There is the all the lemons fell down line of thinking also. What percentage
of buildings are still around after 100 years. Why are they still here? Or
what about yurts , mud and wattle or teepees? Ideas that work have details
that work. However new ways of building take chances. I'm sure the guy or
gal who thought of a tent after sleeping the night in the belly of a dead
mastodon wasn't perfect with the stitching.
-----Original Message-----
From: Barbara Mitchell <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 4:35 PM
Subject: Re: failed building materials


>Warning:  "serious" missive ahead -- skip to next message for
>light-heartedness (or is that light-headedness?)
>
>At 08:42 PM 8/24/1999 +0100, David West wrote:
>>Personally, I'm really interested in exploring the philosophical issues
>>relating to the preservation of building materials which fail.
>
>David,
>
>There may be some correlation between the preservation of failed building
>materials and the preservation of failed buildings.  No one would ever
>dismiss the idea of preserving Falling Water, for instance, despite the
>perceived "failure" of its structural design -- it is preserved for its
>architectural design and the idea behind the structural design, as much as
>for its association with its "great" architect, FLW.
>
>I think one way to deal with failed building materials is to preserve the
>idea behind them, not necessarily preserve them in-situ.  The Pruitt-Igoe
>housing complex in St. Louis was destroyed because it was considered a
>failed design (don't get me started on my counter to this claim), but the
>ideas behind it were preserved in writings, critiques, and in people's
>memories.  Some of the ideas may have been transformed into "successful"
>building projects, as well...
>
>Failed materials, details, and buildings do not necessarily have to be
>preserved for eternity in the traditional sense.  There's HABS/HAER-type
>documentation that can occur, technical articles that can be written, oral
>histories that can be collected... (just to name a few ways preservation
>can occur)
>
>Just some food for thought...
>
>Barbara
>
>(gotta stop reading those theory books...)
>