j - I'm not telling anybody how to live. This is a forum for people to discuss ideas, ethics, business, leisure, etc.
What I am asking is that people take a good long hard look at themselves and their lives and decide their needs vs wants. If this guy decided that maybe he could live on 40 floors instead of 60, that might be an improvement. I have a hard time believing that his quality of life would suffer.
Going by what some people on here are suggesting.... this chap is worth about 20 billion dollars. What's Bill Gates worth? 50 billion?
What if Gates built a 150 storey home? It's relative to his wealth, right? Sure, he's got that right, but that wouldn't make it any less offensive when there are billions (yes, billions) of people in the world starving to death and dying from wholly-preventable diseases, etc.
Yeah, I'm coming across as rant-tastic in this thread. I apologize.
It's OK, slant, you're not being overl ranty. I think you are making a lot of good points. My Shiny Happy interpretation was a joking way of trying to see if there is a side to this story that makes a staff of 600 for a single family make any sense at all.
I believe Gates' house doubles as a Microsfot conference/retreat center, so though it's huge it's appropriate for its function. I have to honestly believe that Ambani's house is serving some bigger function than a single family home, because if it's only a monument to wealth and isolation then it's beyond disgusting.
The effort at making this conversation a little more light-hearted is definitely appreciated, lb.
In the end, this thing is getting built, tomorrow we're all going back to the same job we had yesterday, and life goes on. I'm just glad to have a good conversation every once in a while!
To what extent can architecture have a positive impact on the broader goals of society, given that this is a business that centers around clients? Does architecture really ever make a difference? Or is it really about choice of client, in which case, it's just passing off design fees to the next guy who'll just pick up the project anyway, and do a horrendous job of it...?
True or false: the architect doesn't really produce social change other than through idea innovation... Maybe we are basically servants of the market, unless we become players in the market...
On the other hand, Trace made a really good point above... Idea innovation aside, it's not the small firm that has the size and power to make a difference... It's the huge corporate firm, the SOM's or Genslers that actually have the influence and power to actually impact the market, shape what's out there, influence the building and building products industry by shaping the market. Brand identity needs to mean something, it can't be just words, or else you're the slave to the market. It's basically impotence... Not that impotence is bad, there are few companies in any industry that can shift a market (basically influence culture)... Also, there was a point made above somewhere: it's sortof arrogant to tell the market how it ought to behave...
i'm would be all about championing these ethics to clients (and I already do a lot of times my girlfriend)... and yet i'm brought back to reality by strawbeary's comment, that i still take part in a practice that i feel is not unethical, but certainly with different ethical priorities than my own.
so, i can't practice what I preach... (corporations!)
and that's why i started working on my portfolio on sunday at midnight... (landon bone baker, get that file cabinet ready)
funny thing about phillip johnson...only after his death, i started to appreciate him (not his architecture, but his personality/character as an architect)...
shame on perkins + will
"save the world commit suicide" vado retro
brilliant!
Good thing I am not out to save the world
that slogan's been past due for a polyester t-shirt...
j - I'm not telling anybody how to live. This is a forum for people to discuss ideas, ethics, business, leisure, etc.
What I am asking is that people take a good long hard look at themselves and their lives and decide their needs vs wants. If this guy decided that maybe he could live on 40 floors instead of 60, that might be an improvement. I have a hard time believing that his quality of life would suffer.
Going by what some people on here are suggesting.... this chap is worth about 20 billion dollars. What's Bill Gates worth? 50 billion?
What if Gates built a 150 storey home? It's relative to his wealth, right? Sure, he's got that right, but that wouldn't make it any less offensive when there are billions (yes, billions) of people in the world starving to death and dying from wholly-preventable diseases, etc.
Yeah, I'm coming across as rant-tastic in this thread. I apologize.
It's OK, slant, you're not being overl ranty. I think you are making a lot of good points. My Shiny Happy interpretation was a joking way of trying to see if there is a side to this story that makes a staff of 600 for a single family make any sense at all.
I believe Gates' house doubles as a Microsfot conference/retreat center, so though it's huge it's appropriate for its function. I have to honestly believe that Ambani's house is serving some bigger function than a single family home, because if it's only a monument to wealth and isolation then it's beyond disgusting.
The effort at making this conversation a little more light-hearted is definitely appreciated, lb.
In the end, this thing is getting built, tomorrow we're all going back to the same job we had yesterday, and life goes on. I'm just glad to have a good conversation every once in a while!
I thought you had to have at least a population of 100,000 before you could build an arcology.
To be fair, I think the issue has little to do with Perkins + Will and more to do with broader ethical questions for the building industry as whole.
Anybody want to venture to calculate the client's ecological footprint here?
www.myfootprint.org/
To what extent can architecture have a positive impact on the broader goals of society, given that this is a business that centers around clients? Does architecture really ever make a difference? Or is it really about choice of client, in which case, it's just passing off design fees to the next guy who'll just pick up the project anyway, and do a horrendous job of it...?
True or false: the architect doesn't really produce social change other than through idea innovation... Maybe we are basically servants of the market, unless we become players in the market...
On the other hand, Trace made a really good point above... Idea innovation aside, it's not the small firm that has the size and power to make a difference... It's the huge corporate firm, the SOM's or Genslers that actually have the influence and power to actually impact the market, shape what's out there, influence the building and building products industry by shaping the market. Brand identity needs to mean something, it can't be just words, or else you're the slave to the market. It's basically impotence... Not that impotence is bad, there are few companies in any industry that can shift a market (basically influence culture)... Also, there was a point made above somewhere: it's sortof arrogant to tell the market how it ought to behave...
oh strawbeary, ain't that the truth...
i'm would be all about championing these ethics to clients (and I already do a lot of times my girlfriend)... and yet i'm brought back to reality by strawbeary's comment, that i still take part in a practice that i feel is not unethical, but certainly with different ethical priorities than my own.
so, i can't practice what I preach... (corporations!)
and that's why i started working on my portfolio on sunday at midnight... (landon bone baker, get that file cabinet ready)
Jbond, your arcology comment was brilliant!
But seriously folks, dont blame Perkins and Will for taking this commision, that's like blaming a hooker for blowing a fat guy.
stupid hooker.
"she should have more respect for herself, she shouldn't be blowing that fat guy"
looks like philip johnson was right.
i think this project proves him right
a short drive around your local suburb will prove that as well...
actually architects arent just whores. they're crack whores.
funny thing about phillip johnson...only after his death, i started to appreciate him (not his architecture, but his personality/character as an architect)...
man, i feel dirty...
agh spam
suddenly Bill Gate's home doesn't seem so outlandish.
wasn't there another CEO who had this huge apartment in this massive complex where he kept his business interests?
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.