Complex Context

Kristopher Huisinga (MArch 2008) received the Sarah McArthur Nix Traveling Fellowship through the University of Virginia school of Architecture in the spring of 2007. He spent six weeks in Paris studying the context. Kristopher's explorations into the architectural context of Paris sought a new understanding of how contemporary Parisian architecture reflects the reality of the built environment. Instead of relying on antiquated ideas of urban fabric, street frontages, and Haussmann-era urbanism, the New Architecture of Paris responds to issues such as technology and social issues. This collection of essays covers subjects as diverse as the urbanism of cemeteries, navigation of the Metro, and an interview with Parisian architect Christophe Lab about architect, context, and the social agenda needed by architects in contemporary Paris.