Re: Book Review: Undesigning the Bath

Hi Gunnar, 
> I'm lost as to how this is cautionary for designers. ...Did the 
> book give actual examples of the evils of designed baths?

Well, I think "cautionary" might apply only if one is in a place 
where the book has that effect on you. He certainly aims a lot of 
cautionary language at architects. Other readers may find the book 
uninspiring or old hat. For me it was a timely reminder and an 
articulate statement. 

But to answer your question, I'll pass along one of his examples. The 
author visited a health & bathing club in Tokyo designed by Norman 
Foster. He reports that the black, minimalist, "design-as-sculpture" 
aesthetic was impressive, but in use, in the author's opinion, "the 
bath *looked* good but *felt* terrible." Examples:
- pool ledges were submerged about 15 centimeters to achieve a mirror 
like surface, resulting in sharp edges that people bang up against. 
- all the walking surfaces were slippery
- hot wet air enters the steam room at a meter above floor level, 
leaving your upper body sizzling and your lower body cool
- the "high tech sliding doors" were hard to open, causing a slow 
negotiation with the barrier every time you moved to a different area.

and so on. 

Really the book is more about holding up what the author considers 
desirable qualities, rather than slamming the bad. The example above 
is from the notes in back, not the main text. 

To me the value of the book is not its argument, even though I used 
the word "argument" in my original description. It's just a thing to 
be exposed to. A point of view. I find it useful to collect points of 
view, to have a lot of lenses I can hold up in front of a challenge, 
to allow my thinking to be influenced by the experience and value of 
others. I see the author has written a few other little texts. I'll 
probably check them out. 

Cheers,
Marc



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/ru9rlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

- - - - A I G A  E X P I E R I E N C E  D E S I G N - - - -

PURPOSE OF THE LIST:  The objective of AIGA Experience Design is to build an interdisciplinary community of professionals who design for a world in which experiences are increasingly digital and connected. This list has been established as a forum for the exchange of information among community members.

TO VIEW ARCHIVED MESSAGES: visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AIGAExperienceDesign

ETIQUETTE: We ask that participants observe common principles of civility and e-mail etiquette in their postings. Specifically, it is more appropriate to challenge ideas than individuals, and the list should *not* be used for personal communications, self-promotion, commercial solicitations or job postings.

JOB POSTINGS: Please post job listings on AIGA Design Jobs http://www.aiga.org/designjobs

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send e-mail to [email protected]

MORE INFORMATION: http://experiencedesign.aiga.org
 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AIGAExperienceDesign/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    [email protected]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/