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| The Curtain House exhibits its lack of exterior structure by use of a curtain as a blockade to the outside. (photo: Shigeru Ban Architects) |
Through advances in technology, our
connection to the outside world is more exposed, and we are no longer
completely shielded from what is happening around us. After the information technology bubble occurred in the
mid 1990s, the communication and transfer of information has become a constant
authority in everyone’s life.
"This has shifted our lives into
a state of constant interaction with the outside world, where we must choose if
we are to interact with or ignore the messages given to us," said Architecture and Society student Elliott Carson.
Because of the constant white noise of
technological interconnections, we must choose rather or not we are to interact
with it. Since technology provides an endless mass of communication about our
society, we are constantly aware of its presence even if we do not know the
meaning behind its messages. It is up to us to either ignore these messages or
to make assumptions regarding their relation with the domain outside of our
private realms.
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| The interior of the Curtain Wall House lacks walls besides the closed curtain surrounding the structure. (photo: Shigeru Ban Architects) |
In the Curtain Wall House, Shigeru Ban emphasizes
technology’s advancing role in society and its effect on our everyday lives by
use of a curtain as an outer shield to the city environment rather than a solid material. The curtain material may exclude the visual aspects of the
city, but it leaves the home open to the chatter of the surrounding
environment.
This chatter resembles the inherent viral chatter allotted in technology’s
span of information; it is never ceasing, and one must choose rather or not
they are to interact with it. The inhabitants of the home are left to either ignore
the audial cues from the outdoors or to make assumptions as to their meaning
and relevance.
"The architectural design and use of materials respond to the constant mass communication trend of technology", said Elliott Carson.
