not a bad bldg, actually (coming from someone who is critical of Meier, to say the least)...
but geez, this thing is monsterous - if you are walking in the city fabric to the north of it, each time a perpendicular street opens onto a view of it, all you see is the same grid patterned facade for 6-8 blocks. In some ways, very insensitive to small-scale urban context...
The long faces of this monstrocity are too plain; however, the interior and exterior spaces that it makes are quite good. The main atrium space is flooded with light and activity. The way that it addresses the street corner isn't bad either - very porous and ped-friendly. The short faces are well-articulated, especially the main facade to the street. All this is said to juxtapose with the ridiculous, monotone, never-ending long faces of the bldg.
*disclaimer - I made a habit out of Meier-bashing during my last year or so at school. Professors cautioned me against it, saying that I may end up working for him in the future. Having visited a number of his bldgs, he obviously is good at some things. Very good in fact. Therefore, I feel the need to point out the areas that he seems to pay less attention to. Just an opinion, disagree as you wish. [sorry Soleil, no hard feelings :p ]
here are some pics of the better spaces:
bolles and wilson architects are building something across the street, and in the same plaza (Spui) there is a bldg by Rem (dance recital hall) and another by Hertzberger (mixed use). The Hague is a great city, my favorite in the Netherlands. ramble ramble ramble...
I totally follow ya Aaron. That thing's just too much, especially fronting up to the steet like it does @ the area that looks like the entry/curved corner. Why don't they just move tha dang street! Also, what da heyll is that, a billboard, to boot?
Nonetheless, the Meier bldg sure beats the krap outta that dumb corporate castle (teal 'roof' that presumably does what all good corp bldgs do hide the evil-looking, scary cooling towers) behind it.
I think the billboard is a rendering of the Bolles & Wilson project across the street...
but you're right, next to the Pelli and Graves towers that look like they came from a first graders crayolas, the Meier bldg wins. The first time I visited the bldg I was studiously interviewing locals to find out their opinions ( I do this often, typically in an attempt to find support for my own opinion). A guy who worked at a Public Art Center (Stroom) across the street had a great quote, referring to how damn big the bldg is: "at least it's white."
LOL, Aaron.
I do remember a time in Arch Skool when you were assured of at least a B+ on a project if you did anything totally 'white'. You got an A if it was Meier-esque. So, to be a wise-guy, I did a house poject that was totally black & un-meier-esue.....I got a 'C'. Them dorky profs were just gag-ga over the 'White Architects'.
Ghery's Fish in Barcelona. The most Banal building I have ever seen, with a huge fish on top. It is badly detailed, out of scale, out of context, I guess all that ghery is in general....
I think you are right. Isn't that thing on Western near Wilshire? Also, in the valley there is building with the front facade in the shape of a cadillac and it's painted pink. I think it's in sherman oaks.
tectonic: i orig saw it in a coffee table book about l.a. ARCHITECTURE. i then went to see in person cause i couldnt believe it was true. (but cant remember the address)
Graves - Portland Building - those stupid metal ribbons look absolutely silly. The little tiny windows are weird. Its jsut stupid really.
also the silly harrah's casion here in new orleans. If i had a digital camera i would show you. But it looks totally nuts compared to what the city is like.
pretty much any hospital or medical center. they have all been around for years now and have grossly expanded in recent decades. whatever vision was in the original building has been crusted over by a pile of schlock. the designs are driven by mechanical equipment, hence the complete lack of respect for the human scale, especially on the exterior which typically gets covered up in a sea of metal panels and ridiculous patterns. these things are like tumors sitting in cities.
Bloody hell that Eugene Tsui dude is the biggest weirdo I have ever seen!! well... our beloved Per corell isn't far off...
How does he get planning permission for this stuff?
does anyone know who works for him or wants to work for him?
Well, I've never been here and I did not save the link to this article, but it is 100% true and I hope to check it out some day, talk about a restaurant with atmosphere....
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang has given
new meaning to the traditional revelers' cry of bottoms up. His eatery
in the southern city of Kaohsiung delivers its food not on
conventional plates and dishes, but in miniaturized Western and Asian
style toilets, both the flush and non-flush variety.
For anyone missing the point, diners are encouraged to stir up mushy,
earth-colored offerings like curry chicken rice and chocolate ice
cream to conjure up _ well, the real thing.
Located in a downtown area with a variety of competing eateries,
Marton _ the name means toilet in Chinese _ attracts its customers
through its dazzling bathroom decor.
Walking in through an arched door, diners are greeted with a giant
toilet bowl sitting between two urinals. White ceramic toilet seats
comfortably accommodate their bottoms, and urinals grace the walls.
Giggling helplessly, high school student Chen Yi-lin gulps down a
chocolate ice-cream sundae served in a miniature Asian-style squat
toilet, and admits that she is smitten.
"This is fun," she says.
Wang, 26, opened the Marton last year after a roadside prototype _ a
stand offering toilet-shaped ice cream cones _ achieved runaway
success.
Now, he says, he has moved decisively upmarket.
"Diners come and walk away with the special experience," he said.
"Many try to create more fun, stirring up curry and rice so it looks
exactly like when you forget to flush the toilet. Then they gulp it
down."
For all its scatological excess, the Marton is following in the
noblest tradition of Taiwanese novelty restaurants.
Other successful ventures have purposely confined scores of contented
diners to coffins or jail cells, or exposed them to full-scale
pictures of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, Taiwan's political nemesis
until his death in 1976.
(Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
not sure they have my size so i'll go fo the poster with the title "seminal architect of the 21th century". eh, i think there's a typo... should read 12th century perhaps.
as some may know from my past posts, i'm no fan of bofill. he's among my favorite architects to pick on. but that kuma thing posted by connock is really....um...wow.
OK if we're on a Greek temple thing, let's look at the truly bad:
Caeser's Las Vegas
When I saw this monstrosity I was simultaneously laughing my ass off and shaking my head in despair. I mean the Kengo Kuma thing is at least self-conciously funny, and the Bofill, is, well, bold, but in terms of truly offensive design you can't beat a Dryvit temple form extruded 40 stories for the masses.
There was on old woman who lived in a shoe
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly
And put them to bed.
I don’t think much of the building or the current Tennant.
Ol'DirtyArcht,
I'm relieved to see there's no tanks on them ter-lets....Although that could be a bad thing. I wonder how many times the staff has to clean out those 'dining chairs'.
Honestly, the nuttiness from the Pacific rim is astonishing.
What Is The Nuttiest, Goffiest, or Worst 'Bldg' You Have Seen?
Something that you have Personally witnessed. No Googlin' here, unless there's a pic of it on-line. OK thread-killers....GO!!!
Dammit!! Not 'Goffiest'. Goofiest, or Goofy-est, Although, you may have seen something Bruce Goff-ish.
by far the biggest insult to Chicago
...but one of North Atlanta's best!
heh,heh - Big Chicken of the 21st Century.
Big Chicken of the 20th Century:
At least this one has rolling eyes & a moving beak.
i like how they incorporated the bucket into the design concept
not a bad bldg, actually (coming from someone who is critical of Meier, to say the least)...
but geez, this thing is monsterous - if you are walking in the city fabric to the north of it, each time a perpendicular street opens onto a view of it, all you see is the same grid patterned facade for 6-8 blocks. In some ways, very insensitive to small-scale urban context...
The long faces of this monstrocity are too plain; however, the interior and exterior spaces that it makes are quite good. The main atrium space is flooded with light and activity. The way that it addresses the street corner isn't bad either - very porous and ped-friendly. The short faces are well-articulated, especially the main facade to the street. All this is said to juxtapose with the ridiculous, monotone, never-ending long faces of the bldg.
*disclaimer - I made a habit out of Meier-bashing during my last year or so at school. Professors cautioned me against it, saying that I may end up working for him in the future. Having visited a number of his bldgs, he obviously is good at some things. Very good in fact. Therefore, I feel the need to point out the areas that he seems to pay less attention to. Just an opinion, disagree as you wish. [sorry Soleil, no hard feelings :p ]
here are some pics of the better spaces:
bolles and wilson architects are building something across the street, and in the same plaza (Spui) there is a bldg by Rem (dance recital hall) and another by Hertzberger (mixed use). The Hague is a great city, my favorite in the Netherlands. ramble ramble ramble...
this building by hans hollein in vienna:
i wish i could find a better photo of it so it would be clear just how wretched this thing is.
I totally follow ya Aaron. That thing's just too much, especially fronting up to the steet like it does @ the area that looks like the entry/curved corner. Why don't they just move tha dang street! Also, what da heyll is that, a billboard, to boot?
Nonetheless, the Meier bldg sure beats the krap outta that dumb corporate castle (teal 'roof' that presumably does what all good corp bldgs do hide the evil-looking, scary cooling towers) behind it.
BTW,
I don't wanna give any impression that I think Bruce Goff's bldgs fall into the 'worst' category. They may be nutty, but theoy're kool as heyll:
REPEAT, THIS IS KOOL
I think the billboard is a rendering of the Bolles & Wilson project across the street...
but you're right, next to the Pelli and Graves towers that look like they came from a first graders crayolas, the Meier bldg wins. The first time I visited the bldg I was studiously interviewing locals to find out their opinions ( I do this often, typically in an attempt to find support for my own opinion). A guy who worked at a Public Art Center (Stroom) across the street had a great quote, referring to how damn big the bldg is: "at least it's white."
LOL, Aaron.
I do remember a time in Arch Skool when you were assured of at least a B+ on a project if you did anything totally 'white'. You got an A if it was Meier-esque. So, to be a wise-guy, I did a house poject that was totally black & un-meier-esue.....I got a 'C'. Them dorky profs were just gag-ga over the 'White Architects'.
almost all of bart prince's stuff in albuquerque - what dreck.
+quality(75)+type(jpg))
we called the professors who were lovers of white projects white supremacists.
Ghery's Fish in Barcelona. The most Banal building I have ever seen, with a huge fish on top. It is badly detailed, out of scale, out of context, I guess all that ghery is in general....
q
anotherquestion,
I think you are right. Isn't that thing on Western near Wilshire? Also, in the valley there is building with the front facade in the shape of a cadillac and it's painted pink. I think it's in sherman oaks.
Legoreta... His designs are a bad imitation of Luis Barragans beautiful designs
Marriot San Francisco
or
PS1 this year
arquitecta,
You are absolutely right. That has always bothered me.
tectonic: i orig saw it in a coffee table book about l.a. ARCHITECTURE. i then went to see in person cause i couldnt believe it was true. (but cant remember the address)
I saw that thing about 8 months ago. IT IS JUST REDICULOUS. I think that location used to be a bank.
Graves - Portland Building - those stupid metal ribbons look absolutely silly. The little tiny windows are weird. Its jsut stupid really.
also the silly harrah's casion here in new orleans. If i had a digital camera i would show you. But it looks totally nuts compared to what the city is like.
here's one for all of you goff and prince lovers ... "nature's genius", eugene tsui ...
http://www.tdrinc.com/images/photos/large/ecol_E092.jpg
more at
http://www.tdrinc.com/
i highly suggest checking out the clothing category
pretty much any hospital or medical center. they have all been around for years now and have grossly expanded in recent decades. whatever vision was in the original building has been crusted over by a pile of schlock. the designs are driven by mechanical equipment, hence the complete lack of respect for the human scale, especially on the exterior which typically gets covered up in a sea of metal panels and ridiculous patterns. these things are like tumors sitting in cities.
Bloody hell that Eugene Tsui dude is the biggest weirdo I have ever seen!! well... our beloved Per corell isn't far off...
How does he get planning permission for this stuff?
does anyone know who works for him or wants to work for him?
snore.
Philip,
Dude, I don't think you've posted since 1999. Or have we just missed each other?
Well, I've never been here and I did not save the link to this article, but it is 100% true and I hope to check it out some day, talk about a restaurant with atmosphere....
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang has given
new meaning to the traditional revelers' cry of bottoms up. His eatery
in the southern city of Kaohsiung delivers its food not on
conventional plates and dishes, but in miniaturized Western and Asian
style toilets, both the flush and non-flush variety.
For anyone missing the point, diners are encouraged to stir up mushy,
earth-colored offerings like curry chicken rice and chocolate ice
cream to conjure up _ well, the real thing.
Located in a downtown area with a variety of competing eateries,
Marton _ the name means toilet in Chinese _ attracts its customers
through its dazzling bathroom decor.
Walking in through an arched door, diners are greeted with a giant
toilet bowl sitting between two urinals. White ceramic toilet seats
comfortably accommodate their bottoms, and urinals grace the walls.
Giggling helplessly, high school student Chen Yi-lin gulps down a
chocolate ice-cream sundae served in a miniature Asian-style squat
toilet, and admits that she is smitten.
"This is fun," she says.
Wang, 26, opened the Marton last year after a roadside prototype _ a
stand offering toilet-shaped ice cream cones _ achieved runaway
success.
Now, he says, he has moved decisively upmarket.
"Diners come and walk away with the special experience," he said.
"Many try to create more fun, stirring up curry and rice so it looks
exactly like when you forget to flush the toilet. Then they gulp it
down."
For all its scatological excess, the Marton is following in the
noblest tradition of Taiwanese novelty restaurants.
Other successful ventures have purposely confined scores of contented
diners to coffins or jail cells, or exposed them to full-scale
pictures of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, Taiwan's political nemesis
until his death in 1976.
(Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
i used to live by bart prince. he has wiener dogs.
P.B.
Those Tsui projects ARE in California, ya know...
The Tsui Clothing Line just made my day.
not sure they have my size so i'll go fo the poster with the title "seminal architect of the 21th century". eh, i think there's a typo... should read 12th century perhaps.
super-mega pomo .. courtesy of kengo kuma (yep, the currently minimal neo-mod kuma)
OMG!
[ding] WE HAVE A WINNA!
Let us not forget Ricardo Bofill. The other side of this building has pilasters made out of reflective black glass.
[img]http://perso.numericable.fr/~frchazot/images/marne7_3306.jpg
[/img]
as some may know from my past posts, i'm no fan of bofill. he's among my favorite architects to pick on. but that kuma thing posted by connock is really....um...wow.
OK if we're on a Greek temple thing, let's look at the truly bad:
Caeser's Las Vegas
When I saw this monstrosity I was simultaneously laughing my ass off and shaking my head in despair. I mean the Kengo Kuma thing is at least self-conciously funny, and the Bofill, is, well, bold, but in terms of truly offensive design you can't beat a Dryvit temple form extruded 40 stories for the masses.
Of course it is Vegas.
indeed. a job for csi: a crime scene if i ever saw one.
Here's a real beauty up the road in Milwaukee:
NBBJ's basket building,
honest to god the worst thing i have ever seen in my life....
http://www.sto.co.uk/photo/over/co_09.htm
nbbj should have been shut down by the aia for this...
Marton - restaurant in KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan
o+ - the AIA should be shut down because of it. ;P
this is the goofiest thing ive ever seen....
Anything by Herzog n Dm lately...
There was on old woman who lived in a shoe
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly
And put them to bed.
I don’t think much of the building or the current Tennant.
and this
Ol'DirtyArcht,
I'm relieved to see there's no tanks on them ter-lets....Although that could be a bad thing. I wonder how many times the staff has to clean out those 'dining chairs'.
Honestly, the nuttiness from the Pacific rim is astonishing.
where's the "diner's must wash hands" sign?
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