Gehry for Smithfield
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What about a sense of place, or even a sense of space, of the subtlety of choice of material over the garish overuse and abuse of colour & texture. Purity over indulgance etc.
I have been to the Gugenheim in Bilbao and the first thing one has to notice is first the appalling ugliness of the city of Bilbao and the one single jewel in the middle bending over backwards to sparkle in the
sun. Gehry is the master of contrast. Mimics
have being trying to copy his antics further down the road with ridiculous results. Gehry to my mind is a virtuoso architect with a great imaginantion for both interior and exterior space. The museum is similar to a great gothic cathedral but with the added element of surprise. I found the building despite cul de sac type planning functions very well. The gallery spaces were varied and the exhibits felt at home in the building. One observation about some architects work is the attention to toilet design. Richard Murphy puts all his effort sometimes in proving the toilets are exciting. Gehry is better than this. The toilets were quality but not expensive. The exterior of the building is quite remarkable but the landscaping is a little crude. The building is adjacent a river but he still included outrageously dramatic reflecting lakes. Its over the top in ways but it leaves a very strong memory imprint.Gehry’s architecture can been viewed as highly individualistic and stand alone. Note too his rock/pop museum in Seattle, USA which again is a trademark of his highly sculptural dynamic style evoking the work of the Futurist sculpture Umberto Boccionni. His work could be seen as ugly if one is to compare it to mainstream buildings…. one would ‘nt place such an individualistic convoluted building within an ordinary streetscape; such buildings deserve to be free standing so as to be viewed from all angles to be appreciated….as the Sydney Opera House. They are works of sculpture as well.
in reference to MK.
Yes, some buildings are beautiful in their simlicity.
Personality architect – visually exciting – highly individualistic – putting places on maps –
Is there a major pre-occupation with the visuals? Do architects nowadays design their buildings with the architectural media in mind? Do buildings have to be visually exciting in order to make an imprint with audiences which will only see it in photos? Do city authorities do the same thing when commissioning signature architects – the building as the logo of the local tourist board? Would James Gandon cut the mustard in today’s world?
Gehry has recently finished a building in Berlin at postdamer platz. It had to hanker to all the berlin planning requirements and yet it is another piece of remarkable architecture. This time the contrast is with the exterior vs the interior. Gehry himself
claims its one of his best buildings. Maybe there an element of bad tradesmen blaming their tools here????Hi JL, Here are the answers to your ponderous questions…………
Is there a major pre-occupation with the visuals? ……..Why not! Do architects nowadays design their buildings with the architectural media in mind?…….So what! Do buildings have to be visually exciting in order to make an imprint with audiences which will be only seen it in photos?……..If not, what!…. Do city authorities do the same thing when commissioning signature architects – the building as the logo of the local tourist board? ……What not! Would James Gandon cut the mustard in today’s world?…..He’d probably eat it on a ham sandwich! I just can’t see why you have a slight disgruntlement with the commissioning of the ‘big names’ in architecture, especially for the city of Dublin or Ireland in general. We are serious lacking here at the moment….we do need an impetus for our architecture in a way and a ‘big name’ would indeed be just the ticket to set a standard for all the sheep to follow. What has Dublin at the moment got of note to offer……nothing! Even in Belfast there looks as if there is something happening on Laganside…ie the Waterfront Hall,etc… Putting it bluntly our thickness and insecurity holds us back!Hi Greg F – I’m just wondering what ‘good architecture’ is if its going to be used to improve things. And in relation to Mr Gehry, his buildings look cool in photos on the one hand but they seem pretty environmentally unfriendly on the other.
Why do we pick buildings of a high visual quality but (for example) low environmental credentials as examples of good architecture? This architecture is good for tourism, its certainly good for Mr Gehry but is it good for us?
[This message has been edited by JL (edited 15 November 2000).]
From Sam Webb’s letter in AJ, 2/11/00:
Gehry’s Guggenheim “has done for Bilbao what Jorn Utzon’s Opera House did for Sydney, putting Bilbao on the map and drawing thousands of visitors from all over the world to this formerly run-down Basque city… it has become an icon. But it is not the only one. Just downstream crossing the Nervion River is Santiago Calatrava’s truly beautiful Volantin footbridge, designed for pedestrians and cyclists. Underground is Norman Foster’s stunning metro. Travelling around Bilbao is a delight. Along the river bank a new tram system is being built with tracks laid in grass. The whole city is being regenerated and Gehry’s building is the catalyst… “
‘Nuff said.
…………… and that’s that!
Nuff said………….I’ve been vindicated. Obviously ‘Gehry & Co’ for Dublin/Ireland…. Please!Oh for God’s Sake – go ahead, buy the architectural equivalent of the Nike trainer – beautiful, technically accomplished, designed more for fashion than its original function, and probably screwing the environment and/or someone in Singapore. Consume! Globalise!
who is to say that a Gehry building is environmentally unfriendly???
Unsustainable development is unused and
short lived development wasting resources
because of continual redevelopment.Gehry’s buildings are if anything over used
and are designed to last!!!Hi JL,
Using the comparison of a Gehry edifice with a Nike trainer is not really a good analogy, is it and popularity or commerciality does not always equate to poor quality.
Can you name then a renowned stylish environmentally friendly building of international merit.Believe me I’m all for the environment too,(I have a background in horticulture)but the general infrastructure of the nation is far more important. The notion of biospheres are fine but lets get a few basics in order first.
It’s gas is’nt it, our economy finally booms and we have now have an opportunity to add something of note to our bitty architectural heritage but we always seem to have some malingerers hampering…..don’t do that because……Blah! Blah! It is a general reflection of our irish society, which is why it takes bloody ages for anything to be done. Just do it!I proposed that smithfield should have the
following programme of land use in addition
to the Smithfield village.A)A new abbey theatre-pubs-cafes etc
B)A parc villette science park for children
C)A large indoor fresh food market –
D)a docking station for movable kiosks to
activate the space on a daily basis
E) A large childrens play structure with display screen to close of the north end of the square which would formally contain the proposed civic forum.Gehry could be asked to design any one of
these, but preferably the science park.Just because you can afford to build something doesn’t mean you should put up the first thing that enters your head – the building on Georges Quay is an example of when the city was desperate to build something – anything – at a time when there was FA investment in the centre – ten years later its almost universally reviled. F Gehry has some excellent built works, but he also has his fair share of pooches – his name alone doesn’t guarantee quality
Me detects a slight dislike of Gehry…ok then we’ll get the two knights Rogers and Foster or Pei Cob Freed, etc…. plenty of big fish in the sea…..how about too Barney the builder from Ballyfermot, my neck of the woods.I’m sure he’d manage to do just as good a job and he has no qualifications either. Cool!
By the way that yoke they are erecting at George’s Quay is a great tribute to the eighties; fleck suits, box jackets, mullets, Durran Durran and Irish unemployment.They can look at it blindly in years to come and say …’Yeah the eighties were a great boom time for us all’.
What would you think Gehry’s reaction would beto the horse fair at Smithfield?
Would the idea of horse shit ingrained onto
titatium panels be too risky???
Would the obligatory reflecting ponds have to
be barrigaded because some scanksters might suethe corpo for drowning a horse??
Would the horsefair be inevitably banished to makeway for 100% gentification???
Can there be a realistic social mix in Dublin??[This message has been edited by e.carr (edited 20 December 2000).]
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