Neighbors have complained about the plaza for years, calling it an unsafe blight. The frustration is shared by Maria Ciprazo, the federal architect who oversaw the process that in 1999 awarded the project to Mayne and his Southern California firm, Morphosis. — San Francisco Chronicle
In this article, the San Francisco Chronicle takes issue with Morphosis' Federal Building, noting that its plaza has not become the cultural hotspot much hyped by developers at its opening in 2007:
But when we view the complex in hindsight, it didn’t transform the local architectural scene. It’s a flash of isolated drama. Look no further than the three residential slabs that have been built on the block since then, each a box with no higher aspiration than to satisfy the developer’s bottom line.
As for the social agenda — to create a neighborhood haven — the plaza and its corner cafe have come up short on all fronts.
masterpiece. A great model of eco-social-aesthetic progressive architecture that seems MIA (in narrative porn media).
If you are going to do the 10 year review, don't pollute it with faux-populism of people that don't even use the building. Or imply a failure of the building when it's a civic issue.
If the city has failed to use the plaza properly, just build a wall and make it private (kidding?). Or enliven it with programming. Seems like a failure of the users (and context) rather than design.
The lovely aspect of that plaza is the breathing space it provides, a wide-open calm. But I do think it's large enough that a few more interventions could be added that would keep a breathing space but also allow better programming.
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masterpiece. A great model of eco-social-aesthetic progressive architecture that seems MIA (in narrative porn media).
If you are going to do the 10 year review, don't pollute it with faux-populism of people that don't even use the building. Or imply a failure of the building when it's a civic issue.
If the city has failed to use the plaza properly, just build a wall and make it private (kidding?). Or enliven it with programming. Seems like a failure of the users (and context) rather than design.
A failure of users is clearly a failure of architects to anticipate the needs of and provide for users.
A failure of users is clearly a failure of architects to anticipate and provide for users.
Chemex: that's a great point, but I think a reversal of the statement makes a legitimate criticism... That designers often promise solutions to civic problems that can't be solved by design.
Whether or not the building is a masterpiece is irrelevant, it simply hasn't done what its creators specifically said it could do because architecture alone can never accomplish those things.
Maybe we should stop making unachievable promises.
"If you build it, they will come" only works for ghosts on baseball fields in the middle of corn fields.
Maybe it's a great performing building with a poorly designed plaza. It happens...
The plaza at the SF building was touted as a gift to the city, a place where people could gather and use. In reality, it's a bleak place that people avoid.
Mayne did the same thing at the Caltrans building in downtown LA. I can't imagine a more forbidding, inhumane plaza. It's awful, especially compared with the beautiful entry court and tree-shaded lawns of the LA City Hall across the street. It's almost perverse. Not a masterpiece. Tone-deaf. I don't think Mr. Mayne has the slightest idea how to create an urban space that human beings can enjoy, nor does he have the slightest inclination to do so.
why would anyone want to use that plaza. It feels like something from a police state dystopia...
The lovely aspect of that plaza is the breathing space it provides, a wide-open calm. But I do think it's large enough that a few more interventions could be added that would keep a breathing space but also allow better programming.
There are people who do this stuff and do it well.
Project for Public Spaces
BRV
Morphosis and the client may have wanted to consult with them before they designed this. Fortunately, there's probably still hope if a decent operator can be found.
Given this quote "especially since there has been no effort to fill the plaza with the concerts and markets that were promised back in 2001." programming does seem key. Especially when from the perspective of energy consumption etc., the building is performing as expected...
You shouldn't have to create carnival programming to energize a public plaza. Good urban spaces attract people because they are pleasant to spend time in. People flock to the Piazza Del Campo just to be there, to enjoy the architecture, the colors, the scale, the textures. Places where you feel like an insect amid an inscrutable, metallic, alien landscape will fail no matter how many concerts-in-the-park you schedule.
Disagree - the best public spaces are very well managed. Bryant Park, Millennium Park, Discovery Green, Klyde Warren, the list goes on...
Well-managed, yes but that does not mean making an entertainment venue. NYC's Central Park is an oasis for bird watchers, runners, dog owners, etc. While there are also entertainment functions this is not the focus nor are they required for the park's success. Street vendors, sidewalk art shows and such flock to the area because of its popularity, not because they are required to draw crowds.
Even abysmally designed public spaces can benefit from strong management, and that doesn't mean you need to turn it into a "carnival." I don't know much about the SF Federal Building plaza, but my guess is if you added umbrellas, seating, and food trucks, you would instantly increase its use, but all that takes management. "Street vendors, sidewalk art shows, and such" rarely just appear.
I didn't say the SF plaza couldn't benefit from being well-managed, and that having events there wouldn't draw people. I'm saying that you shouldn't need that kind of programming to energize the plaza. People would stroll, have lunch, and just hang out in Bryant Park even if they didn't have events there. Its humane and pleasant in a way that Mayne's metallic landscape isn't. If you dressed it up with umbrellas and park benches, it might help, but it's no longer what Mayne designed.
The old Greyhound depot gave the neighborhood character - now it's just a "vacant lot" for crack heads and meth addicts - I once got shoved there by the Federal Protection Service(Goon Squad) for taking pictures
Well, here is a plaza that works. A city hall that works as well.
Looks well programmed and managed to me...
just plain butt-ugly!
Thank you for your insight.
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