It's hard to pay much attention to an article that starts off by describing the Bilboa Guggenheim as "a structure built entirely out of enormous funhouse mirrors", but there's some good quotes from Frank Gehry that makes this Harvard Crimson article worth reading.
It's hard to pay much attention to an article that starts off by describing the Bilboa Guggenheim as "a structure built entirely out of enormous funhouse mirrors", but there's some good quotes from Frank Gehry that makes this Harvard Crimson article worth reading.
"Don’t just run off with every fad—the green thing is very important, but some of us have been thinking of it for a while," he said. "I did an interview in 1969 and I talked about it, and now a few guys are capitalizing on it and making hay. The only way to solve things is by political intervention."
... Gehry remains cynical about blindly applying green architecture, which can be impractical. "For someone to use geothermal in their own house, it’s $30,000 just to dig the hole," he said.
"I cultivate a very healthy level of insecurity. I know I’ve got some juice out there, ’cause people ask me for my autograph sometimes, but that’s not what I’m about. It’s better that I’m running scared and hungry, still on the hunt and trying to invent."
7 Comments
you got to love frank. he is not lying like many others..
I've got to admit, he makes some pretty good points in there. His willingness to hear someone out while making an argument for progressive architecture is telling. My favorite quote though was in talking about "green architecture":
now a few guys are capitalizing on it and making hay. The only way to solve things is by political intervention.
Spot on.
I agree with Gehry, green design has been around for along time. At Carnegie Mellon, where I went to school it's been part of the curriculum for years. Yet lately, it seems like it is something new. It's not. It's just in front of the public more. It shouldn't be treated as fad.
Frank is great with half-truths. Yes, once upon a time, he made some buildings that used recycled materials. Once upon a time, he made small buildings that had minimal footprints. But where are 'green' FOG project from the past 2 decades that had any concern for the environment or performance beyond expressing his own/clients ego?
EVERY building that's come from FOG recently has been excessive (ie titanium) - that AIN'T green. So frank, please shut up - or put up.
ps - the Strata Center isn't green just because you recycle water in the toilets - show me the energy performance.
TK...
You'd think they'd find a way to reuse all the water leaking into the building for the toilets...
That's the fire suppressant system, RealLife.
When I design a zero stormwater discharge site and try to infiltrate as much of the rain water as I can, I avoid infiltrating the water into the building.
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