Reading: Beyond Architecture

Reference: Sadler, S. 2005. Archigram: Architecture Without Architecture. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.Chapter 3: Beyond Architecture: Indeterminacy, Systems, and the Dissolution of Builidings. pp90-138.

 Quotes and ideas that stood out...

• Indeterminacy:  'Of varying evaluation.  Not one answer.  Open-endedness'
• The program: 'just another sort of idealism' (p 94)
• 'open ends': 'an architecture that expressed its inhabitants' supposed desire for continuous change.' (p 94)
• "buildings with no capacity to change can only become slums or ancient monuments" (p 94)
• 'Existentialism: life is not negotiated, not preprogrammed...demands for spaces that allowed for human encounter as well as segregation of function' (p95)
• 'Expendability: analogous to the healthy life-and-death cycle of the natural organism.' (p 95)
• "Kit-of-parts" (p 98)
• "Plug-In" city (p 99)
• The 'pod...the point was to design complete units capable of reorganization, carried by the whim of the owner-operator' (107)
• Survival (p 109)
• "The Nomad" (133)
• "when (a home) contains so many services that the hardware could stand up by itself without any assistance from the house, why have a house to hold it up?" (p 113)
•  'Pneumatic Structures' (p 113)
• 'Sensory devices' (p 120)
• "It is interaction, not place, that is the essence of city and city life." (p 128) 
• Reflection: I disagree with the idea that place doesn't contribute to city life, it is both place and interaction that make a place meaningful to people.
• 'Placeless indeterminacy initiated teh search for and cultivation of, ways of living that were ever more "authentic" and joyful' (p 129)
• Reflection: Just because the technology is there doesn't mean it will improve peoples lives.  Key elements that remain important to people is the connection to nature and interaction with people.  Places are important as we value history and memory.  
• Systems are something that can improve peoples lives, people are always complaining about a lack of time, if transport is faster or people can work from home, this could improve peoples lives.  People love to travel and experience new cultures, if this was more readily available to people, this could improve peoples lives.  Physical environements and a connection to place, I believe, will always remain significant.