ambushed -- h o s t i l e   f i r e
(*****) intensely scrutinized, in general - and architectural - press

s h u n n e d
(*****) shunning publicity

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[Chiat/Day, Los Angeles] binocular 'We thought is was the most generous gesture,' Ms van Bruggen said of Mr Gehry's incorporation of the giant binoculars that she and Mr Oldenburg created into the facade of his building ... 'How does an architect give away part of his building? Frank did that.' She paused for effect. 'And he's regretted it ever since.'" (Weber B, nyt_98.04.29)

 

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[Jewish Museum, Berlin] air-conditioning "Delays have also emerged at the city's new Jewish Museum, which was to have opened later this year. Problems with the air-conditioning and other technical features of the building by Daniel Libeskind, an American architect, have prompted the opening to be put back to 2001." (Roger Cohen, nyt/iht_00.01.18)   brood "The brooding, zigzag-shaped building accomplished what many thought was impossible--it captures, in architectural form, the whole range of Jewish experience in Germany, from the horrors of the Holocaust to the hope of spiritual renewal." (lat_00.01.02)   350 oddly shaped windows "In the month of October the new Jewish Museum Berlin welcomed nearly 15,000 visitors, a number that does not seem impressive unless you are aware that the museum does not even open officially for another year. There is nothing to see in the building . . . except the building." (Benjamin Forgey, wp_99.11.27) avatar "To arrive at the design, Libeskind says, he sought out the addresses of prominent Jewish and non-Jewish citizens ... It is not at all clear how these ideas were transformed into the forms, spaces and materials ..." (Benjamin Forgey, wp_99.11.27)   witted "I often asked, what have I done today? ... I have set up meetings, I have met administrators, I have talked about money all day. Then I asked, what did I do 10 years ago? I sat, I meditated, I drew. Who can tell which is more significant?" (Daniel Libeskind, in Alan Riding, "Now Practicing What He Preaches" - nyt_98.03.17) sharp corners "Shaped like a zinc bolt of lightning, an SS badge or a star of David pulled apart, it will be the most original structure and the most significant cultural event in Berlin for a long time. ... 'Why should our children walk next to a building that has sharp corners?' parents in the public housing next door asked the architect ..." (Ratcliffe M, "In Ambitious Berlin ..." nyt_98.01.11)

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[Auto City 2000, Wolfsburg, Germany] Volls Woyce "It will feature at least eight separate pavilions to showcase Volkswagen's brands. It will also include a luxury hotel, a yachtpier and a museum that will let people test-drive cars in virtual reality." (Andrews EL, nyt_98.07.17)   master plan "But much more than the sale of memorabilia is involved here. There is a Grateful Dead master plan. Most of the revenue coming in is being earmarked for an enormous project ... It is called Terrapin Station, to be built in San Fransisco, a $60 mil museum, amusement park, gathering place, concert hall, research center and possibly even a hotel for Grateful Dead fans ..." (Strauss N, nyt_98.01.06)   fibro shack "Australian Home Beautiful claimed in 1961 that "some of the nation's best architectural ideas are going into what used to be called 'week-enders' ... A quick survey of architects' prize-winning houses reveals a preponderance of beach houses and other weekenders. Whether architect-designed or owner-built, weekenders and fibro flourished together. ... The spread of brick and tile suburbia to the beachside is not merely an aesthetic problem - it is also a denial of ... architectural experimental space." (Pickett C, smh_98.01.06)   biggest elephant -- built in 1985, modelled after London's famous Crystal Palace, which burned down in 1936. Developer Trammell Crow envisioned a huge wholesale market where makers of personal computers and all their accessories would display wares to buyers from across the country. Instead, the sprawling 1.6 mil sf building with 225,000 sf floorplates, 10 times the size of typical office building, turned out to be one of the biggest white elephants in the real-estate world. (Templin N, wsj_97.12.03)   context protest "When the architect wanted to paint some of the brick exteriors to more closely duplicate a real block of row houses, residents protested ... The facility's appearance has caused an unexpected problem for property manager Les Kirk. He is always careful to tell potential customers what if looks like before they come over, but many still can't find it." (Templin N, wsj_97.12.03)   [The Venetian Casino Resort] croon "The grandest of all ... might be the nearly $2 billion Venetian ... It will have 6,000 suites and will be a re-creatian of Venice, complete with canals and gondoliers who croon in Italian." (Pollack A, nyt_97.11.13)   [Longaberger Co Headquarters, Newark Ohio] - NBBJ Columbus (Friederich KM Bohm) homey signature "The maker of hand-woven, wooden baskets and other homey crafts is moving to a new $30 mil headquarters: a giant, free-standing replica of the company trademark basket. ... The handles -- an engineering feat that took a year and a half to finish -- are two 300-foot-long pieces of assembled, galvanized steel that rest on 18-inch-thick pins, just as a real basket's would." (Quintanilla C, wsj_97.10.15) homey client Because of the basket 'weave' carved into the stucco, Longaberger was limited in the number of windows it could install. Architects suggested other ways ... Each time, Mr Longaberger sent them back to the original basket look. 'I knew if I wavered one little bit, they would jump on that like crazy,' he says." (Quintanilla C, wsj_97.10.15)   [Demolition of the Sands Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas 1952] themed "Coming soon: a $1.8 billion, 6,000-room 'Venetian themed' resort."   Mmart "Kmart was so determined to take Manhattan that it lopped two and a half feet off some of its trucks" [to fit Manhattan bridges and tunnels]. (nyt 10.96) "I am a New Yorker because I hate the rest of America: ..." ("Keep Malls in Suburbs" - Letters to Editor, nyt_96.26.10)   [EMC Insurance Co Headquarters, Des Moines, Iowa] - William Anderson, Brooks Borg Skiles Architecture Engineering absolutely not "I think it's safe to assume the architect had some mental relationship with Absolut and this is the product of it ..." (Richard Lewis, in charge of Absolut vodka account, wsj_97.05.28) "I'm sure that EMC, being a casualty insurer, probably would just as soon not have the publicity" (Rod Nelson, in charge of the project, nyt_97.09.28) . . .   (continued from) . . .   (ctd. from) previous snapshots

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