Accidental architecture

Sometimes, architecture pops out, even when you were not aiming for it. Architecture is a slippery concept, sometimes you fail despite the effort. And sometimes architecture appears on its own. Surprise.

Going through the city, you are most likely to encounter examples of this kind of architecture. An interesting brick pattern on an otherwise boring city block, bus terminal that needed to have a roof over a big span or parking house that tries to blend in by non-conventional facade. None of these were created as a piece of architecture. How come? Sometimes, you do not need an architect to create architecture. You only need to put extra effort into building. Do not settle for minimum.

That is all architecture needs to thrive. Small sacrifice. Money, time, effort or some combination of those. And it is great to see when someone who is not architect creates architecture. It is unexpected. And lovely.

I can always tell when someone put extra effort into something. We all can. Hard work shows itself. Your teacher can see it, your boss can see it, you can see it.

And I am especially happy when I see extra effort being put into the building. Many buildings are going to stay in their places for many years, and many people will pass by. And we want to make all people happy. People are influenced by their surrounding more than they think.

Accidental architecture often happens when engineers are building. Even though they are not aiming to create something of aesthetic value, they often do. That is because engineers aim for efficiency. They put a lot of extra work into making the building efficient. Use the right amount of steel, enough to be safe, but not more than necessary. They often create utilitarian aesthetic known from machines. Airplanes are beautiful. Amazing machines that soar through the sky. And sometimes, buildings are planes on the ground.

Below is a picture from the train station in Vejle, Denmark. I walk through this building every weekday. The construction is amazingly simple. Steel frame with tie rods, covered in industrial steel profile roof. Amazing, yet probably not on purpose. Oh, and by the way, they ruined it with those speakers hanging. I literally stopped the day they installed them. Disappointed.

The moral story of this? Do more than you are asked for. If we all live by this rule, the world will be better.

Cheers