I challenge you to find a more interesting looking laundromat than the one pictured above.
Oh I have so many questions for the owner of this place. First of all – why is this a laundromat? Was this built to be a laundromat? Is that the original use of this building? If so, why would you possibility design it in this way? If not, why did you choose this place to buy and turn into a laundromat? This is the perfect building to turn into a cool little artsy hostel. Have you ever seen a laundromat? One floor, one big rectangle room. This is a ridiculous layout for a laundromat in almost every way.
Two floors make absolutely no sense, but that’s not even the most absurd thing about this structure - it’s those little alcoves. There’s not one big space for all the machines to be located, which necessitates the constant lugging of wet clothes from washers to far-away dryers. And the plumbing must be a nightmare! Running separate water lines to the alcoves to feed into the washing machines is yet another inconvenience in a building full of them.
This is literally the most ill-suited structure I can possibly imagine becoming a laundromat. If you were going to design a laundromat, this would be a lesson in what not to do. Wait…that’s it! I think I get it! The point is that this doesn’t make sense. It’s a comment on fundamental architectural ideals! It’s saying form does not follow function – function follows form. It’s a plea for creativity in an art form paralyzed by efficiency, a monument to design at any cost! It’s like designing a doctor’s examining office with floor-to-ceiling windows, an open air bank, a prison made of balsa wood! It’s a statement saying that a building should always be aesthetically pleasing, even at the expense of its own efficiency! That must be what’s happening here.
I had my whole architectural theory speech ready to go when I walked up to this place but alas, it was closed.
