issue 16求高手指教~

yuanzi15

16. “Public buildings reveal much about the attitudes and values of the society that builds them. Today’s new schools, courthouses, airports, and libraries, for example, reflect the attitudes and values of today’s society.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

We live in a society where governments afford citizens public buildings from our taxes. People share public buildings and thus invariably concern much over the design of public buildings. It seems common that public buildings reflect the attitudes as well as values of the society. I essentially agree with this view, yet want to push it a little further that public buildings also reveal the demands of the society in different periods.

 

To begin with, public buildings have an essential role mirroring values of a society that builds them. History is replete with examples. Supreme Court was designed to match the legal values of the United States. After discussion over the design of the Supreme Court, the executives chose a classical architecture style, according to which, buildings should be build with dignity, at the same time keeping balance between the court and the judiciary system. Ultimately, the court was successfully built as a symbol of the highest justice in America. Besides courts, other public buildings such as schools, libraries and hospitals are designed in accordance with the societal standards. In short, public buildings act much like pubic media that convey social beliefs.

 

Similarly, today's new buildings are built with the societal values and attitudes. A good example is the redesign of the World
                Trade
                Center in New York. After September 11th, the rebuilt of the World
                    Center became a big issue. A Berlin architecture designed skyscrapers as the substitute. He explained that this design represented America’s economic height in the world. It also revealed the vigor and courage of the United States facing disasters. From this case, we see not only a design of building, but also a meaningful connotation behind it--persistence towards unfortunates.  

 

Moreover, public buildings also reflect the specific demands of a society. As the government builds more and more public fitness facilities, we can see people's desire for health. It is true that people concern about their health more strongly than they were ten years ago. Thus, the construction of public fitness facilities caters for their needs. In addition, Singapore's Zhangyi airport is in the construction of a new avenue. In this design, there are less unnecessary corridors but more applicable shops selling fast food and luxuries. It is no doubt that passengers will enjoy this new avenue because it saves their time, embodying the sense of effectiveness.

 

In sum, I fundamentally agree that public buildings reveal attitudes and values of the society but want to supplement that these buildings have another important role---reflecting the social needs. Public buildings are products of the societal awareness.

yuanzi15

求互改~