Design Thinking

Kelly,

The blog looks great! Very easy to follow. I look forward to reading responses.

Ryan

Posted by Ryan Hargrove on January 17, 2008 at 09:28 AM EST #

I agree that the legacy of this building is a representation of African culture in an attempt to ?pay homage? in a sense to African people. It is a tribute to the South African Ndebele Tribe, a people whose art has always been a distinguishing trait between themselves and other tribes. The Ndebele artists combine concepts learned from their ancestors with linear elements observed in their environment, and are famous for doing their paintings freehand, without any prior layouts, although designs were planned in advance. You can read more about the Ndebele tribe on the following webpage: http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_ndebele.html

The designs on the outside of the Kalahari Condominium complex show the characteristic symmetry of the Ndebele Tribe. There is no doubt that this is a beautifully themed building. The intentions of the builders to create not only a tribute to African people, but also give the African-American people in Harlem a taste of cultural identity is honorable, but may end up having reverse effects. Jack Travis commented in the New York Times article, ?It is an environment,? he said. ?It is a small urban plan. And it is in a black community, which begs, desperately, for a cultural identity of buildings and spaces that reflect the notions and intentions of the people in the community.? This may be true, and I applaud the efforts being made to add culture and luxurious affordable housing to Harlem, but it seems that this type of building may not be taken seriously by the community. The interview with local John Nelson in the Times magazine already shows the irony that many of the Harlem residents may see in the Kalahari complex.

Although I?m sure the condominium complex will do fine in Harlem, it seems almost a waste that the builders didn?t decide to take the plans somewhere else. I can tell by the intricate strategy and décor of the building that many people have put a lot of effort and thought into representing the legacy of the African people through this building and hopefully it will be taken as seriously as it was intended to be.

Posted by Lindsay Gilliam on January 24, 2008 at 05:26 PM EST #

The Adinkra cloth symbols and Ndebele art utilized on the Kalahari?s façade represent a legacy rich in the history and society of the Akan and Ndebele people. The Adrinka symbols record historical moments, belief systems, and social behaviors and hierarchies. Thus, each symbol represents something uniquely significant to these people, and the Ndebele artwork identifies the tribe while tying back to the tribe?s ancestors. However, the Kalahari seems to slap up these symbols and designs in a desperate attempt to seem culturally aware and chic. Yet it feels haphazard and inconsiderate. Instead of tying the building to the roots of Harlem, that of a thriving African-American culture, it ignorantly grandstands as a throwback to ancestry, all the while ostracizing the majority of Harlem and disrespecting the significance of these symbols.

Each symbol represents a significant aspect of Akan and Ndebele culture, and while the patterns are used to adorn the façade in similar fashion to the way the Ndebele cover their houses, the building is not a Ndebele house. Ndebele people will not live there. Yet the symbols are the main marker of the Ndebele tribe. And while the Kalahari Desert, from which the building derives its name, does creep into South Africa, the Ndebele do not live near it. And the Akan are from Ghana, in a very distant north-western Africa. The building tries to tie together very separate straws whose only connection remains being pieces of African heritage. Yet each couldn?t be more different. If the build was going to reflect African culture, it shouldn?t have chosen just three very separate aspects of that vast continent, it should have found overarching foundations and rhythms of the entire land.

Also, the building, built primarily for upper-middle and upper class residents, seems to say to the lower classes, ?Why should you care about culture? Culture is only for those who can afford it.? The building would have been better off if it had channeled the already vibrant history of Harlem?the legacies of the Apollo, Langston Hughes, and the like while offering some sort of incentive to the everyday blue collar workers of the area. It tries to be culturally aware but instead becomes inappropriate for its location. The locals understand that, as made obvious by John Nelson?s sentiments in the New York Times article. Essentially, the designers failed to understand the site and what it needed, for the Kalahari is simply inappropriate.
See web links in above posts for more information.

Posted by Bryan Brooks on January 24, 2008 at 07:30 PM EST #

I believe that the legacy of the style and patterns used in the building reflects African heritage. The developers--Full Spectrum of NY in Harlem, and L & M Equity Participants in Larchmont, N.Y.-- have emphasized an African-themed design for the structure and have incorporated decorations inspired by the South African Ndebele tribal designs. Adinkra symbols embellish the columns and a El Anatsui, a Ghanaian artist, sculpture hangs it the lobby. This design and the decorations that adorn it provide cultural identity for the African-American community living in Harlem.

Though, in all honesty, it is difficult to incorporate the legacy of Afican culture in a building and have it truly expressed. The legacy starts with the people. When John Nelson asks, " They going to do that for what?"
"To get black people to come in the apartment?"
"People in our category," he said, "we can't afford that."
He proves a good point. To design a building that so greatly embelishes a culture, the building must also be able to inhabit the people that represent the culture. The fact that a family of four with a household income of $64,800 to $131,165 would qualify for one of the subsidized units makes the condominium accessable but not convient for the conditions of most Harlem residents.

Posted by James Geiger on January 24, 2008 at 08:09 PM EST #

The Kalahari Condominium clearly displays reproductions of culturally important designs for the Ndebele of South Africa, Ashanti of Ghana, and Bushmen of the Kalahari Savannah but as a local icon of the heritage of African Americans there is a serious disconnect. The façade and private courtyard are vibrantly decorated and portray African traditional art from these tribes. The street elevations depict the iconic art of the San Bushmen, whose ecological concern and sense of harmony with the environment is mirrored in the green roof and energy efficiency of the condominium. These well-thought out intricacies I must applaud, going ?green? is surely a very important part of modern architecture, but my claps stopped when I read the following:

"We chose the name Kalahari because we know how poor that area of Africa is, and yet its people have persevered ? we wanted to identify with the tribes of the Kalahari," Walter Edwards, CEO of Harlem-based Kalahari co-developer Full Spectrum of NY LLC.

That is a very nice thought, but what does this symbol laden piece of beautiful architecture mean to the locality? To the poor that cannot live there? This building towers above the low-income families of Harlem with symbols proposing unity. Just as individuals may fraudulently use altruistic themes to disguise greed for power and a selfish desire to further the segregation of people, this project claims to honor the community but adds bricks to the wall between the well-off and the socioeconomically oppressed. ?..and yet its [poor] people have persevered[will still be poor]??

Don?t misread me; I believe history and legacy are important and must be known and expressed in the artifacts of our age, but this is a tribute to a particular tribe set in a particularly awkward place with a particularly awkward price-range for a tribute to the poor.

The passion of the designers is true, but this building cannot unite by dominating the area with honors to exclusive tribes. Certainly a scholarly effort on the part of well-educated professionals, but overlooking the local people?s more recent and relevant legacy to pick and choose a tribe?s art which was the product of its more recent and relevant legacy is saddening.

As designers we seek to continue the human legacy and unite the elements of our communities as we progress into new ages of thought and organization. Sometimes an artifact, such as the Kalahari Harlem Condominium, has good intentions but undermines its own purpose. So we must be vigilant and responsible, taking care in choosing our contributions so as not to fortify a stagnant world of labels that work against our cause.

Sources:
http://www.kalahari-harlem.com/
http://www.nysun.com/article/50028
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/realestate/12post.html?_r=3&ref=realestate&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Posted by Matthew T. Bell on January 24, 2008 at 11:09 PM EST #

Over the last weekend I had an interesting conversation with two of my Indian friends, both of whom are Hindu, that may hold some relevance to this topic. In the conversation, a comment was made about the marketing of traditional Hindu symbols by name-brand stores such as American Eagle. American Eagle, in 2003, faced controversy over a flip-flop sandal that bore the design of the Hindu god Ganesh on its sole. After receiving countless complaints, mainly from Hindu activist Internet communities, American Eagle withdrew its product apologetically, representing one of many companies that face contention over designs that are traditionally ethnic or symbolic.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=66b10da4b2bb6bcdf22324495852dc1f

My friends also pointed out the marketing of the Om symbol, a divine Hindu symbol of balance and the Absolute, as a ?cool? piece of fashion jewelry, typically worn as a silver pendant on a leather chain. This spurred me to think of some other prominent designs in our product culture that draw from symbolic roots. Take for example the Chinese yin-yang symbol that can be seen as a common jewelry pendant design or fabric motif. As a fifth grader, the symbol was simply a fun thing to doodle in the margins of my homework?I was totally ignorant of its meaning.

This ignorance is what I am concerned about in American consumers, extending to those interested in condominiums advertising send-ups to African culture. It was agreed upon in the aforementioned conversation that wearing talismans or decorating with ethnic patterns when one understands their significance is perfectly acceptable. Yet marketing such designs to uneducated buyers who merely purchase for aesthetic appeal results in the cheapening and marginalization of truly powerful symbols. Legally, these aren't copyrighted images, making it an enticing design option, but I would encourage a little more consideration over economy here.

So when I first saw the drawings of the Kalahari complex, I was at first pleased by the freshness of the idea to adorn the facade of a building with patterns. Modern architecture, commonly referred to as being ?cold,? has lost the art of the truly unique design based in attention to personalizing details that were perhaps last seen in the Art Deco movement. But in further contemplation, I began to feel that the theme of the design may simply be more of a publicity stunt or marketing point than something that honors the roots of native Harlemites. And yes, the Kalahari is a totally themed building, as if it is some Disney resort or a child's birthday party. Perhaps a tad too critically, I argue that this is a gimmick.

It is also well known that Harlem has, since the early 90's, undergone a rapid gentrification. The demographics have changed significantly as an improved infrastructure, restored historic homes, condos, and new businesses have taken hold in the historically black and impoverished community, bringing with the changes new money and new blood. Will the tenants of the Kalahari even be representative of the community the building itself intends to represent? Will they know or even care about the meanings of the symbols of wisdom, strength, and advancement that are engraved on its walls? Most likely not. While no expert on New Yorkers by any means, I felt when I visited that the city's population of trendy, young professionals are a people seeking identity and uniqueness amongst the gray and black sea of suits. These are the type of people who I'd imagine are most interested in inhabiting such a place as the Kalahari?those seeking the unique and not necessarily the symbolic.

So to conclude, I am sure, like many of Harlem's revitalization projects, the Kalahari project is intended to breathe new life into the area as well as adding a new market appeal. However, as with most gentrification situations, new life may also result in the loss of the true character of a place. I believe that to truly capture the essence of Harlem, the traditional African symbols should not paint luxury condos but cultural centers, schools, and museums in the community. It is in such public areas that the true identity and meaning of African roots can be realized?not from a posh private courtyard. We must also consider that tracing back to the African heritage of Harlem residents may not best encapsulate all that is Harlem. Harlem, while widely considered the highest seat of African-American culture, is perhaps most revered for its prolific contribution to the arts during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Harlem has a unique identity that is both African and American. Slapping ethnic patterns on a conventional American condominium does not even begin to speak of the cross-cultural gem that is Harlem.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/news.cr?noteid=12881

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem#As_a_center_of_black_life

http://www.nycondoblog.com/?cat=95

Sorry, I couldn't get these to work as working links so just cut and paste into search bar.

Posted by Jayne M. Goethe on January 25, 2008 at 02:42 AM EST #

The legacy that the designers are trying to achieve with this building is one honoring both ?the new Harlem renaissance?, and the cultures of the area. They did this by incorporating patterns of a well-known tribe that have both symbolic and aesthetic connotations among the people who wear and appreciate them. The legacy of these symbols and patterns is one of beauty, time, achievement, and pride. They are a form of communication, relaying what is important to the people that use them, as well as a form of both innovation and tradition. Having been based on generations of understanding of such symbols, the tradition thrives and lives on among the people as a form of expression, although the purposes for such expression may have changed over time. The innovation aspect of these symbols comes with the incorporation of new symbols, including (as the provided website mentions) Benz, televisions, guns, etc., that represent things and ideas introduced to their society that made a great impact and important changes in their lives. The people are honoring both tradition and progression using an art form understood and utilized as a cultural identity. With this sort of understanding of the symbols used, it is fairly easy to see why the designers would choose symbols of this kind to represent a cultural identity, but the fact of the matter is that the cultural identity extends beyond aesthetics and could be more attributed to the heart and soul. The heart and soul of this building is not honoring the same cause or identity as its exterior façade. In this way, there is disjointedness in the design, therefore rendering the message intended muddled and weak, and perhaps indecipherable to many that it was intended for.

The idea of creating a building that is making efforts to become more environmentally friendly, as well as cognizant of the middle-income families, seems to be a step in a good direction. Also, I was thoroughly impressed with the community that is to be created around it, including the StreetSquash center for tutoring and teaching and the My Image Latino and African Diaspora film center. These are in fact fantastic additions to the community that will help and inspire people of all backgrounds and incomes. The disjointedness occurs here, however, when you remember that the building towering over these centers is a luxury condominium building. How does this tie into the legacy of Harlem and its people at all? Let alone the fact that many people in the area could never afford to live in such a place. It?s almost a cruel taunt. I also feel that buildings meant to honor the heritage of Harlem would actually honor the heritage of HARLEM, and not a specific tribe in Africa that the people of the area may or may not have descended from. Also many people, although proud of their ancestors and their legacies, may more easily identify with other Americans and traditions created and sustained on this continent than with those of their descendents. Why not honor these traditions? Why not honor HARLEM for what it is?!

I do not feel that this building does a good job of honoring the heritage of Harlem. The honorific elements are purely superficial, only extending so far as the façade. In this sense, although intentions may have been otherwise, it almost seems as though the efforts to honor themselves are superficial. I agree with those that call it kitsch or theme park-ish. It doesn?t seem to make a real internal effort, figuratively and literally.

I do, however, believe that not everyone is going to see it this way. On one blog on the subject, one person said this:
?It's obvious the white people are obviously threatened by the is recent development/condo project (aka gentrification) in Harlem. First, why are folks freaking out over this building, it was built for white people ? better yet, everyone but Afrikan people (that means anyone of direct/dominant Afrikan ancestry/heritage). Second, there was a time (less than 20 years ago) when white folks didn't give a damn about what was going on in Harlem (kitsch or not) now all of a sudden everyone and their momma has an opinion. Third, it's obvious the average "so-called" american has absolutely no idea of what's really organically Afrikan. ??so what there's going to be one building in NY with dominant Afrikan decor ? like the thousands of buildings throughout this country with european architectual and decorative features are a thrill for people of Afrikan decent (or other peoples of colour) want to have shoved down our throats every damned day. Ladies and gentlemen, hegemony at work in NY...? [http://curbed.com/archives/2006/11/13/it_happened_one_weekend_the_kalahari_shows_harlems_roots.php]
This statement is one that I myself would not have thought of right away. And it makes a good point, whether or not you agree with it. Although I do not personally believe that the designers of this building took the correct approach in their intentions, it is ultimately up to the people of Harlem and those who will use these buildings and community centers to decide for themselves how they feel about it. In the end, it is not our (as the people outside of the area) decision or judgment to make.

http://www.kalahari-harlem.com/
http://curbed.com/archives/2006/11/13/it_happened_one_weekend_the_kalahari_shows_harlems_roots.php
http://curbed.com/archives/2006/01/17/harlem_development_update_the_kalahari.php
http://jschumacher.typepad.com/joe/buildings/index.html
http://www.cherryflava.com/cherryflava/2007/05/nyc_property_de.html

Posted by Allison J Edwards on January 25, 2008 at 12:33 PM EST #

Sorry many of the type characters don't appear in my previous post.

Posted by Jordan Gray on January 25, 2008 at 01:27 PM EST #

I really don?t think the building reflects the legacy of the Adinkra symbols or the culture of South African Ndebele by any means. Many Adinkra symbols derived from deeply imbedded myths and folk tales of west African culture. The markings on this ?afrocentric? building don?t even show any of the symbols. The building?s color scheme, materials, and some of the markings are seen in many African patterns and cultures but it does not solely reflect southern culture, west African culture, and much less Adinkra.

I?d expect the designer to put the building in an area where it would be appreciated. Adinkra symbols reflect the beliefs and traditions of the people who live in west Africa. It would make more sense to me if the building reflected the people in Harlem. An expensive building like that across the street from public housing! That is a slap in the face to the people of Harlem who will never be able to live in the building. Obviously John Nelson would agree with my statement.

Yes, Harlem is considered the ?intellectual center? of black America and the wisdom behind the history of Adinkra would seemingly make Harlem a perfect city to build. However, the only way this Kalahari condominium would not stand out like a sore thumb (and I don?t mean visually) is if the Harlem people could benefit from the building too. Not just being able to go to a $9 million tutorial center in the back of the building but actually live there.

Posted by Camille Jackson on February 05, 2008 at 12:25 PM EST #