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Kevin Matthews
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 485
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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Landy
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 428
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 Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:12 am Post subject: |
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| Great article hopefuly visiting the site is as good as the imagery of the building. I particularly remember this building's design history. If I am not mistaking it started with a design competition that included Frank O. Gehry and Norman Foster. Gehry was originaly the commisioned architect but differences with the assigned partner sent the wonderful curvilinear skyscraper to archive. Thus having Renzo Piano the second place winner incharge of the project. The outcome looks great and after all Manhattan has a boxy skyline that makes Piano's building a better fit for it's context. |
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solidred
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 580
Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:50 am Post subject: |
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| As I guess one might expect, it looks quietly elegant, what with its venetian plaster walls and internal garden and veil of ceramic rods. I'm basing an impression of its likely tactile / atmospheric sense here from visiting his Lingotto project in Turin back in the nineties. I guess that's the way to do something interesting with skyscrapers... not so much writhing dinosaurs and engineering in the 'combatting gravity' sense, but the creation of humane and elegant environments that work with the latest technology to use energy as efficiently as possible, which I guess deserves to take into account the 'subway to work / all the downtown facilities in walking distance' aspect of the overall energy model. |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Elegantly expressed thoughtful and insightful comments, thanks guys!
Intriguing point esp. for me about the attitude to gravity - that helps me conceptualize why the anti-gravity gymnastics approach to tall so often seems to comes off as a stunt, rather than something with lasting beauty.
Dramatic showy defiance of gravity in a big building tends to be a costly bravado - and it's still hard to be surprising at, in this era. While quiet, reposed, strong gentle confidence (with regard to gravity, and envelope as well) hardly ever gets old... in any era. |
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