Surface Architecture PDF
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s u r f a c e a r c h i t e c t u r e This page intentionally left blank s u r f a c e a r c h i t e c t u r e david leatherbarrow and mohsen mostafavi the mit press cambridge, massachusetts london, england © 2002 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) with- out permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in Bembo and Engravers Gothic BT by Achorn Graphic Services Inc., and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Leatherbarrow, David. Surface architecture / David Leatherbarrow and Mohsen Mostafavi. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-13407-1 (hc. : alk. paper) 1. Architecture. 2. Architecture and technology. 3. Materials—Appearance. I. Mostafavi, Mohsen. II. Title. NA2540 .L36 2002 720´.1´05—dc21 2001056834 This page intentionally left blank contents acknowledgments ix 1 introduction: why surface architecture? 1 2 framing containment 9 framing the face 9 monumental volumes 14 representation and production 20 minimal surfaces 23 the factory 28 total containment 28 chicago frames 29 3 window/wall 39 de-vignolization 41 viewing the landscape 46 opacity and transparency 51 the oblique 54 the painted view 58 the depth of the window wall 58 taking stock 61 border adjustments 62 vertical and horizontal 63 misalignments 64 cladding as clothing 68 windows and/as walls 71 4 the appearance of covering 79 6 premade—remade 165 atectonic fabrications: sliding open and closed systems of surfaces 80 construction 165 masking and revealing 87 brutal facts of building 168 symbolic surfaces 91 facts of building and of life 171 the impressed facade: tattoo 95 invention and limited means 178 surface appliqué 98 chance construction 185 impressions 101 as found 187 planarity and surface impressions 104 formlessness 194 aesthetics in an industrial age 110 ideality of the constructed fact 113 architecture for industry 116 7 technique and appearance: factory-made 125 the task of the present 199 distraction 201 5 adjusting standards 131 modern building and historical memory 204 the light of industry 131 representation and modern appearances and nonrepresentation 209 practicality 135 building images 214 prefabrication and personality 143 architecture en série 148 fabrication processes 157 postcript 215 “for many years i wore the leather apron” 160 technique 226 appropriation 241 notes 243 index 257 This page intentionally left blank acknowledgments This book was written in and between Cambridge (Massachusetts), London, and Philadelphia. Universities and schools in each of these cities supported our work; especially helpful were staff members at libraries and archives of the Architectural Association, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The illus- trations in this volume were assembled by Sarah Franklin and Sarah Farmer under the guidance of Valerie Bennett. Funds that contributed to the preparation of these illustrations were provided by Penn’s Department of Architecture, thanks to Richard Wesley. We would also like to thank Pamela Johnston, Mark Rappolt, and Mary Wall for their editorial advice. In addition to this, we were greatly assisted by a number of students who served as research assistants: Paul Emmons, Gordana Kostich, Carlos Naranjo, Tonkao Panin, and Franca Trubiano. The book’s themes benefited greatly as a result of discussions with Homa Fardjadi, Brett Steele, Irénée Scalbert, and Richard Wesley, while early drafts were improved following the comments and criticism of a number of scholars whose publications were important to us. We are particularly grateful to Edward Ford. At the MIT Press, Roger Conover provided unwavering guidance and support; many thanks also to Matthew Abbate and Yasuyo Iguchi for their editorial and design work, respectively. Above all, this book would not have been possible without the generosity and the forgiveness of Homa Fardjadi and Lauren Leatherbarrow.
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