Gizmodo's formula for "architecture criticism" =
[famous architect] makes/is the world's worst [insert building type here].
This is responsible or good how? Because it is clickable? It's laughably ironic that the tool of a writer uses the same formula of shallow attention grabbing embedded in Zahas design. The difference is that Zaha's work will last beyond a day.
Sameoldoctor I've written and designed things seen all over the world so kiss my "world's best" ass.
It's just a silly billboard or bus stop.
Gehry and Zaha aren't the worlds worst anything, that would be Bill Cosby/Lena Dunham.
The proposal gets more interesting the more you look at it. The brick wall along the sidewalk is not present in the photo of the original structure, a chain-link metal fence is there. The oval brick wall around the four trees in one of the photos was added as were the stone pavers. I still am inclined to believe the original structure to be a bus stop. It seems to me there is a bench along the right half of the shelter?
@Volunteer - not an existing bus stop - the stops are the next block over in either direction. I have no idea what the original structure used to be, though... it's a strange little building.
A small structure, yes, but "God is in the details". If more people cared about the details we would have fewer really ugly dysfunctional structures, and fewer horrible urban environments. Remember when they put a tall chain link fence around the Olympic Torch in Vancouver? Epic fail. Not that this a fail, it actually looks interesting from the end views. My complaint is the advertising component. Isn't being drenched in ads 24/7 a little much?
I think we're all missing the point here: Are wrist-watches really that popular that they need to hire celebrity architects to design their billboards?
Toasteroven, I defer to your knowledge of London. Could it have ever been a bus stop, a taxi queue or something similar? It seems well-maintained as is.
Concept doesn't matter? It's good because you like it, not because it is humanistic, sustainable, efficient, etc.
Hadid and Co. is a stylized brand. It is applied to everything they do without regard for any practical concerns, and the delivery is packaged in the most colossal mountain of utter bullshit I've ever seen.
The underground part is not to an underground passage. BD says its an existing underground storage space or something similar. So she is building on an existing structure, reducing its footprint, opening up the sidewalk and adding landscape that is human scaled and essentially doing all the things that urbanists want to happen. The signboard is the excuse. Anyone else doing it would at least get credit for that much, whether they like it or not as a form.
She deserves some criticism for her stance on internships and on working conditions in some of her building sites, and schumacher was a serious dick about the pritzker going to shigeru ban. But this project is not really offering much fodder to the zaha-hate-a-thon crowd.
I recommend saving the hate up for something larger. The internet runs smoother when the hate is more refined after all. Better download times.
That is, if some no-name hack proposed this design would it merit any attention?
For me in this case - no - it seems unremarkable.
I guess I've never seen a billboard quite like that but I certainly never doubted such a thing was possible. This seems like something anyone could design. That's not to say it's bad. It has some nice qualities, but it's nothing special.
I remember reading a few months back about advertising being stencil-painted onto roadways in Australia somewhere - that some local government was trying to sell rights to do so. That strikes me as far more radical. And absolutely a bad idea.
I agree midlander. completely. There are many more interesting advertising hoarding projects out there. Its a bit bullshitty though that here she is channelling the most boring new urbanist orthodoxy possible and she still gets hit for being a form-based diva...
"...an architectural form that will create a new genre in the roadside advertising canon."
The *roadside advertising canon* is apparently a thing, now? See, THAT is the overarching uncritical thinking about the built world that we currently inhabit. THAT is what needs to change.
The existing structure is only a billboard and not a bus stop; I was able to find a night aerial photo of the area. It is really garishly lit at night. The existing thing may be a way to bypass rules prohibiting conventional billboards in the area? The front of the structure is closer to the roadway than the ends are making two planes with the right hand plane canted toward incoming traffic and the left hand plane canted toward the intersection. The ads are behind glass or plastic panels and appear to be able to be rolled up and down for rapid changes? If I were living in the area I would have a strong urge to burn I down.
The Hadid structure, absent the advertising part, might be a interesting art form to be put in a park for kid to play on. With the hideous advertising screen it should be burned to the ground also.
Should be: "the midpoint of the structure is closer to the roadway". My bad. In plan form the thing is like a wide, flattened V, with the tip of the V closest to the road.
Zaha, please stop already!
[famous architect] makes/is the world's worst [insert building type here].
This is responsible or good how? Because it is clickable? It's laughably ironic that the tool of a writer uses the same formula of shallow attention grabbing embedded in Zahas design. The difference is that Zaha's work will last beyond a day.
Sameoldoctor I've written and designed things seen all over the world so kiss my "world's best" ass.
It's just a silly billboard or bus stop.
Gehry and Zaha aren't the worlds worst anything, that would be Bill Cosby/Lena Dunham.
The proposal gets more interesting the more you look at it. The brick wall along the sidewalk is not present in the photo of the original structure, a chain-link metal fence is there. The oval brick wall around the four trees in one of the photos was added as were the stone pavers. I still am inclined to believe the original structure to be a bus stop. It seems to me there is a bench along the right half of the shelter?
It's missing a sausage vendor.
Gizmodo's formula for "architecture criticism" =
[famous architect] makes/is the world's worst [insert building type here].
Don't like the message, attack the messenger. <yawn>
@Volunteer - not an existing bus stop - the stops are the next block over in either direction. I have no idea what the original structure used to be, though... it's a strange little building.
A small structure, yes, but "God is in the details". If more people cared about the details we would have fewer really ugly dysfunctional structures, and fewer horrible urban environments. Remember when they put a tall chain link fence around the Olympic Torch in Vancouver? Epic fail. Not that this a fail, it actually looks interesting from the end views. My complaint is the advertising component. Isn't being drenched in ads 24/7 a little much?
I think we're all missing the point here: Are wrist-watches really that popular that they need to hire celebrity architects to design their billboards?
Toasteroven, I defer to your knowledge of London. Could it have ever been a bus stop, a taxi queue or something similar? It seems well-maintained as is.
My complaint is the advertising component. Isn't being drenched in ads 24/7 a little much?
that's not really something for us to answer, though... it's more a question for the community.
God is in the details
Concept doesn't matter? It's good because you like it, not because it is humanistic, sustainable, efficient, etc.
Hadid and Co. is a stylized brand. It is applied to everything they do without regard for any practical concerns, and the delivery is packaged in the most colossal mountain of utter bullshit I've ever seen.
^ I'm getting mixed signals, Miles... do you want one of these in your yard or not?
Lightperson, Lena Dunhmam is the world's worst red carpet outfit wearer? I'm on board with that. Ugh.
The underground part is not to an underground passage. BD says its an existing underground storage space or something similar. So she is building on an existing structure, reducing its footprint, opening up the sidewalk and adding landscape that is human scaled and essentially doing all the things that urbanists want to happen. The signboard is the excuse. Anyone else doing it would at least get credit for that much, whether they like it or not as a form.
She deserves some criticism for her stance on internships and on working conditions in some of her building sites, and schumacher was a serious dick about the pritzker going to shigeru ban. But this project is not really offering much fodder to the zaha-hate-a-thon crowd.
I recommend saving the hate up for something larger. The internet runs smoother when the hate is more refined after all. Better download times.
this doesn't pass the hack test for me.
That is, if some no-name hack proposed this design would it merit any attention?
For me in this case - no - it seems unremarkable.
I guess I've never seen a billboard quite like that but I certainly never doubted such a thing was possible. This seems like something anyone could design. That's not to say it's bad. It has some nice qualities, but it's nothing special.
I remember reading a few months back about advertising being stencil-painted onto roadways in Australia somewhere - that some local government was trying to sell rights to do so. That strikes me as far more radical. And absolutely a bad idea.
I agree midlander. completely. There are many more interesting advertising hoarding projects out there. Its a bit bullshitty though that here she is channelling the most boring new urbanist orthodoxy possible and she still gets hit for being a form-based diva...
"...an architectural form that will create a new genre in the roadside advertising canon."
The *roadside advertising canon* is apparently a thing, now? See, THAT is the overarching uncritical thinking about the built world that we currently inhabit. THAT is what needs to change.
The existing structure is only a billboard and not a bus stop; I was able to find a night aerial photo of the area. It is really garishly lit at night. The existing thing may be a way to bypass rules prohibiting conventional billboards in the area? The front of the structure is closer to the roadway than the ends are making two planes with the right hand plane canted toward incoming traffic and the left hand plane canted toward the intersection. The ads are behind glass or plastic panels and appear to be able to be rolled up and down for rapid changes? If I were living in the area I would have a strong urge to burn I down.
The Hadid structure, absent the advertising part, might be a interesting art form to be put in a park for kid to play on. With the hideous advertising screen it should be burned to the ground also.
Should be: "the midpoint of the structure is closer to the roadway". My bad. In plan form the thing is like a wide, flattened V, with the tip of the V closest to the road.
When is George Pal going to take her ass to court for stealing his designs of the Martian warships from the 1953 version of War of the Worlds?
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