43 postmodernism ii "the decorated shed"

Modern urban landscapes (like Las Vagas) need words to convey their meanings. Buildings can represent their meanings in two basic ways:

Duck vs. Decorated Shed

Postmodernism II

Portland Building 1980

Portland Municipal Building

Portland, OR

1980

Michael Graves

Chicago Public Library

1987 Thomas Beeby

HWLC

Aerial

HWLC

Boston Public Library

Marshal Field Wholesale, 1885

Marshal Field Wholesale Bld.

Bibliotheque St Genevive (1843)

Bibliotheque Ste. Genevive

Cornerstone detail

HWLC, acroteria

plan

Aerial

Back

FCC

FCC, construction photo

AT&T Building, NYC, 1979 Philip Johnson

Postmodern Bob Evans

“Architecture is the decoration of shelter.”

–Venturi

Modern urban landscapes (like Las Vagas) need words to convey their meanings. Buildings can represent their meanings in two basic ways:

Duck vs. Decorated Shed

The Duck is a building that is its sign. Meaning and symbol are one. The sign and the building are not separate but the building itself represents its

meaning. (The term comes from a poultry shop in the shape of a duck)

Duck

Doge’s Palace (Venice c. 1300-1400),

Decorated Shed

Parthenon

Duck

Institute for Scientific Information (35th at Market) Venturi

Decorated Shed

The Decorated Shed is a building where the sign is separate and the meaning is applied via a sign. Meaning is contained in the sign and the architecture itself becomes unimportant. The same building could be a

church or a casino, it depends only on the sign.

Superior Court Building, Manchester, CT, Allan Greenbergconverted from a strip mall supermarket, mid 1970s

Decorated Shed

Ch

Liberty Place and Chrystler Bld.