for the Washington Post talks about why Gehry's Corcoran and Foster's curvy glass got nixed in Washington, and breaking from our reliance on generic starchitecture to repeat success.
the question is really 'how think can a practice spread itself before trashing quality?'
its clear some basic focus were missed here by fosters crowd. it would be unfortunate if by this project the feds move back into the hodrum architect no-name architect selection by the 225 qualifiacation form.
What is the point of this article? Don't hire "star architects", but hire Thom Mayne? He is not a star architect?
Perhaps DC gets second rate designs from first rate architects because the city is dominated by a bureaucrat metality which whittles down design, like everything else, to the least common demoniator.
thx for the correction, bflo. slight oversight on my part. believe it or not, i realize these are 2 different pubs. but, certainly we are thankful to have peeps like you kindly watching our backs.
"While some may find these preservation review procedures an obstacle to good design, this process has saved historic buildings that might have otherwise been lost to the wrecking ball."
There was no wrecking ball here, the Patent Office is being preserved! Historic fundamentalists are no longer satisfied with just preservation, but have become so conservative that any change must be swept under the rug. Like a burka for buildings.
Part of the delight of places, cities, and architecture is the diversity of styles juxtaposed next to each other. The heavy handed arm of the law is imposing a bland homogeneity.
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the question is really 'how think can a practice spread itself before trashing quality?'
its clear some basic focus were missed here by fosters crowd. it would be unfortunate if by this project the feds move back into the hodrum architect no-name architect selection by the 225 qualifiacation form.
What is the point of this article? Don't hire "star architects", but hire Thom Mayne? He is not a star architect?
Perhaps DC gets second rate designs from first rate architects because the city is dominated by a bureaucrat metality which whittles down design, like everything else, to the least common demoniator.
This article appears in the Washington TIMES not the Washington POST.
The two publications are vastly different and the editors here should learn to distinguish between the two if they wish to remain credible.
thx for the correction, bflo. slight oversight on my part. believe it or not, i realize these are 2 different pubs. but, certainly we are thankful to have peeps like you kindly watching our backs.
bflo... lifelong learning, my friend...lifelong
"While some may find these preservation review procedures an obstacle to good design, this process has saved historic buildings that might have otherwise been lost to the wrecking ball."
There was no wrecking ball here, the Patent Office is being preserved! Historic fundamentalists are no longer satisfied with just preservation, but have become so conservative that any change must be swept under the rug. Like a burka for buildings.
Part of the delight of places, cities, and architecture is the diversity of styles juxtaposed next to each other. The heavy handed arm of the law is imposing a bland homogeneity.
stroke - hear, hear.
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