By Nassim HARISS, Year 10
We live in a world where minimalism is taking over. Everywhere we see new buildings and apartments being constructed. We see them being made simpler and more cubic than ever before. This enables constructions to be built faster and more efficiently, but it also saves costs, making profit margins greater. Some people like it, but does it destroy culture and diversity?
Everyone can agree that clothing reflects your personality. It is a truly personal thing that indicates to other people that people are a certain way. Clothing is also tightly linked to where you are from. People from different backgrounds have different ways of showing personality, through shape, color, and even texture. Infrastructures used to be built the same way. Throughout history, populations had many different architectural styles, with some becoming truly iconic, representing entire nations.
Of course, change is natural. Humans have always moved, it is part of our DNA. Empires also spread certain people’s culture. For example, the Islamic expansion which started in the Middle East spread all the way to North Africa and parts of Asia with its signature domes, minarets, and geometrical mosaics. There is also the European colonization starting in the 15th century with the Baroque style emerging. As detailed and beautiful as it was, an enormous amount of time and hands were needed in order to complete some. Yes, architectural styles have been shared by many people, but nowadays, everything is globalized, and housing will not escape from that.
Time was the problem. During the Industrial Revolution, population growth started to reach its peak. Chain production became the norm as more people needed resources to sustain growing populations. The same concept applies today. The population is growing rapidly, especially with the great rate of migration we have today which forces buildings to be built quickly, while still saving on costs to be able to accommodate people.
Because our society now works this way, building processes need to be more efficient to accommodate more people quicker. Minimalist houses and apartments seem like the only option here. These constructions have a very soulless “futuristic” look, which denatures traditional architecture from all over the world. Because the demand for housing was so much lower in older times, people could also afford to take more time to meticulously add detail.
Unfortunately, we do not have this time anymore. Entire cities have adopted this in the entire globe. So, are we going toward a world where everything looks the same everywhere? The worst of all is that it is becoming a trend. People now purposefully design homes and buildings in a minimalist way to make them more “pleasing to the eye”. Cities have become uniform and flat.
In the end, it all is a question of preference. Minimalism has proved its legitimacy. People buy it! You might also think it doesn’t really matter if buildings are the same. With or without minimalism, ancient architecture will probably always have its part in our societies, whether mankind likes it or not.
