Open Call: ASA International Design Competition 2016 | What Is The

New ‘Basic’?
What does the word ‘basic’ mean? Fundamental, critical, essential,
necessary – a these synonyms illustrate the significance of its meaning.
Architecturally, we often assoc ate the term with the primitive, the
vernacular evenihe banal. However, we sometimes forget to take into
consideration the relative and temporal nature of the term. What was
considered ‘basic’ in the 1900s was a radically different paradigm from
what we consider as ‘basic’ today.
Wireless technology, cloud storage, crypto currencies, smart materials –
today, we live in a much more transitory, intangible, and decentralized
world. Our vital companions are smart phones. Our essential workplace is
not a place but wireless connection.
We find ourselves in an era of radical transformation in economic,
ecological, political and climatic. This prompts us to rethink the notion of
‘basic’, to update the role and performance of architecture in order to be
able to keep up with our new lifestyle.