even to the outside. The entry experience, the dominate spaces and even the secondary spaces are referenced to the user even before they go inside the building.
Tigerman can be crass and abrassive. One of his students confirmed this to me shortly after her graduation. But it is with reason, to draw attention to our own crassness and abrassiveness of our societies neglect of what ought not be neglected.
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