fabric

Fabric/Bin

The cities before modernism are more about hierarchy while cities after modernism are more about typology. In the maps displayed in “Palladio’s Children”, we can probably tell where the high class buildings are just by the size and position, but it is hard to tell where houses, temples, shops are respectively. The cities are as a whole. They are constructed on experience. In modern city, we can easily know the function of a building just by passing the building but it is difficult to distinguish the identity of a house’s owner. Although typology is based on experience, most times experience beats types.

The cities before modernism are more about coherency while cites after modernism are more about difference. The old cities have very organic fabric while “the Modernist era was the first in history where the dialogue between field and architecture was disrupted”(from “Palladio’s Children) In modern cities, housing, industry, public space are separated apparently that the organization of the city is totally different than the old cities. Actually, deconstruction is also a kind of construction. Demolishing and Removing are significant forces which embody development and transformation. The reason why modern fabric so much differs from the past is that science, technology changed dramatically in the last century, hence changed people’s life tremendously.

As the modern technique tends to be universal, architects turn to seek their personal differences. We know more about “Gehry Building”, “Zaha Building” rather than “American Building” or “European Building”. We have so many master marks in this world. The paradox is that when buildings become different, cities become the same. A Gehry building can be in LA, in Spain and I am sure it will show up in China someday.

One thing hasn’t been changed is the power that architecture conveys. In any times, buildings represent the social power of the owner. For example, CCTV in China chose Koolhaas’s project to show its center status in media corporations. Actually China chose this project intending to show the world its development and openness, just like building a palace in old time. Interesting enough, clothing shares the similarity of architecture. While people wore different classes of clothing in ancient time, people today wear the same: T-shirt, suit, etc. The difference is that if it is an Armani or LV.

Regionalism is important, but globalism is the tendency . City is an environment for people to live in. City fabric reflects from political policies to ordinary life.
New technology changes the way people living. It is the way people live that changes the fabric. It is less difficult for us to preserve the fabric rather than to maintain the way people live. If old fabric merely become a place for tourists, at some extend they are meaningless.