Speculative architecture
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Speculative architecture describes a proposed architectural scenario influenced by technology and its possible impact on space and time. It is a discipline that is sometimes applied to possibilities in urban planning that may never be realised but are instead meant to stretch the boundaries of the creative process.
In a speculative architecture, the project is less about how the building is physically shaped and more about how the structure operates based on available technologies. The sustainably oriented consequences of its operation should be designed to have a positive future impact on not only the physical representation but also on the culture and the community surrounded by the building.
[edit] Early history
Archigram was a UK-based art and architecture collective that came to prominence in the 1960s. As part of the burgeoning avant garde of the time, it aimed to explore extreme alternatives for urban design as a response to what it perceived to be the dullness and intellectual conservatism of modern architecture.
Virtually all of their plans and ideas remained unrealised, freeing them to explore unorthodox and outlandish designs which they often published in their Archigram magazine. They were defined less by a specific set of principles, than by an optimistic spirit that corresponded to the prevailing mood of the 1960s, looking to shake off out-dated ideas and conventions. They were inspired by the technocratic ideas of Buckminster Fuller as well as the American Beat movement and Pop art.
For more information see: Archigram.
[edit] Speculative architecture realised
One example of speculative architecture is New York City’s High Line Park. The urban renewal project of the city’s derelict elevated rail line had little support until an ideas competition brought the forgotten space on Manhattan’s West Side into the spotlight. Entries from around the world included a roller coaster and a lap pool, but the speculative nature of the competition also yielded several viable designs that might not have been realised.
|
The High Line in New York City opened in 2014; it has since become one continuous, 1.45-mile-long greenway featuring 500+ species of plants and trees. |
This creative exercise is thought to have sparked the imagination of competitors, resulting in imaginative and fanciful renderings. When residents and planners saw the possibilities - both imagined and real - it generated genuine support for the project.
NB This interpretation of speculative architecture should not be confused with speculative development, or speculative construction, which describes a process in which unused land is purchased or a building project is undertaken with no formal commitment from any end users. For more information see: Speculative construction.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Designing sustainability and performance into buildings
Specifying and selecting sustainable resilient timber products.
Modifying wood to improve resistance to decay and movement.
A last minute, long look for built environment professionals.
The architecture of creative reuse. Book review.
Installing solar panels on listed structures.
Sustainable development global goals, history in progress?
"Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been."
Mike Kagioglou FCIOB named CIOB President
'Sustainable Development Goals must be focus for construction'
BSRIA training; a look at what's on offer
From energy management to compliance training.
TESP video warns to beware of rogue trainers.
Highlighting the slippery tactics of non-approved providers.
New Building Safety Wiki launched
Boosting awareness and understanding of the new fire safety regime.
New playbook on AI in construction published by CIOB
How to get to grips with, and the best from AI.
Digital Construction Report NBS
BIM, cloud, off-site, immersive tech, AI, twins and sustainability.
ECA learning zone and industry focus video series
From updates and amendments to circular economy, emergency lighting and much more.