Contextual Architecture
In 2003 my family moved to a house in a newly built part of town in the neighborhood of Lamplight Village. Based on the Lamplight Village painting by Thomas Kinkade, it was beautiful. Not what you would expect from a Las Vegas home, but beautiful nonetheless. The facade of the two story home was light brown horizontal wood siding with big chocolate colored shutters, only for show of course. It had a spacious covered porch, a picturesque window seat and large leafy trees that lined the street every five feet or so. More than half the houses in the gated neighborhood had white picket fences and sprawling emerald lawns with landscaping that mirrored Thomas Kinkade’s paintings. Charming? Yes. Practical for Las Vegas? Absolutely …show more content…
Many designers are familiar with the phrase, “form follows function” but in this city, the built environment of Las Vegas would have you believe the the function and efficiency of the building are playing second fiddle to aesthetics. Our city is know for it’s “iconic” strip, a caricature of actual design. More recently decorated with towering structures wrapped completely in glass, evidently ignorant of our near constant heat, this is just a larger scaled version of the issues we faced living in Lamplight Village. As architecture students, we are taught to be thoughtful of site and just about every project starts with making sure there is a comprehensive knowledge of the location’s surroundings, the climate, and how to make a piece that fits in seamlessly. However, as a city, we have fallen into the unfortunate habit of allowing architecture that is not right for this environment and in turn becomes ineffective towards serving this community. So where does the disconnect lie? If we have a history of constantly tearing down and replacing casinos and hotels, on which our city runs, are they really designed for Las Vegas and built to last? If this city had been built more conscience of the environment in which they sit than on their aesthetics, they would stand a greater chance of lasting longer and operating as intended within Las
In 2003 my family moved to a house in a newly built part of town in the neighborhood of Lamplight Village. Based on the Lamplight Village painting by Thomas Kinkade, it was beautiful. Not what you would expect from a Las Vegas home, but beautiful nonetheless. The facade of the two story home was light brown horizontal wood siding with big chocolate colored shutters, only for show of course. It had a spacious covered porch, a picturesque window seat and large leafy trees that lined the street every five feet or so. More than half the houses in the gated neighborhood had white picket fences and sprawling emerald lawns with landscaping that mirrored Thomas Kinkade’s paintings. Charming? Yes. Practical for Las Vegas? Absolutely …show more content…
Many designers are familiar with the phrase, “form follows function” but in this city, the built environment of Las Vegas would have you believe the the function and efficiency of the building are playing second fiddle to aesthetics. Our city is know for it’s “iconic” strip, a caricature of actual design. More recently decorated with towering structures wrapped completely in glass, evidently ignorant of our near constant heat, this is just a larger scaled version of the issues we faced living in Lamplight Village. As architecture students, we are taught to be thoughtful of site and just about every project starts with making sure there is a comprehensive knowledge of the location’s surroundings, the climate, and how to make a piece that fits in seamlessly. However, as a city, we have fallen into the unfortunate habit of allowing architecture that is not right for this environment and in turn becomes ineffective towards serving this community. So where does the disconnect lie? If we have a history of constantly tearing down and replacing casinos and hotels, on which our city runs, are they really designed for Las Vegas and built to last? If this city had been built more conscience of the environment in which they sit than on their aesthetics, they would stand a greater chance of lasting longer and operating as intended within Las