Undecorated Shed Speaks Volumes About Form And Structure

Looking at unused, undecorated rural sheds with a low-key architectural impact, there could be "unseen, underrepresented vernacular," says John Redington, a Texas-based illustrator.

He is compiling many documents regarding such undecorated sheds. John Redington explains that the "shaky charm of the abandoned shed could offer a look into a more humble form of inspiration for architects." His writings are archived in Low Plains.

While riding through the fields, there is one undecorated shed with gabled roofs composed of rust and timber. This abandoned shed was made in an old era, writes Redington in ArchDaily. It is a decaying, dilapidated house that is now more of a home for wild living beings. As it is full of plants and banged about by winds, it seems to show a new form. Examining the shed through the perspective of an artist, Donald Judd, it is evident that "forms must be given life and the right to individual existence," and the abandoned shed does exactly that.

Hence, the undecorated shed is only a relic now. It could be a "homage" structure. It has been supplanted by a "cheap, quick, and prefabricated counterpart, whose movability flaunts itself at the edge of car parking lots." However, as it is supplanted by efficient buildings, the newer structures do not look smooth or streamlined. On the contrary, they are falling to pieces.

Even as these undecorated sheds are almost destroyed, the author wonders if they point towards deconstructivism. Being utilitarian, they could be connected with modernism, while the traditional form is closer to "post-modernism." There is no thought for the Arts and Craft Movement while working on the nails, feels the author. The forceful "puncturing" of trees across the country could also get them a LEED certificate, he believes.

There is more that the author reads in these undecorated sheds and related structures. He says: "It is easy to see that the transcendence that one feels when looking at an abandoned shed is a commonality in our own life and death as well as a nostalgia for a previous time. But I believe the mysticism that exists among these sheds allow an insight into a greater cultural awareness and that their forms, patterns, and relationship with nature provide precedents to how buildings could be designed."