A Culturalist Manifesto

Abstract

Society is sculpted by the information it is fed. A particular society’s habits are a direct product of an education and value system and what has been internalized from those systems. Architecture is a direct appearance of this information-feeding, and in this instance, “architecture” can be defined to encompass the physical manifestations of social and economic viewpoints. Accordingly, architects are informers of a particular viewpoint; that is, architects are the visual communicators of a society’s value system. So what can we deduce from the modern built environment and patterns of development in a particular place? What can be said about how architects respond to the cultural conditioning which they undergo in everyday life and with the skills and thought-processes that are a product of their formal education? How do architects inform the society, as the wider audience, of a political, economic, or social strategies and methods, and how do we do this as a place-based design problem? The context within which I am examining is Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids, as a post-industrial city in a post-industrial state and region, has taken many efforts to “re-invent”, “re-identify”, and “re-brand” itself in the past 30 years. These efforts ride on the contingencies of economic revitalization and diversification, as well as shifting a culture and knowledge-base. With its rich history of furniture design and manufacture, due to inherent natural conditions and entrepreneurial spirit, Grand Rapids established itself as the center of the furniture-manufacturing industry. This continues to be true today with the presence of Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth. Furthermore, the culture of the place, as it has developed, has fostered a philanthropic spirit that has infused the city and its residents with the capital needed to support this transformative economy. This transformation of place has a direct relationship with the local people. The history of design in Grand Rapids begins with the furniture manufacturers and continues to modern multi-disciplinary design firms. Design, as a platform for innovation and economic strategy, is critical for the advancement of post-industrial cities into new-age economies and it has the potential to distinguish “place” in an ever-increasing global culture. This thesis sets out to explore the role that design, as an industry, a catalyst, and a culture, plays in Grand Rapids, as well as the potential for further harnessing the design-prowess of the region to strategically shift a culture and economy. Through the coordinated collaboration of politicians, business leaders, and educators with different design professionals, Grand Rapids and West Michigan can position itself as a diversified economic hub with a distinguished culture and sense of place. How does architecture respond to this, and how does an architectural insertion position itself as an advocate for design-thinking?