We’ve long elevated successful architects like Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid to the status of idols – but is the age of the ‘starchitect’ finally coming to an end? And are the glittering, headline grabbing, status-symbol buildings designed by such architects – London’s Shard by Renzo Piano, for example – actually a distraction from the true meaning and purpose of architecture?
These questions and more are posed in a new series called Rebel Architecture, which premiers in August on Al Jazeera English.
Instead of gazing starry-eyed at architecture’s masters of the universe, the new series focuses on the architects who are shunning the glamour of ‘starchitecture’ and using design to tackle the world’s urban, environmental and social crises.
Watch a trailer of the series here.
The series of six half-hour documentaries features architects from Vietnam, Nigeria, Spain, Pakistan, Israel/Occupied West Bank and Spain, all of whom believe architecture can – and must – do more than simply create iconic towers and luxury flats.
‘This series challenges our conceptions of architecture and design, and the way we cover them in the media’, says Giles Trendle, director of programmes at Al Jazeera English. ‘With surprising and inspiring stories from all over the world, it’s completely unlike any other programme on architecture.’
The theme of the programmes also encompasses one of the greatest societal issues of modern times, overpopulation and the overcrowding of urban areas.
According to the programme makers: ‘In 2010, the world’s urban population peaked, finally outweighing the number of people living in rural areas. But this seismic change in habitat has coincided with soaring pollution, a spectacular rise in global inequality, and the explosive growth of informal settlements. The six architects profiled in Rebel Architecture are willing to tackle these problems head on, even if it means being cast out by the architectural establishment.’
