6MT.net Infiniti G35/G37/GTR Community - The San Francisco Paradox: When good cities have bad architecture.

gammawolf · 10-18-2006, 06:09 PM

I just read this article: http://www.slate.com/id/2151655/?nav=tap3&GT1=8702

And I say bullshit! Either this dipshit has no idea what he's talking about or he hasn't picked up an Architectural Record in years.

Aside from the great dynamics of the city, San Francisco is trying to be very bold when coming to its architecture and is far more advanced than L.A. I don't give a rat's ass that we have Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert hall which is an astounding building, San Francisco is still in the lead on the West coast. Overall, the west has been slow with its architecture, but what this author points out is shortsighted.

Here are two examples that the author doesn't know about or just ignored:

1. The new California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park. This will be a jem of a project once its finished in late 2008. http://www.calacademy.org/newacademy/ The architect is Renzo Piano. Next to Calatrava and Gehry, Piano for lack of a better phrase, is the shiznits! Piano's website is http://www.rpbw.com/. Absolutely stunning buildings. The Academy of Sciences building will feature a completely new planetarium/rainforest/science building that will blow your socks off once completed.

2. One aggressive architect that is up and coming: Tom Mayne see his far out website here http://www.rpbw.com/ He is the designer of the San Francisco Federal Courthouse. This building should be completed this year and when it is, it will be the first naturally ventilated office building on the west coast since the advent of air conditioning. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but consider the size of this building and it's enviornmental goals for a GSA project and you may get the idea. This is a landmark building no doubt. Of course, structurally it looks so advanced, you'd think that this building was out of the movie Blade Runner.

other facts about the SF Federal building:
- This project features windows that will open, allowing air to circulate through the 65-foot wide tower.
- A three-story sky garden will occupy a notch on the side of the building from the 11th to 13th floors.

Incidentally, Tom Mayne was also the architect for the Caltrans HQ here in downtown Los Angeles. A lot of people don't like it. I appreciate it for what it is, but I wish he'd use more structural glass work instead of steel, louvers, and mesh grills. Still, it too is an environmentally sound building.

Fastforward · 10-18-2006, 07:43 PM

I love architecture.

I'd also agree with you Gamma on SF they have the only real skyline on the West Coast IMO.

Besides Gehry, some of my other faves include FL Wright, Wm. Holabird, and Cesar Pelli (famous for the Petronas Towers in Malaysia) which was the tallest building in the world until 2004 when Taipei 101 was built.

Check out his firm's site for some nice pics:

http://www.pcparch.com/flash.cfm

gammawolf · 10-18-2006, 07:55 PM

I'm very familiar with Cesar Pelli. Remember when I created that thread calling out Smoke to help me with photoshop? That glass wall was the exterior serpentine curtain wall for the Orange County Performing Arts Center aka Renee and Henry Sergerstrom Concert Hall.

We are currently giving budget pricing and heavily tracking the Pelli's new Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration and we were less than $500K short on our bid for the glass corner envelope around the stairs for the Madison County Museum of Art.

He also did the 777 Tower off of 7th and Figueroa in downtown L.A. I snuck in the building to take a picture of the space frame that the partners of my firm did for a previous company.

I like Gehry, he's innovative, avant garde and can't draw a straight line to save his life. But I love Calatrava. The Milwaukee Museum of Art is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen and that's just from pictures. He also did a small but beautiful bridge in Redding, CA.

**GZire** · 10-18-2006, 09:28 PM

You architects are pains in the asses. Why can't you design a nice rectangular building?

j/k - so long as there is enough money, we will build it.

Fastforward · 10-19-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GZire

You architects are pains in the asses. Why can't you design a nice rectangular building?

^^^ misses his Legos

gammawolf · 10-19-2006, 01:23 PM

^^^I was driving through West Hollywood last night and drove by the Pacific Design Center. I forgot that the PDC was also his building. Very nice building too!