FACADE AND ITS STATUS IN THE CURRENT CENTURY
The time when the juxtaposition of introverted houses or the continuity of simple mud-brick walls played a role in our urban or even in our rural typology belongs to the distant past. Long ago, the traditional structures with simple protective surfaces were replaced by new buildings with extroverted façades, while the collective quality of Iranian mud-brick walls was replaced by the individual identity of semi-western particles, turning the façade into a field for urban assessment, monopoly of exhibi- tionism and individual rivalry. It seems that in this competition, the ‘successful’ façade of today is expected not only to surprise the viewer and serve as an image of the character of the building and its inhabitants, but also to fulfil urban and social responsibilities. As such, at times the façade serves as a battlefield for defending identities and reclaiming personal qualities, while at other times, it func- tions as a chance for responding to new criteria and expecta- tions and for finding a functional solution to the demands of modern qualities, technologies and functionality. A glance at the distinguished works of recent years reveals the vastness of this spectrum. Yet how can architects, in today’s complicated world, present their particles through a façade that would achieve a different status? And how can one escape from the vortex of designing another boring glass or aluminium façade, or one made up of incongruent materials? How is it that critics do not hesitate to utter statements such as: “They beheaded our cit- ies!”, and consider many Iranian architects to be trapped by the taste of the market or the nouveau-riche when deciding how to design façades? How can the ‘outer representation of architecture’ be truly defined in the 21st century and what is its status and rank in the evaluation of artistic values? Is this ‘membrane’ a detached element or an indispensable part of the totality of the work? How does one define the relation between the inside and the outside, between their detachment and attachment? The answer to such questions usually depends on the artist’s personal approach. Some consider the façade as a product of spatial design and compare the art of architecture to music: it is a unified piece which might only sound local. Oth- ers, in another camp, accord to the façade the same impor-
Zilverparkkade project, René van Zuuk Architekten, Lelystad, The Netherlands 2006
Shopping centre, Chapman Taylor, Munich, 2008