Thursday, February 19, 2009

21st Century Architecture--I Think It Has a Curve

I live on the edge of a city, a fairly dynamic place by most accounts. There is active building in commercial areas. There are centers going in and office towers and banks and all sorts of building.
One design motif I notice repeated is a curve somewhere. Usually it is on the roof or a portico. In no instance is the curve incorporated into the structure of the building.

I saw one tower where the curve was not concave. There are two convex edges moving up to join at the upper edge, much like the prow of a ship. But of course we must have asymmetry, so they meet off center so to speak.

Concave is a shape such as the inside of a bowl, while concave is the outer surface of a ball.

I think this is because the clients may allow the architects to put their curve on, but not where it will really cost money in the construction or the maintenance of the structures.

And to my mind, it is like teenagers and fashion. The trend makers all dress exactly alike. Iconoclasm has one visualization it seems.

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