Quote:
Originally Posted by kolchak
One could argue in addition that Neutra style modernism used glass curtain walls and modernist asthetics not to "turn its back on the natural world" but to minimize the the seperation between outside and interior spaces to bring the inhabitants actually closer in sync with their surroundings.
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This makes no sense whatsoever. We're talking about cities here, not homes out in the middle of a forest. If the purpose of a glass curtain wall is to minimize the separation between the outside and the interior space, then you are talking about street lights, sidewalks, and other glass curtain walls, not nature. With this logic, we will end up with a bunch of glass curtain walled buildings, syncing with other glass curtain buildings... where is the nature in that? This is why stone masonry makes more sense. Detailing draws in the attention of a person, making for a more satisfying environment, similar to taking in a single plant or garden that has layers, details, colors, flowers, offshoots here and there, small little details you don't notice maybe until a month down the line. We don't get the sense of wonder with class curtain walls, as you do with classical ornamentation. I walk down a street with plain flat walls, and I literally feel the oppression, the lack of wonder, the lack of beauty, almost like an expanded prison cell, will nothing but blank walls to keep the mind company. It is very clear to me what is natural, and isn't. Why is it that the old classical ornate buildings are most desirable to restore? Humans were born in nature, and recreating nature is only natural.
I respect Stern immensely for his continued architectural work. Though his buildings aren't as ornate as the classic buildings, he brings draws attention to other details, bringing delight to the mind of those who wonder.