Timeless...

by: Francisco G. Zambrano

          Some people consider clothes to be architecture. Before this past lecture on temporary architecture, I would have disagreed with this statement a little. First off clothes are constantly changing every four months, styles come and go in a blink of an eye. The more and more I list the “differences” the more I can see the similarities. Especially when comparing clothes and temporary architecture.

        Simply by looking at the definition of temporary architecture. That which has a short lifespan that allows for experimental techniques to show new ideas. They also help us understand how Architecture can communicate to the world. This description is exactly what fashion is. It is a way that designers and people are able to communicate with the world and try out new techniques of construction, material usage, etc. Most clothes are temporary.

Fig.2 Seattle Space needle

Fig.1 Serpentine Pavilion by Toyo Ito 2002

            Shoot, there is also something that is similar to fashion shows for architecture, the London Pavilions. Every year, an architect is chosen to design a pavilion for Hyatt Park. In these pavilions, architects normally showcase new materials, new ways of construction, new understandings of organization and their way of design, or what they believe is the new “style” of architecture. For the past twelve years, architects have introduced to the world “styles” that have come and gone, but then like in fashion some designs have been made permanent.

Fig.3 Coco Chanel and her LBD

Fig.3 501 Levi jeans

            These pieces of architecture have been thought of as timeless such as the Eiffel Tower, the Glass Palace, the Space Needle in Seattle and the Barcelona Pavilion. These pieces of architecture are like the little black dress of Coco Channel or a pair of 501 Levi Straus jeans. These pieces of architecture and fashion were on the edge of their time and showcased the best of technology and design. They both paved the way for greater pieces and allowed for further advancement in their respective areas. But where as in fashion, the pieces are reproduced, in architecture these pieces remain as one of a kind, truly timeless pieces that lead the way to a better future.

Fig.4 Eiffel Tower leads the way in the modern use of iron construction