Architecture as a Dissident Practice

This reading was short and sweet - i liked it.
The reminder that most ideas don't come out of space but from a discourse is useful in critiquing design decisions. Sometimes the most difficult aspect of imagining future scenarios is the absolute unrestricted possibility of everything - it is too broad. When we can focus from a discourse and to some extent narrow the view to our future scenario, it allows us to target more specific ideas for change. If we start with a political discourse, as we essentially did with our group assignment, it becomes a driver for a much stronger idea. It naturally becomes intertwined with other discourses but there is always a constant thread throughout to which you can tie all design ideas and decisions. I will certainly work with this in mind on the next stage of the project.

The way in which they speak about space in temporal terms is also very interesting. Though it is not a particularly unique idea i think they eloquently sum up how this influences their design process and decisions. I believe it is particularly topical when considering the future of architecture - the contrast of this with traditional ideas of permanence and monumentality. I believe with densities increasing, resource crisis' and sustainable design practices, that ephemeral notions of architecture - 'architecture of atmosphere' offer a more indeterminate typology of architecture (and is far more sustainable). This thought combined with the ideas from the 'Shearing Layers' reading begin to setup groundwork for a design methodology where the blending of virtual and reality, growth and decay, bio and mechanical offer dynamic and sustainable design opportunities for the future (virtual infrastructure, retrofitting, parasitic architecture).