THE RIGHT ANGLE JOURNAL REFRESHED
THE RIGHT ANGLE JOURNAL REFRESHED
Welcome back to The Right Angle Journal.
We’ve come up with some new answers to old questions and we hope you’ll join us in the discussion.
Tune in next month for “Residential Architecture: Sanctuary or Asset?”
Architectural Obsolescence
Is Obsolescence inevitable? Out with the old, in with the new, ad infinitum? It feels like this is the way of the world. Progress depends on it.
During the COVID hiatus, we took some time off to ask ourselves: is The Right Angle Journal becoming obsolete? Would that be so terrible? After all, obsolescence has been the hallmark of so many architectural journals over the past century-and-a-half that our departure would be helping to perpetuate a noble tradition. In other words, we could help keep obsolescence from becoming obsolete. It seemed the least we could do.
But that led us to deeper questions. Was architecture itself becoming obsolete? By design (as in the planned obsolescence of buildings)? By neglect (e.g., the Ontario Science Centre)? By attrition (the profession itself)? If so, can this process be harnessed, halted or reversed?
We began to think that these questions were serious enough to merit serious discussion, which required that we pick up where we left off. Let’s call this Question No. 5.
BUILDINGS: HOW DID ARCHITECTURE GET TO BE A DISPOSABLE COMMODITY?
To put the question another way: When did it become OK to discard perfectly (or relatively) sound buildings, as though they were old appliance or stale-dated package goods, simply because they’re out-of-date or too much trouble to maintain, or the land they sit on could be used more profitably?
ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE 1: THE LOSS
On 18 April 2023, Premier Doug Ford announced the Ontario Government’s general plan to replace the Ontario Science Centre with a smaller, newer institution on the Toronto waterfront. Now, a year and a half later they are taking apart the exhibits.
ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE 2: AGEISM
You might not want to read the following story. It’s being told by an individual over the age of 50, so you know, it’s probably irrelevant. If you are also “older” (psychologists prefer this to the word “old,” which has negative connotations), you may be able to relate to this story. If, on the other hand, you’re a younger individual, you might learn something that will help you to prepare for the inevitable.
“Just remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like you.”— Bullwinkle J. Moose
LITTLE BRITAIN TOT LOT
Living in Sudbury could make anyone believe that it is a rapidly growing city, and the bustling hub of Northern Ontario, but taking a walk down Durham St reveals more empty windows than “open” signs. Every week, a new article seems to materialize that explains that, in spite of the owners’ best efforts, they have to close down their business, leaving their building to run down as no new business comes to take its place.
THE PROFESSION 1: ARCHITECTING WITHOUT ARCHITECTS
Obsolescence—“becoming obsolete,” (from the Latin obsolēscere, "to fall into disuse")—is a natural process.1 Everything has a lifespan. These days, it feels like obsolescence (planned or otherwise) is welcomed and even hurried along, encouraging us to replace anything that is old and unfashionable with something newer and shinier.
THE PROFESSION 2: ARCHITECTURE REDEFINED
As long as I can remember I always wanted to become an Architect. It turns out I already am one of sorts, just not in the traditional sense.