Sasha Bekirova

Architecture G Band

Parasitic Architecture
Parasitic architecture in my own words would be described as a structure coming out of a
building which creates a public statement of rebellion or change towards the urban society. The
structure cannot exist without its host, showing how buildings in architecture are usually added
onto and expanded rather than demolished and replaced with new ideas, especially in New York
City where we get a mix of old and new complexes. In other words, it’s a reuse of energy of past
construction adding something unnatural and new to its environment, as described in a
mutualistic coexistence of an old and new system showing stability and wonder for both.
Furthermore, they are statements of social justice and can be used to expose hidden truths and
urban problems within society, such as building a parasite about women’s rights off of a
gentleman’s club or the effects of technology or money off of Wall Street. Like with actual
parasites, an immunological reaction always occurs in reaction, such as approval and protection
(the immune system as a reaction to provocation), disgust (the random immune system that
doesn’t want to stir up fear or change), or no importance (either because of camouflage or
societal deception like HIV/AIDs), creating a battle between the first two (usually between
liberals and conservatives in modern societies, which can even be compared to Southern
Confederate statues). Therefore, society is metaphorically the host for all parasitic architecture;
depending on the outlook and reactions of its construction, the new structure can either thrive or
disappear, showing how it’s a subculture and a form of rebellion and those that support it will
fight for its recognition and approval. They also represent the hope of social and norm changes
where political, societal, and cultural problems are at work to be displayed, representing the
density of ideas that parasites evolve from.
Parasitic architecture (or Grossform) originates from the German architect, OM Ungers,
who explains it as part of a dynamic society. The specific term parasite originates from priests
involved with sacrifices. The current biological definition is a symbiosis where the parasite
exploits its host for its selfish advantages at the host’s expense without killing it in order to use
all of its resources; the immune system of the host can’t hurt the parasite without hurting itself.
Like in architecture, the survival of the parasite depends on the survival of the host (a parasite is
nothing without its host). Out of the three forms of symbiosis (parasitism, commensalism where
one benefits and the other is unaffected, and mutualism where both benefit), the closest form in
architecture is mutualism since I believe that both the host and parasite gain from each other.
Although there’s a transfer of energy to create the new structure, the host is looked at differently
and it itself becomes a statement with a different outlook without the parasite; it exposes the
topics or problems that arise from the parasite. The host isn’t hurt since it cannot be destroyed
and new attention is called upon it, despite being either negative or positive. For example, an old
forgotten church is used, therefore sparking both controversy and new admiration. But it’s
important to know the weaknesses of the host in order to create more meaningful statements that
show what the host (both society and the building) lack or stand for. Like a political campaign,
it’s important to spread a parasite’s influence to see the positivity it imposes on society.
 Host Building
250 Vesey Street:
● Four World Trade Center
● Brookfield Complex
● international headquarters and trading floor of Merrill Lynch
Despite my admiration for this building due to the fact that I see it through my bedroom window
and walk past it several times a day, it represents how money and materialism has transitioned
into the core root of our homes, shaping how we run our everyday lives.
 Animal Architect
Coral:
In order to make an effective political statement, I chose coral to represent climate
change and the harmful man-made effects on the environment. Corals represent the essence of
life and show that everything, despite not being able to move or look like an animal, is breathing
and alive. As an example of human harm, the Great Barrier Reef, a stretch of corals and marine
life for 4,600 miles near Australia, is about 50 percent dead due to rising ocean temperatures,
harmful acidic levels from fossil fuels and gas, overfishing of wildlife, and coral bleaching (the
loss of their vibrant colors). The reef is home to not only 845 species of corals but also almost
2,000 forms marine life, and with their endangerment comes the endangerment of many other
animals that we actually consider animals. I’ve always loved snorkeling and exploring the water
that we know so little about. I think that corals specifically represent art in its purest and natural
form due to their many beautiful pigments, shapes, and structures.
Corals are made up of biogenic lime (calcium carbonate, what human bones are
composed of) but also 99 percent water, so they are very vulnerable (especially to s​ponges,
worms, and bivalves)​. They protect themselves with a tough exoskeleton composed of a storage
of lime. There are three different types of coral reefs with different architectural purposes: the
fringing reef, a shallow lagoon, that borders shores, the barrier reef, the barrier reef that forms
when land masses sink, and the atoll that surround a central lagoon in the shape of a circle.