Well almost. Newsweeks' architectural critic Cathleen McGuigan makes the argument that most green buildings are ugly and only a few should be deemed as well designed. Naturally Renzo Piano gets a snuggly hug with his National Academy of Sciences. In the 'oh really' corner the original NOLA shotgun gets a tip of the hat.
4 Comments
duh
piano makes me want to vomit.
So after sarcastically bashing "green roofs" in the first paragraph, she goes on to speak with great praise about Piano's green roof and how amazing it is.... And as for 500 employees driving 40 miles to work each day? uh....what does that even have to do with green design? Are architects now going to be held responsible for designing time-warp machines that zap people from home to work instantly and without the need for commuting? Tourists using up jet fuel to get to Vegas? I guess that's a valid point, it would make much more sense for them to ride their bicycles from New York. I hardly think green architecture is a "fad," and if she's got such a problem with it, maybe she should take some licensing exams and show us all how to design and build green.
if 'architecture' is all style and no substance, then yes, most 'green' buildings are ugly. Just as corb and meis were decried for bringing modernism alive. But green is more about function then just making pretty box, and McCurmudegeon doesn't seem to understand that, or care.
so what was the point of her article? was it to push for better looking light shelves? was it to suggest that we need to eliminate 40 mile commutes but working close to home or living close to work?
vegas is anything but sustainable, spot on. tourism as a sector is built on spending an exorbitant amount of energy to create an experience. If there was a high speed train connection to socal, half the visitors could reduce their carbon footprint many-fold. then there is the problem with building a city in a location with insufficient resources beyond sunshine, where everything is imported. Maybe if vegas became the solar capital of the US and covered every roof with PV panels, then that would be something. but the hoover dam keeps that from ever becoming an economically viable pat- hydro power is too cheap, except when looking at the ecological toll. then there is the profligate waste of water for fountains, golf, lawns and pools that make vegas second only to miami in per capita water use, and vegas is IN A DESERT!!!!!
(oh, all of vegas is ugly - not because it's attempting to go 'green')
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