I THE GIVER (2014) I

Urban Design Research

Lovenish Bhagat
IX Semester (A)
1120100277

THE GIVER (2014) I Social science fiction film directed by Phillip Noyce

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush, Meryl Streep,

Alexander Skarsgrd, Katie Holmes, and Cameron Monaghan.
The film is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Lois Lowry.
With Lois Lowrys book as strength, a dystopian fable for children about
ev erything in Cold Modernism that a model community loses with suppression of
emotion and pain. But it is also its greatest weakness. Darkness behind utopian
was the vision clearly and simply presented: where the community has
eliminated v iolence and has a role for all of its members. Entities like Color,
weather, topography, and most any kind of choice has been eliminated, along
with emotion.

The design of the community, the

look, layout of the architecture and
the design of the gardens have
been v isualised to match the theme.
Symmetry played a huge part in the
design,
literally
div iding
the
community down a central spine
with both halves a mirror of the
other.

In The Giv er, all buildings are

dominantly white; the houses are
identical,
minimalistic
in
style,
connected by sinuous pathways.
The central plaza is host to a large
geodesic dome cov ered in glass
plus sev eral public buildings with
slightly curv ed shapes. Central
official
building
with
classical
architecture and a large extension
both behind and above, in the
same style have been shown as its
neighbours.
Besides
this,
few
dominant white buildings also
feature concrete, stone and metal
finishing apart from identical white
finish.

Sameness. became a key word to

help explain how the community
liv ed. The "community" of The Giver
is a bland, featureless stereotype
society with boxy houses, lots of
glass walls, and a few stadium-sized
auditoriums where citizens gather to
chant
in
emotionless
unison.
Everyone had the same clothing for
certain times of the day, or certain
functions. Everyone liv ed in the
same house, had the same bike,
spoke the same way.

All
houses
are
minimalistic
prototypes to match the theme of
sameness, with small insertions of
wood panels and are positioned
randomly on site connected by
sinuous pathways. Besides this, few
dominant white buildings also
feature concrete, stone and metal
finishing apart from identical white
finish. There are organic shapes as
well as symmetry followed in
landscape.

The streets are laid out in a perfectly

symmetrical grid, the domiciles and
public buildings are clean, and the
people dress in matching outfits and
ride bicycles so as not to pollute the
env ironment.

Urban mobility and pedestrianism

hav e been focussed upon with
single sustainable mode of transport
(bicycle) as key to its Transit design.

I cant help but think that what Stereotype and Modernism are to the authentic
renewal of Contemporary Architecture. Has diversity been neglected in front of
developing prototype communities? Will all of this produce a balanced and
peaceful society? Well, it m ight bring about a kind of equilibrium, but at a terrible
cost.