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*** arev_98.02
*** smh_97.09.10
*** smh_98.05.20
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[East Circular Quay, Sydney]
- get personal
"For those who discovered their outrage only when the building
went up, Andersons will have some surprises in store. For example, that
Utzon himself had designed a continuous wall along the Quay's eastern edge, higher than the buildings which are now there." (Geraldine O'Brien, smh_00.10.20)
- Venice defence
"The real story has been lost. I'm not surprised by the heat and debate but things do get very personal. Given a choice, people will always go for the 'park' option rather than the 'building' option but it's my view that the greatest cities in the world, cities like Venice, for example, are characterised by buildings coming to the water's edge." (Andrew Andersons, in Geraldine O'Brien, smh_00.10.20)
- defeatism
"The idea that we could ever get 'polite,' innocuous architecture at such a scale is a joke; The idea that the architecture ought to have been 'polite' in the first place is probably not the right one." (Anne Susskind, smh_98.08.04)
- absolutes
"Such a design should probably have been obtained through an architectural competition, with an inspired and sophisticated judge, such as Eero Saarinen, who picked the Opera House out of the pile of rejects." (Susskind A, smh_98.08.04)
- demolished
"Professor Stuber applauded 'the public uproar and shock at the ... highly objectionable apartment block on this most sensitive site at East Circular Quay. Although it would be expensive, it should indeed be demolished as many suggest." (O'Brien G, smh_98.07.06)
- toing and froing
"When the project was launched in early 1996, it was reported that about $88 million had been spent on 50 apartments even before construction had begun. This was said to include $5.5 million for a penthouse." (Totaro P, smh_98.05.20)
- creative eyebrows
"The Lord Mayor, Councillor Sartor, has also signed the petition, causing more than a few raised eyebrows considering his role in approving the sale of council roadways near the building and agreeing to the final designs." (Totaro P, smh_98.05.16)
- novated draftsman
"When architect Mr Andrew Andersons was then hired by the developers in conjunction with the City of Sydney Council, Mr Burattini said, his job changed to designing the interior ...
'We were given the envelope to work with, [by Sydney City Council] take it or leave it. When you are told to do something or lose the job, you have just got to do it,' he said. ...
'I was a glorified draftsman.' ..." (Susskind A, smh_98.03.16)
- bereft
"a new report ... would help improve ...
The report was prepared by a committee comprising the Government architect, Mr Chris Johnson, and architects Mr Ken Maher, Mr Richard Johnson and Mr Peter Tonkin.
They listed problems with the existing building's reflective glass and its purple tinge, the green glass balconies, the balustrades, the size of the plant room on the roof, the windows and their white frames, and the lack of detail on the building's white granite. (Susskind A, smh_98.03.14)
- fall back
The resulting amendment includes: The replacement of some of the glass balustrades with curving stainless steel rails; Fabric retractable blinds to east and west, with stainless steel brackets; Adjustable external louvres facing the Opera House; and Some of the 'over-scaled' white door and window frames to be replaced with darker ones. " (Susskind A, smh_98.03.14)
- IN X S
"Its chief defenders include architects, business executives, students, writers and
artists -- among them actress Judy Davis and Kelland Hutchence, father of the
late rock star Michael Hutchence."
- swoons over
"Andersons is generally a deeply conservative architect ... he specializes in polite buildings ... its design is generic, dull ... In all, it is a monument to impoliteness, short-sightedness, and crassness." (Susskind A, blp_Dec97)
- Mutual Views
"The developers -- Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd of Hong Kong, which acquired the parcel of land from Colonial Mutual Life ... -- won approval of the plan from the Sydney City Council in 1994. The insurance company acquired the strip leading toward the opera house in the early 1990's, but development was delayed by a long recession.
At the end of 1966, the site was finally cleared of old buildings and warehouses, dating chiefly from the 1960s, which also had blocked the views.
People were then able to see the beauty of the unobstructed views, and they liked what they saw. But the City Council had already approved the new project." (Farnsworth CH, nyt_97.11.30)
- vomit toaster
"My heart stopped when I opened my Herald sent to South Africa ... and saw in its full horror the architectural vomit that now sits at the gates of the Opera House.
Oh, Sydney, what have you done !
To those responsible for this monstrosity - developers, designers, council, government - hang your heads in shame. ... You have taken a magnificent opportunity and mocked the people of Sydney and Australia with your own pitiful incompetence. This will not be forgotten." (E-Letter to the Editor -- Wilson B, smh_97.09.16)
- cold breakfast
"Somebody said it looks like a giant toaster, so we decided to bring what was appropriate ... bread, eggs and tomatoes ..." (John Newland in Totaro P, smh_97.09.22)
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