For a long time, I have been fascinated with architecture. When possible, I have gone on tours to see Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. I have been to Falling Water, a must see; Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Buffalo in the Elmwood area, site of a World's fair and and the Albright Knox Gallery, a real gem. I love going on tours of cities and seeing the interesting buildings. In Amsterdam, we went on a tour of the 10 ugliest buildings in Amsterdam, some of the buildings were fascinating and not so ugly. I am not stuck in the past as far as architecture goes but sometimes architects seem to have the philosophy that they will create certain designs because they can; not because it makes design sense and takes into account the climate and the structures in the area. What works in sunny California, does not work so well in northern climates with extremes of temperatures and precipitation. Ice falling off buildings from a great height is very dangerous.
Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind are two who are pushing the envelop and ignoring the structural integrity of their buildings. Gehry is being sued by MIT for structural problems affecting his Strata Building. An article, that I read in Fast Company mentions that Daniel Libeskind's Denver Art Museum is suffering from the same problems and I have a feeling that his Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum has structural flaws. It has been noticed that it leaks and now with spring approaching massive icicles are hanging from the corners of the building ready to impale someone.
On a more practical level, these buildings require extra expense for custom made furniture and display cases to accommodate the many unusual angles. Hanging art is a challenge and requires serious creativity. http://torontoist.com/2007/05/inside_the_rom.php
I suspect that some of these buildings will not be here while buildings that accepted the rules of nature and practicality of right angles and vertical walls are still standing centuries from now.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I am the most practical of people and I probably should agree with you that buildings should be durable, sustainable and sensible. But some of the most interesting and innovative buildings are often those that have leaks, crazy angles, difficult indoor spaces. But these are the buildings that change the way we look at buildings - the Guggenheim Museum (not a straight or flat wall in the place) or the buildings of Arthur Erikson (full of leaks and structural glitches, but visionary and remarkable). Buildings like The Denver Art Museum (which although wacky) has changed the character of its surroundings and vitalized the surrounding area. I think many of visionary buildings pave the way for us to think of new ways to build. The problems of these buildings can be solved and dealt with over time........I say keep the new thinking coming.......
Post a Comment