Friday, March 29

Countercultural Architecture: Germany and the USA

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As new lifestyles are explored, architecture also evolves to conform to the utopian ideals of new societies. In this regard, architecture, first of all, appears to be a product of the culture for which it is intended.

«Walking City» – Шагающий Город. 1964 год. Рон Херрон.

Counterculture implies that social norms can be adopted and revised, changing to meet changing societal needs. Participating in the formation of cultures, architects simultaneously reflect and create social trends that manifest themselves in the form of buildings, cities and systems that support a new way of life. Thus, the work of the avant-garde architectural group Arkigram contributed to a new approach to the design of utopian societies. Their projects, such as “Walking City” and “Plug-in-City”, give an idea of the limitless possibilities that communities can discover through urban design.

«Plug-in-City» – Штепсельный Город. 1963 год. Питер Кук

While Arkigram’s countercultural projects remained in magazines and drawings in the form of blueprints, most other movements around the world directly or indirectly influenced the surrounding buildings. Buildings and public areas provided the counterculture with space for its physical and intellectual development. Usually, after political unrest, societies gain a sense of belonging by organizing – whether within the city, as in the case of Berlin, or in rural communities, as was the case in the United States.

Дом искусств «Тахелес», Берлин.

Thus, the fall of the Berlin Wall, a turning event in world history, brought with it political changes, social tension and a thirst for liberation. Vacant lots and buildings appeared as a result of the destruction during the Second World War and the prevailing housing policy, which gave priority to new large-scale prefabricated buildings. This situation was taken advantage of by city entrepreneurs, artists, squatters, students and musicians, who began to use the vacated space for their own projects. Various public programs, such as open-air bars, ateliers, galleries, flea markets, gardens, music and sports clubs began to be temporarily housed in such unused premises. Low rents attracted a young population to support the growth of the city and its counterculture.

 

 

As a result, Berlin has earned the title of the “capital of temporary use” due to the many premises of this type that arose after the fall of the wall. One of the striking examples of such buildings can be safely called the now inactive House of Arts “Taheles”. It was built at the very beginning of the XX century, in 1909, in the Jewish quarter of East Berlin. At first it housed a department store. After he went bankrupt, the building began to be bought in parts for banks and various companies, and already in the nineties of the last century, “Taheles” was chosen by about 50 artists, artists, informals and sculptors. Over time, almost all informal people in Berlin began to gather there, as evidenced by the appearance of the building. It was these people who got the authorities to establish the status of an architectural monument to the building and not demolish it.

The post-industrial aesthetics of abandoned buildings reflects the rebellious counterculture that originated in Berlin. The architectural language of Berlin in the 1990s is characterized by a raw atmosphere created by steel and concrete structures, graffiti, unpolished finishes and homemade furniture. The temporary facilities of the city served as a refuge for its residents, reinforcing the minimalistic and ascetic appearance that is still inherent in the architecture and design of Berlin interiors.

«Аркозанти», США

An interesting youth movement was also taking place in the USA at this time, which widely influenced local architecture. Marked by a spirit of harmony with nature and artistic experimentation, the anti-establishment “hippie” counterculture gained momentum with the civil rights movement in the United States and the outbreak of the Vietnam War.

«Drop City», Колорадо, США

During this time, builders and planners shaped the ideological shifts generated by this countercultural movement of the 1960s. The era was characterized by the rise of the “Back to Earth” movement, the rejection of activism and the transition to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Sustainable development and minimal environmental impact were concepts that fueled the movement and were reflected in the architecture and utopian settlements that were then gradually emerging.

For example, one of such countercultural utopian settlements was Drop City, a project of community life in the central part of the United States, which highlighted the environmental, humanitarian and speculative ideals of the hippie movement. The rural commune was a large-scale installation of Buckminster Fuller’s architectural concepts. Architecture in the form of makeshift zones of security domes made up of collected material sheltered a community of artists. As a fusion of avant-garde art and the environmental movement, these geodesic domes were the first to be used for home living, rather than for exhibitions and industrial use. “Drop City” was originally conceived as a prototype that could be reproduced in other communes. However, the project lived a short life, although it managed to influence numerous experimental architectural projects, such as “Zometool” by Steve Baer.

«Матримандир», Ауровиль, Индия

Radical projects of the American counterculture were created by symbols who fought against the technocratic ways of the past. Architecture embodied these principles, taking the forms of inflatable boats, geodesic domes and folk construction, which was based on an ecological context. Material efficiency was achieved through the use of glass, wood and steel in limited quantities as part of structurally stable domes. This technique is also observed in more modern buildings, for example, in the “Matrimandir” – the Indian “Mother Temple”. This building has great spiritual significance for practitioners of integral yoga and has been located since 2008 in the center of Auroville, an international city in southern India, which is still developing under the auspices of UNESCO. “Matrimandir” is also called the “Soul of the city”.

Thus, architectural examples from Germany and the USA emphasize a common theme: temporality. Countercultures thrive on experimentation and freedom. As in any culture, counter-movements have the ability to manifest themselves in various forms, which, in turn, support a larger cause or philosophy. In this sense, architecture allows society to question the modern way of life and physically shape a future that is more inclusive, sustainable and fair.

The author of the article is Varvara Sergeevna Kartushina.

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