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Lauren Lindsey 1

Architecture in the Modern Day

Architecture is something that every person, young or old, with disabilities or not, interacts with on a daily basis. Architecture influences the paths we take, the experiences we have in a building, and even directs our views of our surroundings. People also impact architecture. Typically it is the Architect who decides what buildings go where, what facade a building has, what statement or a response to the landscape the building is saying, etc. Whether realized or not, there is an intimate connection made between every individual and every building. Architecture is dependent upon many things, for instance, location, people, budgets, and purposes. And with time and fashion, architecture, too, changes. But who tells a style they are old, out-dated, and unwanted? Who chooses what the newest style and fashion should be in a room? Just what are the true influences to spark such changes? Is it the popular culture? How do people react to different styles of architecture? What aspects of a houses do people say work and which ones are people saying dont? How are people being impacted daily by architecture? How does architecture shape our lifestyles? Are our lifestyles dependent upon architecture? Does architecture define a space or do its inhabitants? These are among the questions which served as a catalyst to my investigation. Many architects over the years have seen architecture as an art form. However, Architects see architecture as something more than just art. Its a journal or diary if you please, of the Architect. The layout, style, tone, placement, material, and everything within a building captures what the Architect felt at the specific point in time when they perceived the design. A building is a time stamp; it captures the merging of an Architects thoughts and opinions on events globally, nationally, politically. Often times, buildings represents their most personal thoughts - thoughts which have been verbalized to others very little, if any. Therefore, to walk into a structure is to walk inside the secret spaces of an Architects mind. Sometimes the thinking process of the Architect is clearly seen. For centuries buildings have been built to represent the occupants status and power. Hitlers plans for reconstruction government buildings and city layout of Berlin prove to be just so. Allan Greenberg, in his book Architecture of Democracy, states, Hitlers government buildings were gargantuan. Denied any possibility of a comparison to human scale, the visitor was overwhelmedA single domed space designed to hold 180,000 people, the Grosse Halle was intended to be nearly 1,000 feet high He [Hitler] needed to employ extravagant scale and gargantuan size to distance his work from the architecture of the past and as a means of intimidation Hitlers goal of obliterating the past mandated the creation of an architecture that could be used to build new cities and towns that would be a reflection of the goals of the society the Nazis were creatingand a celebration of the triumph of national Socialism (142-3).

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In People, Power, Places by , the arrangement of the homes of Charleston merchants to show status are discussed. From entrance to exit, houses were laid out in a progressive manner. The front portion of the house occupied by guests, and intended to impress, were excessively ornate, while the parts of the house occupied by servants were bare. In Tidewater Maryland, the plantation houses occupied high terrain overseeing slave work areas and living quarters which reinforced the slave owners status as being above that of their slaves (xxiii). But what about todays houses, what do they say? Are homes really about portraying ones status as they once were? Most would quickly answer yes without any hesitation. In fact websites such as answers.com , Wikipedia.org, and BostonMagazine.com would support this by listing large and lavish homes as one of the top status symbol most Americans strive to attain. And to some degree, I too would agree and say houses show some level of status. However, in recent years the large lavish houses, McMansions as some named them, have been losing their iconic symbol of status. Why? As Jennifer Steinhauer for the New York Times states in her article entitled Class Matters: When the Joneses Wear Jeans, While the rest of the United States may appear to be catching up with the Joneses, the richest Joneses have already moved on. Some have slipped out of sight, buying bigger and more lavish homes in neighborhoods increasingly insulated from the rest of Americans. But the true measure of upper class today is in the personal services indulged in. Quoting Professor Conley, the New York University sociologist, Steinhauer continues, Status among people in the top tieris the time spent being waited on, being taken care of in nail salons, and how many people who work for them. Indeed, in some cases, services and experiences have replaced objects as the true symbols of high status. Anyone can buy a one-off expensive car, said Paul Nunes, who with Brian Johnson wrote "Mass Affluence" a book on marketing strategies. But it is lifestyle that people are competing on more now. Other articles such as, Houseingwire.com, carried along this tone in their reporting of houses becoming smaller and not retaining their status symbol they once portrayed. If people are not looking for the outward size and appearance of their homes to display their power and wealth, what are they looking for in their homes right now? The majority of people are now looking at the inward form and appearance of their homes. Duel-purpose and multi-functional have become common phrases among many homeowners as they now look for spaces to play multiple functions. About.com posted an article written by Jackie Craven entitled, Top 10 Trends in Home Design. In her article Craven lists flexible floor plans in home design as number six in her list of the top ten trends seen in home designs. MSN Real Estate has also recently published an article, 8 new-home trends for 2012, written by Christopher Solomon, in which they reported an AIA (American Institute of Architects) survey had recently published findings of people desiring this multi-functional space

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(par 7). MSN references Kermit Bakers comment, As homes shrank in the past few years, people asked, Where's that space going to come from? Baker says. Those people are realizing that in a smaller home, rooms can serve multiple functions (par 7). Just how are homeowners going about gaining these flexible living spaces? In AIAs article, Community Design Trends Emphasize Infill Development, their findings show, Home improvement activity remains very healthy. Some of this strength comes from owners who have decided not to trade up, and have instead chosen to remodel their current homes (par 13).

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