Senescent Architecture. Deliberate decline over a period of time.
Deterioration is an act relative to the immediate entities surrounding a body. The City of Savannah as a whole entity is an example of gradual deterioration. The modular structure of the city creates a uniformity that lessens the chance of relativity. Each ward surrounds an individual park that provides a variation to the city in section and plan. The historical significance of Savannah as a city and precedent to other city planning provides an element of preservation. The aging of the city can be seen on the facades and the individual materials that make up the buildings. The understanding of age and deterioration is clear from the skins of the buildings and city. Can this process of deterioration be seen in other elements of a city? Or can the city display liveliness and perseverance when relative to one another?
The perception of a city and the individual buildings is influenced by the elements relative. If the understanding of Savannah is a historical destination relative to other major cities, then how can a new piece of architecture “fit in”? How can the site of the cotton exchange building be prompted to stay true to its history?
The appearance of senescence in a new piece of architecture allows for it to conform to the city from first glance. Corten Steel has properties that exhibit years of aging and deterioration as a form of protection from decay. The rust dripping onto the sidewalk from the steel facades day after day leaves its mark in the city. The adjacent buildings show cracks in the mortar and the erosion of the brick stays true to the city. As the city has been aging for decades, the new architecture plays a game of catch up with the immediate entities as it begins to stain the essence of the city.
Study of space in between façade and building
Elevation Study
