Stop the "Carbon Copy Cities": Jean Nouvel's Ideas on Modern Architecture
Acclaimed French architect Jean Nouvel keeps arguing against generalist architecture. Nouvel has introduced in October 2009 one of his latest projects, the Pavilion B at Genoa's Salone Nautico. With an inspiring lesson on aesthetics, Nouvel, who has the Pritzker Prize 2008, has explained the basics of his achievement: he was looking to inscribe the edifice within the urban and social conditions of the city of Genoa.
Indeed, from the vantage point of the water, the construction is in harmony with the sea and the moored boats. A similar impression can be felt by other of Nouvel's productions like the Muse Quai Branly in Paris, the Akbar Tower in Barcelona and the project in Colle Val d'Elsa in Tuscany. Nouvel proclaims himself resistant to the "carbon copy cities" in an interview by Renata Fontanelli appeared in La Repubblica, Italy, on October 12th 2009, and of which here are some snippets roughly translated from Italian:
"Lately one cannot tell the difference from the cities of San Paolo in Brazil from Dubai or Shanghai from Milan as designers seem not to take into consideration the uniqueness of each urban agglomeration . Architects do not appear to look at the light, the wind, the water, the history and the culture that make every city, be it small or large, unique. [...] Today," says Nouvel, "modern architecture lies in the relation with its context."
This vision is in agreement with the modern traveler's rising attention to boutique hotels. In truth, in the past 20 years the market of boutique hotels has experienced a remarkable surge and this is perhaps due to the fact that people are looking more and more for a hotel that can provide them with a pinch of the city's essence, rather than picking a "carbon copy hotel", a "big box" the likes of which you could find in any other city.
Just like a "boutique" in French is a small upscale shop as opposed to a big department store, in the same way a boutique hotel is different from a bigger Hotel Chain, which is generally standardized in features and looks. Boutique hotels are more expected to deliver the zest of the location where it is set and it is by and large a one-of-a-kind experience.
In a world that is turning towards standardization, where supplies, stores, restaurants, indeed society in general is developing into a homogenized entity, boutique hotels are a beacon for diversity and originality.
Indeed, from the vantage point of the water, the construction is in harmony with the sea and the moored boats. A similar impression can be felt by other of Nouvel's productions like the Muse Quai Branly in Paris, the Akbar Tower in Barcelona and the project in Colle Val d'Elsa in Tuscany. Nouvel proclaims himself resistant to the "carbon copy cities" in an interview by Renata Fontanelli appeared in La Repubblica, Italy, on October 12th 2009, and of which here are some snippets roughly translated from Italian:
"Lately one cannot tell the difference from the cities of San Paolo in Brazil from Dubai or Shanghai from Milan as designers seem not to take into consideration the uniqueness of each urban agglomeration . Architects do not appear to look at the light, the wind, the water, the history and the culture that make every city, be it small or large, unique. [...] Today," says Nouvel, "modern architecture lies in the relation with its context."
This vision is in agreement with the modern traveler's rising attention to boutique hotels. In truth, in the past 20 years the market of boutique hotels has experienced a remarkable surge and this is perhaps due to the fact that people are looking more and more for a hotel that can provide them with a pinch of the city's essence, rather than picking a "carbon copy hotel", a "big box" the likes of which you could find in any other city.
Just like a "boutique" in French is a small upscale shop as opposed to a big department store, in the same way a boutique hotel is different from a bigger Hotel Chain, which is generally standardized in features and looks. Boutique hotels are more expected to deliver the zest of the location where it is set and it is by and large a one-of-a-kind experience.
In a world that is turning towards standardization, where supplies, stores, restaurants, indeed society in general is developing into a homogenized entity, boutique hotels are a beacon for diversity and originality.
About the Author:
David Maranzana is President of Epoque Hotels and Avantgarde Hotels, a collection of boutique hotels in the major destinations worldwide.
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