This document summarizes a reaction paper about the book "Learning From Las Vegas" by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenur. The key points are: 1) Architects should learn from existing landscapes rather than ignore them or try to completely change them. They should embrace existing goods and enhance site conditions. 2) Analyzing the current status of a site is important for architects to understand in order to resynthesize designs that create a more familiar environment. 3) Combining architectural styles and using mixed media, as seen in examples like the Motel Monticello, is highly relevant for architecture today and makes designs more meaningful. Embracing and enhancing the past while

1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
(ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (JUNE 2017)
Name: Toh Kean Hou ID No.: 0319575
Lecturer: Nicholas Ng Khoon Wu Tutorial Time:
Reader/Text Title: Learning From Las Vegas Synopsis No: 2
Author: Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven
Izenur
Learning from the existing landscape is a revolutionary for an architect, which will lead us to how we actually
look atthings. Architects often ignore the goods in the existing environment and just decide to change it
instead of embrace the goods and enhance the current site condition. Gaining insightof a common place is
nothing new; early modern architects will just follow the previous architecture style without much adaption.
Analyzing the current status ofthe site is also a requirementofan architect, by that, architects are able to
resynthesize in design to create a more familiar environmentfor them. The fact that a lotof artist may not
think the same in term ofart, they might think creating something new can also regain the old or the
existing. This make a lotof them to create their own way ofdesigning instead ofenhancing the existing not
knowing the fact that this might not work. Space has been broughtup to architecture making architecture is
different from other artistic, enclosed spaces is whatthey have been focusing on knowing that it is the
easiestspace to handle butdefinition ofarchitecture as form and space were notenough. The overlapping
of disciplines may have diluted the architecture, butit enriched the meaning. This is when the mixture of
architecture has come into the scene because for them mixing ofstyle meantmixing ofmedia.
Combinations of architecture are deeply relevantto architecture today which makes a lot ofthings way more
meaningful, the conceptofmotel Monticello is one ofthe greatexample, mixture ofarchitecture of style and
signs; itis architecture ofcommunication over space. Itis also a new spatial order relating the automobile
and highway communication in an architecture which abandons pure form in favor ofmixed media.
Embracing the city as it is, analyzing what is there and from the understanding to implementnew theories
and concepts ofform. Enhancing the current site is very important and analyzing the locals knowing what
they are used to, mixing the old elements and implanting a new elementinto a new conceptmaking people
feel new and used to it. Enhancing the past and mixing with new elementis like remain the soul ofa city and
bringing in new form and looks, this will lead it to a very unique style ofarchitecture. Therefore analyzing
first then design will lead you into a more inspiring ideas and remain the soul ofthe city.
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