Cedric Price
• Montage: "Pull quote on perspective", Cedric Price, 'FAX to IFCCA Prize Coordinator', 14 January 1999. [1] [2]
Cedric Price gave two reasons for his "own nomination and extreme interest in participation in the IFCCA project", namely:—
- ... because it is singular, if not unique, in recognising, in architectural terms, the necessity for anticipation of social change in community and the individual, and in the constructive response of the built environment; and
- ... because it assumes that not only is the 'city' likely to remain a humane container but that architecture is still deemed as a key participant.
Cedric Price also identified a need. namely:—
- The need to equate the involvement of Human aspirations with the form, movement and ' 'life' span of the Inanimate is still an incomplete equation which requires continuous updating. [3]
This Table indicates a range of urban planning and design projects by Cedric Price.
[edit] Fun Palace"... a short-life public urban skill and delight 'toy' for random usage by all on a riverside site." |
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[edit] South Bank"... required by the City Authority to be revitalised improving access, communications and accommodation for an ever changing world clientele. |
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[edit] Potteries Thinkbelt"Change occurs constantly in learning requiring an alternative to university, employing varying means of exchange in the industrial U.K. Midlands ... " |
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[edit] Generator"... enabled individual and groups activities to be realised and changed by both computer and machine means." |
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[edit] Stratton"The Rhine crossing at Strasbourg provided an opportunity for re-using redundant docklands with realigned rail (T.G.V.) and roadways in both countries while industries and housing could enrich the existing centres of learning." |
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[edit] Magnet"... located in and around Central London and invest city movement not only with convenience but also Delight." |
[edit] Notes
[1] Cedric Price (1999) 'FAX to IFCCA Prize Coordinator', 14 January.
[2] Cedric Price (1999) 'perspective view looking east from the Hudson River', CCA.
[3] According to the Canadian Centre for Architecture:—
- "[Cedric Price] worked from the premise that in order to establish a valid equation between contemporary social aspirations and architecture, it is essential to add to the latter "Doubt, Delight, and Change," as design criteria."
- (CCA, 2009, 'Cedric Price fonds').
[edit] References
[edit] Further Reading
Wikipedia (2023) 'Social change', 16 March.
--Archiblog 16:30, 27 Mar 2023 (BST)
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
ATOM: A generating system designed by Cedric Price
Digital socialism and the non-planners
[edit] ADDENDUM
[edit] • Potteries Thinkbelt
- "This study proposes a valid national and regional distribution of educational institutions." [12]
- See also [13] [14] [15].
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[edit] • Oxford Corner House
- "Electronic links with Central and Local Government, Commerce, Industry and Education are provided for since many of the functions of OCH correspond to those previously found in the town hall, the labour exchange or the official envelope through the letter-box."
- (Cedric Price, 'Self-pace public skill and information hive', AD/5/68, pp.237-239) [16]
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[edit] • Atom
- "...this thesis postulates both a first set of tools (buildings, equipment, etc.) together with a development plan sufficiently indeterminate to encourage varied and possible diverse development modes."
- (Cedric Price, 'Atom', AD/5/68, p.234) [6]
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[edit] • Detroit Think Grid
- "The Community College would appear to be an ideal agency (for the task of introducing an addiitional comprehensive sensitive to needs not yet formulated) since not only has its role not crystallised into any particular authoritarian educational patern, such as is the case with most universities, but also its very structure can be extremely sensitive to society's change."
- (Cedric Price, 'Oakland Community College', AD/6/71, p.354) [7]
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[edit] • BMI/HQ
- "...such a building as that proposed can provide the continuous scientific, technological, cultural 'servicing' required by both the individual and the group. At the same time the building can act as the nerve centre, producer and distributor of an enormous range of services to members and the public in the region."
- (Cedric Price, 'BMI: HQ/Birmingham and Midland Institute, Birmingham, England', AD/6/71, p.364) [8]
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[edit] • Inter-Action Centre
- "The Interaction Centre [...] is a logical follow-through from the earlier projects: the primary structure forming a relatively large-scale, long-life shelter and framework for the flexible secondary enclosures and components."
- (Steve Mullin, 'Cedric Price: or still keeps going when everything else has stopped', AD/5/76, p.286. [9]
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[edit] • Generator
- "A forest facility for 1-100 users. Architecture is used as an aid to the extension of one's own interests. A series of structures, fittings and components that respond to the appetites that they themselves may generate. A 'menu' of items for individual and group demands of space, control, containment and delight. A place to work, create, think and stare."
- (Cedric Price, 'Generator, Florida, USA', AR/1/80, pp.16-17.) [10]
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[edit] COROLLARY: The house as a national service
[edit] 'A change is required in our current attitude to “Housing”'
- (“Housing”' by Cedric Price - in Extremely Provocative.) [11.1]
Successive 'housing' schemes are briefly presented in two columns:—
- The left-hand column contains a digitized image from the CCA file representing each successive scheme together with a 'Learn More' link to the file.
- The right-hand column contains 'Notes' linking to articles on the Designing Buildings website.
NOTE:—
- "This work has been concerned with postulating a coarse model of a potential 'housing' service which would help correct the shortfalls and ensure that future appetites and demands, as yet unknown, can be identified and when necessary, satisfied."
- (Cedric Price (1971) 'Housing', AD/10/71, p.620) [11.2]
[edit] • Potteries Thinkbelt student housing
- "At present a special and artificial status is accorded to student housing, ignoring its position within the community living cycle. The PTb programme reverses this by accepting the student as an integral part of the Local Authority housing programme, but using the 3-5 year student cycle as an opportunity for hot-house research into new living patterns."
- (Cedric Price, 'Potteries Thinkbelt', AD/10/66, p.484.) [12]
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[edit] • Steel House
- See Steel House - Facsimile of 'Project analysis chart' and Clipping showing 'The kit of parts'.
- (Cedric Price, 'Steel House', AD/5/67, in 'Housing', AD/10/71, p.622.) [13]
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[edit] • 24 hour Living Toy
- "THE HOUSE IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE AS A PRE-SET ORDERING MECHANISM FOR FAMILY LIFE"
- (Cedric Price, '24 hour Living Toy', AD/1/71, pp.28-29, capitals in original.) [14]
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[edit] • Housing Research aka "Son of Thinkbelt"
- "It is only when housing is seen to be as malleable yet particular as a chocolate bar will there be valuable international exchange, public and private, of information on desirable attitudes to what could be one of the World's most enjoyable commodities — the house."
- (Cedric Price, 'Housing', AD/10/71, p.619.) [15]
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