Who is this guy? And why am I supposed to give a rodent's posterior
about what he thinks would be a good new discourse?
I have Ralph for that. And Ralph is much more amusing.
-jc
On Dec 2, 2004, at 2:29 PM, Met History wrote:
> ...being this open-minded - cross-post.... christopher
>
> From: Andres Duany <[log in to unmask]
> Date: November 26, 2004 11:38:25 AM EST
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: *To Do: A New Discourse Would Do for Vinyl What Ruskin Did
> for Iron.
> Reply-To: New Discourse <[log in to unmask]
>
> A new discourse would arrange a visit to a mobile home factory to see
> one built from beginning to end. And then it would visit the draftsman
> in the back room and determine how well his high school drafting class
> equipped him for being the designer of more houses than any of us will
> ever be,
>
> A new discourse would engage the window manufacturers and convince
> them
> to fabricate only windows that are well-proportioned. Less than one in
> five of the stock that they carry meets that criteria.
>
> A new discourse would spend a week on site with the superintendent of
> a
> volume house builder to see what determines what. Among other things,
> he would borrow the 25 pound nail gun from the untrained central
> American
> laborer to determine the precision available,
>
> A new discourse would collect samples of the artificial materials used
> for fencing, shutters,columns and the like to see how it has been
> getting better and better while wood has been getting worse and worse.
>
> A new discourse would get to know star-architects of the
> developers--who are their Gherys; and would bring them to explain
> what is it that they
> do.
>
> A new discourse would call the plan book services and find out which
> plans are their bestsellers. Then they would purchase them and analyze
> them for plan strategies, details and specifications with a precision
> accorded to a captured enemy missile.
>
> A new discourse wool invite the editors of the builder's magazines
> that
> sell 100 times more than Architectural Record. to become intimate with
> their concerns
>
> A new discourse would research the economics of practices that provide
> "builder's sets" for $15,000 and repeat fees of $500.
>
> A new discourse would engage the manufacturers of roofing, cornices,
> gutters, columns, balusters, front door assemblies and storefronts and
> signage and all another parts that are prefabricated and improve their
> form while leaving their manufacturing efficiencies intact. Those
> products would be certified, ranked good, better and best.
>
> A new discourse would quickly engage those who are dominating the
> current discourse with "green' building lest we be marginalized by
> modernists in collusion with environmentalists. A new discourse
> would study market preferences with the same zeal that builders do
> every year at their conferences.
>
> A new discourse would take over one of the builders magazines and
> counter the successful penetration of the market by Dwell's brilliant
> modernist campaign.
>
> A new discourse would learn to speak to builders in a way that does
> not
> frighten them the minute we open our mouths with a ridiculously
> refined
> Mid-Atlantic accent.
>
> A new discourse would key its architectural types to new form-based
> codes, like the SmartCode.
>
> The New Discourse List is a temporary forum for the discussion of
> progressive and new ideas in support of traditional architecture and
> urbanism. Please direct enquiries to the listowner, Dr Richard John
> ([log in to unmask]).
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