jl0630 - 2/1/09

Going downtown on Thursday was a great way to apply what we learned in Jencks’ work on architecture. The neatest part for me was seeing the wide array of large and important buildings in such close quarters, and then depicting its extreme differences in purpose and design. Typically, when I think of architecture, I think of major monuments such as the White House or the Taj Mahal - not only because they are worldly hotspots, but because their attraction singles them out. In a familiar city, like Orlando, however, I find that we hardly take the time to acknowledge and appreciate the many buildings for their individual look because there are so many of them to the point that they almost seem to blend.


When we were looking at the Bank of America building, we were pointed out urbane urbanism when looking at the trolly stop across the street, which broadened Jencks’ piece on architecture from the building, to what surrounds it. Being from Boston, home of The Big Dig (the most expensive federally-funded highway project in the nation), I have been one to appreciate how landscape compliments a whole. I find that it is more difficult to talk about landscape in reference to cities and highways because there is little vibrancy in skyscrapers and concrete. What hit home about Jencks and our fieldtrip into Orlando is the ability to find beauty in whatever surrounds us. Like we mentioned in our previous classes on Machery, being able to communicate or understand (in this case, Jenck’s ‘disharmonious harmony, pluralism…’ and such terms) it is easier to make references and thus appreciate the things that surround us.




(Picture of The Big Dig, Boston)