Cuckoo 2/7

I really enjoyed Thursday’s class for a couple of reasons. I have never gone downtown to look at the architecture. It really helped me grasp the understanding of postmodern architecture by having the chance to actually look at the buildings rather than images. In class we have been looking at pictures of different buildings but being able to see the buildings up close and talk about the different elements of postmodern architecture really furthered my understanding. I never realized how many buildings where postmodern, but as we were driving downtown we looked out the windows and named some of the different types of building, many which seemed to be urban urbanism. It is not until you sit back and look at the buildings that, at least for myself, you realize how many different styles have been compressed into one building. I don’t think I am going to be able to look at a building again without thinking about disharmonious harmony, anamnesis, radical eclecticism, or any of the other concepts of postmodern architecture.

While we were looking at Bank of America Building the idea of an open text was brought up again. The building is composed of a couple of buildings at different levels and it looks like the Cingular symbol. When the architect was designing the building Cingular was not around, therefore, he did not intentionally incorporate the symbol. It is something that we saw in the building. This also goes into the idea of how we are able to look at a companies symbol and know what it is without having any word associated with it. When someone pointed out it looking like the Cingular bars we all were able to see what they were talking about. It did not have to be clearly pointed out and shown, we all were familiar with the image.