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ugly building


Dan_Harris

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marylou said:

The Bilbao Guggenheim is clad in Ti. Can't imagine why/how cost would have been a factor in cladding this concert hall in Ti given the overall construction costs $$$$.

 

guggenheim bilbao was originally designed to be anodized aluminum, but just as it went to bid, the price for ti dropped, so they changed it at the last minute. it's really cool because the ti is lustrous even on cloudy days. the building is surrounded by water on two sides, which enhances that shimmery quality of light. photographs don't really capture it very well, i recommend that you all take a field trip.

 

i see frank gehry as more of a sculptor than an architect - like the spanish architect Gaudi at the end of the 19th century, he makes marvelous, one-of-a-kind sculptural structures that people scratch their heads about. each one is a unique and interesting object, but they are so singular and expensive that the rest of the architectural world just kind of nods and moves on. i.e. whether you like his work or not, it doesn't really have much effect on the rest of the architectural world. gehry doesn't have much of a theory or polemic behind his work, he just does what he likes, so it's hard for other architects to coalesce into some kind of "school of."

 

the new seattle public library, on the other hand is an important building. it is really in your face, a hyper-articulate building that both serves its program and raises questions about that purpose at the same time. it will force many people who wouldn't otherwise do so to think about the nature of public space and civic architecture. it's use of space and innovative structural and mechanical systems will be widely studied.

 

many, many people will hate it, because in seattle, most people prefer polite buildings, but you know what? fuck those people. this town needs some shaking up.

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You will be seeing more of this Gehry type stuff. Seems to be the latest fad. We detailed 100 tons of steel for a curvey roof on a 17,500 SF "house" in Sun Valley. We might detail the steel for another "house" for a woman who is associated with Gehry. This place is outside of Salsalito Calf. I have seen the 3D rendering and it's anotner strange one.

 

What forrest_m said is cool. Bring on the creativity

 

When I was a bike mesenger we would sometimes sit around and discuss ugly buildings. The winner was usualy the King County Administration building falowed by the old City Hall and then 1015 3rd before they redid it.

 

Nominate an ugly building and explain why youu picked it.

Edited by Dave_Schuldt
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Well stated, Forrest. I am going to try to make a pilgrimage to Spain this winter or spring to see the thing with my own eyes. Others who have been there have similarly rhapsodized about the luster of the Ti.

 

I thought they had to use the Ti cladding because of the pollution problems in Bilbao, but you could be right.

 

As different as it is, I sure like how the Library is shaping up. It's going to be really cool.

 

Speaking of cool buildings, it sure is sad that Steven Holl's celestial Bellevue Art Museum is shut down. That guy does stuff with natural light that blows me away.

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forrest_m said:the new seattle public library, on the other hand is an important building. it is really in your face, a hyper-articulate building that both serves its program and raises questions about that purpose at the same time. it will force many people who wouldn't otherwise do so to think about the nature of public space and civic architecture. it's use of space and innovative structural and mechanical systems will be widely studied.

 

many, many people will hate it, because in seattle, most people prefer polite buildings, but you know what? fuck those people. this town needs some shaking up.

The reaction nationwide will be interesting -as Koolhaas/OMA's first major commission in N. America (the Prada stores and the now closed Guggenheim LV don't count). Seattle was definitely trying to make a "we've arrived" statement.

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I'd be interested to hear how the construction process is going on the Library. I worked on the construction phase of EMP in a couple of different capacities, and the GC on it was Hoffman, the same contractor that got the Library. People from Hoffman predicted that the Library would be similarly difficult to build, though without the deep pockets to throw money at the problem.

 

I've lost contact with everyone I knew from Hoffman from EMP, anyone heard how it is going?

 

 

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