We humans are always
rushing forward to reach for new heights and some of us rarely look back. And
at the rare times we do, we learn a lot from what we left behind and apply it
in both the present and future.
When talking about the
values of Old and New Architecture, we have a tendency of being very appreciative
or being very harsh and cruel. Either we want to preserve it whole, untouched.
Or wipe of its existence off the face of the Earth. This applies not only to
the value of Architecture, but photographs, cars, paintings, media and so the
list goes on.
However, I am of those
who fall on the middle ground such as the reader I chose. I believe in merging
of the two where the old preserved buildings meets modernization and practicality.
There are those who
believe that if a city is full of old buildings, the city wont draw the
attention of the tourists that every country needs. If that’s the case, wont
the same apply if the city consists only of modern buildings?
"The attraction of
the modern city is the blend of old and new," said John Robertson
Architecture (JRA) principal director John Robertson.
While reading the
statement above, the meaning I derived from it was that for a modern city to be
unique it must not only comprise of just one significant architectural type but
the mixture of both.
Parasitizing the new
into the old, mixing of the values of history and the beauty of it with
functionality that makes sense for the present generation and architecture.
This wont only increase the value of the city within the city people but it
would also draw the attention of the tourists who seeks both history and also
modern values.
The
work on historic constructions is about respecting the past while providing a
worthy legacy for the future.- John Robertson
And why is this
necessary? When innovating historical buildings if we tend to change a whole
lot, the beauty of the building itself diminishes and the value of it is not
more than just an ordinary building. However, by respecting the historical
value, we create a building that outshines and has more traditional and modern
value to it than any other.
Why do we need to
provide a legacy for the future?
Because we humans are
living in a world where information and communication technology is a necessity
and are a part of us. Air conditioning, heating systems and fire control
systems are just as crucially important and if we were to go and live in an old
building even for a day or two, without such necessities we wouldn’t be able to
survive. And for such technologies to be provided the old buildings internal
and external body must be upgraded. And by doing so, we are handing out the
future generation a more meaningful outlook on history and the modern world.
Lets look into old
photographs When we see old black and white pictures or sepia pictures we get
to see how it was back in the time, we reminisce and appreciate that we even
have these photographs. But there is always the wonder what were the colors
that the person was wearing or what was the color of the sky at that day, or
the color of the eyes. We always wondered, or at least I did. But now with the
use of modern technology we are able to colorize the pictures and see for
ourselves. And we get to appreciate it more. But by doing this are we
diminishing its beauty?, of course not. We are experimenting using the modern
technology to make wonders with the old materials we have. So why shouldn’t we
do the same for buildings?
In conclusion, we don’t need
to separate old and new but we need to integrate them together, which produces
a more unexpected, charismatic and practical product for the future generations
to ponder upon and maybe preserve and modernize too.
