[caption id="attachment_8940" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Michael Maltzan Architecture. Inner-City Arts. Los Angeles, California. 1993-2008 Image: Iwan Baan."][/caption]
In the Museum of Modern Art’s Special Exhibition Gallery, the Department of Architecture and Design will present its new show “Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement,” on view from October 3, 2010 to January 3, 2011. Focusing on just contemporary architecture projects in destitute and struggling neighborhoods (the small scale), the exhibit examines the ways in which these projects have transformed the entire community (the big change). Curator Andres Lepik notes that “the influence of architecture on society has always been a central aspect in architecture in the 20th century,” and all these projects demonstrate this principle.
“Small Scale, Big Change” looks at regions in Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, France, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and the United States that have benefited from the schools, community centers, or housing built by socially conscious architects. Each of the 11 examples provided in the show is unique, but of course this is only a fraction of the architecture-societal improvement projects going on. “The main criteria for the selection process [for this exhibit]” said Lepik, “were a low budget, the direct involvement of the community into the planning or even into the construction, social and ecological sustainability, and the long-term commitment of the architect into this project.”
So what are some of the projects? One is the Handmade School in Bangladesh by Anna Heringer and Elke Roswag. After Heringer’s research of the socio-economic status of the region and her proposal, the two-story building’s construction process could only begin after a year of planning and fund-raising. The Handmade School’s design reflects that of the traditional buildings and was even made with local materials like clay, sand, and earth. The final result is a building complete with classrooms and cave-like play areas.
Another project closer to home is the Inner-City Arts building in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles. A 15-year commitment for architect Michael Maltzan, this enterprise aimed to bring the art and culture to the youth of this impoverished and dangerous area. The one-acre building has a geometric design that is inviting and open, and with its white-stucco walls, it definitely stands out. Since Inner-City Arts completion in 2008, it is already serving its community.
This is just a taste of what “Small Scale, Big Change” presents. It is the sheer variety of buildings, regions, concepts, and changes that make it such a powerful exhibit. As Lepik stated, “altogether, these architects don’t form a group or a style, but they have one common vision: to improve the human condition by practical solutions and good design.”
[caption id="attachment_8943" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Michael Maltzan Architecture. Inner-City Arts. Los Angeles, California. 1993-2008 Image: Iwan Baan."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_8944" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag. METI – Handmade School. Rudrapur, Bangladesh. 2004-06 Image: Kurt Hörbst."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_8945" align="alignnone" width="560" caption="Anna Heringer. METI – Handmade School. Rudrapur, Bangladesh. 2004-06 Image: Kurt Hörbst."][/caption]
