Learning from Las Vegas: A Way of Being Radical for an Architect Essay

Learning from the existing landscape is a way of being radical for an architect. The word ‘radical’ is appropriate to describe the available information from the architects’ perspective. Being radical can lead an architect to far reaching goals because a radical architect will always think beyond the usual course followed by the customary architects. A radical architect will try to bring about fundamental alterations to the existing system rather than inventing a new one that is not proved or tested. Being radical will mean that the architect, while understanding the basics of the norms of architecture, will try to amend and improve upon them and will always uphold the societal values in his/her designs. Architects should be open to creating designs as per the people’s taste, desire, and culture. It would be unprofessional on the part of architects to create designs that are targeted at achieving fame and financial gains (Venturi 1977). In today’s scenario, architects have a preference for changing the outlook of any particular environment. On the contrary, a radical architect would incorporate certain improvements in the existing environment to blend it with the requirement of the people.

The author talks about ‘architecture as space’. It was the vision of a radical architect who transferred the idea of the Roman piazza into a modern coffee shop with a designated space for parking. The Roman piazza had a sophisticated blending of the interior (meant for private use) and the exterior (meant for public use). Likewise the Roman piazza modern coffee shops, shopping malls, casinos, etc. have private interiors that are meant for customers and the exterior space can be used by the public for parking purpose.

The author also talks about Modernism. Modernism in architecture involves radical changes that are clearly visible in the designs. The huge expanses of luxury villas and skyscrapers are appropriate examples of Modernism. Even the layout of cities has been changed to give them a better and organized look. Radical architects have brought about appreciable changes to the cities’ skylines. In the modern times, the definition of architecture has been changed. Now-a-days, architecture is not only about designing the structures and their layouts but it also includes the painting patterns and graphical display of various things. Even at the marketplaces we see the shops covered with advertisements and displays. All this is a result of Modernism that has been possible due to the radical approach adopted by modern architects. It’s true that the assimilation of art and architecture has always been appreciated but that doesn’t mean that it was always practiced. At the same time, it is to be understood that art was used in structures but it was independent from the main structure; it was a sort of ornamental addition.

The author has devoted ample space for discussing the ‘main street and the strip’. The layout of the main street is depicted to be very systematic. The casinos are located at approachable distance from each other and are connected by roads. There are sidewalks from where the pedestrians can hear the sound of the gambling machines. There is also a rail and road crossway. All such things suggest a radical way of designing. During the years, there have been further changes (improvements) in the layout and design of the street.

The author has tried to depict architecture as a tool for persuasion as well. Persuasion in business relates to advertisement. Advertising is not a difficult job but advertising at the right place is what matters. It needs a radical approach to place advertisements and billboards at a place that will have the maximum exposure. Since the lanes are narrow, advertisements or billboards on the buildings cannot be viewed by the pedestrians. So the radical architect thought of a novel way of advertising (persuasion). The display windows that are meant for displaying merchandise are used to display certain offers so that the people approaching the marketplace from the car parking can view and avail the offers if needed. Such kind of advertisement can be termed as ‘commercial persuasion’. In addition to the right place for advertising, the proximity is also considered as an important factor. The lanes are narrow so that the pedestrians can smell the aroma of bakery products through the open doors and windows. This again is a radical approach of the architect. The architect of the street has kept into consideration the interests of the people (the owners and the customers) as well (in addition to creating an image).

Yet another radical approach adopted for the shops is their low height. The reason behind this is that having a low ceiling means decreased inner space and less inner space means better cooling by the air conditioners. Considering all the aforementioned points and discussion, it is evident that the word ‘radical’ is appropriate for the thesis statement of this essay. Architects can learn a lot from this radical approach and design better structures that have an essence of the architectural norms.

Reference

Venturi, Robert. Learning from Las Vegas – Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1977.