Move away from Modernity! It Ruined it for Everyone…

On Monday I was affected by a post on the Architectural Review website as part of their ‘Big Rethink’ series, commenting that Modernism has generally ruined everything for everyone.

While I really enjoyed the article I did in fact find myself coming back to it in my mind again and again.

I would not for a second conceit that a person themself is in fact no way to blame for the general depressed state of the world, I do deliberate most of the time, factors that lead the layman to a self made penitentiary of perpetual dissatisfaction.

Relating to the subject of architecture, I refer back to the main points of the modernistic approach; simple form and function, providing the needs of shelter and security. Modernism is about casting off pre-conceptions of culture, history, place and all those other restraints and embracing the freedom of self-realization.

However, in doing so Modernity TOTALLY FAILS as the self cannot be realized when devoid of influence, it needs the sense of belonging with in a context. With out the influence of our peers, the security of our communities, the support of narrative, the presents of ritual, ceremony and place the psyche is not at home. The result is easy to see in the atomization and alienation of the lonely peoples of the world, pacifying themselves with addictions and consumer goods. 

While I would not suggest that architecture in this instance can save the entertainment addicted prol from his consumer product prison (that is a chat for another time) I would merely comment here in this post that architecture is a reflection of these sad times.

Architects need to move away from anything associated with the word ‘modernism’ and redefine themselves in a light that reflects the aspirations of today’s climate. Architects need to make a move toward sustainability.

Now when I say ‘sustainable’ please do not miss-understand me. I don’t mean the pointless piece meal cobbling of solar panels to the roofs of cottages in the north of Scotland. I’m talking about manning up, considering all angels and redefining what it is to be human on our bulging 8 billion population planet. 

It is undeniable that innovation and change is born out of necessity. There has been absolutely no need to change for over 80 years and now, stagnated and redundant, it is becoming apparent that the planets climate and natural resources with be the next defining factor in our evolution as a species.

I really hope that I am living in a time that will be looked back upon as a change in architectural typologies. One day in the future my career will have spanned over two different periods in architectural history, I started in the economic and cultural stagnation of the post modern and will end my career in the sustainable future. With the express urgent need for this change quite apparent I think about 30 years is a reasonable time frame for this to happen.