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The Neoformations of Morphosis
The Neoformations of Morphosis
Morphosis: the sequence or manner of development or change in an organism or any of its parts. The firm's unique building designs are made possible through parametric modeling. In the article, the idea of "Mutation is progress and Progress is mutation" is discussed. I find Morphosis' buildings to exemplify this concept at they mutate or warp their designs, it progresses to a new style. Peter Cooper described Morphosis' design for the Cooper Union building to be “as free as water and air." However, criticisms of this building lend that it is does not engage with its site; it does not respond to the context. "Scapelands," discussed in "The Neoformations of Morphosis," brings up the point of displacement and shifting of location.
http://www.archdaily.com/40471/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art-morphosis-architects/
University of Cincinnati by Morphosis
Morphosis style rejects the "postmodern" with its fragmented designs. Mentioned in this article is Metropolis. The stage sets and designs for Metropolis remind me of the sharp edges of the Cooper Union building. The sets are artistically jagged and skewed from the correct perspective. One can argue that the Morphosis attempted to warp reality with their designs. For example, the "angled
walls frame the interconnecting spaces of the Friedland Jacobs Communications offices and the Ove Arup and Partners Corporate Offices, giving rise to perspectival distortions that "worn" in from one zone to another." The parallel between the two would make for an interesting debate.
An interesting point is brought up in the first paragraph. Cooper's reading and interpretation of the essence of the architecture of the Union building and even the architect's intentions are in contradiction with the public reaction. Expressionism and symbolism in architecture is powerful, but very difficult to appreciate and read into by the 'general public' or the superficial observer.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Morphosis is creating a new locale, designing buildings that can be read as amorphous abstractions on a site rather than intrinsically site specific. The part of the essay that discusses Scapelands reminded me of the modernist carte-blanche approach to design, building the site rather than having the site inform the building. This approach could be the reason for public criticism. What do you think?
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