Today’s libraries have also evolved into complex institutions compressed into small spaces, making their design needs equally intricate. ... In the end, the problem of how to build good public architecture briskly and frugally has little to do with design and everything to do with bureaucracy. Virtually no one feels the urgency or has the clout to reform a sclerotic system. — New York Magazine
2 Comments
Interesting read, but definitely written from the architect's perspective. Yes, bureaucracy within City, State, and Federal government is very much to blame, but the Steven Holls of the world are equally culpable selling visions they know their clients cannot afford. I know - I've worked with the likes of them before.
I bet that little library is going to be the only worthwhile building in that entire development. So what's the value of that? (Also note that Holl builds massive developments in China--clearly working in an industrial-design economy vs. a consultant-technocrat has benefits). Holl has the right attitude here ("get ready to lose money with a smile") but why are architects the only people acting charitably here? What happened to philanthropy, the Carnegies and Rockefellers? Government builds libraries, yes, but they have a lot on their table.
A bit disappointed that critics are suddenly interested in crunching numbers, but don't really put things in context. Yes, he "blames" the bureaucracy more than design (a rarity among the mcurbanist critics) but theres is also an implication that bureaucracy is the "true" design (drain the swamp!). Both positions are simplistic narratives. No architects/visionaries, no library at all.
Instead of either narrative, we need numbers that reflect the social value added by good design. How much value can come from a library like this? How can we incentivize good design in public and private construction that both aim for the cheap? Just like the High Line, architecture needs support from government and private interests who see it for this long-term value.
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