This has been a vision of architecture since earlier in the last century. Modernism, some people would argue, is doing more with less. Steve wanted us to push the edge of technology, but it had to be comfortable for people. Sometimes that idea got lost in modernism. It’s an interesting challenge, how to marry the two.” — NYT
The Sunday NYT Business section published A Genius of the Storefront, Too, a piece which explores a collaboration, that extended from Pixar’s headquarters completed in 2001, to more than 30 Apple Stores (and counting) around the globe, between Peter Bohlin and his firm, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson — and Mr. Jobs himself. James B Stewart argues in the process, that the idiosyncratic design aesthetic(s) for which Steve Jobs was known professionally, "left an indelible stamp on architecture, especially the retail kind, traditionally a backwater of the profession."
5 Comments
backwater of the profession?
yeah, i grabbed that line, too, jump. considering oma's done prada, there's a jewelbox boutique in h&dm's miami garage, and there are myriad other examples of architects taking advantage of the high $/sf that retail projects can command, i'm not sure where the author's coming from. sure there are a lot of examples of bad commercial architecture, but it's not exclusive to the type.
it may be that there is a relative lack of *respect* for retail work among some folks, but that has to do with things other than the quality of the work itself. and those folks are likely more the people who critique architecture culture at large than they are 'the profession', who are taking what they can get at this point, and happy to have some budget and a client interested in using architecture to help define an identity.
I think the author is referring to this quote within the article, from James Timberlake: Most commercial architecture is under-detailed, under-edited and under-budgeted. It’s gross and ugly, and most of it is an eyesore on the American landscape.
I agree with this quote. Andhe's clearly referring to strip malls and malls, not high end boutiques.
yeah ok but jobs didn't change any of that. he left no mark on that side of the business.
unless the writer thinks these glass structures fit into the same place in the market.
anyway i don't think jobs had much to do with setting new standards in terms of retail design anywhere. it's just a high end fit out nicely done. not the same world changing impact as the tech he developed....
Apple stores had no budget
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