DIY Architecture Comix

Normally, looking at an architectural thesis is an exercise in pity. Pity, either for the student's idealistic naiveté or for their sheer banality of spirit. This one, however is a rare exception. The concept of a DIY punk architecture is progressive, yet the delivery, in the form of a graphic novel, is accessible. If you've ever sat through an architecture thesis crit then you'll appreciate this combination. They either tend to be so over-thought that they lose all sense of reality, or a mindless regurgitation of traditional forms and concepts.

Not that those of us who've been in the "real world" for several years would criticize this exercise any more than we'd criticize a Mormon groom at a bachelor party. These kids are likely in for a lifetime of missionary position commercial and institutional buildings. No point in taking away their fun.

But I really think that this guy is on to something. Something that many of us who had come to accept that the only role for punk in architecture was when we put on our headphones to crank out details and finish schedules. Something that we've admired about our fellow freaks who've gone on to pursue their talents in music, literary and visual arts, even if only in their free time. The ability to produce a finished product on one's own terms.

Architecture, frankly, requires a boatload of money to get anything useful built, and the people who have it fall into one of two categories: wealthy individuals or committees. Throw in NCARB, ICBO, and a million local planners, and there's not a whole lot of room for a DIY work ethic. For the most part architecture's just a job. In that respect, we're no different than artists working in coffee shops and factories who pull out the guitar or word processor in their free time. Maybe we get to do an occasional remodel or addition for a friend or relative. Unfortunately after doing it all day, it's hard to put one's heart into moonlighting on small cool projects. Without that distance between "work" and "art", I almost wonder if searching for the means to express one's self requires a break from the daily grind of professional practice.

The research portion of the thesis delves into the DIY movement in other arenas, and brings up one group of architects, Jersey Devil. Even their name sounds more like a punk band than a firm, and there nomadic practice conjures up images of Grandmapalooza. Still, their Bruce Goff-esque work depends on the patronage of the upper class. Another approach would be that of Jonathan Segal, who took on urban blight and bad taste by becoming his own developer. Ironically, his capitalist approach put modern design and urban infill into reach of the middle class, if not the actual poor. He's no Michael Pyatok, but he's doing a better job than all those "affordable" prefabs, and he doesn't have to drive a battered Volvo around to all those tedious community action group meetings

Fuck it, maybe I'll just take the Paolo Soleri route and sucker a bunch of hippies in to building my wacky shit for free.