Rem Koolhaas’ short literary essay “Junkspace” is a critique of architecture in modern society, describing a new type of space that is taking over cities across the planet. This Junkspace (a phrase he coins) has turned modern architecture towards the point of no return.
Rem Koolhaas’ short literary essay “Junkspace” is a critique of architecture in modern society, describing a new type of space that is taking over cities across the planet. This Junkspace (a phrase he coins) has turned modern architecture towards the point of no return; attempting to unite countless concepts seamlessly into a superficially appetizing architecture without recognition of the past or future. Junkspace is the accumulation of previous designs, an exquisite corpse of old ideas that are regurgitated and presented as something new. Junkspace is the consequence of a society ruled by capitalism, attempting to satisfy people’s constant need for having more “stuff”. The ability to deliver projects quickly in order to maximize profits has left little to no room for true artistic expression. This has left the state of architecture “always unique, utterly unpredictable, yet intensely familiar.”
The Junkspace epidemic has resulted in designers prioritizing something that looks interesting rather than focusing on the experiences people feel within a space. Koolhaas puts this eloquently by saying “our concern for the masses has blinded us to People's Architecture”. Architecture today leaves little to interpretation, all in order to appeal to a certain aesthetic, whether rational or not. This has caused modernism in architecture to reach an extreme it was never meant to. In many ways modernism was a scientific approach with a methodical reasoning in order to achieve a final result. Using technology to develop a pure concept to a point people once thought wasn’t possible.
“Modernization had a rational program: to share the blessings of science, universally. Junkspace is its apotheosis, or meltdown ... Although its individual parts are the outcome of brilliant inventions, lucidly planned by human intelligence, boosted by infinite computation, their sum spells the end of Enlightenment, its resurrection as farce, a low-grade purgatory ...Junkspace is the sum total of our current achievement; we have built more than did all previous generations put together, but somehow we do not register on the same scales.”
Rather than being used as a tool, technology has become the driving force behind design and as a result architecture has become a medium that has perpetuated instant gratification and so much of the true process that created great architecture has been lost. Architecture does not make people feel as much as it used to, instant sensory stimulation has become the primary goal. This interesting phenomenon can be discovered across the globe. Humans are producing buildings faster than they ever have before, however few will ever stand the test of time. Architecture has become a transient art form; the lack true significance has left viewers with only superficial impressions; forgetting a space as quickly as it grabs thier attention.
Later on in his essay Koolhaus goes on to state,
“Junkspace is a Bermuda Triangle of concepts, an abandoned petri dish: it cancels distinctions, undermines resolve, confuses intention with realization. It replaces hierarchy with accumulation, composition with addition. More and more, more is more.”
This is representative of modern society as a whole. People now crave quantity over quality, superficial impressions only require something to appear interesting, rather than be significant. Due to technology we are now capable of doing so many things, but we never consider if we should. Ironically this extreme freedom as a result of technology has instead restricted creativity and more than ever architecture seems as if it is stuck in a feedback loop. Even Koolhaas’ firm OMA has been sucked into this new Junkspace architecture. His firm is involved in several master plans across the world; creating malls, theatres, and stadiums. All of which are types of architecture that he critiques and classifies as Junkspace throughout his essay.
This fact has left me with more questions than answers. Is Koolhaas’ essay just an angry rant about the state of architecture because even he cannot break away from Junkspace? Identifying the problem is an important first step. But has Junkspace become such a large part of society that the world wouldn’t function the same way without it? Is Junkspace a necessary evil that architects must combat into the future? Can exceptional architecture only be recognized when contrasted to Junkspace; there is no light without darkness. With so much of the design process out of the architect's control (we only create what our client desires), how much can we really restrict the ever-expanding world of Junkspace? Although it may be a tough reality for architects to face, has Junkspace truly reached the point of no return? Is Junkspace inevitable?
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