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Density as a concept of mixing functions and urban movement patterns became first topical in the after-war period of ‘Other Moderns’ such as Team 10, the Italian neo-rationalists and Venturi and Scott Brown in America.
Especially the work of the two latter architects Venturi and Scott Brown can be interpreted in the light of today’s discussions on density. Such a reinterpretation sheds new lights on lesser known aspects of this work and at the same time provides a historical context to this discussion.
Denise Scott Brown uses the term ‘socio-plastics’ to describe an architecture that relates to the activity patterns of people; a concept that was first conceived of by the Smithsons. In the work of Venturi and Scott Brown a keen sense is apparent of those activities that can be named ‘urban’, that relate to meeting, communication, information and interaction. The architecture gives form and place to these activities (in and around their buildings) in an expressive way and elaborate way.
In this paper density will be researched through the long forgotten concept of socio-plastics as it was interpreted in texts and in architectural projects by Venturi and Scott Brown. In particular a close reading of buildings will be done, on aspects such as the Internal Street, screens, transitions, movement patterns and context of the city.
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