Architectural pedagogy established during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led to a new type of specialized architectural practice influenced by production methods and material innovation. Within this context, production and industrialized construction were considered as either the enemy of the traditional artisan or the future of more efficient architectural processes promoting rational planning. As industrialization evolved and was envisioned for building, architect-driven prefab narratives defined some iconic prefab experiments. Modern architects inspired by these inventions supported the collective mediatic dissemination of prefab systems toward innovative affordable housing.
Architectural prefab exhibits presented projects and prototypes communicating how these new processes were becoming mainstream and rerouting production from on-site to off-site. Precedents range from marginal organizations to large-scale artistic interpretations. Progress of Prefabrication (March 9-28, 1944) was staged by the Architectural League of New York. Founded in the 1880s the League was a focal point for progressive architects initiating debates and discussions around the evolution of their contemporary architecture’s tools and methodologies. The exhibit showcased models, drawings, and company catalogs to portray what was to become the future of design for fabrication and simple site assembly.
The Built in the USA (1932-1944) series presented at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) also provided an optimistic vision of prefabrication's potential and its contribution to an American modernism. This tradition of promoting USA's role in advancing prefab ideals in architecture through rich exhibits and accompanying literature was reaffirmed at the MoMA from July to October 2008. Home Delivery, Fabricating the Modern Dwelling curated by Barry Bergdoll and Peter Christensen combined a rich historical narrative with a series of prototypes to illustrate a renaissance of prefab theory linked to advances in manufacturing. These are only three examples of a long and rich history of using exhibits to increase uptake in prefab interest and improve its credibility to inform efficient practice. The Progress of Prefabrication put on nearly 80 years before Home Delivery, addressed some of the same challenges of bringing architectural prefabrication to market as its conceptual foundations are sometimes more representational than practical.
No comments:
Post a Comment