Daniel Abramson: From Obsolescence to Sustainability
Monday, Dec 14, 20151:30 AMEDT
| The Bartlett School of Architecture, Rm. G02, 140 Hampstead Road London, UK
London, UKRelated
From Obsolescence to Sustainability traces the concept of obsolescence in the built environment through its evolution in architecture, economics and culture and the subsequent development of sustainability. Evolving out of the early 20th century US commercial real estate industry, the concept of architectural obsolescence rationalised the seeming chaos of capitalist redevelopment, making sense of the otherwise senseless demolition of buildings just a few years old. Beyond this domain, the idea of obsolescence spread globally in the mid-century urban and social realms before impacting architecture directly. Some designers embraced obsolescence’s liberating promise of expendability and short-life buildings. Others were horrified by obsolescence's implications of ephemerality and waste, and sought to reverse obsolescence through tactics of preservationism, postmodernism, adaptive reuse, and ecologism. Indeed, we might group together all these counter-tactics to obsolescence under the heading of sustainability, efforts to conserve rather than expend existing resources natural and human-made. The story of obsolescence is a prehistory of sustainability, and seeing these in relation, the lecture glimpses critically at the present moment and beyond. Situating Architecture is a new architectural history lecture series on Monday lunchtimes at The Bartlett School of Architecture. Lectures are free and open to members of the public on a first come, first seated basis. More info at www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/events/daniel-abramson-situating-architecture-lecture-series
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