Dean Christakos« Consequences of Law Abiding | Main | RIP, SAAB (or not? See update) »
November 6, 2007
Architectural Schadenfreude
According to Gareth:
Any no-name schmo could design a roof that didn't leak. But if you want to be avant garde, if you want to be daring, you must sacrifice your silly preconceptions about the function of a building and such pedestrian concerns as dryness.
Case in point, the fate of MIT's latest eyesore, the Stata Center-- "MIT sues Gehry, citing leaks in $300m complex":
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has filed a negligence suit against world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, charging that flaws in his design of the $300 million Stata Center in Cambridge, one of the most celebrated works of architecture unveiled in years, caused leaks to spring, masonry to crack, mold to grow, and drainage to back up.
The Stata Center isn't a complete disaster. To a degree, it "works" when you think of it as a university mini-campus, housing the Computer Science and Philosophy & Linguistics departments. However, the final product functioned more as a tourist attraction than an urban building; Gehry doesn't deal well when it comes to urban architecture, as his buildings look more like they belong in a sculpture garden than on a city block. The Stata Center has been previously featured as an Eyesore of the Month.
Posted by Dean at November 6, 2007 9:23 PM
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