READING SUMMARY: 

Michel Foucault makes a strong point that as people in society, we are in a state of constant surveillance. Being able to see others but not be seen or to be seen by everyone if chosen, has always been associated with power. Along with surveillance and power going hand in hand, discipline is tied to them. An example of this is how in battles, the group or person that has the high ground has the advantage. Another example is how a king’s castle is the tallest in the surrounding area. These may be out of date examples, but the same thought process can be applied to working-class housing and modernist architecture. 

Going back to Foucault’s idea of a surveillance society, this is derived from people’s desire for total visibility. This desire can be traced back to the Enlightenment values of reason, knowledge, and progress. All of these connections gave way to modern movement which praises machine-like forms and seeks clarity and openness in architecture. In addition to embracing light, the movement rejects ornamentation. In modernist architecture, one way visibility is achieved is through glass. Walter Benjamin is a great example of a modernist who viewed glass as a signifier of transparency and utopia. Surveillance being so sought out is what led to the shift in architecture where a glass house with an open-plan interior was seen as an almost perfect building and challenged architects to create functional interiors while still maintaining a high level of visibility. 

BUILDING INTERPRETATION: 

Tailored Coffee Roasters is a large coffee shop located on the edge of University of Oregon’s campus. One of the most prominent attributes of Tailored is the large glass facade that extends into the roofing of the shop. This glass is perfectly clear from the inside looking out, while being tinted so a person walking past would have trouble making out what is happening behind the glass on the inside. There is a large bar with chairs spanning from one end of the building to the other end, along the glass. Sitting at this bar is the perfect place for people watching, with a perfect view of everything going on outside. Many customers choose to sit at the bar over the other seating provided in the space. One reason for this besides people watching is to be in the sunlight while having the comfort of being inside. This user interaction is the perfect way to integrate surveillance and openness through transparency, relating back to the goals of modernist architecture. The glass facade provides clarity to the users of the space. 

Tailored has a relatively open-plan interior which was another characteristic sought out by the modern movement. The interior is functional while maintaining openness by providing different forms of seating around the edges of the space, with the exception of one large table with benches in the center. The coffee shop hits all of the characteristics to be called a great example of modernist architecture.

An interior look of Tailored’s glass facade.