Utopias, Dystopias and the architecture of J. G. Ballard (B.Arch Thesis)
Author: Brenda Ciríaco / Advisor: Ana Rolim
Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP), Brazil
Presented as a full paper in ARCHDESIGN '18 / V. International Architectural Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
This B.Arch thesis explores the intersection of modern architecture and literature through J. G. Ballard’s novels: High-Rise (1975), Crash (1973), and Concrete Island (1974). It delves into the historical significance of literature as a critical tool for understanding urban and social issues, particularly in the post-war era, which gave rise to both utopian visions and dystopian realities.
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Focusing on Ballard's depiction of dystopian scenarios within the context of modern architecture, the study proposes an architectural representation of the fictional skyscraper featured in High-Rise. By revisiting Ballard's narrative, it aims to enrich the architectural discourse beyond pragmatic concerns, fostering new perspectives on form, space, and societal implications.
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High-Rise serves as a poignant example of Ballard's exploration of the dystopian consequences of modern architectural ideologies. The novel portrays a vertical city plagued by social and cultural conflicts, reflecting the failures of utopian aspirations. Ballard's narrative resonates with real-world instances of brutalist architecture, highlighting the disconnect between architectural ideals and lived experiences.
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Through a visual representation of Ballard's narrative, the thesis seeks to spark discussions on the legacy of modern architecture and its impact on contemporary society.
 Modern utopian social housing buildings from 1950s: gradual failure turned these structures into dystopian scenarios, leading, in many cases, to demolition. |  Brutalist social housing complexes in the United Kingdom: mostly were either demolished or imploded. |  The historical context in the Twentieth-Century and examples of utopian literature produced. |
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 The literary works by J.G. Ballard focused on this study, particularly the novel High-Rise. |  Overall diagram: the contrast between townhouses and the new residential towers, just like Ballard's High-Rise. |  Conceptual section of a modern high-rise and its impact on the existing cityscape |
 Interpreting the idea of the "cliff" façade based on J.G. Ballard's description of the High-Rise. |  Two of the recurrent elements in buildings of the period: brise-soleil and the concept of "streets in the sky" created by British architects, Alison and Peter Smithson. |  The brutalist appearance and desolate ambiance of the skyscraper suggested by Ballard: a confined planet of glass and concrete. |
 Floor plans reflect Ballard's high density High-Rise and recurrent in many buildings in the United Kingdom and abroad in 1950s and 1960s. |  Building section: 1K inhabitants occupy 37 residential floors plus 3 levels of common spaces. |  A duplex apartment: in Ballard's High-Rise, the higher his characters lived, the richer they were and, as a consequence, their apartments were larger. |
 Building section: voids and protrusions from the cliff façade scheme generate staggered volumes in the interior |  According to Ballard, the vertical stacking of terraces looked like bird cages: the building façade reflects the literary narrative |  Ballard narrates that the spectacular views of the High-Rise causes ambivalent feelings on the main character, the environment had not been designed for the man, but for his absence. |
 The incidents in the High-Rise illustrated the profound antagonisms increasingly present in the building: depiction of some these events. |  Ballard's High-Rise was a sort of parallel reality expressing the future, and London belonged to a different world, in time and space: the clash between dwellers was expressed in the program, with common spaces and smaller apartments on lower levels. |  Common spaces were designed for those who could not afford the larger flats, located on the upper floors. |
 The High-Rise brutalist balconies are like cages with wild creatures inside, says Ballard: here's detail in a larger flat with an open balcony. |  Spatial representation of the penthouse apartment which belonged to the architect that designed the High-Rise, Anthony Royal. |  Ballard states that these giant buildings were the first to colonize the sky: façade detail |