#zachwloch

[ha213-section2-blog]

Since we don't really have a central theme for this week other than to recap what we've learned over the semester, I just wanted to throw in my two cents. Before this class I used to walk around places not really noticing buildings as I moved past. I thought of myself as a future architect because on a rare occasion I would look at a building and saw "wow" but now I know what it really takes. Thanks to this class, I can never look at a building the same way again. I recognize different styles, different materials and different designs and how they relate to each other and the city or town in which they lie. It is very distracting but also ver interesting and makes me want to consider a career in architecture again. The aerial we covered in class was abstract at times, but all very interesting and most importantly, enlightening. 

[ha213-section2-blog]

Detroit

When we were last discussing our field trip to Detroit, it was really interesting to hear people's responses to how they felt about the current state of the city and how different buildings represent the downfall i.e. Packard Plant. I came across an article on Yahoo! today that was about a new type of housing that was starting in Detroit. This really caught my attention because we have been talking recently about both Detroit and housing. The new condos are made from shipping containers. It is a "green" way to build by reusing these old shipping containers. At first glance, the form of this building is a stack of shipping containers, however, form does not follow function in this case. Inside is comfortable housing. I think that this really shows a transformation of Detroit from an urban wasteland into a new, revitalized city drawing on parts of its unfortunate past to form its future.

[ha213-section2-blog]

Globalization

The effects of globalization in the world are seen in many different places. When we talk about globalization in architecture, we are referring to international integration of different forms of architecture into one sound form. In the 1900's groups like CIAM aimed to have govern or rule globalization but it ultimately failed. A City today that really portrays a sense of globalization is Shanghai, China. The city is seen as a modern masterpiece to many, a demonstration of China's power and new economic success. The city has a skyline similar to many other modern cities in the world. IT is littered with skyscrapers, office building and housing structures. What makes Shanghai different though is that it did not used to be like this. The new skyline of Shanghai reflects the influence of globalization on the city. They have embraced western styles of architecture and implemented them into the city. In small pockets of Shanghai, traditional Chinese architecture can be seen. These small buildings represent the old city of Shanghai. These buildings are now overshadowed (literally) by new building and architecture types that have sprung up around the city.