Bricks of Change

Kengo Kuma's "Water Block House Fragments" (2008)In the second half of “The Geography of Nowhere,” Kunstler transitions out of his embittered examination of gentrification and city planning. Adding elements of the psychoanalytical, he exposes the international notion of home, and the various materials we employ to help construct this ideal. Whether these materials function to our benefit or our detriment, though, is up for discussion.

The Prefabricated Dwelling, a style of architecture often simply referred to as “prefab,” has always been the ultimate in aiding denizens of the world in their reluctance to settle down. Those who value change in landscape over change in real estate or interior decoration are typically those who appreciate prefab homes, which are typically constructed of small, light, uniform pieces that can be stacked and packed into a small space and easily relocated and reassembled. The Lincoln Log cabin is one of the first examples of such a model, but one that uses materials typical of home construction.

In the Museum of Modern Art’s recent exhibit, “Home Delivery,” architects and masters of innovation from all over the world contributed their designs for prefab dwellings. Many of the featured designs were highly unconventional in their layout and use of materials. Perhaps the most organic and resourceful in his prefab home design was Kengo Kuma, a Japanese architect whose professional aim is to “recover the tradition of Japanese buildings and reinterpret it for the 21st century.”

Kuma’s “Water Block House Fragments” from 2008 are a stackable and interconnecting series of clear jugs that hold water. The jugs can be filled with dyed water to maximize the house’s outrageous aesthetic, or with clear to remain minimalist. During a move, the jugs are emptied of their water so that they are nearly weightless to transport. But when a plot of land is selected and the house is ready to be assembled, the jugs are individually refilled, immediately converting the house’s building blocks back to an industrial, stable material.

It’s not clear to me from Kunstler’s point of view how he would regard such an artistic and abstract foray into the notion of house-building, but it seems to me as though Kuma and his contemporaries have struck a happy balance. Their designs are, by nature, marketable to the restless human way, but they narrow that audience down to a niche that appreciates art and aesthetics in an unconventional manner.