ReallyCricket

Renown architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said of the antique temples, Roman basilicas and medieval cathedrals, “Architecture is always the will of an age conceived as space, nothing else.”  Taking this a step further, contemporary architect and author, Paul Goldberger follows, saying, architecture defines who we are and who we want to be, with often the most average structures revealing the most in Why Architecture Matters,  Accounting for the third most frequented space on the continent behind work and home, consumer space and structures arguably are representative of the will of this age.  And often the most average in appearance as relates to structure.  In contrast to the financial buildings that grace the sky with their iconic glass towers, the horizontal sprawl of the mall is often unassuming in its quiet grandeur.   More than half of retail transactions in North America are facilitated within these structures.  Like medieval cathedrals or 19^th century train terminals, these accidental suburban capitals indict consumerism as the identity of our culture.

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• Tags
• consumer architecture
• Paul Goldberger
• consumer space
• selfridges