University officials at Cal Poly Pomona, say the triangular structure, known on campus as the “pointy building,” needs extensive repairs and seismic upgrades. Therefore, it makes more fiscal sense to replace the building with a brand-new facility in a different location.
University officials at Cal Poly Pomona, say the triangular structure, known on campus as the “pointy building,” needs extensive repairs and seismic upgrades. Therefore, it makes more fiscal sense to replace the building with a brand-new facility in a different location. Architectural Record
4 Comments
I think it's a commentary on "star-chitecture" that almost goes without explanation.
Note that the end-user thinks the building wastes space, is hard to deal with in terms of triangular interior shapes, and simply leaks causing real life problems. Sounds like they spent a lot of $$$ to get a building worthy of becoming part of their school logo.
Ironically its legacy of inefficiency, insensitivity to the user, and shortfalls in basic areas of construction despite the huge expenditure may be seen as a microcosm of the public education system.
It looked so good in Gattaca.
Not that I am defending Predock, or any starchitect in general, but I sometimes wonder how many of these clients are playing victim to situations that they could have avoided if they had been more vocal and involved in the design process. Obviously with no knowledge of the interaction that went into this building, or any others that have had similar problems lately (Gehry vs. MIT), from the outside it seems as if the relationship between client and architect was not well established, leaving the architect free-reign over the project and the client having zero input or evaluation of the design prior to construction.
As much as we would all like to think of Architecture as an art that we are commissioned to make, the reality is that unlike art, people beyond the architect and the client have to make use of our work (unless it's residential). While some responsibility falls on the architect to not get carried away, I think it's too easy to cast the "starchitect" as the ego-driven, singular designer that does whatever he/she wants, damn the client.
And yes, it was great in Gattaca. FLW Marin Civic Center also featured in the film as well. Almost as much an architectural history film as a science-fiction.
1. Edifice Complex
(n.)An Edifice Complex is a serious budget-busting illness that typically manifests itself on modern college and university campuses. Soon after their inauguration, an incoming university president will frantically and feverishly fall all over themselves to relentlessly badger wealthy donors and students for the purposes of leaving a mark with their name on it on the campus by constructing a new, over-priced, prime parking lot removing, ten-story structure post-modern eyesore whose purpose is solely to house administration, their support staff, and grace the cover of university brochures and websites. Faculty and students then are given the vacated, broken down, second and third string buildings for use as classes and offices.
IE;
Friend 1) Dude, I barely made it to class on time, even though I got on campus forty minutes ago! WTF?!
Friend 2)Well, my friend, out new president's got Edifice Complex so bad he took out all the prime parking to construct another building with is name on it. And then tripled the price of a parking permit to pay for the damn thing.
Friend 1) Oh sweet Jesus crap!
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