Learning From Las Vegas

Robert Venturi & Scott Brown

MARIO POSTIGO HERNNDEZ

The text explores the function of the appealing, scenographic and visual
architecture, traditionally found in Las Vegas. It covers and studies how the parkings,
advertising signs, public lighting or the entrance of the different and varied casinos of
Las Vegas work, how they are organized and configured. Different relationships can be
perceived, as historical references to varied epochs of history. The signs that appear
next to the different constructions do not represent the architecture but they control
the space thanks to its shape and visual effects. Nevertheless, they configured an
alive, complex and contradictory city opposed to the modern traits. The power of the
buildings or structures to communicate things emerges from the facade of the building
as can be perceived from the advertising signs found in Las Vegas or other big urban
areas; the building became the advertisement. This idea looks for the disruption
between the facade, turned into a big commercial sign, which represents the
connection with the city and the space planned to work in a different way.

Venturi criticizes absolute architecture; architecture that becomes habitable

advertisements (he calls it duck). He explores the evolution of the city through
symbols. It becomes temporary and ephemeral since advertising signs are always
competing so they need to be renewed constantly. Architecture is created and
designed to attract people. This kind of architecture achieve that goal of bringing
people to Las Vegas since it creates the perfect space and environment to do whatever
people want to do, to satisfy people's needs; those things people cannot do in other
places.

The site was planned to serve a function and the architecture that can be found here
serves that function so it can be said that this architecture is functional.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- Learning From Las Vegas Robert Venturi & Scott Brown