Beatriz Ramo – STAR strategies + architecture
Održivost kao ideja, trenutno sa Bogom deli mnoge osobine: ima vrhunski koncept, svemoćna je, sveprisutna i sveznajuća; tvorac i sudija, zaštitnik (…) i spasilac univerzuma i čovečanstva. I, poput Boga, ima milione vernika. S’ obzirom da smo mi, ljudi, prilično uskoumni i sumnjičavi, i da tražimo dokaz pre nego što dopustimo da neko verovanje postane ubeđenje, Zeleno je došlo da zastupa održivost; postalo je sopstvena inkarnacija u ljudskom svetu. Ali održivost, kao ni Bog, ne može imati oblik niti boju…
1.Emancipacija
1.1 Reč Održivost su napadali, zlostavljali i vređali u suštini svi: arhitekte, političari, oglašivači…Muzička harmonija savršenog tria- društva, ekologije I ekonomije, bačena je u senku veoma jednostavnim solo nastupom ekologije, nazvanom Zeleno.
1.1. U očajničkom pokušaju da dâ oblik kompletnoj ideologiji, Zeleno dokazuje da deluje kao najbrži I najlakši prikaz održivosti. Zeleno je jedini simbol koji je u stanju da drži korak sa današnjim nedostatkom strpljenja I gladi, za slikama; Lejdi Gaga- Održivost: efikasna, primetna, kreativna, senzacionalistička. U upornom pokušaju da postane alegorija Održivosti, Zeleno je emancipovano kao njegova karikatura. 1.2 Uprošćavanje poče-tnih ideja je toliko ekstremno da Zeleno čak nema potrebe da bude priroda ili prirodno, može da bude isto tako plastično I obojeno. Pogledajte oko sebe…videćete zelene fasade, zelene ukrase, zidove ofarbane u zeleno, zeleni Mekdonalds znak, zeleni vebsajt, zeleni “papier-mâché” izlog; Zeleni Grad je ovde.
2.Funkcija
2.1. Ako Slikovita gradnja ima potrebu da bude slikovita, Zelena gradnja jednostavno želi da bude zelena. Situacija ne može biti površnija: Zeleno kao svrha. Zeleno dozvoljava da održivost bude kupljena po m², da bude ofarbana ili zalepljena za nešto. Održivost je Fotošop filter u CS6: Ctrl+Zeleno.
2.2. Iako je na početku misao došla sa najboljim namerama, poput svake dobre ideje ovih dana, trebala je da se pojednostavi, da joj se oduzme svaki smisao da bi bila uspešno komercijalizovana. Nekako, to izgleda veoma demokratski…Baš kao što lažna Prada torba treba da omogući svakoj ženi da oseti Prada uzbuđenje I ponese njen status.
2.3. Mnogo puta je ponovljeno da je mali broj ljudi svestan da održivost ima efekta, ali pažnja je skrenuta sa glavne poente. Ljudi će verovatno kupovati Zelene proizvode, žiri na takmičenjima će biti oduševljen Zelenim epskim pričama, a političari znaju da je igranje na Zelenu kartu uvek sigurno; besprekorna demagogija.
2.4. Da su sve vizije za projekat grada I svi projekti koji su pobedili na arhitektonskim konkursima vođeni idejom o Zelenom bili realizovani, grad bi se pretvorio u sofisticiranu verziju opustele zone Černobila.
2.5. Zeleni zidovi su takođe komercijalizovani kao unutrašnji pregradni zidovi. Pravljeni su od vrste mahovine (Reindeer moss) kao veliko groblje prirode, sa odličnom prirodnom akustikom. Ovi sakupljači prašine se proizvode u 20 različitih boja: beli Zeleni zid, crveni Zeleni zid, ljubičasti Zeleni zid, da bi se uklopili sa ostalom dekoracijom.
3. Stil
3.1. Modernizam, Postmo-dernizam, Dekonstruktivi-zam….Sada smo definitivno uveli i “Održivizam”. Za razliku od pomenutih pokreta, svaki arhitekta može da bude sledbenik “Održivizma”, svejedno da li je avangardan, komercijalan, mlad, ustanovljen….Ovaj naš pokret čak može I da se kombinuje sa drugim stilovima: Eko-Dekonstruktivizam, Zeleni Postmo-dernizam…To je demokratski stil. Arhitektonski magazini i komercijalne bro-šure pronašle su zajednički jezik: Zeleno. Zeleno je takođe tačka u kojoj se arhitekta, klijent, programer, političar I korisnik slažu. To je fantastično. Zeleno ispravlja razlike; ono je spasilac Vavilonske kule; konačno smo dotakli Nebesa. Po prvi put imamo pravi internacionalni Stil; od Madrida do Kopenhagena, Dalasa, Istanbula. Zeleno je toliko moćno da deluje svuda; ono je pobednički stil, globalni pobednik- iako ga je ovo moglo napraviti užasno neodrživim. Za razliku od drugih stilova (zamislite ceo grad izgrađen na principu Destruktivizma), moguće je izgraditi kompletan grad na principima Zelenog. Može se implementirati svuda i u svakom obimu; oblakoder ili mala, privatna kuća, pa čak I unutrašnji prostor- sve je moguće. Može se prilagoditi svačijem ukusu; Zeleno se može tretirati kao frizura: duga I mekana, gusta I kompaktna, delimično obrijana radi ukrasa.
3.2. Zeleno bi trebalo dodati kao šesti princip na već postojećih Le Korbuzijeovih pet , I kao četvrti pojam Vitruvijeve trijade: Čvrstina, Korisnost, Lepota i Održivost.
3.3. Gradnja…produkt Održivosti nije održiva arhitektura već Zeleno. Zeleno je ono što ostaje kad Održivost dođe do svog kraja, ili još preciznije, ono što je čini kompaktibilnom dok je Održivost još u toku, njen otpad…(1)
3.4. Zeleno je nova Crna (kompaktibilna sa svim bojama).
4. Religija
4.1. Zeleno funkcioniše kao vera. Katolička Crkva će morati da doda Sveto Zeleno u svoj Kalendar. Sveto Zeleno će nadgledati održive arhitekte I usmeravaće ih u zelenom pravcu. Ako mu se budemo molili svakodnevno Sveto Zeleno će nagraditi naše duboko poštovanje: političari će dobiti više glasova, arhitekte će pobeđivati na više konkursa, a kompanije će prodavati više proizvoda…
4.2. Zeleno deluje na misteriozan način….Arhitekte koje nisu u potpunosti održive nazivaju sebe Zelenima, dok one arhitekte kojima je zaista stalo, ne vole da ih nazivamo Zelenima…
4.3. O, Gospode, blagoslovi Daltoniste koji će gledati više zeleno od drugih…I pomozi onima koji vide Crveno tamo gde je Zeleno.
4.4. Zeleno funkcioniše kao ispovest. Što se budemo više osećali krivima, više ćemo se truditi da budemo Zeleni. Zeleni izgled je uglavnom obrnuto proporcionalan njegovim održivim dostignućima. Zeleno ima sposobnost da sve što je značajno smanji na samo jedan problem I samo jedno rešenje: Zeleno. Zeleno je sposobno da nas razreši svih naših greha.
4.5. Zeleno je dvostruko čudotvorno. Kao da pokušavate da rak izlečite aspirinom, Zeleno je fenomenalna formula koja sve što dotakne pretvara u održivo. Ono takođe može da prikrije neugledne projekte. “Kada ugasite svetiljke, sve mačke postaju sive”. Ružni Zeleni objekti su prihvatljiviji od običnih ružnih objekata.
4.6. Zeleno je sposobno da nas prosvetli retroaktivno. Mi, arhitekte, prepisujemo našu kompletnu istoriju u skladu sa održivošću; ono što smo nekada uradili I pripisali zdravom razumu sada etiketiramo kao održivo; I tada davno, mi smo nesvesno već bili pod uticajem Zelenog…kao pravi vizionari.
5. Dvosmislenost
5.1. Ali Zeleno takođe krije i perverznu dimenziju…Kao u filmovima Dejvida Linča; čini se da je sve smireno I harmonično, ali ima nečega uznemirujućeg…neki trulež… Zeleno je uobičajena laž, tajni dogovor, savršen zločin; svi znaju da to ne može biti toliko dobro, niti lako, pa čemu onda trud? Zeleno ima sposobnost da proda, a ima ga dovoljno za sve. Nova vrsta (prijateljskog) zastrašivanja: Zeleni terorizam.
5.2. Zeleno pati od podvojenog identiteta; Zeleno kao guru, Zeleno kao sledbenik, Zeleno kao spasitelj…daje kontradiktorna saopštenja. Ali ovo ne predstavlja problem dokle god je u pitanju Zeleno, zato što svi vole- moraju da vole- Zeleno. Osobe koje ga ne vole se smatraju užasnim ljudskim bićima. Eksponencijalna potreba za javnim odobravanjem, čini Zeleno “par ekselans” instrumentom. Zeleno: Volim.
5.3. Majkrosoftov rečnik nudi sledeće sinonim za reč Zeleno na španskom: bestidan, nepristojan, nečastan, slobodan i glomazan. Na engleskom, osim sinonima koji se odnose na boju, nudi : nezreo i nestručan.
5.4. I tu smo, zabavljači.
6. Dodatak
Odnos između nekih arhitektata I Zelenog nas podseća na “otkriće” Amerike, ne samo da je “Novi Svet” oduvek bio tamo; ali ove arhitekte će nas veselo o tome obavestiti praveći grešku koji je napravio i Kristofer Kolumbo…ubeđen da se iskrcao u Istočnu Indiju.
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(1) Preuzeto iz tekstova Džankspejs i Modernost za Održivost i Džankspejs za Zeleno Rema Kolhasa
Poređenje
Nekada davno u ne tako dalekoj zemlji, duboka ekonomska kriza i potreba za identitetom ubrzala je stvaranje Zelenog Grada. U Zelenom Gradu sve kompanije su promenile svoje logoe u Zeleno ili u zelene motive. One su obezbedile zelene proizvode i eko-prijateljske usluge. Njegovi stanovnici žive u stalnom, zdravom, međusobnom nadmetanju ko će od njih biti najzeleniji. U Zelenom Gradu nuklearna energetska postrojenja su bila eko-prijateljska. Crno-beli filmovi su takođe bili zeleni. U Zelenom Gradu moć Zelenog je bila toliko jaka da je mogla da umanji sramote iz prošlosti: koncentracione logore, Berlinski zid….svaki trenutak istorije mogao je retroaktivno da postane održiv. Zeleno je steklo ispovedni status I moglo je da razreši od svih grehova. U Zelenom Gradu vojna uniforma je bila vrhunska moda, Hulk je bio super-heroj, a zona Černobila najčešće posećivana destinacija za odmor. Arhitekte su bile prekomerno uzbuđene u korišćenju Zelenog. Fasade, krovovi, pregradni zidovi….sve što je omoglo da se obloži, oblagano je Zelenim. Ali iza scene, Zeleni Mehur je počeo da se otima kontroli…Niko se nije usuđivao da to spomene pa su, u napadu pohlepe, iz straha da će istrošiti ovu “kravu muzaru”, počeli da psihotično koriste Zeleno. Zeleni Grad se pretvorio u naizgled bezgraničan teren za golf. Konfuzija je bila ogromna i u stilu starogrčkog boga Saturna, Zeleni Grad je počeo da proždire svoje stanovnike. Ali tada, baš u tom u tom trenutku, drugo Doba Prosvećenja je počelo da se rascvetava…Preživeli stanovnici lagano su se budili I nisu više osećali potrebu da vide Zeleno i veruju u Održivost-kao i što nisu morali da vide stubove da bi verovali u strukturnu stabilnost- i Zeleni Grad je lagano počeo da iščezava… Zelena sluz je bila očišćena, Zelene partije su propale, a Mekdonalds je ponovo postao crven.
“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters”, veoma Zelena Čupava Čudovišta.
STAR strategies + architecture
STAR je projektni biro koji se bavi arhitekturom u svim njenim oblicima.
STAR strategies + architecture osnovala je u Roterdamu 2006.godine Beatriz Ramo (rođena 1979.godine u Španiji). STAR je zainteresovan za sve teme direktno ili indirektno povezane sa arhitekturom, i radi na projektima I istraživanjima bilo kog obima u oblasti arhitekture, urbanizma i pejzažnog dizajna. Dobili su nekoliko prestižnih nagrada na međunarodnim konkursima za javne objekte, stambene objekte, infrastrukturu i urbano planiranje u Holandiji, Kini, Islandu, Libanu i Španiji. STAR je konstantno aktivan u istraživanju i pisanju i sarađuje sa nekoliko škola i institucija u Holandiji.
STAR veruje da je arhitektonsko razmišljanje jače i od same arhitekture.
By Beatriz Ramo – STAR strategies + architecture
lSustainability currently shares many qualities with God; supreme concept, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; creator and judge, protector, and (…) saviour of the universe and the humanity. And, like God, it has millions of believers. Since we humans are relatively simpleminded and suspicious and need evidence before belief can become conviction, Green has come to represent sustainability; has become its incarnation in the human world. But sustainability, like God, might not have a form, nor a colour…
1. Emancipation
1.1 The word Sustainability has been raped, abused, and insulted by architects, politicians, advertisers …in essence, by everybody. The musical harmony in the perfect trio – the social, the environmental, and the economic – is eclipsed by a simplistic solo performance of the environmental, entitled the Green.
1.2 In a desperate attempt to give shape to an all-encompassing ideology the Green proves to work as the quickest and easiest representation of sustainability. The Green is the only symbol able to keep pace with today’s lack of patience and hunger for images; a Lady Gaga-Sustainability: effective, noticeable, creative, sensationalist. In a persistent effort to become the allegory of Sustainability, Green has been emancipated as its caricature.
1.3 The simplification of the initial idea is so extreme that Green does not even need to be nature, or natural, it may just as well be plastic and painted. Look around… you’ll see a green facade, green embellishments, walls painted green, a green McDonald’s sign, a green website, a green papier-mâché shop window; the Green City is here.
2. Function
2.1 If the Iconic buildings simply needed to be iconic, the Green buildings simply need to be green. The situation could not get more superficial: Green as a function. Green allows sustainability to be bought per m2, or to be painted on, or glued on. Sustainability is a Photoshop filter in CS6: Ctrl+Green.
Similar to the Icons, the Green is also providing identity, generic identity.
2.2 Although the thought initially came with the best of intentions, as every good idea these days, it needed to be simplified by a factor of a hundred to be stripped of any meaning in order to be successfully commercialized. Only then could it be digested by the masses. Somehow it looks very democratic… Just as a fake Prada bag allows every woman to feel the sensation of Prada and carry its status.
2.3 The repeated-until-it-hurts pretext that at least people are aware of sustainability had an effect; but the attention was diverted from the main concern. People are more likely to buy Green products, juries in competitions are delighted by Green epic stories, and politicians know that playing the Green card is always safe; impeccable demagogy.
2.4 If all the visions for city design and all the architecture competitions won with the powers of Green were realized the city would be turned into a sophisticated version of the current Chernobyl Alienation Zone .
2.5 Green walls are being commercialized as interior space dividers too. They are made of Norwegian reindeer moss (the stuff for the trees in model train sets) as a huge cemetery of nature, with excellent natural acoustics. These dust collectors can be produced in 20 different colours; a white Green Wall, a red Green Wall, a violet Green Wall, to match with the other decorations.
3. Style
3.1 Modernism, Postmo-dernism, Deconstructivism… We have now definitely entered Sustainabilism. Unlike in previous movements every architect can be a Sustainabilist: whether avant-garde, commercial, young, established… It can be even combined with other styles: Eco-Deconstructivism, Green Postmodernism… It is the democratic style. Architectural magazines and commercial brochures found a common language: the Green. Green is also the point on which the architect, the client, the developer, the politician, and the user agree. It is fantastic. Green flattens out the differences; it is the saviour of the Tower of Babel; we will finally reach the Heavens. For the first time ever we have a genuine International Style; from Madrid to Copenhagen, to Dallas, to Istanbul. The Green is so superior that it works everywhere; it is the wining style, the global victor – though this could make it terribly unsustainable. Unlike other styles – imagine an entire city planned on Deconstructivism – it is possible to have an entire city built on Green. It can be implemented everywhere and on every scale; a skyscraper or a small private house, even an interior space – all is possible. It can accommodate any taste: Green can be applied and treated as a hairstyle: long and fluffy, thick and compact, partly shaved creating ornaments.
3.2 Green should be added as the sixth principle to Le Corbusier’s five points, and as the fourth quality to Vitruvius’ triad: Venustas, Utilitas, Firmitas and Sustinebilitas
3.3 The built … product of Sustainability is not sustainable architecture but Green. Green is what remains after Sustainability has run its course or, more precisely, what coagulates while Sustainability is in progress, its fallout… (1)
3.4 Green is the new Black.
4. Religion
4.1 Green works as faith. The Catholic Church will need to add Saint Green to its Roman Calendar. Saint Green will watch over the sustainable architects, and will guide them in the green direction. If we pray to him every day Saint Green will compensate our veneration: politicians obtain more votes, architects win more competitions, and companies sell more products…
4.2 Green works in mysterious ways…Architects who are not really sustainable call themselves Green, while the architects that seriously care don’t like to be called Green.
4.3 Oh Lord, blessed be the Daltonics who will see more green than others… and help those who see Red where there is Green.
4.4 Green works as confession. The guiltier we feel, the greener we try. The green-looking is usually indirectly proportional to its sustainability achievements. Green has the capacity of reducing all that matters to one single problem, and one single solution: Green. Green is able to absolve all our sins.
4.5 Green is double-miraculous. As if trying to heal cancer with aspirins, Green is the phenomenal formula that turns sustainable everything that it touches. It can also hide graceless designs. ‘When all candles be out, all cats be gray’. Ugly Green buildings are more readily accepted than ugly buildings.
4.6 Green is able to enlighten us retroactively. We architects rewrite our full history according to sustainability; what we did once with common sense, we now brand as sustainable; back then, we were already unconsciously under the influence of Green…as real visionaries.
5. Ambiguity
5.1 But the Green also hides a perverse dimension… As in a David Lynch movie; everything appears to be calm and harmonious but there is something disturbing… rotting… The Green is the common lie, the secret consensus, the perfect crime; everybody knows that it cannot be that good, that it cannot be that easy, but why bother? It sells, and there is enough Green for everybody. A new kind of (friendly) intimidation: Green terrorism.
5.2 Green suffers from split personalities; Green gurus, Green followers, Green saviours…. preaching contradictory statements. But this seems not to be a problem, as long as it is Green, because everybody likes – has to like – Green. If not, he is considered a horrible human being. The exponential need for public approval makes Green the instrument par excellence. Green: I Like.
5.3 The Microsoft dictionary for Word in Spanish offers the following synonyms for Green: Obscene, indecent, improper, dishonest, free, and gross. In English, apart from those referring to the colour, it offers: immature and inexpert.
5.4 Here we are now, entertainers.
6. Appendix
The relation between some architects and Green reminds us of the “discovery” of the Americas, not only was the “New World” always there; but these architects will remain as happily mistaken as Christopher Columbus was… convinced that he had landed in the East Indies.
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(1) Taken from Rem Koolhaas text: Junkspace, and substituting: Modernity for Sustainability and Junkspace for Green
Parable
A long time ago in a not so faraway land, a deep economic crisis and a need for identity accelerated the creation of the Green City. In the Green City all companies changed their logos to Green or to vegetable motives. They only provided green products and eco-friendly services. Its inhabitants lived in healthy competition with one another to be the greenest of them all. In the Green City, Nuclear Power Plants were eco-friendly. Black and white movies were green too. In the Green City the powers of Green were so strong that they could alleviate the shame of the past: concentration camps, Berlin walls…, any moment of history could become sustainable retroactively. Green acquired confessional status and could absolve any sins. In the Green City military uniforms were the ultimate fashion, the Hulk was a superhero, and Chernobyl’s Zone the most booked green holiday destination. Architects were overexcited in their use of the Green. Facades, roofs, partition walls… everything that could be clad, was clad by Green. But behind the scenes the Green Bubble was growing out of control… Nobody dared to mention it and in an attack of greed, fearing the end of this cash cow, they started using Green psychotically. The Green City turned into a seemingly boundless golf course. The confusion was colossal and in a Saturnial act the Green City started devouring its inhabitants. But then, and only at that point, a second Age of Enlightenment began to flourish… The surviving inhabitants slowly awakened and did no longer need to see the Green to believe in Sustainability – as they did not need to see the pillars to believe in structural stability – and the Green City began to fade away slowly…The Green mucus was cleaned away, the Green parties were obsolete and McDonald’s became red again.
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, very Green Hairy Monsters.
STAR strategies + architecture
STAR is a practice dealing with architecture in all its forms.
STAR strategies + architecture was founded by Beatriz Ramo (1979, Spain) in Rotterdam in 2006. STAR is interested in all topics directly or indirectly related to architecture, and works on projects and research of any scale in the fields of architecture, urbanism, and landscape design. Several awards in International Competitions for public buildings, housing, infrastructure, and urban planning in the Netherlands, China, Iceland, Lebanon, and Spain STAR have gained STAR international recognition. STAR remains continuously active in research and writings and is engaged academically to several schools and institutions in the Netherlands.
STAR believes that architectural thinking is stronger than even architecture itself.
