Timely/timeless : temporality and perpetuity in architecture

Abstract

In modern consumer culture where history and tradition are mere footnotes to the insatiable obsession for instant gratification, much of today's architecture profession has maintained its philosophy around past glory and heroism. Many of us continue to approach architecture with the conviction for the enduring qualities of our craft while dismissing the ephemeral but most valuable attributes emanating from the popular trends. At a time when even the "avant-garde" -- once symbolizing the revolutionary social and economic efforts through art -- has come to mean cozy peddling of the exclusive few's whims, a non-exhaustive sequence of momentary trends is all that is left to inform the architecture for the rest of us. I propose architecture that can be more culturally relevant and less hypocritical about its connection to that same culture. I have designed an entertainment center for a television station to illustrate this thesis.