tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39732153161194453142024-03-07T04:34:27.612+01:00NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECTIn a world filled with architects of immense egos, frightening moral characters, slicing ambition, stealth branding, cunning strategies, audacious attitudes and incredible talents NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT will be a force to be reckoned with. This is a true story about one man and his dream to become a famous architect.Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-16577638016373137502015-03-06T19:02:00.000+01:002015-03-06T19:02:03.538+01:00104. The Ulitmate Female's career guide to getting in and navigating The Starchitect Staffers Club©<em>Before you read any further, I suggest that you first take a quick read of note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/102-how-to-get-in-starchitect-staffers.html" target="_blank">#102</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2015/02/103-unpopular-proposal-argument-for-why.html" target="_blank">#103</a> first. This article is basically a follow up to those articles with specific advice towards female students in starchitecture school.</em><br />
<br />
Unlike the lopsided gender ratio that you might find in the proportion of actual female starchitects to male starchitects as exemplified in the pool of Pritzker recipients, architecture school and the Starchitect Staffers Club has a close to even male to female ratio. Peter Zumthor's office for example has a ratio that tips in the favor of females which makes him one of the worlds foremost starchitects in the way of gender equality for women. The good news is that within these two institutions, gender equality is real and it is here, however it needs to be navigated well if you are aiming to get through it and become a female starchitect.<br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong><u>Getting in the club;</u></strong><br />
In <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/102-how-to-get-in-starchitect-staffers.html" target="_blank">note #102</a> I mentioned that you should be outstanding and that as a student you are never evaluated by just your work. Every single aspect is taken into consideration when your starchitect professor selects a student for internship in his office. <br />
<br />
I listed a number of random factors and possible selection criteria if you will. Among them was sex appeal. Since the great majority of starchitects are men by far, then for women, sex appeal becomes an important determinant.<br />
<br />
If you are a long time reader of this blog, then you may have noticed that I am a fan of collecting data, analysing them to find patterns and making prediction models based on these patterns and findings. A good example would be my <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html" target="_blank">Pritzker Prize analysis</a>: From that data one can conclude that any future Pritzker recipient will most likely be an Asian or Caucasian male Starchitect from Europe, the USA or Japan.<br />
<br />
So in this context let me share a simple yet powerful observation. <br />
<br />
I have done a similar study (albeit empheracally) on the types of students likely to be selected for internships in a starchitect office. Lets just say it is a casual observation from being around the starchitecture school environment for some time. After seeing several types of students being selected for internships, I have noticed a number of patterns. Among them is this: if you are a certain type of female student, then your chances of being selected for an internship increases dramatically.<br />
<br />
What is the type?<br />
<br />
I like to call it the Designer Chic Type: The type of woman that is fashion conscious and elegant as was with Jacqueline Kennedy. This type fits all the cliches of what you think of when you close your eyes and imagine the female designer or architect. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4tRXsZwBD5Q1QaFWiMSDk9Nl1fmKwNtNCXY0ZiZLeIYS-KmQx_JgThwWk1dhLpTS3Gvgw_MHx7Yp6Ta-qzsQQD4lwTnmNFAZD_IJfKSr2Tlrn3KLJoOxKKGhpZyNTueJqyKNQkUlX1w/s1600/06talk-tying-slide-MLRD-jumbo-730x1089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4tRXsZwBD5Q1QaFWiMSDk9Nl1fmKwNtNCXY0ZiZLeIYS-KmQx_JgThwWk1dhLpTS3Gvgw_MHx7Yp6Ta-qzsQQD4lwTnmNFAZD_IJfKSr2Tlrn3KLJoOxKKGhpZyNTueJqyKNQkUlX1w/s1600/06talk-tying-slide-MLRD-jumbo-730x1089.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></div>
<br />
The picture of the lady above fits this category perfectly. First and foremost is that she has an elegant sense of style that carries through in the way she dresses and carries herself. Women of this type are generally the smart and intelligent type that communicates very well, but then again so are most of the women who make it to starchitecture school.<br />
<br />
Men of power, especially starchitects, love women of this type and they tend to like to have many of them around them (did I mention Peter Zumthor earlier?). As a result, starchitects tend to select female students for internships who fit this type more often than other female students who don't. In other words, if you are a smart female student, you produce good work and communicate very well, but do not fit this profile, then chances are you have a lower possibility of being selected for an internship than another female student who does.<br />
<br />
I have seen this happen so often I am confident that if you were to put me into a studio run by a starchitect at Harvard's GSD, the Architectural Association or Columbia or any other Starchitecture school and you say to me "Conrad which one of these female students will be asked to be an intern?" After 2 to 3 days of observation I would be able to guess with reasonable accurately which ones will be selected, just like I can guess with reasonable accuracy that the next Pritzker Prize will be an Asian or Caucasian male Starchitect from Europe, the USA or Japan.. <br />
<br />
So what does this mean for you?<br />
<br />
If you fit this profile or close to it, then great. All you have to do is be aware of it. If you notice that your starchitect professor spends significantly more time at your desk during studio visits, then you are doing well. If you catch him admiring you or flirting with you, then its almost a done deal. That is your cue to flirt back with him a little bit. The warning I give to these girls, and you should see it coming, is it is also likely that your starchitect professor will make sexual advances on you. If this happens, gently deflect them, but keep him interested. <br />
<br />
Its a dangerous game and you will need a strong nerve. You will have the full and undivided attention of a world famous architect trained on you. You will be inundated with the charm of a guy with a charisma so enigmatic that he has got a huge following spanning a whole profession. Can you resist that?<br />
<br />
You have got to! under no circumstances should you have sexual relations with your starchitect professor. <br />
<br />
If I were to completely suspend all and any ethical predispositions that I may have about this and discuss it just in terms of a career path, I would give you the same advice. Here is why:<br />
<br />
True! there are many a girls that get into a sexual relationships with their starchitect or even non-starchitect professor and it results in an internship and even a successful relationship and lifelong professional partnership. Elisabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio is a perfect example. Ricardo Scofido was the starchitect professor and Elisabeth Diller was his student. They had a sexual relationship and it lead to one of the most successful and influential starchitecture firm in the world today. However, for every Elisabeth Diller there hundreds, if not thousands of girls that slept with their professors and got discarded afterwards - never even setting a foot into the starchitect staffers club.<br />
<br />
But as I said in my earlier note, if you want to gamble this is your decision to make. The odds are against you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>What if you are not the Designer Chic kind of girl?</strong><br />
This is an interesting question. Its a given that if you made it to Harvard or Princeton then chances are, you are intelligent and can communicate well. Not every last one of you, but a good lot out of the bunch are. What if you are all that, but not the Designer Chic Type?<br />
<br />
My response is that not being the Designer Chic Type does not automatically exempt you from being a sexual object or prey for your starchitect professor. Starchitect professors come in many different types and have a wide array of preferences: some like the tom-boy type, some like the dominating type, some even like dumb girl type. Some are even gay, in which case it is the boys that are then the sexual objects. My observation is just that most of them seem to like the Designer Chic type.<br />
<br />
So I would actually give you the same exact advice as I gave the Designer Chic Type:<br />
Be aware that as a woman, you are a sexual object. If there is anything you can do to increase your sex appeal, go for it! Use it to your advantage, but above all do NOT sleep with your starchitect professor.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><u>After you get in the Club</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
<strong>Freeze your eggs!:</strong> Whether you think you want children in the future or not, go to a clinic and harvest and freeze your eggs: as mentioned in the previous note, all the alumni of this club seem to agree that the lifestyle that you will endure in the Starchitect Staffers Club is a torturous, painful, demeaning and unhealthy one. It is characterised by sleepless nights, little or no time off and massive amounts of stress. You can not have a child and be in this environment at the same time. Getting pregnant is like a silver bullet to the gut of the vampire that is the starchitect staffer. Even if you have made up your mind that you will not have children ever, it is still a good idea because there is a slight possibility that you might change your mind when you hit 40.<br />
<br />
Some of you may say, why this advice for women and not for the men?<span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Although, parenting is a joint responsibility, your male counterparts will not have to make this choice should their wives or girlfriends becomes pregnant. Our society and profession do not expect men</span> to make a choice between career and children. Is it unfair? yes, but to that I will tell you "suck it up!! and get over it already!!!" life is unfair and its not constructive to spend spend your time dwelling on the unfairness of things. If you feel that strongly then you should quit architecture and become an activist and devote your life to doing something about it. Otherwise you accept that it is what it is and move on. You are not going to be the next female star-architect if you let things like this affect you. With every situation you have advantages and disadvantages and you will have to take a hard and honest look at it and figure out an effective way forward. <br />
<br />
Think about it, <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/05/92-zaha-josephine-tale-of-two-celebrity.html" target="_blank">Zaha Hadid is not or have never been a feminist</a>. She is an egoist! she discusses the unfairness of situations in relation to gender only (and absolutely ONLY) when it suites her. If she is criticized in the press, she will say it is because the critic is sexist and or say if I were a man then they would not have said this or that. For her the whole feminist movement centers around one female and her name is Zaha Hadid. If you want to be the next female starchitect, take a page from Zaha and drop the feminist agenda. The only woman that matters is you. Get comfortable with the phrase <em>kicking the ladder behind you</em>. If the woman in front of you falls, step over her, but make sure no one sees you.<br />
<br />
Ready for some more advice?<br />
<br />
<strong>Let talk about sex:</strong><br />
If you took my advice above and used your female radiance as part of your strategy to get into the Starchitect Staffers Club (...and in many cases even if you did not), there is a strong chance that the starchitect will make sexual advances on you.<br />
<br />
Do not under any circumstances capitulate to any of these advances. Politely redirect them. <br />
If you did not recognize the elegant lady in the picture that I fist showed you above, that is Ann Tyng. She was partner at Louis Kahn Architect and has been referred to as the geometrical strategist and muse behind the famous architect. As smart and talented as she was, she made the mistake of having a sexual relationship with her starchitect boss and eventually got pregnant. When it became apparent, she was sent to Italy to have the child in order to mitigate the scandal. Soon after the relationship ended and with it the career she could have had.<br />
<br />
Similarly, this also happened with Harrit Pattison, a landscape architect who worked at Kahn's office. She also made the mistake of sleeping with the starchitect and getting pregnant. Guess what happend? Discarded and career ended? Yep! you guessed it!<br />
<br />
Let me retort, for every Elisabeth Diller there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of Harrit Pattisons and AnnTyngs. I am not your father or grandfather, so I have no interest in keeping you a virgin until you die, I don't know you and you do not know me either, and for all I know we will never meet each other. So why this insistence that you do not sleep with the starchitect. It is strategically stupid and the odds are against you. <br />
<br />
If you prefer to think strategically and make intelligent decisions, I would like to point you to <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20/transcript?language=en" target="_blank">this video</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Exit Strategy</u></strong><br />
As I mentioned in the previous note, as you approach your late 30's or early 40's, this lifestyle might get a bit tiring and impractical for you especially if you are thinking about starting a family or just realizing that this life style is not sustainable.<br />
<br />
Most of you will take option 1 and go and work at a regular architecture firm and spend the rest of your days telling your star-struck colleagues stories at the lunch table about the good old days when you used to work for Richard Mier or Aldo Rossi.<br />
<br />
Some will take the option of being a full time mom or some combination of this with the above option. This is not an option for your male colleagues. It partly explains why despite the relatively even gender ratio in the Starchitect Staffers Club, that there is such a low ratio of women that actually go on to become starchitects. If you took my advice and froze your eggs, for those of you who are exiting in your early 40's, this is where your frozen eggs will come in handy. If you watched the video above and did your homework, you may have found a suitable partner and not the guy closest to you when the music stopped. You can now unfreeze your eggs have children with him or her and live happily ever after.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately only the few will take option 3 (starting your own firm with the intention of being the next starchitect), which most likely means not having children. For you, I give you the same advice as in previous note. Go to OMA and find a partner (preferably male) your chances of becoming a star will increase tremendously. If you came this far, I congratulate you. I might actually meet you or hear of you after all. I will be down here in the trenches writing and campaigning on your behalf when the Pritzker committee passes you over and hand your husband a Pritzker Prize for the work that you both accumulated over the life of your practice without as much as a mention of your name.<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel,<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Liberating Minds Since August 2007</div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-33822426753845801712015-02-27T00:48:00.000+01:002015-03-21T11:31:14.264+01:00103. An unpopular proposal: An argument for why interns should work for starchitects for free. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUJLBplm-Fi2pAz4OLp2__65kxDoLiR46Vziti1BBfuhAs2rTJccZ-ZSxXSgF7D2Pr7l7EglNQn2eQQuDedNRGnaWCrRZlU9jVhSStZ61aAMLISPdT9GMsPy0kIg_U0peKc7wmn30NZI/s1600/an-unpopular-proposal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUJLBplm-Fi2pAz4OLp2__65kxDoLiR46Vziti1BBfuhAs2rTJccZ-ZSxXSgF7D2Pr7l7EglNQn2eQQuDedNRGnaWCrRZlU9jVhSStZ61aAMLISPdT9GMsPy0kIg_U0peKc7wmn30NZI/s1600/an-unpopular-proposal.png" height="640" width="596" /></a></div>
<br />
Calm down and just hear me out! <br />
<br />
I know, I know everybody is against free intern labor. Its slavery. it's this, it is that. <br />
I don't agree!...I am sorry... I don't<br />
Until the industry radically changes the way it works, then working for free is always going to be a highly desirable option.<br />
<br />
Working for free is not so bad depending on your career path.<br />
If you want to be a famous architect then it is perhaps the best investment you will ever make in your life.<br />
<br />
Let me ask you this: How much does tuition to architecture school cost? and what do you get in return economically? <br />
<ol>
<li>You get a nice student debt that is so high that you will likely be paying it off for the rest of your life.</li>
<li>You get some basic software skills that is of some value to a potential employer. However, since everybody leaving architecture school can claim to have those skills, then the law of supply and demand makes it virtually worthless.</li>
<li>You get to say on your resume that you completed architecture school. That's got to be worth something! Then again, there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of students finishing architecture school each year, so in a capitalist market this make it's value ... well you understand.</li>
</ol>
<br />
Since an architecture degree gives you no practical experience, you are of little value to an architecture firm. You are basically considered a person tough enough to withstand the rigor of architecture school and can survive it and you having some software skills. Perhaps you can sit under grumpy Joe as an assistant and learn something from him and perhaps in time you might be of some value. <br />
<br />
So what I am saying is that in purely economic terms, to an employer, a graduate with a degree in architecture is a medium risk investment at best.<br />
<br />
So by now I hope you realize how absolutely ridiculous an argument this is. Measuring the value of an architectural education purely in economic terms is bonkers. But it is interesting to do it, because when we discuss free or underpaid intern labor we tend to do the same thing and conclude that it is modern day slave labor and leave it there. This is bonkers too. So lets revisit this question:<br />
<br />
Let me ask you this, how much does working for a star-architect cost? Zero.(not unless you were working for Frank Lloyd Wright in which case you had to pay him). Most starchitect firms will pay you minimum wage or something way below that if you include the large amount of overtime hours that you are expected to put in. An up-and-coming starchitect firm most likely can not afford to pay you anything. So in terms of how much you will have to shell out to pay your employer, the amount is Zero or in some cases you actually get some small change netting you a plus. You will however have to pay for your own room and board (and if you have student debt, that too)<br />
<br />
What do you get in return?<br />
<br />
-You get to put on your resume that you have worked at this Starchitecture Firm for a certain amount of years, working on this and that famous project. This in return gets you membership in The Starchitect Staffers Club© with a value far more than the zero dollars that you invested into it. <br />
<br />
<u><strong>What does membership in the club mean?</strong></u><br />
<br />
1. As a kid in your 20's or early 30's you want to work on the most fantastic projects, right? By being in the Starchitecture Club you get to do that.<br />
<br />
2. You will be the envy of all your architect friends. When you meet a regular architect at a party and they ask "So where do you work?" You say quite non-schalauntly "um OMA", you can then watch as the other guy literally shrink beside you. Its an amazing magic trick! <br />
<br />
3. You can travel and live all over the world - if you have worked for DS+R, your chances of getting a job at Fosters, OMA, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry or any othter Starchitecture firm in the world is a near certainty. <br />
<br />
Lets say you are working at Fuksas in Rome and you get tired of the hot summers and you wanted a change of scenery, you can apply to B.I.G. in Copenhagen and move to Denmark. The Scandinavian climate is too cold for you? Apply to Frank Gehry in Los Angeles. So you work for Gehry for a year or 2 and you want to go somewhere more exotic. Why not try for Tado Ando in Japan? there is good chance that within a few weeks you will be showing off your Tokyo flat at a party there with your new found friends and co-workers. <br />
As strange at it may seem to you (if you have never been in the starchitect staffers club) these are not unlikely scenarios. This is just mundane reality for members of this club.<br />
<br />
Mind now, I am not saying it is a bed of roses. Compared to their less famous counterparts, the members of this club are working at the same intensity or even higher than you remembered in architecture school. Long shifts and many sleepless nights in a row are routine in Starchitect Staffers-Club. If you went to a starchitecture school, surely you remember the days of Starchitecture professors talking down to you like little children? This is a normal part of being in the starchitecture club too. All the alumni's of this club seem to agree that it is a torturous, painful, demeaning and unhealthy lifestyle, but apparently none would change it for the world. It goes without saying that you will grow to love these exploitive conditions. You will come to brag about them like you bragged about how little sleep you got in architecture school and tout saying like "architecture is not for the weak". For a more in depth description of life inside the Starchitect Staffer's Club, you can read Philipp Oswalt and Matthias Hollwich's description of what it is like to work at OMA <a href="http://www.oswalt.de/en/text/txt/omawork_p.html" target="_blank">here</a> or Ivan Sergejev's more controversial version <a href="https://ivansergejev.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/what-ive-learned-at-oma/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
<br />
These are the major downsides and if you will come to love them anyway, why call them downsides? <br />
<br />
4.The positives are pretty much the same positives you enjoyed in architecture school. You make greater bonds and closer friendships since you and your co-workers will inevitably create the kind of bond that comes from working deep into the night and saying stupid stuff to each other at 3 am in the mornings and going out to the pub together and drinking yourselves silly during the little free time you have off. Its basically an extension of your youth and collage years. You get to play and be creative and make crazy stuff and laugh and cry a lot. If you love studio life, then this will be the place for you.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>What do you have to look forward to?</u></strong><br />
<br />
When you get a little older, say your late 30's or early 40's, this lifestyle might get a bit tiring and impractical for you especially if you are thinking about starting a family or just realizing that this life style is not sustainable. The great thing with being in the Starchitect Staffers Club is that you have a wide range of exit strategies. Here is just a small sample of things you could do:<br />
<br />
1. You can go and work for a less famous non-star firm that offers more grown up policies. This means closer to normal working hours and more competitive salaries. The operative words here being "closer" and "more". A non-starcitect firm will gladly take you if your CV is glistening with starchitect names all over it. However as I have shown <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-diller-scofidio-renfro-and-star.html" target="_blank">in note #100, it does not work the other way around.</a><br />
<br />
2. You could get a job teaching at a starchitecture school. As with most institutions in this industry ( journals, museums, architecture associations, etc), universities connected with Starchitecture schools love resumes with starchitects names on them. <br />
<br />
3. You can start your own firm and get into the running to be a starchitect yourself. <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-diller-scofidio-renfro-and-star.html" target="_blank">See the top of note #100</a> for a simple outline for your business plan. You and I both know that this is the only honorable option at this point. In this case, you my want to prepare by reading notes <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2007/11/24-marry-architect.html" target="_blank">#24 marry an architect</a> or <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/02/73work-for-rem.html" target="_blank">#73 work for Rem</a>. My direct advice here would be to contact one of your colleagues in your network who works at OMA and let them know that you are looking to move there. Once you are in, try your best to hook-up with someone and make your exit from there.<br />
<br />
<u><strong>If you don't work for free your options are limited.</strong></u> <br />
Lets say you took the high road and refuse to work for free (or very little). You said free work is for slaves, I am above that or you simply said "you know what? I have just finished architecture school, I have a ton of student loan debt, and mommy and daddy can not afford to pay for me to work at Zaha Hadid" then what? What options do you have?<br />
<br />
Well you get a job at Joe Smith & associates architects down the road from your local collage or you can go back to your home town and take a job at Main Street Architects doing residential work, supermarkets, convenience stors etc.<br />
<br />
Lets suppose you get bored of this kind of work later on and want to do something more "interesting", what are your options? You look in Mark Magazine, ArchDaly, Architizer or any of the other Archiblogs or magazines and you think to yourself "Gee...I want to do interesting exciting stuff like that, it looks like a lot of fun", so you send your CV to one of these starchitecture firms. Chances are they will take a quick scan and notice that you have 4 years expereince at Joe Smith & Associates Architects. They have never heard of Joe Smith's so they don't bother to look any further and your resume will go straight to the trash can. If you look at DS+R's website you know not to even bother sending your resume, because you never did any museums or cultural projects at Joe Smith's did you? You do not have the credentials, you missed that boat years ago when you turnded down that "free" intern job. <br />
<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Liberating Minds Since August 2007<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPMD05Ng5e4WrG-JcI-5ji3cF7N0NhDV19QPRT2PN6VEvC2f5n7YBMlsZOQ_76gJWAlU2wIZxWNmpW0RAx8ifOu2TXBRoVKjbp4fERYiH8OG-KTpF7q-opVxSzkbBt0JL-0XLmhX2NiA/s1600/email1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPMD05Ng5e4WrG-JcI-5ji3cF7N0NhDV19QPRT2PN6VEvC2f5n7YBMlsZOQ_76gJWAlU2wIZxWNmpW0RAx8ifOu2TXBRoVKjbp4fERYiH8OG-KTpF7q-opVxSzkbBt0JL-0XLmhX2NiA/s1600/email1.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ofcourse you are interested!!! in two years time you can apply to DS+R, Peter Zumthor, Zaha Hadid, you name-it! This is a free ticket to the Starchitect Staffer's Club!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-5690472522329977022014-12-21T21:10:00.000+01:002014-12-31T16:23:27.019+01:00102. How to get in the Star-Architect Staffers Club©<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w0xI77dywlE" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Even though it is not defined by brick and morter walls The Starchitect Staffers Club is </em><em>guarded by bouncers at the gate and</em><em> is every bit as real as the club that Bruno infiltrated in the clip above. In fact, it is similar to it in more ways than you can imagine.</em></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-119deec2-6a06-be33-4a31-f069eeae8330" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In my previous series, I revealed the existence of the Starchitect Staffers Club©: </span></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">An inter-star-office-employee-exchange-system where staffers of starchitect firms move easily and exclusively from one starchitect firm to another. A system that rejects employees of non-starchitect firms from entering and selects only people who have worked at other starchitect firms. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I have mentioned several times in this blog before, the best and easiest path to becoming a famous architect is to work for another famous architect; preferably Rem Koolhaas. This is the forerunner of the old apprentice system. You work for a master and learn the ropes before branching out on your own.</span></b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The business model of a starchitect firm is extremely different from that of a regular architecture firm. Don’t be fooled!; the fact that a firm’s name ends with the word “architects” and that they produce drawings for things called buildings, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the same things. The way a starchitect firm and a regular architect firm works and operates are as dissimilar as the difference between how the company Nike produces a product called a shoe and the way your local shoemaker produces a similar product by the same name. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-119deec2-6e37-a62b-c112-73b42acd5ef2" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So if you are aiming to become a famous architect, working or interning for a regular architecture firm won't do you any good; you will have to assimilate a very specific system better known as the star-architect system. This effectively means that you have to get into the Starchitect Staffers Club© and work at a starchitect firm before moving up its ranks to become a star yourself.</span></span></b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But if your resume will not get past the trash can without another starchitects name on it, then how do you enter this club you ask?</span>
</b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Certainly nobody was born into it and you can’t just spontaneously sprout 3 years of experience at Frank Gehry or OMA on our resume! So how then?</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well there are many ways, but the most common way by far is to start as an intern. However, this is not so simple. Is it ever? Interns are often hand picked by a starchitect professor or close associates. The selection criteria are far and wide, both random and calculated; sometimes they pick a person who was just there at the moment when they needed someone, sometimes it is because the student did outstanding work or is duly talented with a specifically needed skill set, sometimes because they choose by carefully evaluating candidates from a pile of CV’s, sometimes they just like they way you look, or speak, or that you come from somewhere exotic or interesting, or sometimes they ask a colleague if they know of anybody, sometimes its because you were bold enough to ask when no one else would. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If this sounds daunting and totally random - you are kind of right - it is, but don’t worry. Conrad has some tips on how to increase your probability of getting an internship. </span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here is one clue:</span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The chart below shows a survey of 16 employees who came directly from collage selected randomly from the Diller Scofidio + Renfero. The primary question of the survey was: Where did you go to school before being hired as an intern at DS+R?</span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2najEq2i7nCmvdcVTNhVQJeD7DkWVj52Ra2gHERvoy6D5JvlA55LOi9CI9E6oUhrqoonPJ-mjedsqppC2HJcwBQD6lWAN59rXbtOUeB0Hvh6geBNwy6jaJn3QF7Fmz4JAtPetsPHZRQ/s1600/internship+at+DS+R.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2najEq2i7nCmvdcVTNhVQJeD7DkWVj52Ra2gHERvoy6D5JvlA55LOi9CI9E6oUhrqoonPJ-mjedsqppC2HJcwBQD6lWAN59rXbtOUeB0Hvh6geBNwy6jaJn3QF7Fmz4JAtPetsPHZRQ/s1600/internship+at+DS+R.png" width="510" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As stated, a starchitecture school is a school where starchitects are professors: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are a non-architect civilian and knew absolutely nothing about the culture of architecture and I showed you this chart, you should be able to tell me with reasonable accuracy which schools have starchitects as professors.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this case Renfero has taught at Rice, Parsons the New School for Design, School of Visual Arts, and Columbia University. Scofidio has taught at Cooper Union since 1965. Diller has also taught at Cooper Union in addition to Columbia University, Princeton University and Harvard University. It is no coincidence that Columbia University is at the top of the list.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can also see for yourself, basically all Ivy League schools are represented in this tiny sampling of interns. So your chances of getting into the club is significantly increased by going to one of these starchitecture schools. This is regardless if you want to work for DS+R or any other starchitect firm. I am unfairly focusing on DS+R because I have data collected on them from my prevoious notes. However, this is the norm throughout the starchitect industry. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This information would be great to know if you were in high school so you can choose the school beforehand. The interesting thing though is that most kids in high school who dream of becoming an architect do not dream of becoming a stararchitect. However, once you are in a starchitecture school you are indoctrinated with the idea that the only honorable recourse after leaving school is to become a starchitect. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So this note by default is for students who are already in starchitecture school. The good news is that you are halfway there. The bad news is that you only have a 2% chance of entering the Starchitect Staffers Club and a 0.001% chance of becoming an actual starchitect. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You like to gamble?</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lets roll the dice then, this is not a game for the cautious and sensible. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You are not like the hundreds and thousands who have failed before you. No! </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You are special, these stupid statistics and laws of probability do not apply to you. </span><br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the voice of the great General Douglas McAuthor - cigar in mouth and all: “I like your spirit lad!”</span><br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are 5 tips to increase your odds:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><u>Give up this cock-a-manian obsession most architecture students have about finding and developing your own architectural signature, and style.</u></strong> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">bla, bla, bla. it is stupid! get over it. By the time you wake up from that coma, the train will already be gone. Read my post on starchitecture school. Your sole purpose in starchitecture school is to illuminate your starchitect professor’s ideas and theories and make him look good and proud when he has final reviews and discuss your project with his colleagues. Thoroughly research his every project and theories beforehand and on the first day of class get ready to reinterpret them magnificently. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Read note # <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-is-important-in-starchitecture.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">63. What is important in STARchitecture school</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><u>Give up this cock-a-manian obsession most architecture students have about designing a functional building that could work in the real world.</u></strong> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is not what starchitecture school is about. It only has to be functional in proportion of the idea that it discusses or as functional as your starchitect professor wants it to be. You will learn to do all this stuff when you get to work in an office. So just calm your anxiety about this, its not so special. See note #<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/05/84you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-3-its.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">84.You Don't Have to be Good - Part 3: It's about the Idea Stupid!</span></a> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and note #<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/07/85you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-4-form.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">86.You don’t have to be good part 4: Form follows Taste</span></a>. </span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><strong>Be outstanding.</strong></u> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the first prerequisite to becoming a star. There is never a star-architect that is just ordinary. If you have a special skill, or talent, or aptitude or whatever that can separate you from the rest of your classmates in a positive way, then use it. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are you from somewhere exotic,? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">do you have mad skills in a particular program? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">are you a model making wizard?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">can you speak eloquently about your work? </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">have a certain sex appeal?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">an air of sophistication about you maybe? </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These are all things that can actually help increase your odds. Use that as your foundation and build from that. As the saying goes: if you got it use it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ow I know some people are going to write me and say "hey Conrad you mean to tell me that I have to use my sex appeal instead of just making good work?". </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hear me and hear me good. This is <u>not</u> what I am saying; being aware of these things is not a substitute for making the best work you can. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The correctness of the architecture culture would have you believe that a person is evaluated solely on the merits of the work that they produce. This is nonsense! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The work you produce is just the tip of the iceberg. You are evaluated on every aspect of your being that the senses can grasp. Your eye, skin and hair color, your smell, voice, accent, attitude, smile, punctuality, ability to listen and respond to criticism, your learning curve, social skills, economic background, any rumors about you, everything and i mean every gad-damn-thing you can think of. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You have to be aware of these things and project the most positive aspects of them all the time. To ignore this and pretend that it is only what you produce as architecture that is taken in to account when you go forward with your career is grossly naive. As I am telling you now, your architecture career starts the first moment you walk into the architecture studio and create that first impression on your classmates and professors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><strong>Ask!</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">never mind all your timid stuttering overly childish and critical classmates that might giggle and talk behind your back. Go up to your star-architect professor and ask him for an internship. Don’t wait to be asked, you just might get him on a day when he is in a good mood. If you don’t ask at some point your chances of getting in the club is nil. Remember, if you do it while you are in school, you can apply again and again, if you don't get a yes the first time. However, you only get one chance of applying for internships after graduating. If you wait until then, your odds become close to nil as well. Do the math! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">see note #<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/08/69-be-shameless-about-asking-for-things.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">69. Be Shameless about Asking for things</span></a></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><u>Work for Free</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Give up the idea that working for free at a starchitecture firm or an up and coming firm is a form of exploitation. I will discuss this in more detail in a later note. Take my word on it for now and just consider it an obligatory entry fee into the Starchitect Staffers Club©. See the starchitect business plan at the top of note #<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/100-diller-scofidio-renfro-and-star.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">100</span></a> for some typical contract terms you might expect.</span><br />
<br />
<div>
Conrad Newel<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Liberating Minds Since August 2007</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</b><br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-68535808239019271992014-12-11T11:49:00.000+01:002014-12-11T12:06:38.750+01:00101. Diller Scofidio + Renfro and The Star-Architect Staffers Club - Part 2 - Inside the Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...Continued from <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2014/12/100-diller-scofidio-renfro-and-star.html" target="_blank">part one</a> Conrad and Scofidio enters "The Portfolio Construct", a division of the sophisticated project acquisition machinery behind the <a href="http://www.dsrny.com/" target="_blank">Diller Scofidio + Renfero Website</a>. In this adventure Scofidio gives Conrad a tour of the world inside the elaborate machine and reveals some of its inner workings.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94bmyEWbgj8NAWxo9-8LqeJ4MuPEE4tXsRSxBbiY1a-U8uPad22m0LUR8wnvcZFuSVN5WaxwTcQyPCGlMe7nTgn1_AWrMbM8JKacj9fFKdmBngaAMbUSWJO_ULqx_5ncEt8rBPuXVL9g/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94bmyEWbgj8NAWxo9-8LqeJ4MuPEE4tXsRSxBbiY1a-U8uPad22m0LUR8wnvcZFuSVN5WaxwTcQyPCGlMe7nTgn1_AWrMbM8JKacj9fFKdmBngaAMbUSWJO_ULqx_5ncEt8rBPuXVL9g/s1600/1.png" height="161" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXybHJlND2U4IA5qy-PXJGDHNwnw06Og1p5Kk397Gw8FLUkKcReAhL7NdKF46jMtSYSn3gkuMMsYXyL_Atu_kuGwlBozapid6W94DnqfGi0WsR_cl_mg5cVdGvFeLT_3c3enAXiiETo0o/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXybHJlND2U4IA5qy-PXJGDHNwnw06Og1p5Kk397Gw8FLUkKcReAhL7NdKF46jMtSYSn3gkuMMsYXyL_Atu_kuGwlBozapid6W94DnqfGi0WsR_cl_mg5cVdGvFeLT_3c3enAXiiETo0o/s1600/2.png" height="148" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02TtcVGSMeblomnXlvullddK2NC1nt_Rt42gt3rbEcmEdeahVbcRhn8achSVMjI2R3C8WS3fleRp2Ed4-zd12k6SLhZGMyi0FT-6p4Emba2IFf2G7URm1r7NDNFSqHZb1sT-hbjFQV-4/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02TtcVGSMeblomnXlvullddK2NC1nt_Rt42gt3rbEcmEdeahVbcRhn8achSVMjI2R3C8WS3fleRp2Ed4-zd12k6SLhZGMyi0FT-6p4Emba2IFf2G7URm1r7NDNFSqHZb1sT-hbjFQV-4/s1600/3.png" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYX_4wrOnzP9JFam4_kc5TmZw4uvE4ImxqcuzvN_aMbMAYheUfCqIH2NrZZT72F7orOc6-bS3ycr2b6nGrgyea9VKnN-ozDowiXpVAkPpZgmbjw2DgTG90SNGfihH3w6e5KQsdl6eGt0/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYX_4wrOnzP9JFam4_kc5TmZw4uvE4ImxqcuzvN_aMbMAYheUfCqIH2NrZZT72F7orOc6-bS3ycr2b6nGrgyea9VKnN-ozDowiXpVAkPpZgmbjw2DgTG90SNGfihH3w6e5KQsdl6eGt0/s1600/4.png" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCI0UVPnd5eA1uw-O16aJyF_1JpQjkjKo01JsOmsblcDiJcaKRTWYI99S4Kunbu9G3nNejsiO5CZ3r5KQEwg4O2v0pNrV9xCsYjAviun2vBAse8QEKDEM0-sfDZ3b6pG7Eg7IiDVlfos/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCI0UVPnd5eA1uw-O16aJyF_1JpQjkjKo01JsOmsblcDiJcaKRTWYI99S4Kunbu9G3nNejsiO5CZ3r5KQEwg4O2v0pNrV9xCsYjAviun2vBAse8QEKDEM0-sfDZ3b6pG7Eg7IiDVlfos/s1600/5.png" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_fy4tV-85TEDty6jEkAU81I5dhG2XyEfSWCj48e5ng5sY8BkqhrQoga_4w7Un14-q7gF0cXJi0dlAvUO5K06YtmHuaHo-bbWJt9QiXbEyLZY7g-pNjYk-r1wcL0OV-kdP3YGLRgNKZA/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_fy4tV-85TEDty6jEkAU81I5dhG2XyEfSWCj48e5ng5sY8BkqhrQoga_4w7Un14-q7gF0cXJi0dlAvUO5K06YtmHuaHo-bbWJt9QiXbEyLZY7g-pNjYk-r1wcL0OV-kdP3YGLRgNKZA/s1600/6.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1YRPYi52bhNwB-m9IcIOuP84muKMOsuWYE8S1BmMEu2OKDtULK_OKCvk7aKHlBy1ITcv2O_F0yH9Tl6QowwTOX6OyOrwSm_cwsn0XXFjur85gdlJAgdvhVovjRGzegKlkmO5Br_FzXg/s1600/7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1YRPYi52bhNwB-m9IcIOuP84muKMOsuWYE8S1BmMEu2OKDtULK_OKCvk7aKHlBy1ITcv2O_F0yH9Tl6QowwTOX6OyOrwSm_cwsn0XXFjur85gdlJAgdvhVovjRGzegKlkmO5Br_FzXg/s1600/7.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwFZalm4VUDY-tQYsGwssnr8w8o28sg98F7MQ3ePT_RvXc6MLuM1Xs9WwcrqdRvQrwA8L42A20hXQlLmdUCZK5eYFaYTz2mVqYpirKCFllIKybTcgu9jcXk00wE4jxMB_HSKW143_r5s/s1600/8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwFZalm4VUDY-tQYsGwssnr8w8o28sg98F7MQ3ePT_RvXc6MLuM1Xs9WwcrqdRvQrwA8L42A20hXQlLmdUCZK5eYFaYTz2mVqYpirKCFllIKybTcgu9jcXk00wE4jxMB_HSKW143_r5s/s1600/8.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC_fl7v1x0yY91sndpHBnoRwXgMZUc9glqwyikLVHNk4mC_hUQ2_7FErLPZWVQ9VSsd11zOgQ31Ic5IUqN1iiyAAtKO_ryU0mzrkudJ47Mx3mlEpNwJAOyJnhn2riLtQkLrGlHYPiasI/s1600/9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC_fl7v1x0yY91sndpHBnoRwXgMZUc9glqwyikLVHNk4mC_hUQ2_7FErLPZWVQ9VSsd11zOgQ31Ic5IUqN1iiyAAtKO_ryU0mzrkudJ47Mx3mlEpNwJAOyJnhn2riLtQkLrGlHYPiasI/s1600/9.png" height="148" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyW7jvQ-eH8NKV9vve5U7undfPM3IvrJsZNqz6nZNEOI30Na6CNe_3loolw8RpHfYhnlYQu60g1BRHexYuTg-K2gkjwx7Wc8BzGP8sUMjFSS69z6IPtI0p1Pxa0gcjAXIQKsWppzaTVmU/s1600/10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyW7jvQ-eH8NKV9vve5U7undfPM3IvrJsZNqz6nZNEOI30Na6CNe_3loolw8RpHfYhnlYQu60g1BRHexYuTg-K2gkjwx7Wc8BzGP8sUMjFSS69z6IPtI0p1Pxa0gcjAXIQKsWppzaTVmU/s1600/10.png" height="163" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF72Bo6XsTtDF9MLNYGY_CtGui1C9jvLauGw2wbnciF1BEA9xaQT8VghXnlhZ-DXIV9GFKAui1-YLWvp2giBZnNCzmiP9peJs-TIjd_H26O2F0PGKnFN59CBOJnVoS9e42hm6ktVigKM/s1600/11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF72Bo6XsTtDF9MLNYGY_CtGui1C9jvLauGw2wbnciF1BEA9xaQT8VghXnlhZ-DXIV9GFKAui1-YLWvp2giBZnNCzmiP9peJs-TIjd_H26O2F0PGKnFN59CBOJnVoS9e42hm6ktVigKM/s1600/11.png" height="163" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2_rakGJ1FTB0fGfraqTanjHcJpyvF7AsUIIYdspHg5K_aQ-dKm7ravXSxMbmXDlsZl0NJ4KtT2x0tg1jIF7JZ-jTt8VDrcVW7NNYUnjVTDSRGGVUenBPcpICryei4Tvb4IEHubIOgek/s1600/12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2_rakGJ1FTB0fGfraqTanjHcJpyvF7AsUIIYdspHg5K_aQ-dKm7ravXSxMbmXDlsZl0NJ4KtT2x0tg1jIF7JZ-jTt8VDrcVW7NNYUnjVTDSRGGVUenBPcpICryei4Tvb4IEHubIOgek/s1600/12.png" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AtgmY8xs_kgyPJwT8X2wmaT9KuGIHi0aqbjpdzCzOO6EmKhq7sljAcDXu7wav6rUNTvqQ76jTg5jzRsj_Y9OXqWg9Vn01p2j7yw6AMO0U60Bu9wrZJLmSEzyPttKWBBLNajSEe92Ul0/s1600/13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AtgmY8xs_kgyPJwT8X2wmaT9KuGIHi0aqbjpdzCzOO6EmKhq7sljAcDXu7wav6rUNTvqQ76jTg5jzRsj_Y9OXqWg9Vn01p2j7yw6AMO0U60Bu9wrZJLmSEzyPttKWBBLNajSEe92Ul0/s1600/13.png" height="123" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99IXgKqGI1xYrSBKmOjbNujInSyZy2_RdEqGHtcjk6oVP3nlXs6Ec8HXzxTWAp74lAwa3wSALyNShsZebxUN5bCVRCbXqGHxpsOfQ2J0h_wdDy3zxeAlgLJfZt9Yy7A5J8ZgF7dto6dc/s1600/14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99IXgKqGI1xYrSBKmOjbNujInSyZy2_RdEqGHtcjk6oVP3nlXs6Ec8HXzxTWAp74lAwa3wSALyNShsZebxUN5bCVRCbXqGHxpsOfQ2J0h_wdDy3zxeAlgLJfZt9Yy7A5J8ZgF7dto6dc/s1600/14.png" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RLX18fw_DHsBwsppkCKJHYs6PqtRijORqFFMhbE0KACW1MqoOurdSdYuc8zSdmM1OSeUOhGIGYuYAbJNS_-wbexUUkFaxZwA2x102SHm_V-8xK5L0zTRj-z43Wpo3lDfOEt4DRZCE9o/s1600/15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RLX18fw_DHsBwsppkCKJHYs6PqtRijORqFFMhbE0KACW1MqoOurdSdYuc8zSdmM1OSeUOhGIGYuYAbJNS_-wbexUUkFaxZwA2x102SHm_V-8xK5L0zTRj-z43Wpo3lDfOEt4DRZCE9o/s1600/15.png" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrrujcwGCGgtrD2DPg8j-oREkctKGoYIYgqGTdvOB-UdwXwFKJti8gDXZpBPwSuVor7Wl2eL_XH7ORBUXsYgyk9wxXTAZk42hZFspwbPlC2_ot9OjcECJ18KhCeDmVTddWFYYzaPVmuA/s1600/16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrrujcwGCGgtrD2DPg8j-oREkctKGoYIYgqGTdvOB-UdwXwFKJti8gDXZpBPwSuVor7Wl2eL_XH7ORBUXsYgyk9wxXTAZk42hZFspwbPlC2_ot9OjcECJ18KhCeDmVTddWFYYzaPVmuA/s1600/16.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHP9vhyphenhyphenysHTDaLpuWHm1qklLvXA4VimWz7KIMUaIKz2UHCDKbi-KlXnKpkthRLsfPTNlPWa4Y_rjjY3Z4lnD0GVW1obmT-XgIkOW3dmy_Kjn3xd6PxkefxzVvqzWyXyMuNw8V6NigXKw/s1600/17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHP9vhyphenhyphenysHTDaLpuWHm1qklLvXA4VimWz7KIMUaIKz2UHCDKbi-KlXnKpkthRLsfPTNlPWa4Y_rjjY3Z4lnD0GVW1obmT-XgIkOW3dmy_Kjn3xd6PxkefxzVvqzWyXyMuNw8V6NigXKw/s1600/17.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNROBY9-TzK9atq9lhWMF3dVuPgyrLW-y9r0Bx2zD4sbIwfao-X8VwEzpBaHXhkEQUt10Gvm5Kh6BKZ9aq0cdqp3emQYTxUeKRqedJf2kXQVWWOwKNzPTiFtQPkEUFyftq7flYfKeMSz4/s1600/18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNROBY9-TzK9atq9lhWMF3dVuPgyrLW-y9r0Bx2zD4sbIwfao-X8VwEzpBaHXhkEQUt10Gvm5Kh6BKZ9aq0cdqp3emQYTxUeKRqedJf2kXQVWWOwKNzPTiFtQPkEUFyftq7flYfKeMSz4/s1600/18.png" height="125" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz0lKukoVR25lQSzauZw4oAL4rXEUHZMW_omgpRhm8PI6YAvjY0m6m22oE9wEmsPrZdLs4kHJR_iLz6D7o884ULCh8Skp4Cj8UwYbJxFUI-dxrXaN7JFCtsNkVx_sWaOqcdEqQvVVUWM/s1600/19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz0lKukoVR25lQSzauZw4oAL4rXEUHZMW_omgpRhm8PI6YAvjY0m6m22oE9wEmsPrZdLs4kHJR_iLz6D7o884ULCh8Skp4Cj8UwYbJxFUI-dxrXaN7JFCtsNkVx_sWaOqcdEqQvVVUWM/s1600/19.png" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy-5kZaPhMgFBRt3GnSt2myvdAtU1nrE-hMQU5slJf7kS8arslA72SOZmctqrxI8XQSZyzrBcENbxpTSO3jmIL6T-lz3-skvSErWEIlHcU4WtHJNqflrMzW9bhmIzF3lZWlp2t-bZQDc/s1600/20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy-5kZaPhMgFBRt3GnSt2myvdAtU1nrE-hMQU5slJf7kS8arslA72SOZmctqrxI8XQSZyzrBcENbxpTSO3jmIL6T-lz3-skvSErWEIlHcU4WtHJNqflrMzW9bhmIzF3lZWlp2t-bZQDc/s1600/20.png" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE17n40t3o3-BK7xVQxwgMpKJVGeMMh8Wt3N7zBIYFBITxa4VKwzHqaBvwi6zIkgAYCDHP_r4sX28Eit-DyF27iRe6WdRabMLPYdRqQouIq4jp18ILAz8cy9wRHF7ZMAUWxgAjI0ZYck/s1600/21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE17n40t3o3-BK7xVQxwgMpKJVGeMMh8Wt3N7zBIYFBITxa4VKwzHqaBvwi6zIkgAYCDHP_r4sX28Eit-DyF27iRe6WdRabMLPYdRqQouIq4jp18ILAz8cy9wRHF7ZMAUWxgAjI0ZYck/s1600/21.png" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfJnpKh5WpuykzSQ4ZZJhA34m5JkmnO-rOsCAXJbK5KJ8ERxk92M1zZwOoqKZivm6Z41fPI6fkdf3btjXy9PLKegSg_WXLrOuH07l0NoXhQ5CXr4LcLufnuhj42oV_8ZpMHykLlXUdPc/s1600/22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfJnpKh5WpuykzSQ4ZZJhA34m5JkmnO-rOsCAXJbK5KJ8ERxk92M1zZwOoqKZivm6Z41fPI6fkdf3btjXy9PLKegSg_WXLrOuH07l0NoXhQ5CXr4LcLufnuhj42oV_8ZpMHykLlXUdPc/s1600/22.png" height="290" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDV14VGwmWE-fTOP3F65iZn9P6rzLS44zHvytc_jOsFmOEF8Rs9w4vYxmm_K0qtDNhA4mt0LJr6Gk2mRtu162qBzWI_qk6brvQLRhxWMcfgy7QOtROzY0lYS5iCs0hAuSnpf6XrCJqb0/s1600/23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDV14VGwmWE-fTOP3F65iZn9P6rzLS44zHvytc_jOsFmOEF8Rs9w4vYxmm_K0qtDNhA4mt0LJr6Gk2mRtu162qBzWI_qk6brvQLRhxWMcfgy7QOtROzY0lYS5iCs0hAuSnpf6XrCJqb0/s1600/23.png" height="290" width="320" /></a></div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-20688517334017912892014-12-11T11:33:00.000+01:002014-12-15T23:11:14.052+01:00100. Diller Scofidio + Renfro and The Star-Architect Staffers ClubThis is a loose working outline for the business model of the star-architect office:<br />
<ol>
<li>Create spectacular head turning projects and publicize them like crazy to get attention and attract clients, but most importantly to attract talented apprentices/interns to work for free.</li>
<li>When the resumes start pouring in, negotiate for free labor: make offers along these lines:</li>
<ul>
<li>“Help us on this competition and if we win, we will hire you” or... </li>
<li>“Work for us for free and we will help you get a job at another star-architect firm where we have good contacts”</li>
</ul>
<li>As you will experience high turnover rate on your interns, maintain a small group of partners or loyal employees as the core of the company and use intern help to become the major production drivers.</li>
<li>Produce more head turning pieces of architecture to attract more attention, and more interns.</li>
<li>With more interns at your disposal, use this resource to increase the volume of competitions that you can enter.</li>
<li>At this rate you are almost certain to start winning some of those competitions and your company's star will begin to rise</li>
<li>With better name recognition and more experience, you can make better quality competition entries and attract even better talent (preferably from other star-architect offices). This is the tipping point where the table turns. At a certain point you will only look at resumes from people who have worked at other star-architect offices. And if you are really good, you can set the bar even higher.</li>
</ol>
Here we can see an example of an incredibly high bar: Diller Scofidio + Renfro will not consider your resume unless you have worked on at least 4 museums, or equivalent. This effectively means that if you have not worked for another star-architect then do not apply. Why? There are virtually no non-starchitecture firms in the world today that can offer an employee the opportunity to work on the design of a major museum or cultural projects, let alone 4.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFtwXd6Gmbk6NRKii94VzzGbZcIBQ9004nRpbROiPnLG9cG0NVb5VV2zj3O5S4KU94d9lOoy-PwwD5xbkSzB1rt92Lnln1eDoa_WKeUQkhml9w1OvVqiDOalaXpA6bxNPSD9oKoWZgZg/s1600/DillerScofidio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFtwXd6Gmbk6NRKii94VzzGbZcIBQ9004nRpbROiPnLG9cG0NVb5VV2zj3O5S4KU94d9lOoy-PwwD5xbkSzB1rt92Lnln1eDoa_WKeUQkhml9w1OvVqiDOalaXpA6bxNPSD9oKoWZgZg/s640/DillerScofidio.png" height="369" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Even more... Lets say you have worked for another star-architect firm and you only did residential work, according to this template you need not apply.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So who should apply then?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/59223875" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/59223875">The Competition. Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/officeforstrategicspaces">OFFICE FOR STRATEGIC SPACES/OSS</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span">Most of the employees of the star-architects in this film are eligible to apply to Diller Scofidio+Renfero and likewise DS+R employees are also eligible to work at any of these offices. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span">So what we effectively have here is a kind of a Schengen Zone within the architecture world: a group of elite starchitecture firms that functions almost like a single firm with an interoffice employee exchange. While most other star-architect offices are less explicit than DS+R about their prejudices and discriminations, they mostly operate with a fairly similar set of qualification criteria. I like to think of it as the establishment of a </span>Star-Architect Staffers Club©<span class="Apple-style-span">. By screening resumes in the way that DS+R does, they forge an effective way to identify members of this club and create a kind of inter-office-network with other starchitecture firms, while simultaneously creating a protective buffer against applicants from non-starchitecture firms.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The chart below shows a survey of 16 employees selected randomly from the firm. The primary question of the survey was: Where did you last work before being hired at DS+R?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PWgV-tHr3f7gNxGMIgwTzx6OIv4HqjntmMZCEE-QqyQImBiZVQCbL-y0NdhEvDdmUQqZ4ELjR7oAI3ysNHa_N85bNCMBnQMShZOLdr-TtiFtnwX-JBfo6OhvihrxWqddlY7fENaQSfc/s1600/DILLER+SCOFIDIO+RENFRO+STAFF+EMPLOYMENT+HISTORY.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PWgV-tHr3f7gNxGMIgwTzx6OIv4HqjntmMZCEE-QqyQImBiZVQCbL-y0NdhEvDdmUQqZ4ELjR7oAI3ysNHa_N85bNCMBnQMShZOLdr-TtiFtnwX-JBfo6OhvihrxWqddlY7fENaQSfc/s1600/DILLER+SCOFIDIO+RENFRO+STAFF+EMPLOYMENT+HISTORY.png" height="232" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As you can see almost every last one of them worked at a starchitecture firm or an up-and-coming one. <br />
<br />
So what are the implications of a Star-Architect Staffers Club?<br />
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Luca Silenzi wrote a very interesting article <em><a href="http://spacelab.it/blog/2012/know-your-archi-meme-luca-silenzi-featured-on-domus-956-now-on-newstands/" target="_blank">Know your [archi-]meme</a></em> <a href="http://www.domusweb.it/en/news/2012/03/09/domus-956-in-newsstands-now.html" target="_blank">(published in the March 2012 issue of Domus</a>) where he describes some of the implications and consequences that results when you have an inbred culture within the architecture world. (Incidentally he references note #73 of this blog <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/02/73work-for-rem.html" target="_blank">Work for Rem</a> in his arguments.) He argues that "Global architecture, is becoming more and more similar to itself." Among other reasons for this, he cites "global network" and "same background" in describing the staffers of these firms. He details how the staff of OMA are directly or indirectly inoculated with encyclopedic amounts of information; approaches, working methods, etc. simply by working in that environment. These ideas or memes move with these staffers when they move on from the parent firm ( in this case OMA) and are replicated elsewhere around the globe.</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I would also add that it spreads a certain culture with its own set of values, procedures and norms that are accepted globally within these firms. This is not dissimilar to the codes of conduct and corporate culture you may find across both Wall street and the London stock exchange- the main visual difference here is that the formal corporate garb of the suit and tie are replaced by black or hipster clothing. The values are similar;<br />
<br />
<em>-to become a lean well oiled machine for <strong>making the most money</strong></em> in the case of wall street and <br />
<em>-to become a lean well oiled machine for <strong>winning the most competitions</strong></em> in the case of DS+R and others.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismE8SqtgRVXd6dZn83cMJ0nBLWbfxYwU3Vm7joDOb6Zfp2N3oUoJ2DnenPvbklxQOeIl8Kcd7YU2bByz9C__WZkKK3JvaR0mLSfxQna4ytK4fft20yDomtZW_ipJmnqMcus1p0hU_G28/s1600/Untitled-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismE8SqtgRVXd6dZn83cMJ0nBLWbfxYwU3Vm7joDOb6Zfp2N3oUoJ2DnenPvbklxQOeIl8Kcd7YU2bByz9C__WZkKK3JvaR0mLSfxQna4ytK4fft20yDomtZW_ipJmnqMcus1p0hU_G28/s1600/Untitled-1.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is interesting to look at the values professed by the founding partners as late as 2009 in contrast to the values they have absorbed up till now. The statements below are taken from an interview that they did with Charlie Rose that year (the full video and partial transcript can be found in note # 59 of this blog <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/64take-lesson-from-dillerscofidiorenfer.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">Take a Lesson from Diller+Scofidio+Renfero</span></a>:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: red;">Scofidio:</span> Before Elizabeth and I started working together, I had been at another practice, and I had been really sour with the way the profession of architecture was approaching jobs, work and getting commissions. It had nothing to do with issues of architecture. It had to with: I have to produce an income, I have to get work, I have to stay alive.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: red;">Diller: </span>We were always a research studio. We were always interested in research whether the outcome was in the form of an installation, in the form of a </em><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/nobafa-20"><span style="color: #0053a6;"><em>book,</em></span></a><em> or ultimately in the from of a building. They were just iterations of different forms of the same ideas.</em></div>
<br />
By hiring <strong><u>only</u></strong> people who can demonstrate that they have designed museums and cultural buildings says more about what DS+R has become than any of the two statements above. For one thing it says:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"<em>we are an organization that is about getting museums and cultural building commissions</em>" </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
or<em> </em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>"We are a machine for doing that and there is no place for you here if you can not be a gear in this engine"</em>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hate to point out the obvious, but isn't that exactly what Scofidio claimed to have been soured by in the statement above? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Secondly, if you are a research studio and you are interested in research whether the outcome is in the form of an installation, a <span style="color: #0053a6;"><span style="color: black;">book</span></span> or ultimately in the from of a building, then why are people that are particularly skilled in the design of museums and cultural buildings better qualified for these diverse outcomes?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The best explanation here is that DS+R are in the latter stages (stage 7 ) in the star-architect business model that I described in the opening statement of this note. Gone are the days of crazy experiments, exploring the boundaries between art and architecture, high employee turnover, etc. This has become a firm almost entirely dedicated to one highly specific commercial purpose: winning starchitecture competitions.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now don't get me wrong, winning competitions is not a bad thing and being efficient at it by hiring people that are experienced and proficient at it is certainly a good idea. Who doesn't want to work with good experienced people? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My critique of this practice is the exclusivity, not in quality, but in the lack of diversity. Here is another statement they made in that same interview:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;">Diller</span>:</span> Sometimes we were thought of as just wanting to be on the periphery; a decision to want to </em><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2007/08/throw-brick-at-someone-famous.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;"><em>lob grenades</em></span></a><em> from the periphery at architecture critically...<br />when we had a chance to do this building, (the ICA Boston) for many people it was a kind of a wake up... for us it was a kind of validation.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><br /></em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;">Scofidio</span>:</span> Before that we did theater, performance, installations, and a lot of architects accused us of not being able to deal with compromise, not being able to deal with difficult issues of construction. They thought we were taking the easy way out. They kept saying "wait till you do a building... you will see".<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Charlie Rose:</span> And what did you find out when you did a building?<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;">Scofidio</span>:</span> The problems are there in everything you do whether you do a drinking glass (which we have done for water), there are complex problems.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Do you see the perplexity and contradictions in their hiring practice? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It becomes even more pronounced in contrast to statements like the ones above. If the problems are the same from a drinking glass to something as complex as a museum why not hire a diversity of quality people. It would follow that your website would say something like:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>"we are interested in quality people from all disciplines; industrial designers, architects, costume designers, artists, etc"</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Where is the compromise? Where is the middle ground between being a critical practice and being an established firm? Shouldn't your hiring and staff constitution reflect that?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To me the ominous voice of your critics saying <em>"wait till you do a building... you will see"</em> seems to be particularly prophetic. The validation here seems to be now a validation for the critics not the other way around.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Conrad Newel</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Liberating Minds Since August 2007</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: red;"><strong><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/12/101-diller-scofidio-renfro-and-star.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">PART 2 OF THIS SERIES CONTINUES HERE >>></span></a> </strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-69454238407534523522014-03-30T21:43:00.001+02:002014-04-12T17:45:01.583+02:0099. Take a course in Critical Thinking <b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2014/03/98-master-art-of-back-handed-complament.html" target="_blank">previous post that responded to Patrik Schumacher's backhanded congratulations message to Shigeru Ban's nomination for the Pritzker</a>, an anonymous person came to Patrik's defense. This is what he/she wrote:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anonymous said... <br />
<br />
</span><dd class="comment-body"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>I think this is a very simplistic answer to what Patrik is trying to argue for in his recent facebook "provocations". As an architect your power is limited. Koolhaas also worked in china, dubai, libya and many other places, engaging with dictatorships which do not respect human rights etc. I can add many other famous architects to the list. Probably many migrant workers died while constructing his buildings. I dont think its a problem architects can solve, its not in our power to change a regime. As Foucault said, its not the parlaiment building that makes the democracy - the political agency of architecture is limited.</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></em><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>Casa del fascio in Como was also constructed under a fascist regime - you can like it or not, but it is widely recognized as a contribution to humanity, visited and studied by hundreds of scholars and students every year. </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></em><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>At the very least, this dictatorships will leave a masterpiece of architecture behind in history, instead of the generic crap we see all around us. One contribution to humanity from an inhumane regime. </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></em><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>I respect Patrik for having the courage to explain the reality of the world we live in to a seemingly innocent and naive audience who believe in "charity" - read some Zizek to discover what is wrong with the concept. </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></em><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em>Architects without borders should indeed never win a pritzker price - because it's not about how "good" you are, but how good your architecture is.</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>If you are really so politically engaged, then be consequent and also dismiss Frank Gehry, Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, Reiser Umemoto, SOM, KPF, etc... And maybe dismiss Zumthor as well because he is not a vegetarian or doesnt donate to a charity.</em></span></dd><dd class="comment-body"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="comment-timestamp"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #0053a6;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><strong>March 26, 2014 at 1:17 AM</strong></span> </span></span></span></dd><br /></div>
<div class="comment-footer" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span> </div>
<div class="comment-footer" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span dir="ltr">Anonymous</span> said...</span></div>
<div class="comment-footer" dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span> </div>
<dd><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Yet no one is taking about peter eisenman and wolf prix, which if you think about it, is Patrols point. Too easily some would prefer to defend humanitarianism to feel good about themselves, rather than discussing innovation. Shigeru's work is ok, but innovative? No.</span></dd><dd><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<div class="comment-timestamp">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>March 27, 2014 at 5:20 AM</strong></span></div>
<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3973215316119445314&postID=1954931950413781343" onclick="" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> </dd><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<dd class="comment-footer"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span> </span></dd><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2e_7LPtI35QdS-cY64iAdzj9Gn4hgN1l4gI7Ct4gpQF2TrsoUZuK4NaN7mxThKRTMDYYZwFzRkLZKb4JkOpIrfDOq8AiBY9oAF11M0vw5K5IEIu66HnCQuLKjjePB2jYVtmIt188p8o/s1600/DEMAND-CRITICAL-THINKING.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2e_7LPtI35QdS-cY64iAdzj9Gn4hgN1l4gI7Ct4gpQF2TrsoUZuK4NaN7mxThKRTMDYYZwFzRkLZKb4JkOpIrfDOq8AiBY9oAF11M0vw5K5IEIu66HnCQuLKjjePB2jYVtmIt188p8o/s1600/DEMAND-CRITICAL-THINKING.png" height="400" width="310" /></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dear Anonymous defender(s) of Patrik Schumacher,</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both you and Patrik have a very limited understanding of some basic principles of argumentation and simple logic. I would recommend you both take a course in critical thinking. </span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patrik made an argument that was embarrassingly ill-structured and ill-informed (especially considering his stature and academic positions). I unraveled it and demonstrated how it would work if I were to use the same false arguments against him and Zaha. My response was simple, but far from simplistic, but still neither you nor Patrik seem to get it.</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make matters worse you introduce even more absurd and implausible argumentation on top of Patrik’s catastrophe of a statement: So now I will have to first unravel your illogical assumptions and faulty line of reasoning before I can even begin to respond. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, here goes: </span>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Firstly you made the following statements:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Koolhaas also worked in china, dubai, libya and many other places, engaging with dictatorships which do not respect human rights etc. I can add many other famous architects to the list. Probably many migrant workers died while constructing his buildings.</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are really so politically engaged, then be consequent and also dismiss Frank Gehry, Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, Reiser Umemoto, SOM, KPF, etc... And maybe dismiss Zumthor as well because he is not a vegetarian or doesn't donate to a charity.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you point out the ills of other architects as your defense, your argument comes down to this:</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hey you should not criticize Patrik, because he is not the only one doing it”</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's not a defense! Doing something wrong because everyone else is doing it does not make it OK! it is morally reprehensible!</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If every crook that was caught red handed was let off the hook because they pointed their bloody fingers at the other guy, then no one would ever be held accountable for anything.</span></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your implication is also that I am being unfair to Patrik / Zaha because I should be consistent and "dismiss" the others. Well, I do not dismiss people - that would be arrogant, I criticize architects who are doing morally reprehensible things as evidenced here in note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/56-listen-to-little-devil-on-your.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">56. Listen to the little Devil on your shoulder</span></a> and here again in note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/57-more-from-little-devil-on-your.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">57. More from the Little Devil on your shoulder</span></a> (and this includes some to the names you had on your list). And just in case you think I have a special exempt-from-criticism-card for Peter Zumthor as you implied, you might want to see notes <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">60. Play Peter, the Pritzker Peddling Hermit Genius</span></a> , note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/01/90-deceptive-paradox-that-is-zumthor.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">90. The deceptive paradox that is the Zumthor brand</span></a> and note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/09/93-open-call-for-de-jesus-ification-of.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">93. An Open Call for the De-Jesus-ification of Peter Zumthor</span></a>.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course the vegetarian thing I took as a joke (although I would have gone with vegan). But seriously though, Patrik uses that same schtick (of jumping to extremes) so often that I have to address it in a serious way too. His arguments often take the form:</span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“its either you work for murderous dictators or you are a charity worker” (or in your case vegetarian)</span></em></span></b></blockquote>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...as if those are the only two choices one has as a starving sarchitect in this world. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you say to Patrik </span></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em></em></span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>“Hey working for Qaddafi is wrong!...”</em></span></b></blockquote>
<br /></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1009d73e-0d11-fbe7-1563-82708b826656" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His standard reply to such questions sounds something like this: </span>
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enough with all that politically correct crap!!...What!!!... So you want me to be Mother Theresa now?</span></em></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This guy is a fucking genius... he should be teaching at Harvard. Oh wait a minute...he is teaching at Harvard (sic)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This brings me to the other falsehood that Patrik and his mindless defenders use. He often blends humanitarian architecture with charity or with political correctness. Another falsehood that can be simply refuted with a dictionary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Politically Correct</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is defined as agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people</span></span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charity</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is defined as generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless</span>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Humanitarian </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">means having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people.</span></em>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So humanitarian architecture can be seen as socially responsive. It is one that takes into consideration the socio-political conditions of the building's context into consideration before, during and after the design process much in the same way parametric architecture takes the sun’s position, the views etc into consideration as design parameters in creating a form or shape.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Humanitarian architecture takes the premise that architecture is first and foremost something that is in the service of greater society and the people that use it. It is conscious that architecture has the capacity to be a weapon and propaganda tool in the service of oppressive regimes and avoids such scenarios.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This kind of thinking and approach to architecture has nothing to do with charity. Not that charity is a demeaning thing or beneath the dignity architecture as Patrik implies. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So whether Zumthor or any architects donate to charity or not is besides the point.</span></span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, much of humanitarian thinking in architecture is politically correct, but one does not think and act this way to be politically correct. Not killing babies is also politically correct, but one does not refrain from killing babies just to be politically correct...At least I hope so. Patrik carelessly throwing around the term politically correct is just the baseless name calling of an inconsiderate man who seriously needs to go to the Wizard of OZ and find his conscience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk_BOcoi9S4_tzoJ0r43upOfrJtzxevlVFCv9P3awZCuLv-wnDbvaNHi7b1zX17F6C59-8tgueqwHPzukIesVoH_B4mMVNK9_qYy_gCsHggv85BMjVsIYbJMSRIW1I3WM3UekTXl1t90/s1600/Patrick-and-the-wisard-of-Oz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzytbwEMZBHENBRyrWVscMZZ31214xl0Bv6VU7x5HE48-dUzWtHJ83OZmKKhzKZptqNlCksSR9VNiK0A4tXnDKr0-MU_KtvT7IPiz83svflIn9oyd-L4ND5s-QoIB3SsnoN1DyRUXtPfk/s1600/Patrick-Schumacher-and-the-wisard-of-Oz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzytbwEMZBHENBRyrWVscMZZ31214xl0Bv6VU7x5HE48-dUzWtHJ83OZmKKhzKZptqNlCksSR9VNiK0A4tXnDKr0-MU_KtvT7IPiz83svflIn9oyd-L4ND5s-QoIB3SsnoN1DyRUXtPfk/s1600/Patrick-Schumacher-and-the-wisard-of-Oz.png" height="365" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You can tell a lot about the way a person thinks by they kind of questions they ask. For instance, when Partik asks: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"does this mean that those who aspire to win the Pritzker - or the nobel prize in physics - have to add humanitarian charity work into the mix?"</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can clearly see he has got his morals all backwards! You don't think in a humanitarian way or give to charity in order to get an award. An award is something that is given as a recognition for the things that you do out of your passion. If you add humanitarian or charity work into the mix for the purposes of getting any award, then you don't deserve it.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You (the mindless defenders of Patrik) seem to just repeat every stupid blurb he says without filtering it through your noodles: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patrik often blurts out phrases like “innovation over political correctness” and subsequently you come out like Neanderthal-yes-men echoing the same thing “Oh ahh umm… yeah... innovation over political correctness... uuuh..yeah…” without questioning what it means for even a second.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He makes it sound as though socially responsible thinking and innovation are antithetical to each other or that their combination were against some immutable laws of physics: that if you make socially responsible architecture it would create some kind of black hole and suck all the innovation out of the universe and vise versa. This is another example of Patrik’s jumping to extremes (another variation of the slippery slope fallacy). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Socially responsible design and thinking is the motor behind most of the technology and innovation that we enjoy today and is continuing to drive innovation in and outside of architecture. It was the need to create better quality housing and alleviate the health hazards that were prevalent in old tenements and slums that lead to inventions like the use of steel in building, the elevator, zoning restrictions to allow light and air into apartments and requirements for public spaces in dense urban situations. It is the motor behind the sustainable movement, wind and solar energies, and much more. Outside of architecture, it is what is leading to innovative cures for disease like cancer and diabetes. Digital technologies are simply tools that aid the motor that is called humanitarian thinking - not the other way around. I could go on and on but my fingers would be sore.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Its just confounding that anyone could argue that humanitarianism equals a rejection of innovation or that one would have to choose between one or the other. Its like arguing that you can't have water and wetness at the same time. How could you ever let him convince you of such a thing?... What a mind job!!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patrik and Zaha hang their hats on the idea that architects are powerless in changing dictators. Sure we have limited powers as architects, no one ever asked any stararchitect to use their Jedi powers that they seem to have over architecture students to stop dictators. Never-the-less Patrik and Zaha constantly defend themselves from hallucinatory detractors by saying “it is not in our power to stop dictators”. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one is asking them to do that!!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As architects we may not be able to stop the atrocities that dictators do, but we always have the power to decline being willing and participating agents in their propaganda machines that spills the blood of innocents. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Qaddafi did not put a gun to their head and say design for me or else. He offered them a lot of money and they graciously accepted it. Zaha and Patrik stand to gain financially by taking the inhumane and unremorseful stand that they are taking, so I can understand the motive behind their arguments, but it boggles my mind why anyone else would defend them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moving on to the next set of baseless and wild assumption:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Architects without borders should indeed never win a pritzker prize - because it's not about how "good" you are, but how good your architecture is. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did not suggest Architects without borders be given the prize for their good deeds or to feel good about myself. I suggested them because the Pritzker mandates that the prize:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">honor a living architect/s whose built work demonstrates ( among other things) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consistent and significant contributions to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">humanity</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the built environment through the art of architecture. (do yourself a favor and take 20 seconds and read the whole thing at the Pritzker website <a href="http://www.pritzkerprize.com/about/purpose" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Architects without borders and Architecture for</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> humanity</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are among the fewest architectural organizations in the world that makes it their mission to consistently make significant contributions to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">humanity </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">through architecture. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want to call that politically correct crap, go ahead, but don't blame me. Direct that to the founders of the Pritzker Prize. They are the one’s who wrote it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you want to blame me for anything, blame me for reminding the Pritzker director Martha Thorne that the clause existed. I reminded her about this back in 2012 and urged her to honor this part of the prize (See my letter to her in note <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/03/91-pritzker-talk.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">91. Pritzker Talk</span></a>). Now 2 years later we are seeing a movement in that direction. As I said back then, they are making baby steps, but never the less in the right direction. Perhaps in 20 years we may see an organization like Architecture for Humanity or Architects without Borders being recognized for their humanitarian contribution to the world through architecture.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #6d9eeb; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"dictatorships will leave a masterpiece of architecture behind in history, instead of the generic crap we see all around us?" </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you seriously advocating a dictatorship based model for the future of architecture?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Architecture is a concretization and a confirmation of who we are as a society, our hopes, our dreams, how we see ourselves, what we value most, how we live and how we treat each other. It is a physical manifestation of our social and political condition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does architecture that was created in an oppressive society represent?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does the architecture that was created in a free society represent?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you live in a free and democratic society, then of course it is easy to dismiss the freedoms that we have as politically correct crap. But lets put you in Qatar to work under the conditions of the builders of Zaha's stadium and see what kind of tune you would be singing then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure a lot of the buildings we point to in the history books as great architecture were done by oppressive empires. But are you really saying that such architecture is worth the cost of human life and suffering?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Would you yourself undergo great suffering or volunteer your own life in the cause building a great looking or technologically innovative building?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you think Casa del fascio (as you mentioned) was worth the human sacrifice and suffering that it took to make it possible? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you could, would you yourself live under a fascist regime to make that building a reality?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I-don’t-think-you-would!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Architecture that was designed and built under cruel and inhumane conditions is an expression of injustice and can never be truly great architecture no matter how innovative or flashy looking. If you think otherwise then you must be kidding yourself or you have been reading too much of that damn stupid book you mentioned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br />
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would suggest that you take a basic course on Critical Thinking or at minimum familiarize yourself with <a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/" target="_blank"><strong>this list</strong></a> of common argumentative fallacies and re-read that book. Be sure to get a case of yellow highlighters and highlight every false arguments you find. And if you still value it after that, be sure to keep it a safe distance from anyone looking for the yellow pages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I apologize for the tone, but please understand, it is coming from a place of deep caring. Even though I do not know you or haven't met you, I can interpret a lot about you from your writing. I can tell that you are most likely a student or recent graduate that is taken up by the ideas of Patrik and the seductive forms of Zaha’s architecture. My real ire is not with you but mostly with Patrik and Zaha’s behavior and at the architecture schools that entertain them. Firstly for letting people like Patrik Schumacher come in contact with you just because he is famous. You (anonymous defender of Patrik) are among our most precious resources (As students you are our future). Secondly, I am disappointed with your school for not teaching critical thinking. This should be prerequisite course for all incoming freshman. Thirdly, I am perpetually bemused at the culture prevalent in architecture schools for creating an environment where students are forcefully discouraged from questioning their professors.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, I don’t expect to convince you with this note, but I do hope that I have planted a seed of reason in your head that will help you to question some of the jargon that is coming your way. This blog will always be here for you should you ever wake up from that dreadful cult and decide to come over from the dark side.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Why don't you consider it? Shoot me an email and I will personally lend you a helping hand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Meanwhile, below this note are some references that will help you get acquainted with some of the basics of critical thinking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Regards,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conrad Newel</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Below is the first video in a series by Aaron Dewald called Critical Thinking<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/J0yEAE5owWw" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
If you enjoyed it, this is a link to the rest of the course.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpbtRdN7xWUcPT0qWBfC52FubQxcgdgjk">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpbtRdN7xWUcPT0qWBfC52FubQxcgdgjk</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Another nice explanation of Critical Thinking:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6OLPL5p0fMg" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
This one should look familiar to you. The false argument you opened with is clearly identified here.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iSZ3BUru59A" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Some other resources:<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CriticalThinkingOrg">https://www.youtube.com/user/CriticalThinkingOrg</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/">http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-18582655531186554472014-03-25T12:01:00.001+01:002014-03-25T16:54:12.505+01:0098. Master the art of the back handed complament<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUpBPjs5IUQ0epbzLSLtgEn35NTmMmClyTwO8ZF_zQinx8C7Qp9JnLRH-1atzFySbXSmAvx2dzqU92RWsaBfEv3xKlGP8FIcDHjHtrLqm9vA5zksSv5ipEuO_G4dVCqI2BddrJEeAq8/s1600/INTERVIEW2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUpBPjs5IUQ0epbzLSLtgEn35NTmMmClyTwO8ZF_zQinx8C7Qp9JnLRH-1atzFySbXSmAvx2dzqU92RWsaBfEv3xKlGP8FIcDHjHtrLqm9vA5zksSv5ipEuO_G4dVCqI2BddrJEeAq8/s1600/INTERVIEW2.png" height="640" width="532" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Patrik Schumacher ( Partner at Zaha Hadid Architects) posted the following statements on his facebook page this morning in responce to the Pritzker Prize's announcement that Shigeru Ban has been awarded the prize.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>While everybody these days seem to be outraged by the flurry of bizzare statements Schumacher has been posting on his page I thought I would just stay clear of it. It just seems to feed him the attention that he is desperately trying to get in any way shape or form. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>On the other hand, when someone of incredibe public influence makes confunding statements (that brands humanitarin work or charity as someting lowley or scornful) it is important to rebut them publicly. There are young impressionable minds out there that believes this crap. So I thought what the hell.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Here is what he said and see my reply below:</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Patrik Schumacher</strong> :</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"it is Ban's humanitarian work that the Pritzker jury emphasized in announcing the prize"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I congratulate Shigeru Ban ... love his work, especially the Metz project ... however, I worry if the criteria of the Pritzker Prize ... architecture's... most prestigious prize ... are now also being diverted in the direction of political correctness .... I would wish that architectural innovations that upgrade the discipline's capacity to cope with and facilitate the great urban develpment and restructuring tasks we are facing would dominate choice here ... I am afraid that if criteria shift towards political correctness great iconoclast-innovators like Wolf Prix or Peter Eisenman wont ever stand a chance to be recognized here ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">does this mean that those who aspire to win the Pritzker - or the nobel prize in physics - have to add humanitarian charity work into the mix?</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conrad Newel:</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The purpose of the Pritzker prize is as follows: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To honor a living architect/s whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice that it clearly states CONSISTENT AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO <u>HUMANITY</u>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This has always been a part of the Pritzker mandate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Pritzker committee has normally overlooked this aspect when awarding the prize as evidenced by its selection of laurites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giving the prize to Sheru on these grounds is perhaps a baby step in honoring that clause.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You should note that the Nobel Prize in Physics according to Alfred Nobel's will is to be awarded as follows: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"To the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics ...” So there is no need to worry that the Physics prize will suddenly require its lauriets to do humanatarian work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In logic and critical thinking, your argument above Patrick, is a classic fallacy called a slippery slope - a form of pseudo-argumentation in which a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any rational argument or demonstrable mechanism for the inevitability of the event in question.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the very same logic you made, I could argue (the day after Zaha Hadid won the Pritzker) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I congratulate Zaha Hadid ... love her work, especially her design for Muammar Quadafi's conference center in Tripoli. ... however, I worry if the criteria of the Pritzker Prize ... architecture's most prestigious prize ... are now also being diverted in the direction of empty curvy shapes .... I would wish that architectural innovations that upgrade the discipline's capacity to cope with and facilitate the great urban development and restructuring tasks we are facing would dominate choice here ... I am afraid that if criteria shift towards flashy pseudo rational from manipulation then great Humanitarian-innovators like Cameron Sinclair or Architects without borders won’t ever stand a chance to be recognized here ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does this now mean that those who aspire to win the Pritzker - or the Nobel Prize in physics - have to add superficial curvy shapes in to the mix?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patrick, you have nothing to fear than fear itself - the old world order will prevail. So chill out man! Sounds like you need a hug :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conrad Newel<br /><br /><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a><br />Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span>Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-60564883067320815702013-12-30T01:26:00.001+01:002013-12-30T13:19:55.611+01:0097. Help Save Rem Koolhaas from Obscurity<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" scrolling="no" src="http://www.reelz.com/player.aspx?clipid=41580" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.reelz.com/movie/274823/capitalism-a-love-story?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links" target="">Capitalism: A Love Story</a> | <a href="http://www.reelz.com/person/107720/jimmy-carter?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links" target="">Jimmy Carter</a> | <a href="http://www.reelz.com/person/151515/thora-birch?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links" target="">Thora Birch</a> | <a href="http://www.reelz.com/person/342228/michael-moore?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links" target="">Michael Moore</a> | <a href="http://www.reelz.com/trailers?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links">Movie Trailer</a> | <a href="http://www.reelz.com/reviews?utm_source=Player&utm_medium=Player-Link&utm_campaign=Player-Referral-Bottom-Links">Review</a> <br />
<br />
Hi, I am Conrad Newel,<br />
<br />
Instead of using this post to talk about how being a creative original will lead you to architectural fame, I will simply show you.<br />
<br />
I would like to also ask you to take a moment to join me in supporting a fellow architect. <br />
The pace of genuinely interesting developments that have positively influenced our profession has hurt a lot of our starchitects. Starchitects who have had no choice than to turn to extra-ordinary means to remain relevant. However, they can only do so much.<br />
<br />
That’s why I am asking you to reach into your pockets right now and lend a hand. In the coming years, Kickstarter will be launching a series of projects to help a lot of attention needy starchitects to remain in the spot lights. <br />
<br />
There are only three days left for you to help fund the most highly-anticipated documentary film about the legendary Rem Koolhaas: <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/454222/tomas-koolhaas-releases-official-trailer-for-rem-and-exclusive-kanye-west-interview/" target="_blank">REM</a> - Directed by the architect’s son, Tomas Koolhaas. Please go to the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/854812433/rem-rem-koolhaas-documentary" target="_blank">kickstarter website</a> and give generously!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/75328510?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
Now, I know what you are thinking:<br />
Rem is already famous, he and his works are on the covers and insides of most architectural magazines, he is already relevant in the architecture world, and I have already bought a number of books and magazines about him.<br />
<br />
...and I know you did!<br />
<br />
But even though you have supported him in the past, give some more!... it will make you feel smart!<br />
<br />
The film takes a little from Bjarke Ingels Group's earlier film <a href="http://vimeo.com/7240892" target="_blank">My Playground</a>, by using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour" target="_blank">parkour</a> as a narrative element. What’s not cool about people jumping around in your building? This is how it is used 0.0001% during the building's lifespan, but so what? It’s really cool.<br />
<br />
Hey! Louis Kahn's son made a film about his famous father <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3462332953" target="_blank">My Architect</a>, why wait till you are dead? What kind of stupid rule is that? Have your son make a film about you now! That's soo cool! Why not take a little from Natheniel Kahn as well?<br />
<br />
Taking these two ideas and mixing them together is what originality is about!<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/7240892" target="_blank">My Playground</a> + <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3462332953" target="_blank">My Architect</a> = <a href="http://vimeo.com/75328510" target="_blank">Your Original film</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conrad Newel<br /><br /><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a><br />Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-50279042186515226472013-12-08T00:34:00.000+01:002013-12-08T18:35:18.711+01:0096. The Accidental Femminist - Part 2<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "</em></span><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/12/95-accidental-femminist.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><em>95. The accidental femminist</em></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>": <br /><br /> this was published on <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/87369405/zaha-hadid-says-al-wakrah-world-cup-stadium-doesn-t-resemble-vagina" target="_blank">archinect </a>in response to this article-image:<br /><br />there is something wrong with the article and the image.<br /><br />it isn't merely zaha who worked with gadafi's and qatar's regimes. everyone and their uncle worked with them. zaha is equally as "guilty" in that sense. no one bothered to collage their image with their building like penises.<br /><br />did the person who make this image ask permission from zaha hadid first and get it? i assume not. in which case, i assume that they have taken advantage of her image and manipulated it to their end.<br /><br />which means that, in the name of a so-called feminism (that is an exaggerated pathological direct outcome of sexism -other side of its coin-and not an actual independent feminism that respects women's/people's individual images and bodies), she's being abused by being collaged into an image that - i strongly believe- would contradict with her wishes.<br /><br />the author and fabricator of the image fall into the same hole -truly no puns here- that this image is employed to counter.<br /><br />furthermore, there is a strong suggestion that this is was taken from some terrorist attack/military zone - perhaps in iraq. the inversion of victims into suggested violators now being violated by a vagina is completely tasteless.<br /><br />everyone in this image is being used for a single minded purpose trampling on quite a few people - inverting them for its own whimsical and perverse end.</em></span> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Hi Tammuz, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks for the feedback.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sure there are other starchitects that work for
dictatorial regimes, and I have been critical of them before (see note #<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/56-listen-to-little-devil-on-your.html" target="_blank">56</a> & <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/57-more-from-little-devil-on-your.html" target="_blank">57</a>). I am
not singling out Zaha because she is a woman. I have targeted quite a few other
starchitects for criticism before.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html" target="_blank">criticized Bjarke Ingels for not being rigorous enough</a>, but no one bothered to ask why I didn't criticize any female architects
who were not as rigorous too?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have criticized <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html" target="_blank">Peter Zumthor for being disingenuous</a> several times,
but no one bothered to ask why I didn’t criticize any disingenuous female
architects or any other disingenuous starchitects for that matter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have criticized Wim Wenders for making <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/01/90-deceptive-paradox-that-is-zumthor.html" target="_blank">a masturbatory film that basically is Zumthor pornography for Zumthor fans to jerk off to</a>, but
no one bothered to accuse me of being sexist because I was referring to his
manhood as a tool for criticism.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have posted pictures of <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/02/73work-for-rem.html" target="_blank">Rem Koolhaas breast-feeding Bjarke Ingels</a>, Joshua Prince (REX), Foreign Office Architects and a bunch of his other prodigies, but no one bothered to say "if
it was a female starchitect they wouldn’t have depicted her body in such a perverse
way to make a point. It’s just because he is a man!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfwedbHe-SwiZL29XF8_PDkEnRDciIkdBowNfki_Q54Pwjnl4ZmSZJwBglR5aiQF8f66ODSvSEALWGpWXELJPhqRGNFrbf1-W5AmrzEjFH3bmyYoTfdlFrZ-hURdYJ99n8uxWmFJfTHY/s1600/remchildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfwedbHe-SwiZL29XF8_PDkEnRDciIkdBowNfki_Q54Pwjnl4ZmSZJwBglR5aiQF8f66ODSvSEALWGpWXELJPhqRGNFrbf1-W5AmrzEjFH3bmyYoTfdlFrZ-hURdYJ99n8uxWmFJfTHY/s1600/remchildren.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am pretty sure that neither Rem, nor Bjarke
nor any of the other architects who were featured in that image would approve
of it, but again no one asked if Rem was being abused or exploited when his image
was used in that way? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Besides giving evidence that I have a very outlandish sense of humor, do you see where I am going with this? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not singling her out for this type of
criticism because she is a woman. I am singling her out because she is a
starchitect with very low moral bearings. Zaha and her allies have a habit of
calling every male criticism of her sexist and every female criticism of her
jealousy; a quixotic attempt to make herself inscrutable. It has never stopped
me before and it’s not going to stop me now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The intention with the image was to illustrate
an alternate universe where Zaha is actually a super action heroine standing up for the repressed </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">women in Qatar. She is
depicted as a poised, powerful woman in control. She is smoking a cigar which
she has in one had as if to celebrate a victory. In the other had she is
holding up the middle finger, like a driver who has successfully cut off an
opponent in a traffic dispute and leaving them in the dust. The stadium (looking
like a giant steel vagina) is re-imagined not so much as an accidental Freudian
hiccup to be ashamed of, but as an intentional powerful act of defiance and symbol of
female prowess and strength. It is not accidental that the image chosen for
Zaha's face has an expression of conceit and composure that stands in stark
contrast to the horror on the faces of the crowd below. In a way, I was channeling Bruce Willis' expression in the Die Hard movie, that moment right after saying "yippie-kye-yae mother fucker!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9r4K8IEMSRhJ9evOh-gOfKKmrnChMXvKFDgRs-f89IXFEoJoUR4rpcUFRIa5x6IbRpbJnw6-YtW-tNtdHYYBs8og5YgUhKSI1siDkSLKOj0svQyvnncYHL2MXaLYFPi0cR2oluZBYoo0/s1600/zaha-stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9r4K8IEMSRhJ9evOh-gOfKKmrnChMXvKFDgRs-f89IXFEoJoUR4rpcUFRIa5x6IbRpbJnw6-YtW-tNtdHYYBs8og5YgUhKSI1siDkSLKOj0svQyvnncYHL2MXaLYFPi0cR2oluZBYoo0/s1600/zaha-stadium.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The little men in the street below her represent
the strictly male power class of Qatar led by the Emir; they stand behind the
oppressive system of de-facto slavery and mass female imprisonment. Behind them
in the background stands "the cock crammed" skyline - tall sky
skyscrapers resembling a forest of male phalluses. This is testament to the highly patriarchal
society in which women make up only 1/4 of the population and are diminished in
power. If they feel it is necessary to incarcerate and suppress women in their
society in such a radical way, one can only conclude that they are afraid of them.
It is no wonder then that any building that resembles a female vagina would be a frightening
proposition - Super action heroine Zaha has just delivered them their worst nightmare. So yes you are right, I wanted to invoke an image of what would be
terror for such a society: A powerful woman that can stand up to or at least
outwit them. That was the main point!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However there is another layer of meaning and intension to
this image of terror. If you remember the days leading up to the fall of the
Quadafi regime that Zaha worked for, you might recall the violent images of
civilians and militia in the streets being attacked by her former employer's
solders. As I mentioned Zaha was hired as part of the regime's propaganda wing in an elaborate plan to give the
regime an air of sophistication that would help mask the atrocities that he was
committing. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<object height="309" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ORD6U6Caxd8" ></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src ="http://www.youtube.com/v/ORD6U6Caxd8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="309"></embed></object><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">THE REALITY: The images in the video above shows the reality of Quadafi's Lybia and the terror he inflicted on the people there.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUbXdWNfLv5CTzJBsxxSiFHdKfjVINfXoJwqj9Glg0nrwUyvW5uSQvIIqV49sZndhgFtlawa7TZdf3mdklYnEViINcTpBpvFErdna5nn9FbUJGWqrdvkiAPkxEJJiRpyU6F33XuoGyzA/s1600/ConferenceHallTripoli_525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUbXdWNfLv5CTzJBsxxSiFHdKfjVINfXoJwqj9Glg0nrwUyvW5uSQvIIqV49sZndhgFtlawa7TZdf3mdklYnEViINcTpBpvFErdna5nn9FbUJGWqrdvkiAPkxEJJiRpyU6F33XuoGyzA/s1600/ConferenceHallTripoli_525.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">THE MASK: People's Conference Hall (above) in Tripoli designed by starchitect, Zaha Hadid, but was 'put on hold' causing her firm to lay off many of its employees. The project was clearly an attempt by Gaddafi to rebrand his image and fumigate the stench of Lockerbie and other adventures of his dictatorship</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With my image I also wanted to place the mask
(Zaha Hadid and her work) and the reality behind the mask (the image of violence
and terror) together on the same image as a way for my audience to see both the
mask and the reality in one image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This was the secondary point.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third point was to create an image that was outrageous, humorous and offensive as possible to draw attention and spark debate. I wanted to shake my audience from their complacency of looking at starchitects who willingly participate in embellishing violent regimes as a trivial matter. By getting my audience emotionally engaged by either laughing or being disturbed by it, my hopes are that they will remember it and help to create a culture where this kind of behavior is no longer acceptable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some say it is tasteless. Sure, I expected that response. What is tasteless? That varies along cultural, religious, and personal value lines. In some societies complete nudity is normal and acceptable; for them no part of the human body is taboo or can be seen as tasteless and that includes both the male and female genitalia. For some religions any flesh visible above the knee of a woman is indecent, others find it tasteless for a woman to show her ankles or require that the woman is covered so that only the eyes are visible. So no matter what I do, someone will consider it tasteless by some standards. Therefore, you may have noticed that<em> trying not to offend anyone</em> isn't anywhere on my list of intentions above. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To answer some of your specific concerns
though; Why choose the vagina and not some other body part, or something else as a mode of criticism? Well you my have to ask <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-19-2013/unnecessary-muffness" target="_blank">Jon Stewart</a>, or whoever started the Internet meme. By the time I saw that stadium it was already branded as a vagina. All that was left for me to do was to contextualize it, which i did - both visually with the image and politically with the accompanying article. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for the alleged victims, No! The collage is not taken from images of actual terror victims; they
are from a street protest - demonstrators running from tear gas thrown by police, another is of Arabic men running away at the start of a camel race in Rash al Khaimah, and the third (not sure) probably an Arab comedy skit featuring
men screaming. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I commend you though for at least thinking about them. Most of the complaints I get condemns the tasteless victimization/exploitation of Zaha without any mention of the thousands of women or slaves who are victims of the system she works for.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In short, I belive you (as well as others) have misinterpreted my
intention and inflated it with some incorrect assumptions. As you mentioned, the image comes with other messages. You interpreted
it as a tasteless exploitation of Zaha and victims of terrorism that tramples
on people for my own whimsical and perverse end. To this I say, that this is
part of what makes art/comedy so interesting and wonderful: Because it can be interpreted
in so many different ways. Like a Rorschach test, a psychoanalyst may put an ink splash in
front of you and you will see one thing and I will see another. In these scenarios,
the meanings we find in the images are more a measure of us and our world view than the actual
image itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It draws to mind the case when former NY mayor
Rudolph Giuliani threatened to withdraw funding from the Brooklyn museum
because it showed the artist Chris Ofili’s painting of the Holy Virgin Mary
that he didn’t like. Ofili's painting depicted the Virgin Mary with dark skin, African
features, and was collaged with close-ups of female genitalia cut out from pornographic
magazines and real elephant dung.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Ofili's intention was to use the dung and the vagina images as symbols of fertility.
Giuliani saw it differently. He </span>thought it was offensive to Catholics and famously exclaimed,
"There’s nothing in the First Amendment that supports horrible and
disgusting projects!” Ironically though, it was Hillary Clinton who came to
Ofili's defense arguing the freedom of expression and cultural tolerance. This
is the nature of symbols in art. It can provoke a conversation about the
meanings we extract from things between two strangers who know nothing about
each other than the values we bring to an image. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All the best,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conrad Newel</span></span></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0053a6; font-family: inherit;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-50939875610672400512013-12-03T22:48:00.001+01:002013-12-08T01:22:12.186+01:0095. The Accidental Femminist<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad7958b-afce-8b99-f165-cdfe5e501c86" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad7958b-afce-8b99-f165-cdfe5e501c86" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zaha Hadid to me has always seemed to be a feminist of convenience; that is to say she is a chameleon-like figure that magically transforms into a feminist only when it suits her; notably, when she is criticized in public by using it as a defense mechanism. When she is criticized by men (which most critics are) she pulls out the gender card and cry “You are criticising me because I am a woman!” and follow up with sentences beginning with the phrase “If a man had done this then….. . However when it comes to standing up for women's rights, in cases where she could use her power and visibility as one of the world's most famous women to defend other women or feminist causes, she tends to go silent. Such was the case when she sat on the Pritzker jury and did not do much to stand up for Denise Scott Brown. I went into this in more detail in note number <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/05/92-zaha-josephine-tale-of-two-celebrity.html" target="_blank">92. Zaha & Josephine: A tale of two celebrity women</a>. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad7958b-afce-8b99-f165-cdfe5e501c86" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
</b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad7958b-afce-8b99-f165-cdfe5e501c86" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other thing with Zaha as well as other starchitects is that they generally <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/57-more-from-little-devil-on-your.html" target="_blank">use their works to glamorize autocrats</a> that are inherently violent or oppressive. By choosing to work for dictatorial and oppressive regimes they become complicit in the opression. One such example is where <a href="http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/the-poverty-of-starchitecture/26358/" target="_blank">Zaha entered into a contract with Muammar Gaddafi to design a new conference center</a> outside of Tripoli shortly before the regime collapsed in 2011. Gaddafi had enlisted Zaha’s services as part of a larger plan to project an image of cultural refinement and soften his image as a regime that was friendly to western culture and safe to invest in. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad7958b-afce-8b99-f165-cdfe5e501c86" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when I saw <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-19-2013/unnecessary-muffness" target="_blank">Jon Stewart’s skit</a> a few days ago in which he remarked that her Qatar football stadium proposal looked like a giant steel vagina, I thought it was kind of ironic. Qatar like Gaddafi’s Libya is also ruled by an autocratic regime - in this case an absolute monarchy - that has laws among others that deem it illegal to criticize the Emir - the highest ranking monarch. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some other notable laws gives employers unilateral power to cancel residency permits, deny workers the ability to switch jobs and deny them permission to leave the country. Relative to the fact that Qatar is a country where the great majority of the population are foreigners, the result is a system of forced labour where it is difficult for a migrant worker to leave an abusive employer or travel overseas without permission. So in other words a defacto system of slavery. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it comes to women rights Qatar boasts one of the best among arab countries, but take that with a grain of salt. Despite having one of the worlds most lopsided gender ratio where women make up just one-quarter of the population, Qatar has one of the highest female prison populations in the world. Most of these female prisoners are low paid immigrant workers, tried in an unknown language, without representation and often without access to consulate assistance. To top it off, in some cases in family courts, a female's testimony is worth half a man's and in some cases a female witness is not accepted at all. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So why would Qatar hire a woman - Zaha Hadid - to design their prize stadium? For the same reason Gaddafi hired Zaha - damn good PR! Qatar has a public image problem with The West, among them with women rights. Hiring one of the world most famous woman architect would go a long way in mending that image as well as embelishing them with the "sophistication" of western high culture. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The irony in this case, is that here we have a patriarchal society that tramples on women's rights and diminishes them in general and yet their proudest new monument looks like the gaping hole of a vagina.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCYDPOJFY6t1DAScMAgMidFok1Bs2reIM_F4EGoekfniOG0qErRi_kaWimRrYfqtcVE9kx-vFYzEnHrbzd_oBblrFwyTeVWA8wLRoUs1k3xJgbHXoNQi7VOONQIbSNpcDvE_QhY2JzwU/s1600/zaha-stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCYDPOJFY6t1DAScMAgMidFok1Bs2reIM_F4EGoekfniOG0qErRi_kaWimRrYfqtcVE9kx-vFYzEnHrbzd_oBblrFwyTeVWA8wLRoUs1k3xJgbHXoNQi7VOONQIbSNpcDvE_QhY2JzwU/s1600/zaha-stadium.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy Shit!...Zaha unleashes a giant steel vagina on the cock crammed skyline on Qatar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But here is another way to look at it - perhaps just a fantasy of Conrad Newel. The fantasy is that Zaha is actually not just an opportunist or a tool for hire. No! Zaha is actually a real feminist behind the veil of an arrogant unconscionable diva. She is a real champion for women and human rights. Actually she is much smarter and smoother than anyone of us had imagined. What if the stadium was intentionally designed to look like a vagina? Perhaps that was the plan all along. Perhaps she really wanted to send a thinly veiled message to the Emir. Something like this:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fuck you you sexist oppressive prick! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am going to take your money and make the proudest new addition to your cock crammed skyline into the image of a cunt! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This one is for the imprisoned women of Qatar.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Imprision this Emir!</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conrad Newel<br /><br /><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a><br />Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></b><br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-67118171071774687392013-09-15T13:32:00.000+02:002013-09-16T11:23:56.756+02:0094. Why I Blogg<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>A couple weeks ago I was invited to write an opinions article on Architizer. </b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>I wrote a piece with the working title "<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/93-open-call-for-de-jesus-ification-of.html" target="_blank">An open call for the De-Jesus-ification of Peter Zumthor and a Plea for Critical Journalism and Objectivity when Reporting on His Work</a>" . It was edited to fit Architizer's format and the title changed to "Zumthor is not God" You can read it the original version <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/93-open-call-for-de-jesus-ification-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>The piece was in the form of a letter to architectural critics and journalists and discussed their lack of critical engagement when reporting on Peter Zumthor and his work.</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>Interestingly enough though, the piece was not critical of Zumthor or his work. I don't think I have ever been critical of his work before. I enjoy it thoroughly and I have even gone as far as calling myself a fan. However, I have been critical of Zumthor the man himself and his deceptive self-promotional practice as evidenced <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/01/90-deceptive-paradox-that-is-zumthor.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>Christine Murray, a writer for Architects Journal, identifies Zumthor's followers not as followers, not even as fans or fanatics, but as a broad church. In doing so, she references the classic definition of church, not as a building, but as the whole body of Christian believers. </b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>So before I even put pen to paper to write, I anticipated some blowback. Though Zumthorism is not an officially recognized religion, I understand it as such. So when you go out in public and write a piece that is in anyway near critical of a religious icon (that which they hold most dear) you expect that.</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>And like clock work the blowback came in. You can see it at the bottom of the article <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=zumthor%20is%20not%20god&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.architizer.com%2Fblog%2Fpeter-zumthor-is-not-god%2F&ei=lZc1Uor3G8iqhQfUk4DgAw&usg=AFQjCNHr5ifxJGis8yV6lGM0skL2UC3H2A&sig2=zPBUVKkdnWQAtTh3sDr7hw&bvm=bv.52164340,d.ZG4" target="_blank">here</a>. It is hilarious! perhaps a little sad. As also expected, most of them mistook my criticism of the journalist as an attack on Zumthor, his work or his stature. For some the notion that one can both enjoy something and be critical of it at the same time is a little difficult to grasp.</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>I really love the comments sections, even when they get really nasty. I sit down with my laptop and have a good laugh and interact with the lovely and even with the unlovely ones.</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<i><b>However, I was really floored when I saw this one below, it was something that I was not at all expecting. It nearly brought me to tears. really! It validates what I do. If there is only one person out there that can see the value of what I aim to do with this blog, then it is worth every second of time that I pour into it. So here is to another 100 notes:</b></i></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #42474a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px;"></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Well, you sir, are just begging for trouble!<br />
This is actually a profoundly relevant topic. As for trying to assertively discuss it on the internet... well... good luck with that!</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
There is, of course, a problem with the use of the word "architect". Peter Zumthor is an architect. I am an architect. Therefore I could conclude that "I am like Peter Zumthor".<br />
I would be wrong. Just because we use the same words doesn't mean we are talking about the same things. Peter Zumthor openly claims that he is not a service provider. He doesn't work to comply with the promoter's needs or wishes and he is proud of his uncompromising nature.<br />
No, Peter Zumthor is not one of us.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Of course, I'm not going to say that being uncompromising is a virtue or an evil. I will say that it is questionable. I would recommend the documentary "Peter Zumthor - Der Eigensinn des Schonnen" (although it is very difficult to find it nowadays) to witness some of the implications, both good and bad, of that approach to the field of architecture, and how it impacts other people.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The problem with the deification of an architect - or anyone for that matter - is that it narrows down and eventually shuts the possibility of debate. The pernicious aspect of having this cult status being promoted by architectural institutions and media - and when I say media I'm talking about critics that often have ties to official associations and academies - is that it becomes an obstacle to an open and healthy debate about architecture.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The corresponding symptom to that ill environment can be witnessed on these comments already. A possible debate gets shattered, not because the arguments raised are questioned, but because they were substituted by a lawyer type approach where (1) the author's credibility is questioned and, once that is done, (2) any argument presented is deemed irrelevant. A known way of sidestepping any discussion.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Keep in mind that Peter Zumthor's quality as an architect is not being questioned here - although it could, why not? But this is true all around the world. Every nation has its set of highly reverenced architects. If, for watever reason, one of their works becomes controversial, architectural institutions and critics will often close ranks around the defense of "the architect", whose personal qualities or overall body of work are not being questioned, to minimize the debate around "the building".</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
That is why you will have great difficulty finding architects openly questioning buildings such as Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences, Peter Eisenman's City of Culture of Galicia, Zaha Hadid's Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion, and so on, and so on. And if you are an architect and you question these buildings out in the open, trust me, doors will shut on you and you will be on your way to become an outcast.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
The real issue here, therefore, is that the glorification of architects is detrimental to a democratic environment where ideas, including architecture, can be questioned through rational considerations from which we can all learn and evolve.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
And if we deny that, if we deny the possibility of that to happen because whoever is pointing the finger doesn't hold the seal of some ubber-institution, then we all run the risk of becoming another silent witness standing among the crowd, paying tribute to naked kings.</div>
<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 17px;"><a data-action="profile" data-user="3890361" href="http://disqus.com/embed/comments/?f=architizer2prod&t_i=blog-peter-zumthor-is-not-god&t_u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.architizer.com%2Fblog%2Fpeter-zumthor-is-not-god%2F&t_d=Dear%20Architecture%20Journalists%3A%20Stop%20Worshipping%20Peter%20Zumthor!&t_t=Dear%20Architecture%20Journalists%3A%20Stop%20Worshipping%20Peter%20Zumthor!&s_o=default&disqus_version=1379107368#" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: color; -webkit-transition-timing-function: linear; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(41, 40, 39) !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Daniel Carrapa</a></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-83939340891377401542013-09-14T00:23:00.002+02:002013-09-14T00:41:28.000+02:0093. An Open Call for the De-Jesus-ification of Peter Zumthor<br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3af21c25-1962-7805-e977-d9090e06fb83" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3af21c25-1962-7805-e977-d9090e06fb83" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pil·grim·age</span></b></h2>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3af21c25-1962-7805-e977-d9090e06fb83" style="font-weight: normal;">
</b><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3af21c25-1962-7805-e977-d9090e06fb83" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [pil-gr</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uh</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-mij] </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Show IPA</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noun, verb, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pil·grim·aged, pil·grim·ag·ing.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3af21c25-1962-7805-e977-d9090e06fb83" style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noun</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a pilgrimage to Lourdes.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fa·nat·ic</span></h2>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [f</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uh</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-nat-ik] </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Show IPA</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noun</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b7b7b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">religion</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/politics" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">politics</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adjective</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b7b7b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fanatical" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fanatical</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Origin: </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1515–25; < Latin </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fānāticus </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> pertaining to a temple, inspired by orgiastic rites, frantic, equivalent to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fān </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">um </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) temple + </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-āticus, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> equivalent to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-āt </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">( </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ate" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-ate</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> + </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-icus </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ic" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-ic</span></a></b><br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Architectural Critics and Journalists,
<br />
<br />
I have had enough of your fanaticism with Peter Zumthor. He is a fine architect and an even better self-promoter. I don’t dislike the guy, but I do seriously dislike when journalists—and especially critics—keel over and act like star-struck teenage girls at a Justin Bieber concert when confronted with the man or his work.
<br />
<br />
Specifically, I am ticked off with your constantly using the word “pilgrimage” in describing your visits to Zumthor’s sites.
<br />
<br />
When I think of the word pilgrimage, I think of a deeply spiritual and religious journey—the type that devout Muslims make to Mecca, for instance, or the trips that Christians take to Biblically-significant sites such as Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, or Calvary, where he was crucified.
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12085a.htm" target="_blank">The Catholic encyclopedia</a> defines “pilgrimage” as a journey made to a place to venerate it, ask for supernatural aid, or discharge some religious obligation. So I thought it rather strange that I kept finding the word being used in relation to Peter Zumthor. <br />
<br />
I have compiled just a sampling of recent quotes from notable critics writing about visiting Zumthor or seeing his work in the flesh. Their descriptions typically begin with the word “pilgrimage,” the size and location of the sacred radius, and finally the term “<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/seminal?s=t" target="_blank">seminal</a>” to describe the works found within its boundaries. This sets the tone for the rest of the article, which can be summed up in three words: Praise, Praise and Praise.
<br />
<br />
Here, from Dwell Magazine:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>I recently made a Peter Zumthor <strong>pilgrimage</strong> to Switzerland, where many of his<strong> seminal works</strong> sit within a <strong>40 mile radius</strong> [of] one another in the northeastern part of the country. An architectural journey surely not for the faint of heart, it took a day's harrowing drive through the northern Alps with steep cliffs and crazy European drivers, but in the end, it was well worth it.</em>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.dwell.com/travel-reports/article/pilgrimage-zumthors-chapel" target="_blank"><strong>A Pilgrimage to Zumthor's Chapel</strong></a><strong> | Dwell, October 5, 2010</strong></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
This one from ArchDaily was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Our friend and architectural photographer Felipe Camus recently embarked on an architectural <strong>pilgrimage</strong> to the valley of the Rhein. Located in the Graubünden region in Switzerland, the valley boasts many of the <strong>seminal works</strong> of Pritzker Prize Laureate Peter Zumthor, all within a <strong>60-kilometer radius</strong>. Born in Graubünden himself, Zumthor designed the works in relation to their location and time by paying special attention to details and materials. As a result, the works all present Zumthor’s unparalleled skills of craftsmanship and his uncompromising integrity.</em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.archdaily.com/419367/a-photographer-s-journey-through-peter-zumthor-valley/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=widget&utm_name=most-visited" target="_blank"><strong>A Photographer’s Journey Through Zumthor Valley</strong></a><strong> | ArchDaily, August 28, 2013</strong></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
“Unparalleled skills of craftsmanship” and “uncompromising integrity”? This type of language should forever be entombed in fine furniture catalogs, or in the “Our Approach” sections of contractor websites. Take out the word “craftsmanship,” and you could find this on the back label of a wine bottle. This is sales, not journalistic language! If this were an isolated combination of adjectives used by one or two of you, it would be just cute; however this is an industry-wide pathology. To wit:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Peter Zumthor is a master architect admired by his colleagues around the world for work that is focused, <strong>uncompromising</strong> and exceptionally determined
</em></blockquote>
<em></em><br />
<a href="http://www.pritzkerprize.com/2009/jury" target="_blank"><strong>The Pritzker Prize Jury Report</strong></a><strong> 2009</strong>
<br />
<em> </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>He has a mythic reputation as a reclusive mountain-dwelling hermit, a monk of materials, with standards so exacting that few clients have the patience, or deep enough pockets, to indulge his <strong>uncompromising</strong> approach.
</em></blockquote>
<em> </em><br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/feb/05/peter-zumthor-riba-gold-medal" target="_blank"><strong>The Guardian</strong></a><strong> February 5, 2013</strong>
<br />
<em> </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Ask any architect about Peter Zumthor and you will most likely see them get weak in the knees, or at the very least laden with envy. He embodies an almost wizardly wisdom and <strong>uncompromising integrity</strong>.
</em></blockquote>
<em></em><br />
<a href="http://www.arcspace.com/features/atelier-peter-zumthor/kolumba-museum/" target="_blank"><strong>ArcSpace</strong></a><strong> July 1, 2013</strong>
<br />
<em> </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Known for running a small yet powerful and <strong>uncompromising</strong> practice, Peter Zumthor founded his award-winning firm in 1979 in Switzerland.</em>
</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://www.architecture.com/NewsAndPress/News/AwardsNews/News/2012/PeterZumthorawarded2013RoyalGoldMedalforarchitecture.aspx#.UiNVBWShK5M" target="_blank"><strong>Architecture</strong></a><strong> September 27, 2012</strong>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>His exquisite but <strong>uncompromising</strong> buildings do seem to be wrought from the living rock but perceptions of human need are also important in their shaping.</em>
</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/architecture/architecture-resources/interviews/zumthor,267,AR.html" target="_blank"><strong>Royal Academy of Arts</strong></a>
<br />
<br />
The repetition seems almost orchestrated or choreographed. Did you just copy and paste these terms from Zumthor’s press release without filtering it through your noodles? You could have at least used a thesaurus. Some other great words are: steadfast, unbending, determined, relentless, pigheaded, firm, resolute...OK, maybe not pigheaded, but you get what I am saying.
<br />
<br />
Furthermore, “uncompromising” isn’t exactly a virtue I would exalt when talking about an architect. The process of making architecture is more like a cha-cha—you give a little and you take a little, you listen to the unspoken words of your partners, you respond with a playful and delicate flexibility, and you apply a healthy dose of creativity until the music stops. (Your partner in this metaphor being your site, the surrounding nature, your client, the project’s economy and all the other variables that you come across as an architect in the creative process.) Who wants to work with an architect—or anybody for that matter—who is uncompromising?
<br />
<br />
Back to the subject of pilgrimage, the quote below reminds me of the scene from the Last Supper:
<br />
<br />
<em></em><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>As the evening wore on and Zumthor kept the wine and beer coming, the architect from London began pouring out his heart – much to our embarrassment - about Camden Council and its failure to recognize and support great architecture. We were all glad when he staggered off to bed and at that point two of us (myself and the late Giles Worsley) decided we’d skip Botta and go on a Zumthor <strong>pilgrimage</strong> starting with his office, and meet the group in Basel the next day.</em></blockquote>
<em> </em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bdonline.co.uk/me-peter-zumthor-and-my-broken-sandal/5043521.blog" target="_blank"><strong>Me, Peter Zumthor, and my broken sandal</strong></a><strong> |bdonline, October 1, 2012</strong>
<br />
<br />
Perhaps a more fitting comparison for this is a scene out of True Blood where Vampire Eric cons Sookie into drinking his blood, which has powers to make humans high and infatuated with the vampire of whose blood he/she has been intoxicated with.
<br />
Then there’s this:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Everything Zumthor touches becomes a place of <strong>pilgrimage</strong>, and his elemental work has a broad church. His Therme Vals baths in Switzerland is Mecca for architects, but full of ordinary folk too. His chapels, St Benedict and Bruder Klaus, satisfy visitors seeking either the spiritual or material sublime.</em>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/zumthors-pavilion-will-be-a-place-of-pilgrimage/8606955.article" target="_blank"><strong>Zumthor's pavilion will be a place of pilgrimage</strong></a><strong> | Architects Journal, 15 October, 2010</strong>
<br />
<br />
If wherever Zumthor touches becomes a place of pilgrimage, then no matter what he creates, it will become an object of worship. An object of worship cannot be taken apart, analyzed, scrutinized, or be discussed in an objective manner.
<br />
<br />
Whether we worship Allah, Jesus, Yahweh, or Zumthor, as journalists and writers we need to maintain a healthy separation between our personal religious beliefs and our journalistic work. Of course, suppressing our beliefs and who we are is not desirable either. The best we can strive for is a reasonable balance between the two.
<br />
<br />
I am not asking you to denounce him, or trash his work. No!<br />
I am not asking to be overly analytic like you are writing a scientific report either.<br />
I am not asking you to be dull and boring. Absolutely not!<br />
By all means, if you enjoy his work, write that, be passionate! I love that. <br />
Show your enthusiasm, it is contagious!<br />
But please, pretty please with sugar on top, be objective and critical as well! <br />
We need it, we deserve it. The last thing we need are journalists who are sheep.<br />
Zumthor would be better off because of it and so would architecture too.
<br />
<br />
Sincerely,
<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel,
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a>
<br />
Liberating minds since August 2007
<br />
<br />
<br />
Related Posts:<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/01/90-deceptive-paradox-that-is-zumthor.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">90. The deceptive paradox that is the Zumthor brand</span></a><br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html"><span style="color: #0053a6;">60. Play Peter, the Pritzker Peddling Hermit Genius</span></a><br />
<br />
originally published on Architizer: <a href="http://www.architizer.com/blog/peter-zumthor-is-not-god/">http://www.architizer.com/blog/peter-zumthor-is-not-god/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLROo3Uf4Xg1EHZp_Pm1bGz27zZpWQJ5eSqqEy1i2tYrq_52r-21BP_wTddsiUd9AKY-U3INxjFYMP-EyVP0i4Ku7ELZvY_ZdKVOLmkT8seHTMLPJ8kN6DHSx7iKpu_wCMbGgMbYSIbA/s1600/Conrad+learns+to+be+an+architectural+Critic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLROo3Uf4Xg1EHZp_Pm1bGz27zZpWQJ5eSqqEy1i2tYrq_52r-21BP_wTddsiUd9AKY-U3INxjFYMP-EyVP0i4Ku7ELZvY_ZdKVOLmkT8seHTMLPJ8kN6DHSx7iKpu_wCMbGgMbYSIbA/s400/Conrad+learns+to+be+an+architectural+Critic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-74002910960381468462013-05-29T21:00:00.000+02:002013-06-09T23:22:00.482+02:0092. Zaha & Josephine: A tale of two celebrity women and a notion of evolution<h3>
</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><u>Josephine Baker
Multidimensional Celebrity</u><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Do you know what I love best about Josephine
Baker? Have you ever read her biography? if you did you would love the same
thing I love about her. I love the way she developed as a person. She was human
and made her fair share of mistakes, but throughout her life you can see a
wiser more mature person developing and it showed in her work on and off the
stage. What inspires me about her was not just that she is a brilliant
performer on many levels, but also her genius as an image and career
strategist. Imagine being a black female performer in the American South in the
1920's. That's a pretty rough spot to be in. Now you can say she was very
lucky, but then if you <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2013/01/90-deceptive-paradox-that-is-zumthor.html" target="_blank">read my post on luck</a> you will realize that she was just
an optimist who drank her half full glass of water. It takes a special person
to really see the opportunity in a situation like that and make it work for
you. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">The genius of Baker is that she was able to take
all the racist and sexist stereotypes that were prevalent about blacks and
women at the time and used them to her advantage. She performed topless,
mimicking African dance styles while wearing a skirt made of bananas. Her
caricature combined all the sexual fantasies that western males had about an
exotic </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">African woman and the 1920s notion of what a sexy woman should look
like. Additionally, she amplified it all while fulfilling expectations of how
American Negro music and dance should be like. Instead of fighting against
these images she played up to the expectations and fed it back to them: In<span style="color: black;"> essence she used their own prejudices as a tool for
creating her image and career. It was brilliant!</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2oYNAseF-awsx5ZOFitiBEoyDYMgaN-TvbsXQ0tw4G9-dkpFH_bgW69YjCZXbPRSyMOEUnAHnT_wKQijIGNEsgPaGSGhyphenhyphenFlnpnxGZkLzhMrs0R7M3N2ldmWXrl2APrdPhTtKOMPzX9U/s1600/josephine-baker-conrad-newel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2oYNAseF-awsx5ZOFitiBEoyDYMgaN-TvbsXQ0tw4G9-dkpFH_bgW69YjCZXbPRSyMOEUnAHnT_wKQijIGNEsgPaGSGhyphenhyphenFlnpnxGZkLzhMrs0R7M3N2ldmWXrl2APrdPhTtKOMPzX9U/s1600/josephine-baker-conrad-newel.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">As she became more and more famous, Baker not only
became a performer, she became a symbol/ambassador for her entire race (and to
a certain extent, her gender). Now I am sure there were many black women at
that time and even today who take issue with how she portrayed herself and in
turn black women in particular. I can certainly understand that since
portraying herself that way </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">helped to reinforce some
of those very stereotypes that black women have fought so long to refute.
However, if you look at her performance in the big picture; meaning how she
performed<span style="color: black;"> off stage in the public realm, you will see
that she was not just a caricature. Oh she was so much more! </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">When she moved to France and became a citizen
there, she used her celebrity status as a tool to help the French resistance
during World War II: She helped by smuggling classified information written in
invisible ink on her music sheets, entertain the Allied troops, and assisted
people who were in danger of being persecuted by the Nazis to get visas to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">get out
of the country. She later went on to support the civil rights movement in the
US; being one of the first celebrities to insist on integrated audiences
wherever she performed. Before the end of her career, she had done wonders in
the way of positively changing the negative perception western society had of
black women and women in general.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeCUKCjX81nH0e8dcEdNs7fvDWHtWHUIpA8kfuHuqUrylFBHmTPuix-hjDDa64XsNlg65ppPKZ6ntJqAUL5ueHdeB7udkl63wJAhNiHDo8eS9-0bzivbcf8P8RIsWmWK2yd6ayJx4NcI/s1600/norman-hunter-legendary-entertainer-josephine-baker-august-28-1963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeCUKCjX81nH0e8dcEdNs7fvDWHtWHUIpA8kfuHuqUrylFBHmTPuix-hjDDa64XsNlg65ppPKZ6ntJqAUL5ueHdeB7udkl63wJAhNiHDo8eS9-0bzivbcf8P8RIsWmWK2yd6ayJx4NcI/s1600/norman-hunter-legendary-entertainer-josephine-baker-august-28-1963.jpg" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>After the war, for her underground activity, Baker received the Croix de guerre and the Rosette de la Résistance, and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">I could go on, and on, but I am not here to write
a biography about her. I just wanted to point out how three dimensional she was as
a celebrity and how she was able to evolve and transcend stereotypes. Not only
that, but because she was perhaps one of the most famous black woman at the
time she lived, she became a symbol of her
race and gender. That was a responsibility that was placed on her whether she wanted it or not, but she took it and did outstandingly well.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><u>The Munch Museum Fiasco: </u></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">I was in Oslo a few years ago; this was in time
for an exhibition of the entries of the Munch Museum Competition. The
competition was by invitation only (or pre-qualified, I am not quite sure), and
the roster of invited architects were a star-architect studded constellation:
Diller +Scofidio, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Kengo Kuma, Foreign Office, REX, Toyo
Ito, David Chipperfield, and some local stars. If you were lucky enough to make
the roster you would be paid to develop your proposal regardless if you came in
first or last. The winner of course would get the commission to develop the
project and oversee its realization. The panels for the entries were displayed
anonymously for public view at a gallery in the city center. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/adYuVgLe8ucUAUPbWtpv5ImYWKifW0QqTX7-wKzhDraayWLT1zsSHbA6pqGMdC9U1hfN3vc1VTQYyAsTYsOhWtE1C8wMqcYGOrlB01cebVd3PN-c7By8y3h-Yg" id="Bilde_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1036" style="height: 324.75pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 486.75pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="adYuVgLe8ucUAUPbWtpv5ImYWKifW0QqTX7-wKzhDraayWLT1zsSHbA6pqGMdC9U1hfN3vc1VTQYyAsTYsOhWtE1C8wMqcYGOrlB01cebVd3PN-c7By8y3h-Yg" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr_PVDcDoN3xpqdtvBUHKR9T5vKYY6l20liwsqmVQW6BQ6LLBd2XR2RB1DRWnPz5y1gllNWVggB8m2MtJaruRdfSIHlYnvXEagmEIwpAQUsV3UX-XcS6-sCpbebc_bPeJeUp2SjyFB9s/s1600/munch+museum+competition+oslo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr_PVDcDoN3xpqdtvBUHKR9T5vKYY6l20liwsqmVQW6BQ6LLBd2XR2RB1DRWnPz5y1gllNWVggB8m2MtJaruRdfSIHlYnvXEagmEIwpAQUsV3UX-XcS6-sCpbebc_bPeJeUp2SjyFB9s/s1600/munch+museum+competition+oslo.jpg" width="485" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">When I got there to see it, there was a list on
the wall saying who were invited, but there were no labels on the panels to say
who did what. However, as I walked around to see them, it was painfully obvious
as to who did what. It seem as though most of the stars priorities was first
and foremost to stamp their signature style on the project. Diller, Scofidio+Renfero’s
graphic style was unmistakable, they proposed a building that kind of cropped
up out of the water with some cool moments, but looked way out of budget. Their
project seemed to say "Hey, this is a really awesome proposal, I know you
don't have the money for it, but if you quadrupled your budget wouldn't it be
cool to have this. Anyway, fuck you! pay me!"</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Ando did pretty much the same thing: "Hey, my
project says this was made by Tadao Ando, it would be very expensive, here is a
little token bit about solving the program you provided in the brief. Anyway,
fuck you! pay me!"</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">All in all they were all saying the same thing.
For the most part it was a beauty contest with token gestures at addressing the
issues proposed in the brief. Aside from the obligatory set of plans and sections, most of the entries had models, exploded axons, captions that explain
their arguments here and there, and illustrator diagrams explaining the program
distribution, circulation, connectivity, alternative uses, etc. to explain
their concepts and ideas to the public.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">The most shocking one for me was Zaha Hadid's
entry. She made a less than an half-assed attempt to solve or explain any of
the problems outlined in the brief. Besides a bewildering text (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRW67-cdxtd3Ky3zoQeqjOCwWVhzDW2rDWa_Eedk6bLilXzb5b58ikhOeCuuJBOKT6uAMP76pUWAEl2MgMSN2FaQN1DAkOV6UbYhGl8Cs3iCeIgFizvEqjxT0rTXntUNNS1pG41Rn9ZV_/s1600/Zaha+hadid+archispeak+vs+plain+english.png" target="_blank">see translation here</a>), there was no attempt to explain to the public what the project was
about or how it worked; no axons, no diagrams, no additional helping text, no
nothing; just an almost abstracted set of plans and sections with sleek
renderings and a model. A diva move if you will. It was basically a centerfold
spread of sexy curvaceous forms laid out over several black background panels.
It seemed to say: look at me I am a sexy playboy centerfold aint I cute. Feast
your eyes on this. Anyway, fuck you! pay me! </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LxqmVMgs0H8vByypv23mFJJYqJyVk_E-UY9uclSaym7tM4bW1GRVCw6rtFk4SZdzBzVEJ40IliJ58gtoDEuVRYtpNr9aLJF6Wcl2q5UCAYT0MG4gBYgnTTK6HH7ZDNN3i60gW7ULO1w/s1600/zaha+hadid+sexist+steriotypes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LxqmVMgs0H8vByypv23mFJJYqJyVk_E-UY9uclSaym7tM4bW1GRVCw6rtFk4SZdzBzVEJ40IliJ58gtoDEuVRYtpNr9aLJF6Wcl2q5UCAYT0MG4gBYgnTTK6HH7ZDNN3i60gW7ULO1w/s1600/zaha+hadid+sexist+steriotypes.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">The argument Zaha uses here is not all that different from a playboy magazine. Think about it! Buy me not because I am going to solve your problems, not because I am going to save you money, not because I have considered your situation and have some serious ideas about how to help you improve your condition, no! choose me because I am pretty and delicious</span>.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Here we have a situation of mostly male
star-architects who are given a fantastic problem to solve. Most of them do a
terrible job of trying to solve it, but they tried anyway. The one female
star-architect largely ignores the problem altogether and instead offers a
pretty object. This to me embodies and just reinforces the dumb-chick
stereotype of the cute girl that sits in the back of the class that doesn't do
her homework, but flirts with the teacher to make the grade. I am not
suggesting that Zaha is flirting with anyone, but the arguments behind her
projects almost always come down to the dumb chick/playboy argument: choose my
project because it is pretty. The client presents a legitimate list of
programmatic concerns and challenges and you basically ignore them and present
a pretty object and say - here you go! </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">It is what I call the dumbing down of
architecture.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">What she presented at the Munch Museum Competition
was the most spectacular and most ill-conceived project in the room.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Perhaps it was the most sincere entry from all the
star-architects entries, since it did the least in addressing any of the
program, it just acknowledged quite bluntly that she was not there to win or
produce an entry that stands a chance of winning. It said: I am submitting an
entry because you were dumb enough to ask me and you are paying me to do it. I
will use this as an opportunity to make a ton of cash by having unsupervised
interns develop the competition entry, pay them some pocket change and keep the
rest.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">In the end, the jury selected the least
spectacular entry that was done by an unknown (to me at least) Spanish
architecture firm Herreros Arquitectos. They were one of the few that addressed
the site and context in an appropriate manner. This site is located across from
the much celebrated and freshly completed Opera House by Snøhetta in the mostly
cold and dark Norwegian climate. The Opera house is a building that the Norwegians
are very proud of; it is on all their tourist brochures and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwp0m2OHOvlyNOK4qGlM-f_NnNsV9pH2uvf6vajA1Kgi269jomL650-J6BZFla4bNGluzVD0ulDRWgVbjCC0lq0HYAk65FgiiA-zC7qjsv4whL6MKreYAWgcuw0oMUaGYHMO0Tkjk3oewU/s1600/opera+house+postage+stamp.jpeg" target="_blank">I believe it has even graced their postage stamps</a>. Herreros’ strategy was not to overshadow or
out do it, but rather to complement it by making a quality building that
communicated with the form and color of the Opera house. It was a translucent
glass mass that resembled a glacier with an oblique angle at the top echoing
the slant of the opera house. It picked up on the glacier expression that the
Opera House was playing on and made their own interpretation of it. The project also brought to the table some innovative proposals on how to organize the gallery spaces, addressed issues of sustainability, and so on. To be
honest, it is not the kind of building that made me thrilled with excitement,
but it was the most appropriate and I agreed with the jury's choice given what
they had to choose from. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8_7FfJmJglSBJvNtuQM6f1QALHpltvOqvDM5A-VireEMrNz6whd7NVbROGgMZyZ9KOzC8jR4LRojPr1GnR3o0y31NRerpd1vr6CaNe7LmqsJJhYDxsDbjpa3jQ" id="Bilde_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" style="height: 174pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 506.25pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="8_7FfJmJglSBJvNtuQM6f1QALHpltvOqvDM5A-VireEMrNz6whd7NVbROGgMZyZ9KOzC8jR4LRojPr1GnR3o0y31NRerpd1vr6CaNe7LmqsJJhYDxsDbjpa3jQ" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image009.png">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT0_v4Yj6Tg-oeNBHQjD8z3GMmGlcwDHlrOoU0O1Bq4ixDe3VMqyEDZILOKhm101QqcOtWoBuegFpRdWEcRNbfsFavYPyo01ul-P1MfS24dFGOT0myS_hn2hLGRRhLhHlRQtwE3wcVug/s1600/herreros+lamda+conrad+newel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="color: #999999;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT0_v4Yj6Tg-oeNBHQjD8z3GMmGlcwDHlrOoU0O1Bq4ixDe3VMqyEDZILOKhm101QqcOtWoBuegFpRdWEcRNbfsFavYPyo01ul-P1MfS24dFGOT0myS_hn2hLGRRhLhHlRQtwE3wcVug/s1600/herreros+lamda+conrad+newel.jpg" width="485" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">This is what the Herreros Arquitectos’ entry looks like. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">You can see the back side of the Oslo Opera house across on the right.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc7Uh14rbI4gjEvpDYVuvRvyLNnxNcSX5AbH0_VmVfstN51B6drgNJfxv77fdelhsxi0rvsUNleW25z1lGxkmLoy2wFdpBnxuKGl-kRvYg8mgUWO7UBq-FVqVzXYi_Zac7CCDlYtW7Ns/s1600/lamda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc7Uh14rbI4gjEvpDYVuvRvyLNnxNcSX5AbH0_VmVfstN51B6drgNJfxv77fdelhsxi0rvsUNleW25z1lGxkmLoy2wFdpBnxuKGl-kRvYg8mgUWO7UBq-FVqVzXYi_Zac7CCDlYtW7Ns/s640/lamda.png" width="485" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>If buildings could speak this is what I imagine these pairs would say to each other.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">The lesson here is that stars tend to end up doing
what they do best: Perform and dazzle! So if you give them a problem they will
tend to make a theatrical spectacle out of it whether it is appropriate or not.
In this case, what was appropriate was a modest complement to the opera house,
but it would be demeaning for one starchitect to design a building that played
a supporting role to another starchitect's building. No way! it has to be
bigger, and more spectacular or nothing else. Star-architects are rather like
expensive cats that instinctively need to pee everywhere they go; to mark
territory and claim dominance. So I guess Oslo learned this lesson the hard and
expensive way. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><u>Zaha Hadid the Public Face of Female Architecture</u></span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Earlier this year I tweeted the following
statement:</span></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<i>It irritates me that Zaha's work is the symbol of female arch. It fits sexists stereotypes : pretty & curvy, but not muchbeyond that.</i><br />
<i>— Conrad Newel (@ConradNewel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ConradNewel/status/315373213137907712">March 23, 2013</a></i></blockquote>
<i>
</i>
…and followed on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/conrad.newel" target="_blank">Facebook</a> with the following statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p><i>Imagine that we lived in an alternate universe where it were female architects that won all the Pritzkers and were dominating the profession and Daniel Libeskind was THE token male starachitect. His empty pointy prikly forms sticking up in the air, signifying nothing is what the rest of the world looks at when they talk about male architecture. As a male architect you go out and talk to people and you say, "Hi, I am an architect" and they say "oh cool, I know the great male architect Daniel Libeskind, his forms are realy nice" </i></o:p></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p><i></i></o:p></span><br /></i>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p><i>would that not be hell? </i></o:p></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p><i></i></o:p></span><br /></i>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p><i>This is how I think it would feel to be a female architect today.</i></o:p></span></i></blockquote>
<i>
</i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">It has reached a point that just looking at her
work irritates me. This is also because I think of her career as having the
potential to follow Josephine Baker's arc. Zaha has come so far, and she could
be so much more. She is settling for good when she could be great. Now I am
using the word good in a very specific way here and perhaps I should explain
myself . When I say she is a good architect, I am taking into account the total
architect not just her “work” or building projects, but I am including Zaha the
business person/CEO, Zaha the self promoter, etc, etc. In this point of view,
she has done quite a remarkable job. It’s extremely hard to take a career to
where she has taken hers so far and she deserves a lot of credit for that.
Notwithstanding that, it's is tough being a woman in a man's profession. So
even though I am irritated by the sight of what she makes and calls
architecture, I maintain she is a good architect, even dare I say it “ a very
good one”, in the broader view. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">By achieving this success, she has been
unwittingly placed in the position of being the face of female architecture.
She did not ask for it. I know, it’s unfair, who wants that pressure of
representing your who gender, race or whatever</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">?
Judging by what she produces, and what she does (and most important what she
does not do) outside of architecture time and time again, it seems quite
evident that she does not want to be in this position, and she does not want to
accept this challenge.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Instead of using the status that she has to
somehow debunk some of the negative tropes about women, she seems to be
reinforcing them. I know! I know! There is a paradox here. On the one hand she
is making a positive change simply by being a female starchitect since
stereotypically women are not supposed to be architects, let a lone
starchitects. On the other hand, she is using the spotlight to reinforce a slew
of other negative stereotypes. In my view, the net result is a negative.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Firstly, as I have just shown you, she is
reinforcing the dumb-chick stereotype when she comes up with entries like the
Munch Museum which by and large skips over the clients problems and just makes
pretty curvy stuff that leaves you wondering: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yXlLF-sN0eNs-znWjncTMD3wGjKvoIKiRejtdGqd2rYq5ON1y160PI8O2bI-T6kSCvtBxalckiOKRJDL3Wg-WiWQP4kdVQZjKScvJXCo7xeoOrd2RttrIqoMYg" id="Bilde_x0020_8" o:spid="_x0000_i1031" style="height: 186pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 460.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="yXlLF-sN0eNs-znWjncTMD3wGjKvoIKiRejtdGqd2rYq5ON1y160PI8O2bI-T6kSCvtBxalckiOKRJDL3Wg-WiWQP4kdVQZjKScvJXCo7xeoOrd2RttrIqoMYg" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image012.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyEfiExF9V6IfaopP2fplMnhneSSSu34QaunLPCHcu8l7X6ReFaQYPOSAtyg9lGbAFhyphenhyphennXli___QxiSJkovndMobF2ori0TgDWQZ_F27tR00iE-FL5I-P4a67ocFOfvIO7gGqZIFpY0c/s1600/zaha+hadid+no+substance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyEfiExF9V6IfaopP2fplMnhneSSSu34QaunLPCHcu8l7X6ReFaQYPOSAtyg9lGbAFhyphenhyphennXli___QxiSJkovndMobF2ori0TgDWQZ_F27tR00iE-FL5I-P4a67ocFOfvIO7gGqZIFpY0c/s1600/zaha+hadid+no+substance.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>Why make the dumbest entry in a contest of starchitects?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Secondly, she cultivates a diva image, feeding
another negative trope about women: When you give women power they will become
difficult temperamental bitches. Here is an urban dictionary definition of
Diva:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i>A bitchy woman that must have her way exactly or no way at all. often
rude and belittles people, believes that everyone is beneath her and thinks
that she is so much more loved than what she really is; selfish, spoiled, and
overly dramatic.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">You just need to ask people who work in her office
and you will find this definition well substantiated. It is perhaps unfair to
single her out in this way, because her male counterparts are no different, but
when a woman in power does so she gets this label. However what I am discussing
here is how she is carrying the burden of representing her gender and changing
perceptions. This is unfair, I know, I have said this several times now, but that’s
life. Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to play in the
American major league. He was called names, harassed, embarrassed and insulted,
and had every right to punch someone in the face in retaliation, but if he
expressed anger he know very well it would reinforce the negative trope of the
angry black man. He knew that he was carrying the burden of his race and so he
sucked it up held his head high and carried on. Believe me; Zaha does not have
to play Diva!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vPqAuVLHq6yiArX9TFmb9n3hehbhl0IAsfFSrDWUHS6wcATxxU8eyA3tGQ9wLbhgMshu9I3esWtGKKX4cO2XP1xPEoIJQAB2q-B1Fvg6GNI_26E-Ux-FFk0qIw" id="Bilde_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_i1030" style="height: 298.5pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 478.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="vPqAuVLHq6yiArX9TFmb9n3hehbhl0IAsfFSrDWUHS6wcATxxU8eyA3tGQ9wLbhgMshu9I3esWtGKKX4cO2XP1xPEoIJQAB2q-B1Fvg6GNI_26E-Ux-FFk0qIw" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image014.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLyjXxjfRtudTE-HF48my54QwL_OE6ALNX3yphpY2_g5bu41OEC1Bq0madB39ih0vYgajyIn_TRUV3Mz5adMmWKhNMknkiwaGSoht9iFJ8LpxmFVZI2djmQQewBCZ8GlkxycKwLiJliY/s1600/diva+zaha+hadid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLyjXxjfRtudTE-HF48my54QwL_OE6ALNX3yphpY2_g5bu41OEC1Bq0madB39ih0vYgajyIn_TRUV3Mz5adMmWKhNMknkiwaGSoht9iFJ8LpxmFVZI2djmQQewBCZ8GlkxycKwLiJliY/s1600/diva+zaha+hadid.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>Why cultivate the image of Diva?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">In an interview on Charlie Rose with Pritzker
Prize Winners Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano and herself (see video for yourself: link
here: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uppP9LxCuV0"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uppP9LxCuV0</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"> ) Zaha makes the following statement:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">I mean...I think... if we
all go into a competition...you know...we know, one of us would win...you
know...unless it is very unfair or it is very political and so on...aaaahm...
you know...it is acceptable.</span></i></blockquote>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">
</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">What she does here is basically insulate herself
from self-criticism. If she believes what she is actually saying here, then she
will never be able to come to terms with the horrible failures and shortcomings
blatantly apparent in the catastrophe that she submitted for the Munch Museum.
She will never acknowledge the merits of Herrero's proposal. She will never
understand why she lost and they won because the only reason in her mind is
because it was “unfair and political and so on”.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">This is the typical behavior and rationalizations
of a diva: If you criticize her, then you must be either sexist (if you are
male) or jealous (if you are female). No criticism is valid! She is just
fantastic!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">With this attitude how can you learn or improve on
the next competition? If you don’t accept criticism then you how can you grow?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Finally, she reinforces the
prettiness-obsessed-female stereotype (similar to the dumb-chick trope) where
women are supposedly obsessed with prettiness; Not beauty, but outward appeal
that is the domain of fashion, fads, makeup, perfume, jewelry, lipstick etc:
Things that are pleasing or attractive to the eye, skin deep and ornamental.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Zaha is branching out into this domain; it is the
domain of Paris Hilton: The dumb diva female appropriating the
prettiness-obsessed-female stereotype. I do not for one second doubt the
intelligence or tenacity of Ms Hadid or of Paris Hilton for that matter.
However, I think by clinging to the curvy, “pretty” forms, and branching out
into the stereotypical female markets (fashion, perfume, handbags, shoes, etc)
she reinforces this stereotype; A stereotype that the feminists movement have
fought long and hard to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">extinguish<span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: black;">since before the 60s and
70s. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeBRVNOLgXCZ2OhDTaqWLZAf36uEkh7CXNdSaiyAd4xm2IPZQok6OA2aUrj0vqiwtf4A3lHLpKUpIoMMihMuDNV9aZu4I6z_BOHpqnmjyO0q4WDLMnlDXw3iR4KU_QBFN1ZzTUUgj3uU/s1600/zaha+hadid+corperate+branding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeBRVNOLgXCZ2OhDTaqWLZAf36uEkh7CXNdSaiyAd4xm2IPZQok6OA2aUrj0vqiwtf4A3lHLpKUpIoMMihMuDNV9aZu4I6z_BOHpqnmjyO0q4WDLMnlDXw3iR4KU_QBFN1ZzTUUgj3uU/s1600/zaha+hadid+corperate+branding.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>Why design high heeled shoes, perfume bottles and cosmetic jewelry?</i></span> </span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Z-oRpjHfs3a11BCUcxZZu1YG83zrtuWJYpEsXy17SU283kiv597qeBhZOw04PNW_ArcEHlx4vrUZCII2A1DaSmOp6cqk-1g8KOqp-3SQ9haqUquByUDyq31AYA" id="Bilde_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" style="height: 231pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 489pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="Z-oRpjHfs3a11BCUcxZZu1YG83zrtuWJYpEsXy17SU283kiv597qeBhZOw04PNW_ArcEHlx4vrUZCII2A1DaSmOp6cqk-1g8KOqp-3SQ9haqUquByUDyq31AYA" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image016.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">I can understand Zaha and Hilton using the
strategy of empowering the negative trope in a positive way to launch their
careers as Josephine Baker did. However, after a while Baker gave it up and
transformed into a much more interesting person. She evolved! She used her
celebrity status to take on a political and humanitarian stance and became a
force for the ideas she believed in. She became useful to society beyond just
accumulating wealth, status and personal gain.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">I am not suggesting that Zaha should become an activist;
I just think that she is squandering a golden opportunity to be a gender leader
for women. She doesn't have to be an activist like Baker was, but she could at
least set an example like Jackie Robinson by being aware of her position as a
symbol of female architecture and so avoid reinforcing any negative
stereotypes. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">This shtick of using the same tired curvy female
eye-candy form on every single project, on every single site no matter what the
program, size, or location has run its course and now its just plain silly. Her
work has become somewhat of a one trick poney caricature; There are no
surprises. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><u>Evolution: Branding Form vs Branding Ideas: </u></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Great artists (I am expanding the definition here
to include architects) evolve and are more than just a shtick. If you think of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Pablo
Picasso<span style="color: black;">, he is the opposite of Zaha in this sense,
because once he perfects something, he realizes it's time to move on and then
goes on to another thing. This is why we can now talk about Picasso’s blue
period, or his cubist period, or this period or that period and so on. The same
for</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Frank Lloyd Wright<span style="color: black;">, he started out with the prairie houses and by the end of
his career you see something like Falling Water, or the Guggenheim. These kinds
of evolution suggest a critical mind, a curiosity, a willingness to question
your-self and develop. This trait is largely missing in Hadid’s work. If you
compare her early works with her latest works there are no substantive
differences (The formal jump from angular to curvy is not of any significance
as far as I am concerned). Where is her critical mind?</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN2C6WSv-FHUImSCxitnp406BB_z5KjQx9wVSfFiNmOleOIN664ndk8K8zqJlfb5R2xGxnvNNT57_NeidPjJ9gRpp6BVZbK4eu067tmznE2xTtuyWNBBokMh4UQJxFgaQXzVTOmPKxMA/s1600/idea-vs-form-branding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN2C6WSv-FHUImSCxitnp406BB_z5KjQx9wVSfFiNmOleOIN664ndk8K8zqJlfb5R2xGxnvNNT57_NeidPjJ9gRpp6BVZbK4eu067tmznE2xTtuyWNBBokMh4UQJxFgaQXzVTOmPKxMA/s1600/idea-vs-form-branding.png" width="485" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><i>If you look at the portfolio of an architecture firm’s work you will often notice a certain quality or set of characteristics that is always present. This idiosyncrasy is what primarily defines the brand of that firm. In some cases this is shaped by a set of ideas, principles, or a method of designing for eg. Zumthor argues that his work is about“atmospheres”, for Bjarke Ingels it is “architectural alchemy”. These are examples of an idea based brand. On the opposite side are Form Based Brands where it is a certain form or shape that is present throughout most of the architect’s work. Here the work is easily recognizable as belonging to this or that architect. Great examples are Frank Gehry’s curves and Daniel Libeskind pointy angular forms. No architect is purely form based or purely idea based; there is always a ratio. In this diagram I have placed a few current star-architects along the scale. As you can see, Zaha Hadid, along with Daniel Libeskind and Frank Gehry, are (in the red zone) almost off the scale on the form-base branding side</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">The problem starts with how she built her brand. A
decent architect builds his or her brand around a set of core ideas which are
tested, sculpted, shaped, questioned, worked-on and reworked over a
lifetime-career. Zaha, like Libeskind and Gehry, however have built her
branding around a formal quality: A form fetish if you will. Building a brand
or career on a formal quality is problematic on so many levels I don't even
know where to begin. On the first level, it is wrong because it always forces
you conform to that formal quality whether it is appropriate or not: No matter
what the demand of the site, or the condition of the program that you are
working with, you are always forced to apply that same rigid formal condition
to it. If the form is your brand, it inevitably has to become your ending
point. So what do you do? You make a sculptural form that fits your formal
trope and then you are left with an uphill task of forcing the program and the
problematics of the site and all the other challenges you are faced with to fit
nicely into your sculpture. Alternatively, you can work out the problematics of
the program and then plaster on the formal condition on to its exterior like
shrink wrap and hope that it works with the site and context. Either way, to me
this is an aberration!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">It’s like having a dressmaking business that makes
everything only in polka-dots in a world where consumers come in all different
shapes, colors, sizes and preferences. Your daily challenge then is to
constantly confront the fact that not everybody looks good in polka-dots. The
question with every customer that walks through your door becomes then:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i>How can we make him or her look good in
polka-dots?</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">not</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i>What is the clothes that work best for this
customer? or makes this customer feel most comfortable, or what is right for
this customer?</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">If your brand was based less on a form and more on
an idea instead (for example a kind of quality, or the idea of organic like
Wright, or about timelessness and the immeasurable as with Kahn, or about
Atmospheres as with Zumthor, etc ) then it opens up potentials and
possibilities to solve problems more effectively. If we go back to the
dressmaker example, and lets </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">say this time your brand
is about an idea<span style="color: black;"> (take the idea of quality for
instance). In this case, when a customer walks through your door the first
question then becomes:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i>What kind of clothes suits this customer best?
Lets find out what will make this customer satisfied?</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">...and if that customer values quality in the same
way that you do then the next logical question should be:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i>How can I make what this customer wants in a
“quality” way?</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Idea based branding also opens up the potential
for development and growth; things like quality, and organic, timelessness,
atmospheres, etc are subjective and therefore subject to change. As a young
architect starting out you could have a certain idea of what quality is and
over the course of your career you most likely will have experiences, and
realizations, discoveries, and so on that will allow you to see things in a
different way: It can be developed on; someone can argue with you and change
your mind. It is something that is partly logical and intuitive, so at the end
of your career you could come away with an opinion of quality that is much more
informed than when you started out. And that is a wonderful thing.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Think about it! if your brand is based on a formal
trope your argument almost always comes down to “I am for this formal trope
because I like it and I think it is cool”. However, if you ask Zaha what is the
principal ideas behind her work, she will probably spit out some fancy words
and phrases with some of the usual key terms that she or nobody else really
understands; like <i>morphologies, shapes derived from processes, distortion,
concave-convex configurations, fluidity, mathematical constraints, concealed
nature interwoven with strands of culture and fluidity within the constraints
of traditional geometry.</i></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_YZw5y81D41l9RTrpOxJHX9LXN9DfYQ4lAR_5I_A4rv9Lt3wiNmdmn0sLQAN7dBJqVkJQUEmRejerHba28twJvZjaS8L8wp3lXvq8RGL2hGyiLcLVRzI6gbgMQylrACXiSELgHqycUc/s1600/interview+with+zaha+hadid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_YZw5y81D41l9RTrpOxJHX9LXN9DfYQ4lAR_5I_A4rv9Lt3wiNmdmn0sLQAN7dBJqVkJQUEmRejerHba28twJvZjaS8L8wp3lXvq8RGL2hGyiLcLVRzI6gbgMQylrACXiSELgHqycUc/s1600/interview+with+zaha+hadid.png" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;">
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Below is the text for her Munch Museum design
proposal that I mentioned earlier ( The text on the left is taken directly from her website and on the right is my translation ).
As you read this, keep in mind that it was displayed for public view in Oslo,
Norway whose inhabitants first language is Norwegian and second language is
mainly English: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shape alt="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Tnb0lYnhZDF_imx9jCif8PnZ3vMhGwgiFuT-28WrDDS6VLKMp-vkURlcqOSDgP58GQI2b9GX5t7PJFKrbq1qOD4OmTrKQlxOebWoFuU2fJrTL-Z8KlDB12RkoQ" id="Bilde_x0020_13" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 603pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 447pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="Tnb0lYnhZDF_imx9jCif8PnZ3vMhGwgiFuT-28WrDDS6VLKMp-vkURlcqOSDgP58GQI2b9GX5t7PJFKrbq1qOD4OmTrKQlxOebWoFuU2fJrTL-Z8KlDB12RkoQ" src="file:///C:\Users\1302E9~1\AppData\Local\Temp\5\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image022.png">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRW67-cdxtd3Ky3zoQeqjOCwWVhzDW2rDWa_Eedk6bLilXzb5b58ikhOeCuuJBOKT6uAMP76pUWAEl2MgMSN2FaQN1DAkOV6UbYhGl8Cs3iCeIgFizvEqjxT0rTXntUNNS1pG41Rn9ZV_/s1600/Zaha+hadid+archispeak+vs+plain+english.png" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="591" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlY_swpPINW7jg_YSbBMA6sHHWpgJ_ovF-ijyhXC0I6zceRcSZ1OcPOWojoOZQF1Q0TMf-zETIUGkZPdXyVPd0tLrGJQ2tuC7hX5zcwyjlbOnJOr5rrtB5GgZuSXQ8CIhOSTjxkeclcI/s640/Zaha+hadid+archispeak+vs+plain+english.png" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRW67-cdxtd3Ky3zoQeqjOCwWVhzDW2rDWa_Eedk6bLilXzb5b58ikhOeCuuJBOKT6uAMP76pUWAEl2MgMSN2FaQN1DAkOV6UbYhGl8Cs3iCeIgFizvEqjxT0rTXntUNNS1pG41Rn9ZV_/s1600/Zaha+hadid+archispeak+vs+plain+english.png" target="_blank">click image to see larger view</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
To this day, I absolutely can not keep a straight face while reading this:<br />
<br />
What was she thinking?<br />
<br />
Mathematical constraint? MATHEMATICAL CONSTRAINT!!!?<br />
<br />
"Our proposal was based on superimposing a mathematical constraint onto a new city vision"?<br />
<br />
Did she just use the term mathematical constraint to mean a cool new curvy form?<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Where do people come up with this stuff? <a href="http://www.ruderal.com/bullshit/bullshit.htm" target="_blank">the landscape urbanism bullshit generator</a>?</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Zaha Hadid uses this kind of language of course to
make herself sound very sophisticated, and because the architecture world
frowns on simple honest language, but when all the fancy words are deciphered,
what it all comes down to mean is “I am for this formal trope because I like it
and I think it is cool” </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">There is nothing wrong with that except that it is
purely based on your taste and no one can argue with you about it. That’s just
the way it is and that’s that. What's worse is that you yourself can’t
question it or reason with it. It’s like your favorite color: I like blue, and
no argument in the world is going to change that. My favorite color was blue
when I was 5, it is still blue now and for all I know it will still be blue
when I am 90. So there is not much potential for growth or change in that, is
there?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Zaha likes her curvy forms because she likes them
and she hires people who likes them and she attracts clients who likes them.
There is no argument that can change that; her forms, are not something one can
reason with, either you like it or you don't. End of story.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">The positive aspect of this model is that clients
know exactly what their building or end product is going to look like if they
choose Zaha as their architect. There will be no surprises, it is safe, and you
are guaranteed to be satisfied if you like that kind of stuff. This is the mark
of a good brand. Its the McDonalds model in fact; no matter where you go in the
world, a big mac will taste like a big-mac whether you get one at a Mickey
dee’s in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Canada, or the one directly across from the
Pantheon in Rome. This model builds strong brand identity, guarantees you a
steady customer supply and stable income. If you have that, then why in sweet
Jesus’ name would you want to change it?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><u>A future with Zaha Hadid as your Gender Leader?</u></span></h3>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">So if you are a female architect who is waiting
for Zaha to somehow evolve into the Josephine Baker of architecture and
transform into a champion of women rights or be the kind of perception changing
icon that Baker was, then I am afraid you will be in for a disappointment. Zaha
isn't coming to save you! </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Zaha sits on the Pritzker prize jury at a critical
moment in the history of the Prize for women. As a world famous architect with
high name recognition value, sitting on that jury she has a lot of power. If she
wanted to, she could wield that power to support her fellow women in a major
way. She was silent when her very own jury awarded Wang Shu the Pritzker and
snubbed his wife and design partner Lu Wenyu. If I were her, I would not want
my name to be associated with that decision. I would have simply resigned from
the jury in protest. If she had simply done that, then a lot of fucking heat
would be on the remaining male jurors. Wouldn’t it? So her silence here equals
guilt or complicity as far as I am concerned. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">When Denise Scott Brown asked to be
retrospectively recognized by the Pritzker Organization for her contribution to
the work that her husband and design partner Robert Venturi got the award
alone, Zaha didn't do much either. As a sitting member of the Pritzker jury,
her protest came in the form of signing a change.org petition that any old Joe
can do. An editorial in a major newspaper voicing her disgust for what happened
and her support for Brown is the least that I think she could do?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">So I will say this again: Zaha isn't coming to
save you! For all I know she did not stand up for Lu when her jury dissed her,
she is not doing much more to stand up for Denise Scott Brown, and for all I
know she won’t be standing up for you. So if you are a female architect under
Zaha’s reign and looking at her as a role model then “shut up and make pretty”
is going to be your motto for the next few decades. Say cheeez!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlAXs40fyPNv-3_wAzetlmLeIX6Bt6OTr3vEdv_T5LPY54W248SQX74K1Igowu8oMLnXNZ-nOPy2dIbWUNUyUyMkC9pUVmAODaYWvfzAXXd-5wAz0klAtGQJZP426IslfC01CPRvvfwQ/s1600/womens+rights+and+zaha+hadid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlAXs40fyPNv-3_wAzetlmLeIX6Bt6OTr3vEdv_T5LPY54W248SQX74K1Igowu8oMLnXNZ-nOPy2dIbWUNUyUyMkC9pUVmAODaYWvfzAXXd-5wAz0klAtGQJZP426IslfC01CPRvvfwQ/s1600/womens+rights+and+zaha+hadid.jpg" width="485" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Conrad Newel</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Liberating Minds Since August 2007<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-35460522566069225842013-03-29T14:33:00.001+01:002013-03-29T17:47:34.722+01:0091. Pritzker Talk<em>In October last year (2012) I was contacted by Martha Thorne, Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize. Apparently she came across the blog and was reading my notes and criticisms of the prize. She was kind enough to leave a short note to let me know that she enjoyed my articles which she considered thoughtful. She also asked me if I would like to nominate any architect(s) for the 2013 Pritzker Prize. Below is my response to her:</em><br />
<br />
<em>I decided to release this note now because I think it is particularly relevant given the discussion that was set off when Denise Scott Brown asked to be retroactively recognized (after 20 years) by the Pritzker Prize since her partner Robert Venturi was awarded the prize alone for a career and body of work that they built together. </em><br />
<br />
<em>You may have also seen a growing petition to Martha supporting Denise Scott Brown’s request. (<a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/the-pritzker-architecture-prize-committee-recognize-denise-scott-brown-for-her-work-in-robert-venturi-s-1991-prize" target="_blank">You can sign the petition here</a>)</em><br />
<br />
<em>In this letter, you will aslo note that this is something that I had cautioned Martha about: That the Pritzker can either adopt and partake in shaping a new reality of inclusiveness or face backlash and/or irrelevance.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrqMSVE-HnxbBWxkiXRFrWi-W9AR3ckQreORhxg7S-5CSXevDA4BHl59mLayEavXh70EMsK9O_c7Kf7QMvYTHh8uUm3BZY7TcFsxhEsUboguPmh9eZCDgExI0u-d5O7jM4wOL5XOsUHk/s1600/marthe-thorne-conrad-newel-pritzker.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrqMSVE-HnxbBWxkiXRFrWi-W9AR3ckQreORhxg7S-5CSXevDA4BHl59mLayEavXh70EMsK9O_c7Kf7QMvYTHh8uUm3BZY7TcFsxhEsUboguPmh9eZCDgExI0u-d5O7jM4wOL5XOsUHk/s400/marthe-thorne-conrad-newel-pritzker.png" height="398" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hi Martha,<br />
<br />
Thanks for visiting the blog and thanks for being a good sport and writing.<br />
<br />
While I wouldn't go as far as nominating anyone I would say that if you are relying solely on nominations, then that's your first mistake. If the Pritzker has the means to give away $100,000 every year and a network spanning the most prestigious institutions around globe, not to mention the world wide reach of the Hyatt Hotels, then its a safe assumption that you also have the means to assemble a team dedicated to research and intelligence gathering on architects around the world that are doing work that genuinely contributes to humanity.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html" target="_blank">one of my articles on the Pritzker</a>, The Nobel Prize in Literature is pretty successful at combing the globe and picking out individuals that are making worthy contributions to the world through their writings.<br />
<br />
What's really cool about the Nobel is how unpredictable they are. Take the Peace Prize for example (withstanding this year’s bizarre pick of the European Union): their recipients are wide ranging and could be anyone from the president of the United States one year, a Chinese political prisoner sitting in jail, the next year and three local freedom fighting women from Africa and Yemen the following year. The only criteria is that they are doing something to make a significant contribution to peace in the world. <br />
<br />
Does giving the Nobel to these relatively unknown people struggling to make a difference, advance their cause in any way. You bet! That's what the Nobel prize does.<br />
<br />
Since, you often refer to yourselves as Architecture's Nobel, I would suggest that as a start, you invite someone from the Nobel's Literature prize selection committee to come over and meet with you and exchange notes over coffee. Find out how they do it! I am sure they would be obliged. Seriously. If you are going to call yourselves Architecture's Nobel, then why not go all the way?<br />
<br />
I sometimes talk about how every year around springtime starchitects of the first world get a little anxious and jittery in the belly because they are wondering if you are going to call. I implore you to imagine a world where absolutely any architect in any part of the world who have been genuinely doing work that makes a significant contribution to humanity feel jittery in their bellies around spring time too. Think about how many architects would seriously consider how their own work contributes to humanity? How many architects would make more ethical choices in their practices? How many more architects would strive to be more socially conscious than they normally do?<br />
<br />
There are not that many institutions out there that can do this, but yours can. You have the ability to influence the world in this way. Consider that for a moment.<br />
<br />
The sleek forms, and spectacular spaces that some of your recipients make and were selected for are nice. Really nice. I admire them, and some of your laureates are my greatest architectural heroes. I don't want to take away anything from them or what they contribute to architecture, but I think that great forms and spectacular spaces are not the only measure of an architect's qualities of talent, vision or commitment to the built environment or the profession.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/75-predicting-pritzker.html" target="_blank">The mission statement of the Pritzker</a> also asks that the recipient should be making significant contributions to humanity. This is the aspect that you have consistently overlooked. It is really hard to see how any of the past laureates have made any consistent contributions to humanity.<br />
<br />
Perhaps there is no one architect that fits both criteria at once (making significant contributions in each category) so perhaps it is worth alternating between architects that meet major parts each year.<br />
<br />
Here is another thing to consider, the Pritzker is a very prestigious award, and it will probably remain so for a long time. However, it is quite obvious that a lot of the long held attitudes toward celebrity culture in architecture are changing . A single minded focus on the celebrity class is kind of lopsided. Most of the architects I know (and I know quite a lot) are not just interested in the sleekest building and the latest spectacle from about Zaha, Rem, etc. We are also interested in the multitudes of innovative ways in which many other architects around the world are contributing to the profession and humanity.<br />
<br />
I am sure you are aware of the TED organization. They have a platform that gives attention to people from a wide variety of communities that are making innovative contributions to their communities a chance to be seen and heard. They have people ranging from the likes of former president Bill Clinton to William Kamkwamba <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QkNxt7MpWM" target="_blank">(an African teenage boy who built his family an electricity-generating windmill from scrap parts</a>). I believe this is the model of the future: It is indiscriminately merit based, and inclusive. The Pritzker was perhaps born in a time and place where prestige and exclusivity was seen as the highest virtue in the profession. That time has come and is slowly fading. The way I see it, you guys are at a crossroads: You can adopt and partake in shaping this new reality or you can cling to your name and prestige and hope that history swings back in your favor. <br />
<br />
I understand that the committee is constrained/obligated to follow certain rules stipulated by the Pritzker mandate. However, even the greatest constitutions are meant to be broken, literally. The U.S. constitution, for example, was intended be dismantled and rewritten every 19 years. The authors realized that they would not be around to foresee all the changes that the world will undergo long after they died and I suppose they trusted that the keepers of society's laws would be thoughtful, morally cognizant and intelligent enough to make good decisions. Even though no one ever did do it, it is true. Just ask justice Breyer next time you see him. <br />
<br />
I brought this up because, this is perhaps the obvious obstacles to some of the suggestions I am making. For example, I thought your choice of Wang Shu this year was a pretty decent one, however, <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/82-little-pritzker-committee-that.html" target="_blank">I felt you should have included his partner Lu Wenyu as well</a>. The argument presented by you (perhaps shaped by the forces in the Pritzker organization) was basically to point to the rules, precedents and procedures of the Pritzker mandate. However, I would bet that if you put all the bylaws and regulations aside, took a deep breath and asked yourself the question:<br />
<br />
Do I feel in my heart that this is the right thing to do?<br />
<br />
I think you would have agreed that Lu should have been included as well. While I understand that you are the executive director and not a voting member of the committee your influence on the jury is of significance. Think about it, would it be so bad to bend the rules a little bit (as you have done before in the cases of Herzog & De Meruon and SANAA) to do what you know in your gut is the right thing? The Nobel Prize does it all the time. The Nobel Peace prize mandate for example, stipulates that the prize should be given to a person (singular). However, they have given the prize multiple times to organizations such as the United Nations, The International Red Cross, and several other organizations over the course of its history. <br />
<br />
In the end, they have chosen to award the prize in line with the intent and spirit of the mandate rather than the rules that bound it.<br />
<br />
I think you should consider my suggestions in the same spirit.<br />
<br />
If I were to have it my way, I would not have prizes and awards at all. However, if we must have them, then I would award them to design teams and not so much to individuals. It is very rare that a single architect can work alone to develop a masterpiece from start to finish. If architecture was compared to a sport it would be more like basketball, or football and less like tennis, or golf. Imagine giving the world cup to Andrés Iniesta, not Spain or the NBA championship trophy to Lebron James alone while his teammates and the whole Miami Heat organization watches on. It would be ridiculous. When an NBA team wins, the whole organization gets a ring; this means that aside from the starting players, the reserve players, the coaching staff and the administration for the organization receive a ring. The intent is to recognize everyone who contributed to the success of the team.<br />
<br />
Speaking of intentions, I must apologize for this long tome of a letter, it was not my intention to outline a bold new vision for the Pritzker, but I felt this was important to at least try to persuade you. After all, it's not everyday one gets contacted by the executive director of the Pritzker Prize. :)<br />
<br />
Respectfully Yours,<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM"><span style="color: #0053a6;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</span></a><br />
Liberating Minds Since August 2007Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-74414111612998844302013-01-20T11:44:00.000+01:002013-07-16T13:12:46.712+02:0090. The deceptive paradox that is the Zumthor brandDeception
and paradox is the touchstone of Peter Zumthor’s branding strategy. By
that I mean that he blatantly goes around promoting himself as a
reclusive non-promoter. He goes on television, radio, interviews, films,
etc only to then say that he does not believe in promoting himself. Its
like a commercial advertisement saying “look at our product, it is so
good we don’t have to advertise it”
.<br />
<br />
I had written an article about this exact same thing some years ago (<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html" target="_blank">you can read it here</a>),
then at the Venice Biennale I was confronted by it again via the Wim
Wenders film about Zumthor “NOTES FROM A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN
ARCHITECT”. There it was again, plain as day staring me in the face:
Yet another blatant self promoting stunt, this time in the form of a
film, placed in the middle of the Venice Biennale (<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/09/87-what-is-venice-biennale-of.html" target="_blank">the biggest, most eventful architectural spectacle in the world</a>) targeted to a specific architecturally interested group. What is the main argument of the film you ask?: <br />
<br />
"<em><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Peter Zumthor [is] an architect not driven by the need to make a name for himself<span class="Apple-converted-space"> "</span></span></span></em>.
<br />
<br />
For
a guy who is not driven by image making or doesn't believe in self
promotion, this is an awfully promotional thing to do. You simply can
not get more promotional than that.
<br />
<br />
What’s
interesting is that this is a film not so much about Zumthor’s work,
but more about Zumthor the man himself. He is presented as this great
master architect: a made to order genius who has all the answers figured
out; a deity ready to be worshiped. I was expecting the film to end with the narrator urging the audience to take a "pilgrimage" to his studio at least once in their lifetimes and lay at his feet and absorb his infinite wisdom.
<br />
<br />
Without any critical perspective, the film turns 5 minutes into one long masturbatory
monologue of lustful admiration. It just showers a lot of praise on him
personally, not so much his office or the people working for him
(though they were mentioned and shown peripherally) but on him, his
traits, his personal habits, his hands, his feet, his unstyled style
white beard, his purposefully unkempt eyebrows, his black plastic framed
glasses, etc.<br />
<br />
More correctly this is Zumthor porn.
<br />
<br />
It had nothing whatsoever to do with the theme of the Biennale: Common ground.<br />
<br />
This
was just a downright blatant self promotional stunt. In the context of
the biennale, it felt like an outright infomercial.
<br />
<br />
The film starts off with the master making a cup of coffee, in his kitchen as Wim Wender’s narrator voice gently chimes in:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>...He is a man who is very adamant about his morning coffee.
</i><br />
<br />
<i>We
were able to spend a couple of days with him in his atelier and get a
look at two of the projects Peter Zumthor was working on right now with
his team of mostly young architects. I was most impressed by the sense
of place in the buildings of his that I have seen so far and in the
sites that I have visited in the past: museums, public structures,
chapels, private houses.
But
meeting Peter Zumthor here in the apartment and office space he had
built for himself and watching him work, I was even more impressed...
</i></blockquote>
<br />
Below are some screenshots from the film:
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/HvoPMnALvDFW1FcMgY3dzbY7BqOHsrVXnGkgoFTQgoUXK1g2JbJt1ouz5fQb3dRVchwLHZ0UvdpvC39Id1FnoXw5hKY1RrPvPH490lO-PEhHwkJnC_ba" width="495" /> <br />
Here is the great
master making coffee barefooted. If you are a seasoned publicist such
as the ones working on political campaigns styling the candidate for the
right look to convey the right message, then you will know that showing
barefoot in such a context is meant to soften the image and show him as
a man connected to the ground, in touch with the earth, a sensitivity
for the materials and the architectural surfaces around him. This was no
accident. Though I have no doubt that this is how he normally goes
about his studio, showing him like this adds to the theatrics and
reinforces the image of him as the materially sensitive reclusive: That
is the Zumthor brand.
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1pNG9VPHpMXA51GAlj5IMXPpWudVieg89sr27vlaTvLrCpEy8mj7L5k6BYPaGwc-22SUrXPrhhALmVVEcIhTc2qZeXY40Vlj3hl3OpNhxfCBEb4y8L_u" width="495" /> <br />
This is how Peter Zumthor drinks his morning coffee
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0oqiChcOrdx__B7Cx9gCZgsIpvbZZfMVbjq8HJ6AqSjKt49qqMuyOUvmhjw2WsxKw7Y-P8r-KIykKVfNY61sTfTgcSIj2vBHsSzB6NNtXKcytba6XJ2N" width="495" /> <br />
This is Peter Zumthor after drinking his coffee
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7N-X1Ok5XhIrc7fZPVBNUfaUNI2Nc1GMXB4yS2S_MJTROYkrkuWZcVc_mlrgEwKyhVdi4o6I9mpvCcICGcyo5vw8TNiHE_hh2w_5p8doXhz5p5z27rSx" width="495" /> <br />
Here is a shot of Peter Zumthor's masterful hands as they draw
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FCf4FXsFc48tBYEbLdWa9aWreTa1lMt6SJUDBo8RCE9k2XZgeY_6kt6KomOKa9afC3HgSmUuk1awClk3PoukB0zhO01mBTmzkajlKtqLv2gTYABIn1pP" width="495" /><br />
And
this one...this is the money shot right here: the centerfold spread. As
Peter reclines in his Le Corbusier chair with one leg over the armrest,
the narrator's voice gently says:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I
was even more impressed by his sense of time, how much he is at ease
and relaxed, cool, calm and collective, well spoken and most of all how
he refuses to be rushed: He lets his projects ripen and mature like good
wines so that they reveal themselves more and more to him and his team.
So then he keeps mulling on the goodness he wants to do so that he can
actually improve on them layer after layer, until he feels that they
can't be built better. Only then he goes ahead: A procedure that would
be considered an outrageous luxury not only in my own profession...</i> </blockquote>
<br />
Besides the sexual overtones, the
suggestion here is that Zumthor is never stressed out about deadlines,
client pressure, etc. He does the project fully on his terms. A man at
ease with himself and the world: a Don among architects if you will.
<br />
<br />
This kind of reminds me of someone I know:<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nFon5KU2bLM51gQZ5oW_xiaJcVpRN8ZE7VmOqoMk1oeY2H2TgqfC9jNfu6HzeYHLL2iiZwkNGCpX07shZSiy8ktI8EKdH0Px98QmTRf08YOZixHp6E50" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="495" /> <br />
<br />
"I am a passionate architect, I don't always work for money, but when I do, I prefer Deception and Paradox." ..."Stay foolish, my friends."<br />
<br />
When you have a statement like the following (this is the parting words of the film):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Peter
Zumthor an architect not driven by the need to make a name for himself
or constructing as much as possible, but driven by the urgent desire to
improve his buildings so that the lives of those people using them or
living in them will become better
</i>
</blockquote>
<br />
It implies that he is an exception to the norm, that most other architects are overly driven by making a name for themselves,
that we just want to build as much as possible, that the majority of us
are not interested in improving the lives of our clients through our
work. But Peter Zumthor is one of the rear bread that does care and have
integrity.
<br />
<br />
This just does not hold water.
<br />
<br />
I
have traveled around the world and I have met architects from all
corners of the planet and in my experience, as a group, architects are
by and large very decent people that come with a lot of integrity and
passion for what they do. I have yet to come across an architect who
really does not give a shit about his/her clients. Even the dirtiest
scums at the bottom of the profession who take advantage of interns, etc, generally tend to want to make their clients satisfied.<br />
<br />
It is the first principle of being in and staying in business.
<br />
<br />
Making a name for ourselves?<br />
<br />
...OK, guilty as charged.
<br />
<br />
If
I am correct, most architects with any ambition or simply a desire to
stay in business, want to make a name for themselves. Like making the
lives of their clients better through their work, this is a primary
principle of any successful practice, making a name for your self is
also a rule of survival for every architecture firm.<br />
Some firms do it better than others.
<br />
Star
architects do it best.<br />
Peter Zumthor is no exception, in fact he does
it extraordinarily well, he puts more effort and energy into image
making than most architects out there; otherwise you would never have heard of him.
<br />
<br />
When
I traveled to Switzerland to see Therme Vals (which was pretty much
just as nice in reality as in the pictures by the way), I went around to
see some of his other works as well. As I drove around the Swiss
countryside, namely in Chur, Vals, and the surrounding regions, what
I noticed was that Zumthor's kind of work (or at least works that were
highly detailed with special sensitivity to materials) was not
particularly unique in that region where he is from. There were a lot of
other contemporary Swiss architects there doing work that was just as
good as Zumthor’s and a good deal of them were even more impressive.
They were all drawing on the historic character and sensitivity of the old stone and wooden architecture that define the region. And so I thought to myself, why have I not heard more about these other architects
and why have I heard so much about Zumthor?<br />
<br />
It could not be the work,
because if it was just based on the merits and quality of the works,
Zumthor probably would not be number one. It has to be something else.<br />
<br />
So just the other day I came across an article titled <a href="http://www.google.no/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bdonline.co.uk%2Fme-peter-zumthor-and-my-broken-sandal%2F5043521.blog&ei=J2D6UJjAK8io4gSC2YCwAw&usg=AFQjCNED1MSkvWQMH-SCgwy1Y5kn5OvwQw&sig2=mn5nxv7MsfSWdoG4ez-jnA&bvm=bv.41248874,d.bGE" target="_blank"><i>"Me, Peter Zumthor, and my broken sandal"</i></a> on
BDonline written by Amanda Baillieu. In it she described an encounter
she had with Zumthor where she, along with several other British
journalists, were invited to Switzerland by the Swiss Embassy to visit
its national exhibition expo there. On the itinerary of the trip, the
press corp was to meet and have dinner with Zumthor after visiting
Therme Vals.
<br />
<br />
She
described a meeting where all the reporters (except for one) were
basically in awe of the great master who stayed and conversed with them
late into the evening, keeping the beer and wine coming, and even
inviting them to come and visit him at his atelier. Baillieu took him up
on his offer and took the “pilgrimage” to see him. On her way there,
her sandal broke and when she arrived, they took note of it. She was
allowed to take the sandals off and have the meeting with the great
master barefooted. At the end of the meeting her sandals were returned to her <u>repaired</u>.
<br />
<br />
To
a non-publicist, this is a nice story that shows the kind of guy
Zumthor is and nothing more. To a media savvy strategist there is a
whole lot more to this than what’s on the surface. It gives a direct
window into Zumthor's brilliance as a self-promoter.
<br />
<br />
This
story squarely answers my question about why I have heard so much about
Zumthor and why I have never heard about any of the other Swiss
architects that were doing comparable work. When it comes to managing
his image and promoting himself, he is just flat out better than his
competition by far.
<br />
<br />
First of all, he has a head start, given his stature and the breadth of his network. With the exception of maybe Herzog and
De Meuron, no other architect in Switzerland today would be given the
opportunity to meet with an international press corp after visiting your
signal work. That is golden: money cannot buy that. But lets say one of
these other unknown Swiss architects were given this opportunity, I
don’t think they would have a clue how to handle themselves let alone
the press, but Zumthor is a master at this.
<br />
<br />
For
one, he makes time for them: I am sure he has a very busy schedule and
even though he publicly professes that he doesn't believe in publicity
or promoting his work, he sets aside several hours for this. He was even
there outlasting at least one of the journalists who went to bed
leaving old Zumthor still up working the room. That is what it takes to
make it in the starchitect business.<br />
<br />
Any publicist will tell you that the first rule of making a name for your self or managing your image is:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Be nice to people, but bend over backwards for the press.
</i></blockquote>
<br />
When
Zumthor turns up, he turns on his charm, prepared to wine and dine, he
is patient, he listens, generous with the alcohol, and he was sure to
extend an invitation to those willing to break away from their scheduled
itinerary to come and
meet him at his office and see more of his work. And when a journalist
comes to your door with a broken shoe, you understand this as good luck.
You see the glass half full and you drink it; ie you see the
opportunity and you make sure to mend that shoe. It is as simple as
that.
<br />
<br />
The
journalist goes back to London and write about how nice and charming
you are. The best and most flashy, most advanced, most exquisitely
designed website with the most expensive graphic designers and best
marketing experts can not parallel the publicity you get from one
article like this: Plain and simple.<br />
<br />
In the article, Baillieu also mentioned how Zumthor explained to the reporters why he does not accept architecture prizes.
<br />
<br />
No seriously!!...he did say that..I can’t make this stuff up.
<br />
<br />
This is a direct quote from the article:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Zumthor turned
up at the spa after dinner. All of us save a well known architect who’d
be sent by a magazine were rather in awe of Zumthor and listened dutifully as he told us the story of Vals, and why he didn’t accept architecture prizes.</i> </blockquote>
I
asked Baillieu about this and she confirmed that he did indeed say
this: arguing that he believed the way architects garland themselves
with awards and prizes were a distraction. It is also alleged, she
continued, that he had even turned down a Pritzker some years before
accepting it in 2009.
<br />
<br />
This
statement was made back in 2002 mind you, and a man has a right to
change his mind, but to be fair a Pritzker prize and its $100,000.00 prize money can be very persuasive even for a man who doesn’t work for money.
<br />
<br />
Furthermore, (...and this is where it gets really interesting) it seems like even before he changed his mind in 2009 (like a great general switching sides in an ideological war) he was already actively assaulting his own publicly professed position: Before accepting the Pritzker, he accepted the Carlsberg
Architecture Prize in 1998, the Mies van der Rohe Award for European
Architecture in 1999, and the Praemium Imperiale in 2008 among several
others.<br />
<br />
To this
day, I have not heard any statements from him reversing his position.
So I can only assume that what he publicly proclaims about his beliefs
and what he actually does are two entirely separate and unrelated
things: So
saying that he changed his mind after accepting the Pritzker is like
saying that Lance Armstrong changed his mind after winning his third
Tour de France because he told reporters on national TV that he doesn't
believe in using steroids. Zumthor has recently been named the recipient of The Royal Gold Medal award from the RIBA and if my assumptions about him are correct, I believe he will be accepting it in February of 2013 as well.
<br />
<br />
Given this information <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor#Awards" target="_blank">(readily available to all on Wikipedia)</a></span>,
Baillieu could have written a critical piece discussing both his
virtues and his conspicuous duplicities, but she did not. Put yourself
in her shoes for a moment; even the most hardened investigative reporter
would find it difficult to write a critical piece on a charming old guy
who went out of his way to have your broken sandals repaired: You would
have to have a heart of stone to do so. Besides, what architectural
journalist would want to risk their own popularity, not to mention the
backlash from criticizing one of the profession's most favorite
starchitect?
<br />
<br />
Still
not convinced he is astute when it comes to his image? Here is another
case in point. If you are a fan of Zumthor or just a person interesting
in finding out more about him or his work, you will no doubt have
noticed his conspicuous lack of a company website. If you are running a
company in this day and age, no less a Pritzker award winning
international architecture firm and you don’t have a website, this is
not a mistake. It is a deliberate statement about you and your brand. It
says I am not like other architects, I am above the fray, I am
reclusive, mysterious, I reject the mainstream ways, I prefer the old
fashioned methods over new technology, and as I have just shown you, he
does very well without it.
<br />
<br />
So
early in 2012 someone (an adoring fan I suppose) started a tumblr blog
dedicated purely to Zumthor and his work: An attempt to fill the gap in
his online presence. It was an adoring tribute of sorts to Zumthor;
flattering pictures of the old master and his works, new projects etc,
only Wim Wenders could have topped it.
<br />
<br />
After
some time, the blog began to gain a little attention from the networks
of other architecture blogs and became a bit popular. I used to check it
out every once in awhile myself. It was to my surprise that I noticed
some time later that there was a post containing what was an apparent
letter from Zumthor’s office asking him to change the name of the site
and not to further publish any copyrighted material without his
permission. Here is a copy of the letter below:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Dear Sir or Madam,
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thank
you for your interest in Peter Zumthor's work. This site appears under
the name of Peter Zumthor, although it is not authorised by him. In the
past we also found a lot of copyrighted material here without any
captions.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Therefore,
we would like to ask you to change the name of the site, so it becomes
clear who created it. And, of course, to not publish any copyrighted
material without permission.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You can contact me at XXX XX XX XX.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thank you, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Barbara Soldner
</span></blockquote>
<br />
So later on, the name of the site was changed to <a href="http://www.zumthor.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">ZTH</a> instead of Zumthor, the words NON-OFFICIAL SITE was placed below it, and many of the images removed.
<br />
<br />
Now,
this is fair and well enough, as I said, any and every architect wants
to make a name for himself and its only natural that one would want to
protect it. Peter Zumthor however, consistently goes out of his way to
publicly make the point that he is not interested in this sort of thing,
but then quietly sends his image handlers out to do the exact opposite.
If he does not feel the need to make a name for himself or does not
care about his image, then why harass adoring fans who blog about his
work? This is not the behavior of someone who is <u><b>not</b></u> interested in their image or <b><u>not</u></b> interested in his own self-promotion.
<br />
<br />
So when I hear statements in the film like:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Peter Zumthor an architect not driven by the need to make a name for himself </i></blockquote>
I say: What kind of baloney is this?
<br />
<br />
That is an outright lie!
<br />
<br />
It feels like watching the debates between Obama and Romney where at one point Obama was repeatedly saying.
<br />
<br />
<i>Not true Governor Romney....Not true Mr Governor....Not true Governor....Not true...
</i><br />
<br />
I think I need to do the same here
<br />
<br />
<i>Not true Mr Zumthor....Not true Mr Zumthor....Not true Mr Zumthor....
</i><br />
<br />
Lets be clear here, I am not making Zumthor wrong for marketing himself. As
architects, we have to have our feet in at least two worlds at the same
time: one is the world of architecture and one in the world of business.
<br />
<br />
The
business side requires us to have strategies for marketing ourselves.
However we learn in architecture school that things like branding, image
making, self promotion, and networking are dirty words. We should be
disciples to architecture and focus on making good work in a bubble
and if you do that well, then you will be noticed, the work will come
and you will be successful. This is nonsense and Zumthor knows this more
than anyone else. However, he insists on saying these ridiculous things
at every opportunity he gets and thereby perpetuating these destructive myths.
<br />
<br />
What's
more, he is in a position of influence; he has a huge following of
young adoring fans who swears by his every word. They believe this stuff
and so they go out starting off their young careers believing that this
is how the world works. Its difficult enough to make a living as an
architect, and with the backdrop of the financial crisis it's even
worse, so feeding this nonsense to young folks in my view, is a little
cruel.
<br />
<br />
As
I have said before on this blog. I like Zumthor’s work a lot, but when
he comes out with these promotional antics claiming that he is not a
networker, <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html" target="_blank">he is not into self-promotion</a>, he does not work for money, and that he does not accept architectural awards, I come away with a little less respect for him as a person every time.
<br />
<br />
In
a way, he is kind of the opposite of Phillip Johnson: Johnson would
come right out and say stuff like “I am a whore” when talking about what
he does as an architect: Implying that we architects are all whores. It
doesn’t sound very nice. It is offensive,
its not an easy self-image to digest. But in a way he was being honest,
he was acknowledging a reality that as architects we sometimes find
ourselves in positions where we have to make ethical compromises in
order to keep ourselves afloat.
<br />
<br />
To
me there is a certain humanity in that, it acknowledges that there is a
working conscience in there somewhere. A flawed human-being with a
conscience, I can identify with. I personally don’t find much to admire
in Johnson's work, but even as a next to raving fan of Zumthor’s work, I
have to say I have much more respect for Johnson as a person than I do
for Zumthor, because he is much more honest.
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PO_NlRYy9RFDfGMcOLdepPeLkI4-EqL4hfn8GusHEPzc2G6V8mFWlF33zAee5G4JEiZgZiJXGCHprf98rfbP24BgK3k5DQT5QsBc0so5gjzVRKbvOhHA" width="495" /><br />
<br />
Here
is a picture of Zumthor NOT POSING for a promotional press photo that
will NOT contribute to his image making or publicity whatsoever. Zumthor
only chose to accept the commission to design a pavilion for the highly
publicized spectacle-event called the Serpentine Gallery because...he
had one too many Dos Equis after the happy hour.
<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" target="_blank">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT </a><br />
Liberating Minds Since August 2007<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">=======================================================================</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">ADDENDUM<span style="color: black;"> <span style="color: red;">: 1/20/2013 </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;">=======================================================================</span><br />
<br />
From the man who made the following statement:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-style: italic;">That a body of work as small as ours is
recognized in the professional world makes us feel proud and should
give much hope to young professionals that if they strive for quality in
their work it might become visible without any special promotion.</span> </blockquote>
<br />
Yet another promotional film, this time from cultural-celebrity video-biographer Micheal Blackwood. A copy of this piece of architectural heritage can be yours for only $115.00 and can be ordered directly online at Blackwood's webstore.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="273" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FCQ9JKnA4as" width="485"></iframe>
Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-52339136592391345202012-12-02T19:34:00.000+01:002013-09-24T17:35:23.064+02:0089. What is Good Luck?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever I talk with people about becoming a famous architect, and I ask "well what do you think it takes to become famous?" The responses are wide and varied. Here are some common responses I get:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A a combination of <b>luck</b>, timing and who you know...No matter what, <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2007/11/23-make-your-own-big-break.html" target="_blank">when <b>lady luck</b> comes knocking, you'd better be ready to pounce</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well... you need to be talented, hard working and have some <b>luck</b>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have to be <b>lucky</b> enough to have been born to rich parents. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do your best work and <b>it will happen or it won't</b>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's <b>an element of randomness</b> to it, but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_783126721"></span>becoming famous doesn't happen at random<span id="goog_783126722"></span></a>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose you to have to <b>be fortunate enough</b> to be friends with already famous people to begin with. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When reading the history of famous architects a common thread is either that they were<b> [lucky enough to be]</b> born rich (like P. johnson...kurokawa, fumihiko maki, shigeru ban, and I hear rumours about Ando too...), had a good teaching job to live off of, or a combination of both.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You have to be lucky</b>; meaning being in the right place at the right time and yeah talent helps too </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ...and the list goes on and on.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you haven't already noticed, the one common denominator in all these statements is the magic ingredient of luck. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is luck anyway? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are some common definitions. </span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luck: an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luck: the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Wikipedia: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For a lot of people, Luck is a belief that good or bad fortune in life is caused by accident or chance, and attributed by some to reasons of faith or superstition, which happens beyond a person's control.</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism teaches about karmma; the idea of moral causality; that all things which happen must have a cause, either material or spiritual, and do not occur due to chance or fate. </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Followers of Christianity and Islam believe in the will of a supreme being directing the universe and the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence, theologily refered to as Divine Providence. It varies greatly from one person to another; however, most acknowledge providence as at least a partial, if not complete influence on luck. The concept of "Divine Grace" as it is described by believers closely resembles what is referred to as "luck" by others. One such activity is prayer, a religious practice in which this belief is particularly strong. </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others associate luck with a strong sense of superstition, that is, a belief that certain taboo or blessed actions will influence how fortune favors them for the future. </span></i></blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are all well and good. You can believe what you want. I am not here to question your faith or tell you what to believe. But I can share with you what I believe is a useful perspective on luck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is an old Babylonian saying that goes something like this: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If a man is lucky, bound his hands and feet together and cast him in the Tigris and he will swim out with a fish in his mouth for supper </span></i></blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me luck is largely a matter of perception. What I mean is that the situations that we find ourselves in are not essentially fortunate or unfortunate, but rather just situations with various levels of potentials, opportunities and limitations. Each situation comes with its own unique set of circumstances that either limit or open up potentials for what we want or where we want to go. It is up to us to find the fortune and opportunities and act on them. My good man that was lucky enough to be thrown in the Tigris in such a ghastly fashion simply discovered that his situation presented him with a good opportunity to go fishing for dinner. Rather than accepting his predicament as bad luck, he saw the potential in the it and most importantly he took action. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously this is just a mythic tale, but like most mythic tales it offers a simple lesson. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luck in not just seeing the glass half full, it is also taking action; not just seeing the potential but using it. After all, seeing the glass as half full is ultimately meaningless if you don't drink what's in it at some point. Isn't it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being an optimist alone isn’t enough; <i>being able to see all the goodness, potential and opportunities around you and then <b><u>not</u></b> taking advantage of them</i> has nothing to do with luck. It has to do with day dreaming. It is not really any different from a pessimist with no imagination or who sees only limitations in his situation and subsequently does nothing. The old Babylonian Houdini would not be considered lucky if he figured out how to escape and catch a fish but just never got around to doing it, would he? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be truly lucky one not only has to be <b>optimistic</b> enough to recognize the opportunities but also <b>courageous</b> enough to act on them while they last. Not only that, one has to do this constantly. This is the way of the famous architect. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LzaXQ-M6yr7dPLrZRZxVgtqFlK43Z1DfqlLPShbYJx498b2z_qzrcErx5Gabfzxqv44Zv2rNPlJYwT4aVMETNjRxYUY39MF3FdDy1U-o-1lKg1DqdV_-AEYSU1yOpZCVbZgGVsSU4qus/s1600/CONRAD-NEWEL-LUCKY.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LzaXQ-M6yr7dPLrZRZxVgtqFlK43Z1DfqlLPShbYJx498b2z_qzrcErx5Gabfzxqv44Zv2rNPlJYwT4aVMETNjRxYUY39MF3FdDy1U-o-1lKg1DqdV_-AEYSU1yOpZCVbZgGVsSU4qus/s640/CONRAD-NEWEL-LUCKY.png" width="458" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can not count the amount of times where I encounter architects who after seeing the newly published project of a famous architect and saying: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"oh snaps! I had that very same idea" </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well then I ask you "why didn't you act?"... </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"why didn't you follow through and realize it?" </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer is in the question:
"what's the difference between you and the famous architect?" </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it because he is lucky and you are not? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-or- </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it because he was able to see the opportunity <b><u>and</u> </b>put in the work to realize it while you did not? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it because he has the ability to see the greenness of the grass on his side of the fence while you can only see the weeds on yours? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It comes in the form of statement like:
"Oh of-course they can, they are lucky because they have a team of apprentices slaving away at their office for free and I have none." </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> -or- </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> oh he has connections and I don't. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The way I see it, the optimist who sees the opportunities and potentials around him and do nothing about it is worse than a pessimist:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is a coward. </span><br />
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUnUfZxEnd8F96jAANVsmJ9YpcOFr0xdpotm02eWu0Lgdl5QP2NVzJKMREh83hD9Y8mBZJvnl6-mraVoZcP4PN_-o4Yed0Apizqer5jpRS-Kg_UVHHVcCoDdD4bClaxJFY1sSFHKVL22H/s1600/conrad-scientist-LUCK.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUnUfZxEnd8F96jAANVsmJ9YpcOFr0xdpotm02eWu0Lgdl5QP2NVzJKMREh83hD9Y8mBZJvnl6-mraVoZcP4PN_-o4Yed0Apizqer5jpRS-Kg_UVHHVcCoDdD4bClaxJFY1sSFHKVL22H/s400/conrad-scientist-LUCK.png" width="370" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Conrad Newel </span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" style="color: #317ac4;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a> </span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-67781183750829273352012-09-12T18:42:00.000+02:002012-09-14T16:58:53.683+02:0088. What is the Venice Biennale of Architecture?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1346256574-bnl-men-graf-1-528x352.jpg" width="485" />
</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...As well as addressing the academic side of architecture, the Biennale is an occasion where big-name architects and designers can showcase new projects, arranged in different pavilions, each with different themes. The Biennale is currently held in the Biennale Gardens.</blockquote>
<i>-crowdsourced / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_Biennale_of_Architecture" target="_blank">WIKIPEDIA</a></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...the Biennale offers an incredibly diverse and dense display of ideas and responses that aim to provoke us to reconsider the role of the architect and the ways in which we create public life for citizens of the contemporary environment.</blockquote>
<i>-Linda Taalman</i> /<i> <a href="http://www.dwell.com/articles/venice-biennale-2012-common-ground.html" target="_blank">DWELL</a></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Venice Architecture Biennale is the world’s most important celebration of contemporary architecture.<br />
The Biennale is a unique insight into what is happening in the architecture profession around the world at this moment in time.</blockquote>
<i>-Jonathan Davies and Anna Meyer / <a href="http://www.designweek.co.uk/industry-voice/jonathan-davies-and-anna-meyer-review-the%C2%A0venice-architecture-biennale/3035213.article" target="_blank">DESIGN WEEK</a></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If one did not know that the media constantly exaggerates, one could almost conclude ... that the Venice Biennale of Architecture really is the world’s most important architecture exhibition.<br />
... let us not deny the truth. This event is an expensive danse macabre. In a city of plunder (an exhibition of plunder) hordes of tourists (architects) roll along broken infrastructure in order to satisfy their petit bourgeois desire for education (in the case of the architects: vanity, envy, schadenfreude, suspicions). Even the glamour that the visitors are supposed to feel is staid and faked by the media for whom a star architect is like a film star.<br />
In truth it is all hollow, arduous, exhausting, bleak and boring. It is no longer about lively discussion and criticism of topics in contemporary architecture, but rather about empty, conservative and perhaps populist shells that are charged with feigned meaning.</blockquote>
<i>-Wolf D. Prix / <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2012/08/30/venice-architecture-biennale-is-exhausting-bleak-and-boring-says-wolf-d-prix/" target="_blank">COOP HIMMELB(L)AU</a></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If we are to accept a certain validity in Prix's remarks, it is important not to attribute special privilege to the Venice Biennale — it is only indicative of a more widespread political naivety in contemporary architecture, and the ineffectiveness of its various governing institutions. The failure, if you will, is endemic. However, unlike Prix, I don't think the starchitects are at the heart of the problem. I would prefer to lay the blame elsewhere.</blockquote>
<i>-Jack Self / <a href="http://www.domusweb.it/en/op-ed/post-crash-politicisation/" target="_blank">DOMUS</a></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Coop Himmelb(l)au’s Wolf D. Prix came under fire for this attack (especially when it was realized he didn’t even set foot at this year’s Biennale). And yet, had he written this critique for any other Biennale, he wouldn’t have been so far off. The Biennale is, after all, an expensive affair of prosecco-filled parties and, often, inaccessibly esoteric exhibits<br />Prix hedged his bets that this Biennale, with its fluffy-sounding name, “Common Ground,” would be just like its precedents. Unluckily for Prix, it wasn’t. In fact, it was probably the most politically-engaged Biennale yet.<br />...that is exactly what this year’s Venice Biennale was – and should be. Not just a display of architectural ingenuity but a “fresh look, from the [common] ground up, at what architecture really is.” Even if was at times reductive or idealistic, the Biennale grappled with our political reality, reflected our cautious optimism, and put forth the question of our decade: what purpose do we serve?</blockquote>
<br />
Vanessa Quirk / <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/271897/venice-biennale-2012-the-most-political-biennale-yet/" target="_blank">ARCH DAILY</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Biennales by their nature are sprawling, skin-deep omnibus festivals, contrived above all for tourism and congenitally awkward as a medium for architecture...<br />
It (This year's Bieannale) pays almost no attention to the developing world, to designers from Africa or China, and precious little to female architects, aside from Zaha Hadid, who, like Peter Zumthor, Renzo Piano, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi and a surprising number of the old boldface names, hogs much of the spotlight.</blockquote>
<i>-Micheal Kimmelman / <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/arts/design/13th-venice-architecture-biennale-the-usual-hagiography.html?partner=rss&emc=rss" target="_blank">THE NEW YORK TIMES</a></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Bieannale is a typical gossip place. "who slept with whom?,Who drank too much? Who is on their way down because they drank too much?"..."His last project wasn't very good, he must have been drunk all the time. Maybe he is going blind?" Its a lot of personal gossip.</blockquote>
<i>-Kjetil Thorsen / <a href="http://www.conditionsmagazine.com/archives/1947" target="_blank">SNØHETTA</a></i><a href="http://www.conditionsmagazine.com/archives/1947" target="_blank"> </a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="273" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/48380420?portrait=0&color=cd0033" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="485"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But the exhibition itself, despite that determinedly optimistic and wide-ranging approach, feels limited, exclusive, stiff, starched and a bit cloistered. And for a show that is so keen to question the value of architectural celebrity — Chipperfield writes in the catalog that he wanted it to "emphasize shared ideas over individual authorship" and reject "solitary and fashionable gestures" — this biennale includes an awful lot of stars, many of them longtime friends and colleagues of Chipperfield's.<br />
Though Chipperfield makes a big show of casting a wide net with this biennale, mostly what he's caught with it are the kind of big fish immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the architectural scene of 20 or 25 years ago. The architects featured most prominently include Norman Foster (given two separate rooms to work with), Renzo Piano, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman, Rafael Moneo, Alvaro Siza, Peter Zumthor, Bernard Tschumi and Jean Nouvel.</blockquote>
<br />
<i>Christopher Hawthorne / <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-venice-biennale-review-20120901,0,435557.story" target="_blank">THE LOS ANGELES TIMES</a></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-74387367229852306372012-09-01T19:48:00.000+02:002012-09-22T22:50:29.049+02:0087. You Don't Have to be Good Part 5: The Taxonomy of Architectural Fame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvmCYETtwoZaaVbnA2aYcdSaA-Fan-b5pNue74wNFsbud3J-yRxccAsBaIhocTbfI08-83c-HKof_MPDwsOAeXrCBUgg5O0uSK6tVKmXAHVIJMCMUVKkqav4fXdYWZhhGUxZ-Q8mwHmTi/s1600/conrad-scientist2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvmCYETtwoZaaVbnA2aYcdSaA-Fan-b5pNue74wNFsbud3J-yRxccAsBaIhocTbfI08-83c-HKof_MPDwsOAeXrCBUgg5O0uSK6tVKmXAHVIJMCMUVKkqav4fXdYWZhhGUxZ-Q8mwHmTi/s1600/conrad-scientist2.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a long time the diagram above represented how I understood the mechanics of famous architecture.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> famous architecture was the result of good work that was well promoted. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While this is more or less a nice truism, it is far from the norm when you look at the full scope of famous works.</span><br /><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fact is, that like most neatly packaged truisms, it is an oversimplification of a vastly deeper and more complex reality. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A more accurate-to-reality diagram would begin to look something more like this</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0l_Ao1Ien78UdmdPExUzdqUyRqOd4rRjs2gQNpsWGgtWqhk-OuMfK_C1oQG38Xt6KAtv73Zhe5koNQABIgat2F0svWndP1zYRambtcgxCAuVVr0wCJ5Gvv39qsfH_zK0Ur52xznFvXML/s1600/conrad-scientist3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl0l_Ao1Ien78UdmdPExUzdqUyRqOd4rRjs2gQNpsWGgtWqhk-OuMfK_C1oQG38Xt6KAtv73Zhe5koNQABIgat2F0svWndP1zYRambtcgxCAuVVr0wCJ5Gvv39qsfH_zK0Ur52xznFvXML/s1600/conrad-scientist3.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because lets face it, not all architecture that is famous is also good: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some are and some are not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a lot of famous architecture out there that are just plain deficient in a lot of respects, but because they are interesting to a few influential people and are well promoted, they receive a lot of attention in the press, and stand a better chance of getting singled out for awards and accolades.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what do I mean when I say “good architecture” you ask? </span><span style="color: #b7b7b7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I mentioned in<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html"> part I of this series</a>, I had a teacher in college that once told me that in order to make really outstanding works, you have got to innovate; push the envelope and do something interesting or you have to go the way of Mies and raise the detailing and craftsmanship to a level of high quality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, I always thought that to be really good it should be a combination of the two. Like this:</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR1CllRJ_jzZYPtkahVfFLj6953Kskm1btfe5b3Z1TPbSvZ5N1wYTtr2a8tRVyNn-ghvzYIJEr0MzBFW_stNzx_syAw6a4Zr2f7nlquwQcmVj_YVhyphenhyphen2_sCAM5BcCh6t_wRM5Mcr8Rccq7/s1600/conrad-scientist4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR1CllRJ_jzZYPtkahVfFLj6953Kskm1btfe5b3Z1TPbSvZ5N1wYTtr2a8tRVyNn-ghvzYIJEr0MzBFW_stNzx_syAw6a4Zr2f7nlquwQcmVj_YVhyphenhyphen2_sCAM5BcCh6t_wRM5Mcr8Rccq7/s1600/conrad-scientist4.png" /></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, what I have noticed after travelling and seeing more and more architecture both famous and non-famous is that there are a lot of works out there that are famous that is either interesting alone and are poorly crafted (like <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/04/82-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-2.html">The New Museum</a> or <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html">The Mountain Dwelling</a> ) or conversely, there are others that are very well made alone but does little in the way of innovation (eg. the works of Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld). </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #d9d9d9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So maybe my old professor was right after all, maybe it just needs to be one or the other...well kind of. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I say kind of because the other thing that I have noticed as well, is that I have never ever in all my life, come across any famous architecture that was not well promoted. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is something the old guy never told us about. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2012/06/84-do-you-really-think-that-all.html">Promotion?</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Branding?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you think Mies, Corbu or Wright promoted their work?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes! Absolutely Yes! and fuck yeah!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The general exception (if you want to call it an exception) is where it was designed by an extraordinarily famous architect. In this case he or she does not really have to make that much of an effort to promote it because the press are usually all over it like a pack of hungry wolves. And if the press is writing about it, ta-da!... it is being promoted!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you start taking individual works of architecture and begin to look at them through this paradigm, immediately it becomes much more interesting. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take the mountain dwelling and the new museum for example.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my view this is where they fit (space #2).</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARgMbD69EwU0X5qmQX4MSJW4EW0J7BdG8Fyqm06jb1dpiljf5eTifB1QliAi5ZYIBcmEAr_XBnlTwYkSuDpi7vtpUGhTUQ3ct0lmIAt3D0M7uADIBGQxC_qs8LeRozlDY-xoYDY5gR0Ui/s1600/conrad-scientist5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARgMbD69EwU0X5qmQX4MSJW4EW0J7BdG8Fyqm06jb1dpiljf5eTifB1QliAi5ZYIBcmEAr_XBnlTwYkSuDpi7vtpUGhTUQ3ct0lmIAt3D0M7uADIBGQxC_qs8LeRozlDY-xoYDY5gR0Ui/s1600/conrad-scientist5.png" /></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They both have interesting concepts and ideas, but they are constructed and detailed at a commercial grade quality. So as you can see, I had to create an extra classification to properly define them. </span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both projects are also extremely well promoted, so it should come as no surprise that they are very famous. The lack of quality has no effect and does not tarnish the popularity or the reputation of the work.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And therein lies the essential flaw in this diagram - quality. Quality is no prerequisite for famous architecture. It is optional and in most cases irrelevant. </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As mentioned in <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2012/05/84you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-3-its.html">part 3 of this series</a>, unless the project specifically discusses quality in craftsmanship, detailing, or construction, this is a non-issue: It is the ideas of the work that takes precedence.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mies, Pierre Chareau and say Louis Kahn’s work would generally fall in the overlap of quality detailing and interesting ideas. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before I could have finished that sentence I felt a massive scream in the universe. It was the voices of all the architects who believe Mies is boring. I hear you. I think his work is boring too in a lot of ways, but I also believe the idea of his work in itself and what he was aiming to accomplish is very interesting.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More importantly though, what I consider interesting really doesn’t matter in this diagram. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What matters is what the architectural community as a whole finds interesting and (as I will argue in a future series of notes) what matters supremely is what key influential members within this community believes is interesting. Form follows taste and so does celebrated works of architecture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So if we take away this stuff about quality and say exactly what is meant by interesting then we get </span></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this:</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a8JbUv5TGONgqBmch94snK0HhyphenhyphenNqRGS6yaDqxA-uk8wxQxboaMGK12LEK4-wBNiR6WKhiu7Y-KPkK_lp_brNP2O5p3sVjo-oxroyGAxCpeqoC4AF4CmdF96BMoxAuVMIYg-z8KXlQkvK/s1600/conrad-scientist6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a8JbUv5TGONgqBmch94snK0HhyphenhyphenNqRGS6yaDqxA-uk8wxQxboaMGK12LEK4-wBNiR6WKhiu7Y-KPkK_lp_brNP2O5p3sVjo-oxroyGAxCpeqoC4AF4CmdF96BMoxAuVMIYg-z8KXlQkvK/s1600/conrad-scientist6.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will also notice the addition of the “Celebrated Works” category. It confirms that it is the famous architecture which key influential members of the architectural community finds interesting that are the ones that wins awards and are celebrated. After all, who do you think sits on a jury and decide who will get the awards?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you remember this line from note number 76 - (<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html">Predicting the Pritzker part 2- Take a lesson from Brad & Angelina</a>), then then you will understand exactly where the Pritzker fits into this picture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The Pritzker only celebrates the celebrated and gives more attention to the already famous. It does not advance architecture or humanity in anyway beyond creating mindless chatter in the hallways and online chat-rooms throughout the architecturally-interested world about whether the latest pick was worthy enough to be crowned America’s top star-architect. </i></span></b></blockquote>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pritzker picks it awardees almost exclusively from the architects who have already got a few buildings in this narrow sliver of celebrated works.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other category that we have up there is Anointed Works. This is a rather strange area, it consists of works that key figures in the architecture community finds interesting and even though it is well promoted, for some reason or another it just does not have enough appeal to make it famous or celebrated.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This I will talk about next week in more detail with some real world examples.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay tuned.</span></b><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Conrad Newel </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" style="color: #317ac4; text-decoration: none;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-23319018122728945812012-07-10T23:48:00.001+02:002012-09-12T23:26:02.291+02:0086.You don’t have to be good part 4: Form follows Taste<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">So in the last note in this series, I concluded that idea is king and that it trumps everything in contemporary architecture. In other words, if your idea is interesting enough, you can bypass quality construction and rigorous design. So in this note, I will start with the question: </span><br />
<br />
What else is trumped by idea?<br />
<br />
One of the first things I immediately thought about was this interview with Peter Eisenman.<br />
<br />
In this video from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MO6B8Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=notesonbecomingafamousarchitect-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003MO6B8Q">7 (Seven) Deconstructivist Architects</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=notesonbecomingafamousarchitect-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003MO6B8Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, Eisenman’s arguments gives a sense of how he sees architecture: as a medium to express ideas even if it means subordinating function, people and wholeness to it.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D36o-pxbCes?rel=0" width="480"></iframe></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When we think of stability in our society we think of architecture, for example when I work with Jacques Derrida, Jacques always say to me:</i><br />
<i>“What about people...but what about the functions”</i><br />
<i>and I said;</i><br />
<i>“what do you mean what about the people?... Do you ever worry about people who read your books?”</i><br />
<i>He said;</i><br />
<i>“no, those were books, this is architecture, this deals with shelter comfort things like that”</i><br />
<i>and I said;</i><br />
<i>“that's a really funny thing for the arch-deconstructionist to be concerned with shelter and comfort”</i><br />
<i>But you see what I said to Jacques was;</i><br />
<i>“You philosophers are very funny because it's alright for you guys to move the whole telos of the society around, but when it comes to an architect you say: oh no! that's got to stay in place. So that you guys can be radical, [while] architecture remains whole.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
So then the standard counter argument to Eisenman is:<br />
Well if you are reading a philosophy book and you don’t like it, then you can close the book and put it away - even burn it if you like - but with a building, you have to live with it!<br />
<br />
That’s my initial reaction as well, but here is another way to look at it: If a client wants to pay Peter Eisenman thousands of dollars to design a building that makes them uncomfortable and they are also willing to pay several millions to build it, then obviously they are motivated by his work and they are getting exactly what they want. That’s their taste.<br />
As long as these ideas are not applied to urban design and city planning, why should that bother me?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0TZZBSExtt-qUTEIEbUJLoX9BbtFJRUxgEVhQn0tE6EUSd-bfpBBA5y7JqAuK3iLFrBKsAs9yeFkIQ-zOawQ1HpfBlWDFyEbN5tTT2FGXdsS1tqXuPWxXAH9KjRnf6O6z-_HhfXi3hQ4/s1600/1275626752-njit6bed2-528x339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0TZZBSExtt-qUTEIEbUJLoX9BbtFJRUxgEVhQn0tE6EUSd-bfpBBA5y7JqAuK3iLFrBKsAs9yeFkIQ-zOawQ1HpfBlWDFyEbN5tTT2FGXdsS1tqXuPWxXAH9KjRnf6O6z-_HhfXi3hQ4/s400/1275626752-njit6bed2-528x339.jpg" width="495" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Purposely ignoring the idea of form following function, Eisenman created spaces that were quirky and well-lit, but rather unconventional to live with. He made it difficult for the users so that they would have to grow accustom to the architecture and constantly be aware of it. For instance, in the bedroom there is a glass slot in the center of the wall continuing through the floor that divides the room in half, forcing there to be separate beds on either side of the room so that the couple was forced to sleep apart from each other. </i></span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBm5rN_4HRhK2RThJn0HfbfTPCJkDrg5TZ1uq_rLtB5W9fKxLJ-00q-KY5HS1FV7cW5uAYvMe6SaS5Kma-z_2LZ_sEHPjXLY6OZzXQgiQHv6syUwlFoeUAfm7YIXxhE_LgXXwevHb5J-E/s1600/1275626738-njit3stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="765" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBm5rN_4HRhK2RThJn0HfbfTPCJkDrg5TZ1uq_rLtB5W9fKxLJ-00q-KY5HS1FV7cW5uAYvMe6SaS5Kma-z_2LZ_sEHPjXLY6OZzXQgiQHv6syUwlFoeUAfm7YIXxhE_LgXXwevHb5J-E/s640/1275626738-njit3stairs.jpg" width="495" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Upside down stair.</i></span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
If you are of conservative taste don’t worry, this is a conceptual house built with the aim to spark discussion and debate about ideas. Don’t look to see anything like this as the future of housing.<br />
<br />
Personally I am not convinced by the argument that Eisenman makes which essentially states that architecture is kind of like infrastructure in the sense that no one really pays attention to it. It is just there like background music in a film. In order for people to pay attention to architecture it has to basically confront them, do something unexpected, and make people uncomfortable. In doing so, they will be forced to pay attention to it and ask why? Why is this door placed in such an odd way, why is this building element sticking out like that? And so on.<br />
<br />
To be honest, that does not inspire me to go and take up a book and read about deconstructivism. It would just annoy me. But that’s just me.<br />
<br />
Eisenman however, makes a good point: Functionality is not, or should not be the end-all and be-all in determining architectural form. Neither should it necessarily be the most dominant issue in evaluating a work of architecture.<br />
<br />
Another way to say that is: in architecture, ideas should be free to transcend function and comfort.<br />
<br />
If we take this argument to its logical extension (...and especially in light of the previous notes in this series) then ideas should also be free to transcend just about anything: Quality construction and even good space.<br />
<br />
I should at this point say that Eisenman's attempt to liberate form from function is not the same as Bjarke Ingel’s attempt <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html">to liberate form from quality detailing and construction</a> or SANAA’s attempt<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/04/82-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-2.html"> to liberate form from quality space and rigorous design</a>. Eisenman’s attempts are deliberate where Bjarke’s was more out of carelessness or capitulation to commercial interests and SANAA’s was more out of either laziness or timidity.<br />
<br />
But to get back to Eisenman’s point: <i>Form does not necessarily need to follow function in the strictest sense of the word.</i><br />
<br />
Look at this chair below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtraiVR7R6EhCaCRWW9nyUox-YiyXHV3F0hHEL_47ZZQKVvhYq5vn6OGTicKzEhfC98Ss-lzQCGnBaWLQGjlQTvNqn3pMv6gB_QWzr41v0NLPOX094tCo1gYMD4UfyFvsJb9DMTTBUvfP/s1600/Elizabeth+recliner+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtraiVR7R6EhCaCRWW9nyUox-YiyXHV3F0hHEL_47ZZQKVvhYq5vn6OGTicKzEhfC98Ss-lzQCGnBaWLQGjlQTvNqn3pMv6gB_QWzr41v0NLPOX094tCo1gYMD4UfyFvsJb9DMTTBUvfP/s320/Elizabeth+recliner+chair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wAoTsdDCvLOOsEFv_841fK-XmUCCf-gc82dacMafsQulpywMIXaYxJjrMZumkQeiUFa3FXxMH2h_CdeYWLYewM1UnCsuMmIcv3W6VQZa_HobC_jNNpIMEKXhsQKaJu7vGhbrCBOwbwbI/s1600/WoburnChair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wAoTsdDCvLOOsEFv_841fK-XmUCCf-gc82dacMafsQulpywMIXaYxJjrMZumkQeiUFa3FXxMH2h_CdeYWLYewM1UnCsuMmIcv3W6VQZa_HobC_jNNpIMEKXhsQKaJu7vGhbrCBOwbwbI/s320/WoburnChair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
It is a very functional chair: It is a recliner chair with electric recline and massage features. This is perhaps one of the most comfortable chairs money can buy. Just look on the ear-to-ear smile on that lady’s face.<br />
<br />
However, in my view, that chair reminds me of something I would find in my grandmother's home. It is not my style and I would not buy it or have it in my apartment.<br />
<br />
Now look at these other chairs below:<br />
<br />
It is called the One&One chair designed by Konstantinos Pamporis and is basically formed of two distinct pieces and based on the concept that each of the pieces symbolized one person in a relationship.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQgsen0_lQNz7lwfft7psQPKRleA0A9MH1Snc33nZVcI6HfI1TU20mNbu3DmFqMYO3rq9ipzq7awA_gc3PZj5a3Ki7ea-cA9mcnoCZ2AeY-EZVC2UmbK2SkvTIWu4TKvU39d5IygxZNXi/s1600/OneOne_Chair_Konstantinos_Pamporis_CubeMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQgsen0_lQNz7lwfft7psQPKRleA0A9MH1Snc33nZVcI6HfI1TU20mNbu3DmFqMYO3rq9ipzq7awA_gc3PZj5a3Ki7ea-cA9mcnoCZ2AeY-EZVC2UmbK2SkvTIWu4TKvU39d5IygxZNXi/s320/OneOne_Chair_Konstantinos_Pamporis_CubeMe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>“The idea behind this project was to create a piece of furniture that symbolizes the relationship between a couple. A relationship is only possible when there exists dependence. The elements that come with dependence are “faith” and “risk”. Because of that fact, one chair has only on one side a leg which makes it automatically dependent on the other one. As soon as you become dependent on something we can talk automatically about might!” </i></span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVmkAich_HwHSDDjLxZ6vlXwKSu3EJpk3YJiWf_Od2jmgpFrXyi1XyGM9ApfmAP_g8rejw1UA3t7CTAY3vZeNXpHuHtCFE6Abe76Zyxxig8mnULrQNKlf88-0DCdoOpNNSwytZ3RPH-l/s1600/OneOne_Chair_Konstantinos_Pamporis_CubeMe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVmkAich_HwHSDDjLxZ6vlXwKSu3EJpk3YJiWf_Od2jmgpFrXyi1XyGM9ApfmAP_g8rejw1UA3t7CTAY3vZeNXpHuHtCFE6Abe76Zyxxig8mnULrQNKlf88-0DCdoOpNNSwytZ3RPH-l/s320/OneOne_Chair_Konstantinos_Pamporis_CubeMe2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
These are rather elegant in my opinion, and the concept is delightfully poetic, but I would not want to sit on it, especially the one with the pink edges.<br />
<br />
Just like Eisenman’s house, this is a concept project.<br />
<br />
These two sets of chairs represent two extremes in a goldilocks scenario.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The first one is was way too conventional; it discusses only function and lacks qualities of ingenuity, playfulness, or experimentation. It is too parochial for my tastes.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">The second sits in the other extreme, it discusses a poetic idea but the notion of comfort and functionality is all but destroyed (albeit deliberately) as a byproduct of the concept.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white;">My ideal chair sits somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. And that’s my point here; I said “<i>my</i>” ideal not “<i>the</i>” ideal. </span><span style="background-color: white;">And there in lies the heart of the matter. It is taste that drives ideas: <i><b>Form follows taste</b></i>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Form does not have to follow function and the most important thing is not necessarily to make the most functional and user friendly everything. Sometimes it’s okay to give up some level of practicality or certain physical comforts for visual or other ones. It is something we all do whether we think we do or not.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNPpke1Vx4BnFqP3bw8o5ix6K3YTJIiO_-czguSagyoZmzKAceK8NjhIXCM8yvoFycF7G-AhEheglwqTs-wDJ8pOA1ve325SFq0pvmcu1kalVCNrgRQIyF-B0tiw2GUUX1Jn2PvluAmCg/s1600/FORM-FOLLOWS-TASTE485.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNPpke1Vx4BnFqP3bw8o5ix6K3YTJIiO_-czguSagyoZmzKAceK8NjhIXCM8yvoFycF7G-AhEheglwqTs-wDJ8pOA1ve325SFq0pvmcu1kalVCNrgRQIyF-B0tiw2GUUX1Jn2PvluAmCg/s1600/FORM-FOLLOWS-TASTE485.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
How far we are willing to compromise practicality, functionality, good craftsmanship or quality construction for ideas (whether they are visual, philosophical, sociological, esthetic, etc) depends largely on our own personal taste. Consumers of the Mountain Dwellings would much rather give up some of the virtues of quality detailing for the cool and chic that comes from living in a BIG designed apartment, while the people behind The New Museum probably have no idea of what a quality and rigorously designed space looks like even if it fell on top of them like a brick, but they most likely do care about having the white hot Japanese design duo’s name behind their new building and are duly reaping the hype and publicity that comes along with it.<br />
<br />
The craftsmanship and quality of the building itself are just there as a supporting substrate for your ideas. As Eisenman pointed out, this is all like infrastructure, stuff that nobody really pays attention to (maybe except for pesky little bloggers like me). What really matter are your ideas (and by logical extrapolation your taste).<br />
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Conrad Newel </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" style="color: #317ac4; text-decoration: none;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"> </span>
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><u>RELATED POSTS</u></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<li style="color: #003366; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em 15px; text-indent: -15px;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2012/05/84you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-3-its.html" style="color: #317ac4; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">84.You Don't Have to be Good - <b>Part 3</b>:<i> It's about the idea stupid.</i></a>
</li>
<li style="color: #003366; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em 15px; text-indent: -15px;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/04/82-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-2.html" style="color: #317ac4; text-decoration: none;">83. You Don't have to be Good - <b>Part 2:</b> <i>SANAA & The New Museum</i></a></li>
<li style="color: #003366; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em 15px; text-indent: -15px;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html" style="color: #317ac4; text-decoration: none;">82. You Don't Have to be Good - <b>Part 1</b>: <i>BIG, JDS, PLOT</i></a></li>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-38370616036814187962012-06-24T00:56:00.001+02:002012-09-12T23:25:38.813+02:0085. Do you really think that all starchitects actively try and brand themselves?Hi Carlos,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks for the question.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes! I do think that <u>all</u> famous architects actively promote and brand themselves. Obviously some do it much more than others.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am normally skeptical about painting things (especially sociological <wbr></wbr>issues) with such a broad brush, but I have been looking at this for quite some time now (as you can see) and the more I look, the more I am convinced that it is just that way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being a famous architect is an extremely difficult thing to pull off. It is something you have to actively work at, and there are many out there who have worked their whole career at it with little or no result. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To become a starchitect without trying would require a lot of miraculous opportunities to magically fall before you in a perfectly aligned sequence, at the perfect time, while you just happened to be in the perfect places and say just the right things. I am not saying that miracles do not happen or that it is impossible, but it would be extremely rear.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It would be like just whimsically winning the Mr Olympia bodybuilding contest without trying. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now if you are talking specifically about branding I will also say yes. Absolutely!. However, when we think about branding we have negative connotations about it. We think of it as some kind of contrived thing that corporations do to deceive people to buy their product; that the brander is really a kind of Dr. Jekyl & Mr Hyde character who brands himself as the good guy meanwhile he is really a hideous monster underneath the cloak. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is not necessarily so. Branding, is about putting your best foot forward and making a reputation around your best qualities. It is about standing out from the crowd in light of your most unique and admirable <wbr></wbr>characteristics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Think about it. You and I brand ourselves all the time without even thinking about it. When you go out on a first date don't you try to show the best side of yourself? You shave off that scruffy beard that you were too lazy to cut for the past 5 days, you take a shower even if you normally shower ever other week, and you don yourself in the clothes that you think you look most attractive in. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you meet her, you take her to a nice restaurant that you normally don't go to. You talk more politely than you normally do, and laugh hysterically at things that are nowhere near funny. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So does, that mean that you are really the boogie man in disguise or that your motives are sinister? No. Unfortunately for some guys it is, but if you are really a descent guy and you are looking for a relationship with this lady, then you go through this process because you want her to come away with a positive impression of you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Famous architects (and even non famous architects) do this with their careers as well. They build up a public image based on the positive aspects of themselves. If they are very good at it, you don't even know that they are doing it (like <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html" target="_blank">Peter Zumthor</a>) and if they are really bad at it ( like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oqn8km9Ykfc" target="_blank">Daniel Libeskind</a>) then that's all you see. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to looking and acting the part (as you and I have done on first dates), star architects have to take their branding/promotion a step further. Since they are courting large communities of architects, students, clients, scholars etc, and not just one person, they have to brand on a massive scale and thus have to use media appropriate to that scale. So they present this positive impression of themselves through publishing, giving many lectures, participating in interviews for magazines, attending symposiums, networking with the right people etc. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am sure if you do a little research on Oscar Niemeyer, Kevin Roche, Alvaro Siza,or Eduardo Souto de Moura, you will likely find that they all have done these things as well. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Best Regards,</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Conrad </div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU">
<div class="ajR" data-tooltip="Hide expanded content" id=":1hi" role="button" tabindex="0">
<img class="ajT" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" /></div>
</div>
<div class="adL">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="im">
<span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;">-- <br />
<br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a><br />
Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></div>
<div class="im">
</div>
<div class="im">
<br />
<div class="gmail_quote">
On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 9:08 PM, Carlos <span dir="ltr"><email withheld=""></email></span> wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br />
Comment I've thoroughly enjoyed your blog ever since I started reading it a few weeks ago. I have a question though, do you really think that all starchitects actively try and brand themselves to become famous?<br />
<br />
There are certain architects that do seem like they seek the fame, but there are others that I believe are genuine. The people that I'm talking about are Oscar Niemeyer, Kevin Roche, Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura. These are all architects that seem to be to be more concerned with the quality of their work than their fame. I'm very interested on what your opinion of this is. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Thanks.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Carlos<br />
<br />
--</blockquote>
</div>
<br clear="all" />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"><br />
</span></span>Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-46371551831737494212012-05-01T12:50:00.001+02:002012-05-01T21:58:52.920+02:0084.You Don't Have to be Good - Part 3: It's about the Idea Stupid!Looking over the previous two post in this series - Mountain Dwellings and the New Museum - I was contemplating on the idea of quality (...or lack of it ) as seen in these two famous works<span id="goog_77916663"></span><span id="goog_77916664"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>:<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html"> Lack of quality detailing and construction in the Mountain Dwellings</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/04/82-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-2.html">lack of spatial quality in the New Museum</a>. So then I remembered this statement by Mies.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>First of all, I was influenced by old buildings. I looked at them, people built them. I don't know the names, and I don't know what it was . . . mostly very simple buildings. When I was really young, not even twenty years old, I was impressed by the strength of these old buildings because they didn't even belong to any epoch. But they were there for one thousand years and still there and still impressive, and nothing could change it. And all the styles, the great styles, passed, but they were still there. They didn't lose anything. They were ignored through certain architectural epochs, but they were still there and still good as they were in the first day they were built. </i></blockquote>
The notion of building architecture of lasting quality that he so eloquently described is a very nice idea. It is an idea that I think has escaped a great many of the celebrated architects of our generation. Instead of building monuments to the ages, they seem to be more preoccupied with building monuments to the fleeting moment.<br />
<br />
Compared to some in the previous generations of starchitects (Mies, Kahn, Scarpa, Barragan, etc) I think that quite a few of our present generation’s celebrities have sidestepped the notion of quality in the discourse of their work. I am picking on BIG, JDS, and SANAA because I have been to their work and have experienced it for myself, but I suspect that it is a wider phenomenon beyond those stars. I would even argue that it spans beyond architecture and is equally prevalent in other fields such as industrial design.
For example, there was a time not long ago when the things that you bought in the store had lasting quality. So much so that that they could outlast both you and your children. It would be normal for people to inherit a cherished product from their parents that they could then pass on to their own children.<br />
<br />
Do you remember those days?<br />
Perhaps have you are in possession of such a product?<br />
<br />
Of course not, you're too young.
Watch the clip below: ( this is how consumer-products used to be, quality-wise).<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YFtHjV4c4uw?rel=0" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Now consider this: If that golden watch was made with the same level of detailing and craftsmanship as the VM apartments or the mountain dwellings were designed and made with, how long would you give it to survive up Christopher Walken's ass?<br />
<br />
I didn't think so either.<br />
<br />
Here is another thing to consider: if Apple were to come out with an i-watch tomorrow, would you imagine wanting to pass that down to your children as a birthright, let alone going through any lengths to ensure that it reaches them?<br />
<br />
The standard defense of high-tech low-quality creations is that technology is developing so rapidly that it doesn’t make sense to build things that last for a lifetime.
I understand this argument but it is nonsense.
Apple could make products of lasting quality, but instead, they chose to make products that are close to disposable. Their products are designed to last for about 3-4 years so that you are forced to constantly buy new ones. My i-phone that I bought 3 years ago is not compatible with a great number of apps on the itunes store and it is almost worthless. Apple does this because they are really not bothered by the idea of having an umbilical cord attached to your wallet.<br />
<br />
The technology-moving-too-fast argument does not hold water. I can think of several products that were built in yesteryear that was designed with special care that I can still use and enjoy today; products that gets better with age even though the technology is from another era.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAvwa9qL2a3gArrZIQTYiZmOhTdZidTRv7drowtv1-Gb68Fzy2G2OGhl3OXMFOjKlzbhnB2CL0iAJz5yGpQreQAImksBud04ICS1HJitSdS-bIwUsA7GDqDD8Qi-h_RzR_yolWf2FxSuD/s1600/10874457_1_x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAvwa9qL2a3gArrZIQTYiZmOhTdZidTRv7drowtv1-Gb68Fzy2G2OGhl3OXMFOjKlzbhnB2CL0iAJz5yGpQreQAImksBud04ICS1HJitSdS-bIwUsA7GDqDD8Qi-h_RzR_yolWf2FxSuD/s320/10874457_1_x.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This old record player for example, has a distinct aesthetic quality onto itself both in its sound and its physical design. Not even the latest and most advanced i-pod with the most sophisticated surround sound speaker system can measure up to it, even though it’s technology is mortally outdated.</span>
</i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShuUmQy09tkHTNDv9du97xrlOhlqcjU76IsaI3CAMxK7iu-k8haPNXC5eFYMHKFqA3EvMt0jjds6NWgqH2WUBxT9fs40RkmifTilqeVdXqUNRW2VguEpqiX-rgHL21nwRSs-oedTuJ20c/s1600/1938-bmw-kamm-coupe-wallpapers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShuUmQy09tkHTNDv9du97xrlOhlqcjU76IsaI3CAMxK7iu-k8haPNXC5eFYMHKFqA3EvMt0jjds6NWgqH2WUBxT9fs40RkmifTilqeVdXqUNRW2VguEpqiX-rgHL21nwRSs-oedTuJ20c/s320/1938-bmw-kamm-coupe-wallpapers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5tpO4oGLeb5XlsLoUtV2acOjdDDmm6lK0owjhRKd3GGzrw18ayPzkJIgZFxmIqSbe-3MH3exQX8E1mOWF_QeJNIkcMLWr1KonN2THNyaTH99lFWgTxWzugNfj4_X6WAnywOEVerUVrAM/s1600/1938-bmw-kamm-coupe-photos-collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5tpO4oGLeb5XlsLoUtV2acOjdDDmm6lK0owjhRKd3GGzrw18ayPzkJIgZFxmIqSbe-3MH3exQX8E1mOWF_QeJNIkcMLWr1KonN2THNyaTH99lFWgTxWzugNfj4_X6WAnywOEVerUVrAM/s320/1938-bmw-kamm-coupe-photos-collection.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKL2EWbe03J0ktW9ZVjkecghkEiQeLlIW2xExIPrWUPlw01TVIEBj3xOY6BK2NJGUBLpaZdjFt9AQFucAV_86mb9eZtxOXBOk0If7P7yO3iZ1_fNLQ6E9vlzXkGYMhhHWXCcZwqxyQGwSn/s1600/dasbord-cockpit-view-1938-bmw-kamm-coupe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKL2EWbe03J0ktW9ZVjkecghkEiQeLlIW2xExIPrWUPlw01TVIEBj3xOY6BK2NJGUBLpaZdjFt9AQFucAV_86mb9eZtxOXBOk0If7P7yO3iZ1_fNLQ6E9vlzXkGYMhhHWXCcZwqxyQGwSn/s320/dasbord-cockpit-view-1938-bmw-kamm-coupe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>This BMW from 1938 could never ever go anywhere near as fast as the current models with all their climate control, GPS navigation system etc. but it’s design has made it a thing of lasting quality. I am not a fan of cars and I never was, but it is not very difficult to appreciate and be attracted to the quality and craftsmanship that goes into its making.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i><br /></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLpr1cKI25c_HdK65jSSBajoDwXbmrV5RqdNXgBU7IpgG_QhxKEiaF06xAhO3xoa2ja2mT1SgKKyOixz6YSzZBadhmeIBkAr0Fe13ekbh8jBcmDrepA9f2Q_31l_2iJx5V9aOUBJtWEGj/s1600/il_570xN.290594479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLpr1cKI25c_HdK65jSSBajoDwXbmrV5RqdNXgBU7IpgG_QhxKEiaF06xAhO3xoa2ja2mT1SgKKyOixz6YSzZBadhmeIBkAr0Fe13ekbh8jBcmDrepA9f2Q_31l_2iJx5V9aOUBJtWEGj/s320/il_570xN.290594479.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwKHkOAwoMjvxp5DBNlXw2wTkRXFJ2i4h5T6TmQBRtFVbosJXs0_jqOiLkzs51XVa4GECKW7DoOig2O2nioE2qyjBnFncycGhPKYauZJk2VOdFkIX5ZH-gK6w6UZstXWgeYFKnVllWJQA/s1600/il_570xN.290724582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwKHkOAwoMjvxp5DBNlXw2wTkRXFJ2i4h5T6TmQBRtFVbosJXs0_jqOiLkzs51XVa4GECKW7DoOig2O2nioE2qyjBnFncycGhPKYauZJk2VOdFkIX5ZH-gK6w6UZstXWgeYFKnVllWJQA/s320/il_570xN.290724582.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyp4Q6AmVig1MEmPSuereBZUMYZh12GCazp6PPR2nEfJgOq4NrX_OzStp_8dJruDbxadGrLY0E2DNNM5uACVlqi-TzTfQ8a2L7uhZBoyLBYl6oYQZ2Y4ktYSCEZ3LbX7VIHLFPbXVpM3p/s1600/il_570xN.290594589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyp4Q6AmVig1MEmPSuereBZUMYZh12GCazp6PPR2nEfJgOq4NrX_OzStp_8dJruDbxadGrLY0E2DNNM5uACVlqi-TzTfQ8a2L7uhZBoyLBYl6oYQZ2Y4ktYSCEZ3LbX7VIHLFPbXVpM3p/s320/il_570xN.290594589.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This industrial Vornado electric fan built in Wichita, Kansas in the 1940s/50s by the O.A. Sutton Company was not an expensive luxury item like the BMW above. It was just a elegant and thoughtfully designed object. The chips and scratches that it has developed over the years have only added to it’s character.</span>
</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The technology-moving-too-fast argument is even weaker when we take it back to architecture. The Maison de Verre designed by Pierre Chearu in 1928 is an example of architecture integrated with the technology of its time. More importantly it is an example of quality detailing. Since he started out as a fine furniture designer, Chearu approached the design of the building as such. The result is a meticulously crafted building where even the furniture was designed and integrated into the building. I wouldn't say it was good as the day it was made, but for something close to 100 years old, it's not too shabby.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY95GcAC1Zdsob59uZdVlT3YN8XvywLYNGh5tG67CUMvPWFGCahBggj27skB-UhqOCpXGZDtaGO9PxK7csIklS_LNAUYSs2Qk-gLYvwSeZLzZEhHeHldXdZe4nKC6Rz_M0OXzDxg1_JLNP/s1600/OB-MK699_mag311_G_20110208140730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY95GcAC1Zdsob59uZdVlT3YN8XvywLYNGh5tG67CUMvPWFGCahBggj27skB-UhqOCpXGZDtaGO9PxK7csIklS_LNAUYSs2Qk-gLYvwSeZLzZEhHeHldXdZe4nKC6Rz_M0OXzDxg1_JLNP/s320/OB-MK699_mag311_G_20110208140730.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ23R361kCcpVW35wIjNUspx4cIx0pF-4PTIKghHXLcrRigEgMEBZCvxmOOUJwQ32ekMQUh5QbBb2HlT4HVxE_653liwY1lwrV-amRYIUbqItwSgc8atTRkkp1XTBJqtSu9jrcwETT_i5/s1600/photo-120.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ23R361kCcpVW35wIjNUspx4cIx0pF-4PTIKghHXLcrRigEgMEBZCvxmOOUJwQ32ekMQUh5QbBb2HlT4HVxE_653liwY1lwrV-amRYIUbqItwSgc8atTRkkp1XTBJqtSu9jrcwETT_i5/s320/photo-120.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-af31yBZN8ifkWqFi4wXKKW02soz-7-4CsmD-asVvzDsvBOgOKWWfTaxTtImqPbdixBiL1u7rgF2SQWg80zfvZc4MCikQwaUpNUQT_eTaIYtrj32PsV5g3LyqbwFVZNleCcMMDAHQ9wIx/s1600/photo-230.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-af31yBZN8ifkWqFi4wXKKW02soz-7-4CsmD-asVvzDsvBOgOKWWfTaxTtImqPbdixBiL1u7rgF2SQWg80zfvZc4MCikQwaUpNUQT_eTaIYtrj32PsV5g3LyqbwFVZNleCcMMDAHQ9wIx/s320/photo-230.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4GKk-uyX6HYRtWEaq00IUY2OuUGKqBtG_qRi6V9mvqTXBYbannL2ahmbNiOKWIbqXFDBJ4wVjHeHP8gj09TFaoWQrwPPun9kwSs5J36o8frXXCKfGeJpzhHArERrf0-IcOPkLT3HE65p/s1600/photo-430.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4GKk-uyX6HYRtWEaq00IUY2OuUGKqBtG_qRi6V9mvqTXBYbannL2ahmbNiOKWIbqXFDBJ4wVjHeHP8gj09TFaoWQrwPPun9kwSs5J36o8frXXCKfGeJpzhHArERrf0-IcOPkLT3HE65p/s320/photo-430.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The simple truth is that quality design and craftsmanship transcends technology.<br />
<br />
So here is my question:<br />
<ul>
<li> How can some of the most celebrated architects and designers of our time get away with designing works of such low-quality again and again and not only come away unscathed, but win multiple design awards and accolades for them time and time again? </li>
<li>Why is it that no one is saying anything about the quality? </li>
</ul>
There are many layers of reasons that I will cover in the upcoming series of notes. For now, I will discuss the one which I believe is the most relevant. The clue can be found in <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-is-important-in-starchitecture.html">starchitecture school</a>. If you ever remember sitting in a crit and seeing the reaction when a star student present and compared it with the reactions later on when a regular student present, then you will get what I am saying.<br />
<br />
When a star student presents an eye popping project that has little relationship to reality, their professors tends to smile and discuss the novelty of the idea, while when a regular student presents a less spectacular project that is well considered in relation to real world concerns, he gets questioned on all the nuances of his details.<br />
<br />
This is simply because the critic responds to the prevailing ideas and themes that the project discusses. They respond to how you talk about your work as much as the work itself.
Unless you have made some really obvious mistakes that is so distracting from the idea of the project that it can not be ignored, quality will not be discussed.<br />
<br />
If the principal architectural idea of your project discusses an issue rooted in reality, then you will be critiqued based on the rules of the real world. You will be asked questions like:<br />
<ul>
<li>How do you deal with the structural issues?</li>
<li>That building is right across the street from where the local crack addicts hang out. How do you then deal with issues of security, etc? </li>
</ul>
However, If you locate your project in the imaginary world of Harry Potter, for example, then it discusses the world of Hogwarts and wizardry. You will be critiqued based on the rules and reality outlined by J.K. Rowling.<br />
<br />
You will not be asked about ventilation, crack addicts, security or how your building engages activity on the pedestrian level.
Your professors will discuss how the phenomenology of wizardry permeates contemporary society and its ramifications on urban space. And if you are in a real star-architecture school, they will discuss these issues among themselves in front of you as though you are not in the room. Therefore you will not be asked any questions.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/03/42-what-is-architecture.html">Lebbeus Woods once said that architecture is about ideas</a>. He is right!<br />
<br />
The significance of your project lies within the ideas that it discusses.
Similarly, famous buildings are usually famous because of the ideas that they discuss.<br />
<br />
The Maison de Verre by virtue of its high attention to detail and craftsmanship sets up a framework to discuss <i><u>the idea</u></i> of quality and craftsmanship.
In a critique or discussion of this work, one will tend to discuss the choice of materials, the types of hinges he used or the placements of the elements in relation to the body and such.<br />
<br />
Conversely, if the conceptual idea is not directly about quality or the materials, then quality, space, materials, aging etc is secondary and therefore treated accordingly.<br />
<br />
The prevailing ideas behind BIG’s projects, for instance, are generally about taking two or more traditionally independent programs and merging them together to make an interdependent hybrid that benefit from one another. Its about parametric design and not the least, it is about engaging commercialism and economy as a robust feature of their design and branding strategy.
The most important thing in these projects is to demonstrate that this concept works at least at a basic level, that it appeases commercial interests and that it looks good enough (at least on the opening day).
Long-term quality and detailing is not unimportant, but it is less so relative to the larger issues and concepts at work here.<br />
<br />
With the New Museum, the main idea is about challenging the way we think about vertical construction.
Again as with the VM and Mountain Dwelling Project, the most important thing about the building as far as its relevance in the larger discourse in architecture is to demonstrate that it can be done. It cements an idea in place and time.
When historians, academics, students etc discuss and write about the issue of vertical construction in architecture, it will stand on the timeline of critical references along with Louis Sullivan’s Wainwright building, the Seagrams building, etc
In this scheme, spatial quality and outstanding detailing is not unimportant but it is less so relative to the prevailing issue of verticality, and the sculptural iconography of the building’s exterior form. Unless it is underperforming in a major way, quality is not an issue.<br />
<br />
By contrast, if you look at Meis’ branding strategy and philosophy (prevailing ideas), you will see that it is all about projecting integrity and quality. He derides any notions of temporality (the styles, fashion, etc), he wants to talk about the longer arc of time, material integrity etc. This is where he situates his work and this is what his brand is all about. Below, he talks about his philosophy (and please do not<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html"> get hypnotized by his branding machine</a> - take it for what it is - an honest observation smothered in promotional whip-cream):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>My architectural philosophy came out of reading philosophical books. I cannot tell you at the moment where I read it, but I know I read it somewhere, that architecture belongs to the epoch and not even to the time, to a real epoch.
Since I understood that, I would not be for fashion in architecture. I would look for more profound principles.
I was lucky enough, you know, when I came to the Netherlands and I was confronted with Berlage's work. There, was the construction.
What made the strongest impression on me was the use of brick and so on, the honesty of materials and so on. I never forget this lesson I got there just by looking at his
buildings.</i></blockquote>
<br />
If you look at say his Farnsworth house for example, (as with the Mountain Dwelling and the New Museum) the most important thing about the building (as far as its relevance in the larger discourse in architecture is concerned) is to demonstrate that this concept-philosophy can be materialized in the real world. However the core of this concept was about materiality, timelessness, and quality. So to demonstrate that, it had to be designed and built in such a way that it can withstand aging without losing its integrity.<br />
<br />
Long term quality, and detailing is at the center of this philosophy.
So if any of Mies’ buildings were made nearly as poorly as the Mountain Dwellings or the VM apartments it would have probably been ruinous to his career and reputation.
Conversely, if any of Bjarke’s work were as famously over budget in the way Mies’s Farnsworth house was, it would probably ruin his reputation too.<br />
<br />
So what’s my point?<br />
<br />
The prevailing ideas of your work and branding trumps all.
In the grand scheme of the fame game, quality in material and craftsmanship, even fundamental things like quality of space are simply subordinates to ideas and branding.
For celebrated works, they are dispensable attributes, not fundamental prerequisites as I previously thought.
So, allow me to retort with the title of this series: You don’t have to be good.<br />
<br />
<br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.famousarchitect.blogspot.com/">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a><br />
Liberating Minds Since August 2007<br />
<br />
<br />
RELATED NOTES:<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/04/82-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-2.html">83. You Don't have to be Good - Part 2: SANAA & The New Museum</a><br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2012/02/81-you-dont-have-to-be-good-part-1-big.html">82. You Don't Have to be Good - Part 1: BIG, JDS, PLOT</a><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-35524302435314664982012-04-09T13:26:00.002+02:002012-04-17T14:04:31.381+02:0083. You Don't have to be Good - Part 2: SANAA & The New Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I897YnpdYZP6H4LQMoXYIAYITTUGv-eZ5qLC4jPc-nHD42oZRF5mhkbNV_tJwxpRmjjY6S2-Q6to5nDziGglAKWUqY2-IvCWbnMuyT2z5SqhpTuD8t_qdpnHYHTi6I4Uvh6Z2u8m1tM/s1600/guggenheim-museum-soho_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why do we visit famous architecture?</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For me it’s like going to see a movie. I come with an open mind. I want to bring my popcorn, and open my senses to take in the architecture. I expect my emotions to be stimulated in ways that it is not on an everyday basis. I expect to be thrilled, excited, and inspired.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you visit a work in person, you get to see how the big idea is resolved in the spaces and details, not just how it looks on the surface or in the photograph. It is not just about seeing the volume in 3D either. It is to get to the very essence of the building; the space.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> When I visit famous works or any work for that matter they reveal themselves in ways that can not be revealed in the photographs. You get to experience the non-tangibles; the smells, the sounds, the temperature, the atmosphere, the feel of the context, a sense of the culture and just a whole world of things that can not be understood in any media format. What’s more, you get to see how the architect responded to these things. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But for famous works in particular, you expect more. Don’t you? </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s like seeing a trailer for a film, it looks great, and you ask people who have seen it;</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">how was it?</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And they tell you "It was awesome man! You should definitely see it." </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Everyone you ask says “yeah... that was the bom!”</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When you go in the theater don’t you just expect a good thing?</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The same is true for architecture. </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">When you see all the pictures in the magazines and you ask people how it was and they tell you “it was tha bom!”</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you expect? You expect that this is not just a regular building; that this is something special. It was made with special care. It is exceptional and this is why people come to see it: This is why it wins awards and this is why it is famous.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I went to see the New Museum in New York, well let’s just say it was not quite what I expected. To beat the hell out of the movie metaphor, I will say that it reminded me of the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&x=0&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=ur2&y=0&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=avatar&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv" target="_blank">Avatar</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. With that movie, the main thing was its breakthrough with special effects. There were a myriad of technological advances that was developed and used for the first time in that film. They had special effects - the likes of which we have never seen before. This was the main attraction of the movie and everything else was there to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">exploit and showcase the marvelous things that you could do with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> this technology; the story, the character development, etc, etc. It’s like “hey look at this shiny new technology isn’t it awesome?, and oh yeah...by the way here is a story to tie it all together and keep you interested.”</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It seems that James Cameron did all the right things there on out. It's as though he had a checklist of all the things the critics normally comment on and made sure it was handled;</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Good love story. Check</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Environmental message. Check</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Entertaining action scenes. Check</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blockbuster marketing and promotion. Check</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and so on.</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cameron who had made a handsome profit on his earlier <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JLWW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00000JLWW">Titanic</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00000JLWW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> production had a nice budget to spend on the marketing and that he did. By the time the movie was ready for release everyone that I knew had already seen the trailer, and was bubbling with excitement to see it. In all, it was a good movie, it made a lot of money at the box office and it thrilled and tantalized the little 5 year old in me. The visuals as a result of the technology were stunning and delightful. It advanced the movie industry in a way that very few other movies before it have done. However, this film is no where profound enough an outlier to be placed in the same category as say <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&x=0&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=ur2&y=0&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=avatar&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=movies-tv" target="_blank">The Matrix</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&x=0&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=ur2&y=0&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=avatar&url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=movies-tv" target="_blank">Star Wars</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Why? Because the story (which is the very essence of a film) though very nice, played a supporting role in the grand scheme of the production not the other way around. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this regard there are some strong parallels with the New Museum and this film. The core architectural idea (the main feature) of this building is its exterior sculptural form</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (the off kilter stacking and its materiality)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and everything else is subservient to that. Louis Kahn talks about how in architecture that there are servant spaces and spaces that are served. The exterior sculptural form of this building is the space (or rather form) that is being served by the rest of the spaces. It was in short designed from the outside in, not the other way around. </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It feels like they put all their creative energy into coming up with this novel idea and then they found their inner Suzanna (read more about Suzanna <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/09/79-muses-are-overrated-suzannas-are.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and handed her the task of developing the internals of the project. However, instead of taking it back from her when she was done and looking at it with a critical and creative mind and asking </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“how could I make this even better?”, they just stopped; they just accepted it as is and sent it straight out to the contractors. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first thing that I noticed in the quality of the spaces and the detailing was that it was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">just</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> good enough. I always thought that if you are going to do minimalist architecture then the excitement has got to be in the details, and in this case there was none. Everything was done correctly; they dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's. With the exception of the exterior, everything was done by the book. The interior detailing is safe as yesterday. There was no experimentation, no risks, no joy, just another hard day’s work at the office and then go home. What you get is a series of pretentious minimalist white cube galleries stacked one on top of the other. You don't need to travel to New York to see it, just go to your local commercial art gallery and you experience the same thing.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are the details horrible?... No.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are they good?... No - They are not good either - they are just standard and generic with a little dash of flair here and there.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They are just there like every other white cube gallery in every city. There is nothing more to see architecturally.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you compare it with the Guggenheim just up the road, you will see what I am talking about.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The two buildings are virtually identical in programs, they are both museums with art galleries, both are white on the inside and out and both contrasts significantly with their contexts. However only one is a genuine outlier as far as architecture is concerned.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First and most importantly, the Guggenheim was designed from the inside out; like every building should. Architectural space; (the stuff that matters most) was placed in its rightful position as the chief determinant here: It is evident that this was the starting point and everything else flowed from it. What you get is this wonderful interior and oh by the way we get a nice sculptural thingy on the exterior too.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Secondly, with the Guggenheim, Wright took risks and experimented on every level. He re-examined a lot of things that most architects take for granted. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Well how about the way we go through the museum? Maybe we don’t have to wander from one white box to another; maybe there is another way.</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> "How about we have visitors view the art going down on a circular ramp? Maybe we give that a try."</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> With this architectural idea he developed a plan of using two overlapping circles and rectangles and already he has departed from the conventional. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Did he stop there? Of-course not.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Then there was the exterior, he could have hid the cylindrical volume with conventional rectangular masses on the outside and make it try to fit in to the neighborhood: Throw some brickwork on the outside and use some slick cooperate sales speak and say "Oh yes! I thought I would communicate with the neighboring buildings and make this be like one of the guys on the block". But he did not. He chose to express the architectural idea on the exterior too.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Did he stop there? ...No!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">When it came to the details and the smaller auxiliary spaces, he could have just used some standard conventional stuff and went home. But he did not, he did not stop there. He asked: </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">"how can I make even more outstanding spaces with this what I have so far?"</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">"What kind of spaces can I make with this?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">As a result there is no generic anything here!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">The architectural idea expresses itself in every stupid room, in every stupid detail. Just go in in there and look around a bit; everything was considered in relationship to the architectural idea and so there is a clear relationship between the exterior, the interior, and every detail. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I897YnpdYZP6H4LQMoXYIAYITTUGv-eZ5qLC4jPc-nHD42oZRF5mhkbNV_tJwxpRmjjY6S2-Q6to5nDziGglAKWUqY2-IvCWbnMuyT2z5SqhpTuD8t_qdpnHYHTi6I4Uvh6Z2u8m1tM/s1600/guggenheim-museum-soho_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I897YnpdYZP6H4LQMoXYIAYITTUGv-eZ5qLC4jPc-nHD42oZRF5mhkbNV_tJwxpRmjjY6S2-Q6to5nDziGglAKWUqY2-IvCWbnMuyT2z5SqhpTuD8t_qdpnHYHTi6I4Uvh6Z2u8m1tM/s320/guggenheim-museum-soho_3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Exterior</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0bKPVsaYD8us_nsKnOjyyeTaSNb1jvlzKh0icHMf8KLe_029cBHNgF7q8sT7MADcxSLz_R-i8miStjsurfNsbK8KzXb1wVJxjj7bNu-OWHExJEGliTYT8TJ3-4oIMMNvHZfQtIkTPC4/s1600/Guggenheim-the-interior;-the-principal-architectural-idea.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0bKPVsaYD8us_nsKnOjyyeTaSNb1jvlzKh0icHMf8KLe_029cBHNgF7q8sT7MADcxSLz_R-i8miStjsurfNsbK8KzXb1wVJxjj7bNu-OWHExJEGliTYT8TJ3-4oIMMNvHZfQtIkTPC4/s320/Guggenheim-the-interior;-the-principal-architectural-idea.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Interior</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxqfGwnChEicZrJCymbZgn8S9ao31cHCp6exjG-m0BIy0eOkuXWo_MV_alInsyG5rdg1Z03cAmYJEns-l_rQs10SWvHzossnsaEONaUH3fA_7ZIZxhWDgSScWR3I5BC-KkEa8tE-6h6M/s1600/guggenheim-detail-auxilary-spaces.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxqfGwnChEicZrJCymbZgn8S9ao31cHCp6exjG-m0BIy0eOkuXWo_MV_alInsyG5rdg1Z03cAmYJEns-l_rQs10SWvHzossnsaEONaUH3fA_7ZIZxhWDgSScWR3I5BC-KkEa8tE-6h6M/s400/guggenheim-detail-auxilary-spaces.png" width="313" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Ancillary Spaces & Details</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You don't have to like Wright (...and he was not a likable guy from what I have heard) and you don't even have to like the building either for that matter to appreciate the rigor, ingenuity and inventiveness that went into the design of this building.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In doing so, Wright made mistakes and offended just about everybody. Right before the museum opened there were artists petitioning against It, claiming that it is a horrible place to display art. But so what? That is what happens when you stick your neck out and take risks. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The New Museum is the opposite of Guggenheim in this regard. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can only imagine that they were trying to make the interior as neutral and inconspicuous as possible so that the architecture does not compete with the art. God forbid! No starchitect today would want to be criticized for giving credence to the notion that starchitects only care about building ego stroking monuments to themselves at the expense of functionality and the client’s needs. Therefore let's just be safe, follow all the conventional rules and try to offend absolutely no one. What you get is a correctly detailed medium standard white cube gallery that is politically correct and offends me so much I can’t stand it.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If it were edible, the interior would taste like a seven course meal of unseasoned plain white rice. All I can ask is: Where is the beef?</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UYAUs75Wa4GmxKgzZ4dovKP0_-KdXeUcJdHfLulsb2sTt-zM-uohnzrzRciVs8R1FyQ6x9nYOdorKqc0gh8md35Q_HDlJV92eXiHc-tk5du7DvNDYwKYmT5WgGiJHU6EFLjE3CmpIkk/s1600/where-is-the-beef.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UYAUs75Wa4GmxKgzZ4dovKP0_-KdXeUcJdHfLulsb2sTt-zM-uohnzrzRciVs8R1FyQ6x9nYOdorKqc0gh8md35Q_HDlJV92eXiHc-tk5du7DvNDYwKYmT5WgGiJHU6EFLjE3CmpIkk/s640/where-is-the-beef.png" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A good deal of my friends are of the thought that it is unfair to compare SANAA to Wright, because Wright was a genius that exists on another plain beyond us mortals. My long time readers know exactly what I think of this notion. Just look <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2007/10/21-get-it-straight-famous-architects.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/work-for-rem-part-ii-behrens-vs.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Wright was no genius, he was just another star architect who knew the value of space. Since he was a star (he dominated the architectural press) he was in a way an architect to whom his generation looked to for inspiration and leadership. In the same way SANAA among others are the architects that pop up in every other magazine I read. Architects around the world look at them for leadership. So they are among the design leaders of our generation weather you like it or not. So I maintain that it is fair to compare one generation’s leader to another.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The act of shifting the floor masses off kilter can be seen as an overrated mundane gesture</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. So you shift a few boxes around like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&x=0&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=ur2&y=0&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=jenga&url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games" target="_blank">Jenga</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />: What's the big deal?</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a way it is not a big deal and in a way it is. What I find magical about it is that it can oscillate between the banal and the profound. On the one hand it seems so simple that it is stupid and on the other, with one simple Zen-like act they questioned a long standing cannon about the way we think about vertical construction. What’s more, it was done in New York City, the city of the tall vertical skyscrapers, of Mies’ Seagram’s Building and right under the shadow of Louis Sullivan’s Bayard-Condict Building just down the road on Bleeker Street. Louis Sullivan! the father of vertical expressionism in tall buildings. Even more profound is that in its elegant simplicity and subtleties it stands defiantly against the wave of bombastic architectural expressionism that was and still is so dominant today. To me that's a big deal and this is where they earn my respect as design leaders. They showed us that there are other less brazen ways to make things interesting. As far as I saw it, they had stolen the ball from the big boys and I was excited to see what they were going to do with it.</span> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">However, they did nothing. As interesting and beautiful that this idea is, it is not enough to stop there and leave it at that. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Architecture is ultimately about space and great architecture is about making spaces of outstanding quality. If someday in the distant future the technology allows a building to hover above the ground without columns or any visible means of support and the first architect to develop this unveils a standard detailed box without exploiting its spatial possibilities, I would call it a neat trick. I would ooh and ahh about it for a while, but ultimately it would only be nothing more than a neat trick.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this sense, the new museum is just a neat trick at most.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is interesting, playful and experimental in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">only one dimension:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The overall concept and that's it. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the art world we call that a one liner piece; a work that makes one unambiguous point and that's it. Nothing more left for contemplation or reflection. You look at it and say “OK, I get it” and then you keep walking.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Did they try to use or play with the spatial consequences of the uneven stacking to come up with some interesting or unexpected spaces? No. There is a lot of talk about how they made it so that some of the galleries could be up lighted by daylight but it is not detectable.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Was the meshing on the facade a foreshadowing somehow of the textural treatment that we will see on the interior; perhaps a hint of the materiality or something else? No, not really, there are some cheap looking wire mesh screening on the curved divider that separates the book shop from the rest of the lobby and some more of it on the ceiling in the lobby and that’s it. It looks as though they picked it up last minute wholesale from one of the restaurant supply stores across the street. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Critics or should I say their fans in the press applaud it as a move to connect with the grittiness of the neighborhood. - Hogwash! </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can slap on all this "Kum-ba-yah" corporate-speak all you want, this building is anything but gritty or has any characteristics of that neighborhood. It might as well have landed from outer space.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once you get inside you don't get the feeling at all that the building is organized in any way different from a regularly stacked building. It is just a series of plain white cube gallery spaces with no reference what-so-ever to its off kilter stacking. If you are very familiar with the exterior but have never been there before and someone blindfolded you and dropped you on a random floor in this building then asked you to guess which building you are in (after removing the blindfolds of-course), I guarantee that you would never be able to guess that you were in the New Museum.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lets play a silly game. Below is a picture of the exterior of the building, immediately below that are 8 pictures of standard generic commercial white-cube galleries around the world and one picture of the world famous New Museum interior designed by Pritzker winning Super-starchitects SANAA. Now here is the question: Can you guess which one is the interior of the New Museum? I will give you a clue; it is white!</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaMYBqZum6hm5O9aCaLWJ2ONQR6obMQd9VWsIMdZWwd46-p9PVV2-J4nKYRlWAE5LAMGxCUyCMkerWIuHDwWtcruErlo3RZsaR01CkZoH4O1ANKWxsxB6RAzxpx9nTsEmjwF9i6ClH1A/s1600/new_museum_facade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaMYBqZum6hm5O9aCaLWJ2ONQR6obMQd9VWsIMdZWwd46-p9PVV2-J4nKYRlWAE5LAMGxCUyCMkerWIuHDwWtcruErlo3RZsaR01CkZoH4O1ANKWxsxB6RAzxpx9nTsEmjwF9i6ClH1A/s320/new_museum_facade.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Exterior</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrDN6jZ7eLUSTiA3PJn_N_OL32h6SBv8_KBPRZ25xAVShBsbDfwgzKD_u2zGhxIkyfRoCKOlm5Q-hRfSBSzDeRvZNT7wKsWCJLN1W_EvI1fDTx7ISPTItrKx_ZRMKDR5I9GfDunq7u_Q/s1600/white-cube-gallaries.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrDN6jZ7eLUSTiA3PJn_N_OL32h6SBv8_KBPRZ25xAVShBsbDfwgzKD_u2zGhxIkyfRoCKOlm5Q-hRfSBSzDeRvZNT7wKsWCJLN1W_EvI1fDTx7ISPTItrKx_ZRMKDR5I9GfDunq7u_Q/s320/white-cube-gallaries.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Which one these is the fabulously exciting interior of the New Museum?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT2997j8BxZ-8eiqBfq7Z_N_GZ8ZBmSsPMT5qsA1PjZt4W2tcABDbykMphnmZf5RACPNw-1Ntuffe0SJUA_ZWg6ey_DbCDu5XmdE1s3ZSj_ng199xqQd_S10Id7XIZThFleaVkVabOxU/s1600/white-cube-key.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT2997j8BxZ-8eiqBfq7Z_N_GZ8ZBmSsPMT5qsA1PjZt4W2tcABDbykMphnmZf5RACPNw-1Ntuffe0SJUA_ZWg6ey_DbCDu5XmdE1s3ZSj_ng199xqQd_S10Id7XIZThFleaVkVabOxU/s320/white-cube-key.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Here are the answers. Did you get it right?</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Well have a cookie. You are obviously a sophisticated connoisseur of high architecture.</i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once I arrived there and got past the airport level security ticketing and baggage checkpoints, the first significant thing I noticed was the security presence. It seemed as though they had the equivalent of the Mona Lisa up in there. They were guards dressed in black with snazzy New Museum ID Cards and walkie-talkies chirping in chorus. They were quick to swarm on you at your slightest motion toward your camera phone. You could almost feel the moisture of their breaths on the back of your neck as you look at the art. The silence of the white sterilized galleries was often punctuated by an occasional bark from a security officer.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sir?..Sir!..No pictures allowed!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Excuse me!..Can you keep a distance from the artwork please?...Thank You.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are you doing?...put that away!!!..there is no</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> pop corn eating in this museum.</span></span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In my tour of the museum’s interior, here is a list of the things that defined the experience in order of impact.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<ol><li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the security</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the security</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the security</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the art</span></li>
</ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can see the architecture did not make the list. It comes in some-place or another after one of the dedication name plaques and the fonts on the receipts from the book shop.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I walked though out the galleries, I was looking so desperately for an a-ha moment, a little sign that someone was having fun putting this together, that they enjoyed the detailing, or a moment of playfulness. The closest thing to it was a long narrow staircase. Anywhere else it would be the most mundane thing you would just walk by without as much as a glance, but in that context, anything, absolutely anything that slightly departs from the standard white-cube-osity is a source of life.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At this point I was ready for a little excitement, and if I wasn’t going to get it from the architecture then Gad-damn-it I was going to create some on my own. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my camera without taking it out. I felt for the power button and switched it on, then as inconspicuously as I possibly could, I began roaming in circles in the vicinity of the staircase, silently whistling and pretending to look at the art while the security guards patrolled almost without any logical direction, just like the ghosts in a Pac-Man game. When there was a clear moment, I quickly ran down the stairs and took two pictures. That's them there below.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghktMMhWaoZdwhg1N0w2szy2L4dkHxWNIjaoGIIWvguVVL0Cs6ApI2JdMuEZeG_84Bux8n8v7mBxRsPjW8lPjO2umswHmgUMOv5DAK37ppm1b8t_T94Jv9VypuCxV5Z4G2U4pHeMJM38E/s1600/DSCF4840.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghktMMhWaoZdwhg1N0w2szy2L4dkHxWNIjaoGIIWvguVVL0Cs6ApI2JdMuEZeG_84Bux8n8v7mBxRsPjW8lPjO2umswHmgUMOv5DAK37ppm1b8t_T94Jv9VypuCxV5Z4G2U4pHeMJM38E/s320/DSCF4840.JPG" width="240" /></a></span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjY1gnZTNilfoAc9nkRTXXlTw0m-Jger2_1FP3mjqS0N4nkeRlUOJ-Shlx1AHZG0FcUidKpTc-8UmeMj6ypYLAX98io_hyUPbwYuUavGgSnxshq8G_biRl9KEEAQp-F2R9hTveoxGU6Tk/s1600/DSCF4842.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjY1gnZTNilfoAc9nkRTXXlTw0m-Jger2_1FP3mjqS0N4nkeRlUOJ-Shlx1AHZG0FcUidKpTc-8UmeMj6ypYLAX98io_hyUPbwYuUavGgSnxshq8G_biRl9KEEAQp-F2R9hTveoxGU6Tk/s320/DSCF4842.JPG" width="240" /></a></span><br />
<br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I had enough, I shuffled in with everyone into the large elevator that takes you back down to the lobby. Once the large shiny stainless steel doors closed, suddenly all the visitors frantically started taking pictures. I was sincerely baffled.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What!... am I missing something?</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Its just an elevator. Why are they taking pictures?</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Its just an over-sized-hospital-standard-elevator that they picked out of a catalog. - They didn't even design it.</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s all the fuss about?</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXfJetma4qwzFtS_sn4n4nbWrWKZLoTRWx5P9w2lp1uMRjOPIMz2cTvYXFqfAu_1vdpxyI90xxnzlI_peaj5rHW2js9B9HvDUh_Iyqz7lDHSNFbLsz5oJtoF4xtVgc6sHXhZsNJtKJSwX/s1600/ELEVATOR-new-museum.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXfJetma4qwzFtS_sn4n4nbWrWKZLoTRWx5P9w2lp1uMRjOPIMz2cTvYXFqfAu_1vdpxyI90xxnzlI_peaj5rHW2js9B9HvDUh_Iyqz7lDHSNFbLsz5oJtoF4xtVgc6sHXhZsNJtKJSwX/s640/ELEVATOR-new-museum.png" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="p1"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Repressed by all the security and lack of architectural stimulation in the galleries, the elevator was the only place to release all the tension that they had pent up in their trigger-fingers. It gave Conrad cause for concern.</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFx7HFb6f8voaT46jkrp5LW0LmBNeJrQIaoas7tqHB1zYl5zdK_1f6BiZEgkqMQuK-_qQS7JFdXreDfJdJDa2pjk4CJcUBBKYBB9I_Dgxn1aYTe5fi90cSKTiOH45ova0W3ZNwVSE820/s1600/they-dropped-the-ball.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In hindsight, I thought that perhaps they were just so repressed by all the security and that since the elevator was the only place without a guard there to shout you down, they couldn't help but to release all the tension that they had pent up in their trigger-</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">fingers. Either that or they did it for the same reason that I took a picture of the staircase. That it was so boring that even a catalogue standard elevator painted brightly green was like water in a desert of sensory deprivation.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">It's like the architects had snatched the ball from the big boys and ran, but they somehow fumbled it; they dropped the ball. But instead of calling them on it, the architectural press just seemed to look the other way and kept on praising them. They dropped the ball and crowd kept on cheering like they made a slam dunk, and I am standing there saying</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Hey! They dropped the ball, didn’t anybody see that?</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">They dropped the ball! </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">They dropped the fucking ball!!!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">What am I in the twilight zone here?</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s just a bunch of plain old commercial gallery spaces stacked on top of each other!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Can’t anybody see that?</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrnazczemZPA7aZWIcVlYsM2cgjnrbHppSveQCpzTFmb2YkUXK1G9Sji484Hyx8k_EoIU4MsA7W5FbfsW_SXkTsizwJTakx_fi5L6cwnK5ZOAbNrrFnPvU_g4zBrD96D6KjBWbHCe6IEP/s1600/Sanaa-celebrate-Pritzker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrnazczemZPA7aZWIcVlYsM2cgjnrbHppSveQCpzTFmb2YkUXK1G9Sji484Hyx8k_EoIU4MsA7W5FbfsW_SXkTsizwJTakx_fi5L6cwnK5ZOAbNrrFnPvU_g4zBrD96D6KjBWbHCe6IEP/s320/Sanaa-celebrate-Pritzker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Conrad Newel </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" style="text-decoration: none;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-91521859137727830622012-02-29T16:48:00.005+01:002012-04-09T13:41:15.253+02:0081. The little Pritzker Committee that Almost Could<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Last night “Gudle” who blogs from China tipped me off to the fact that Wang Shu had won the Pritzker. My immediate reaction was:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Wow! I am almost surprised.”</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Why almost?</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As a pretext you can read <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/75-predicting-pritzker.html">here</a>, <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/75-predicting-pritzker.html">here</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html">here</a>. </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Although Wang departs moderately from the standard statistical norms, if you look closely he fits the typical biographical profile. Compare with SANAA’s profile <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/04/sanaa.html">here</a>:</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">You can see that he and his wife Lu Wenyu had a breakthrough stage in their practice where they were being published a lot. Although I did not know what they looked like, I immediately recognized the Ningbo Museum because it had been on the cover of Mark Magazine a few issues back. They were not just local stars anymore; they were on the world stage.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Next, if you look at their professional biography, they had already started to be recognized by other institutions. This is what the Pritzker committee looks for, it does not take risks. It chooses safe bets that have been pre-vetted by other institutions. The pair has won the German Shelling Architecture Prize, and in 2011 they received the French Gold Medal from the Academy of Architecture. Their works were recognized by the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction in the Asia Pacific and the Architecture Art Award of China. That many awards mean these folks have been properly vetted and primed for the Pritzker.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">To add to this, he has been the head of the architecture department of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou since 2000, and had already started<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html"> the global lecture and teaching circuitjust like Zumthor before him</a>. His visiting lecturer and professorship around the world included Harvard University, University of Texas, UCLA and University of Pennsylvania. The holy grail of Pritzker credentials is the Harvard teaching position which almost every recent awardee has under his belt.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Not only that, they have done their promotion home work too; they <span style="background-color: white;">participated in the Venice Biennale and exhibited in Hong Kong, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The third a final key is the Seminal built project which usually comes through winning a major competition and demonstrates artistic pragmatic and intellectual components. Again we are looking at the Ningbo Museum. You can read more about why this is so significant in a seminal way <a href="http://www.architectural-review.com/buildings/ningbo-museum-by-amateur-architecture-studio-yinzhou-ningbo-china/5218020.article">here</a>.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">What is the least surprising but at the same time incalculably shocking is their attitude toward the female members of our species. I am now convinced that there must be some sort of secret oath taken by all incoming jurors (both male and female) to uphold the dominance of the male specie over the female in the starchitecture world. It is mind boggling. They had a scandal some years ago when they gave the prize to Robert Venturi without acknowledging his professional partner and wife Denise Scott Brown: They were clearly in the wrong and the whole world agreed. Next, the reverse situation came up when they decided to give the work SANAA - Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa; in this case Ryue was evidently the sidekick that eventually became an equal. If they were to play Batman & Robin, Sejama would be Batman and Ryue would be Robin. Let’s just face that fact. Sejema would ride the bike and Rue would sit in the side pouch and say “holy great architecture you have made Sejema! I like it”. He is about 10 years her junior and started out as an intern in her office. Yet when the Pritzker was looking at the body of work of the company that was founded and led by Sejema years before she made Ryue a partner, they gave the award to the both of them. It was the fair thing to do.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that we have another <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2007/11/24-marry-architect.html">husbandand and wife team</a> slightly in the reverse situation, here is your chance Pritzker committee to right your wrong and turn the page on a past that we would all rather forget. But what did you do? You poured salt on the wound for Christ sake! </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">WANG Shu and LU Wenyu founded the Amateur Architecture Studio together in 1998. Lu was not an apprentice she was a full partner right from the beginning and if they are a husband and wife team as any married couple knows they discuss important issues together and make decisions collectively. So when Wang was asked if he thought his wife should be sharing the prize with him? This is what he had to say:</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“Yes, every time when I finish the first sketch of a building, she is the first one to see it. And if she doesn’t like it, I go back and draw it again.”</span></blockquote><span lang="EN-US"> <br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Ok, to be fair let’s give the Pritzker commitee a chance to explain themselves. <span style="background-color: white;">When they were asked why Lu Wenyu was not was given the prize as well, Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker jury said this in their defense:</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">"The prize goes to a person or people (not a firm). The jury carefully evaluates all aspects of the professionals nominated for the prize. When it is a team effort (as most of architecture is), this is especially challenging. In the case of this year's winner, the jury looked at his contributions to the built work, teaching, theory, etc., and felt that he was exceptional and worthy of the prize." </span></blockquote><span lang="EN-US"> <br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">What!</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s your defense?</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">What are you Mitt Romney in a skirt? </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s the most political non-answer I have ever heard and it does not even make any sense either. </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The prize goes to a person or people (not a firm)?</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh...that’s right. I forgot, Hertzog and de Meuran is that two headed creature that escaped from the preppie circus back in the day and SANAA is an acronym for the other two headed monster that had their start on the Muppet Show. They are person/people not firms.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJNTRL2M26g96r_NPnCc37KtEYF6Kz2X2vaeNb9tgZkRjHDhlgpDOjitdpzGtO-iOIX0iRdmgNlHm1aw99l3XMn_adn4FXpv5amxeplAWFLJrq7HmZ4EP-gsTTdBJjLvszXZjDlI5s2BQ/s1600/twins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJNTRL2M26g96r_NPnCc37KtEYF6Kz2X2vaeNb9tgZkRjHDhlgpDOjitdpzGtO-iOIX0iRdmgNlHm1aw99l3XMn_adn4FXpv5amxeplAWFLJrq7HmZ4EP-gsTTdBJjLvszXZjDlI5s2BQ/s400/twins.png" width="400" /></a> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I know it is challenging...but Lu is an educator too, and I would think that she stands on the same theoretical level as her husband as well. To be really honest, their work is not very theoretical to begin with, and that’s one of its nicer qualities in my opinion. </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">You know what gets to me? </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Its that they play this silly public relations game where they put the person you think would be most disgusted by it to be their face of defense to the public (in this case, one of the female members of the jury). You know when the politician gets caught in a sex scandal and they bring their wives to stand beside them and smile while they fake an apology? It’s like saying to everyone out there: “Hey, if the bitch is down with it then what are you all yapping about?” </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I will say I am neither convinced by your explanation nor your attitude and leave it at that.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Ok! those blunders aside, here is what surprised me.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Firstly, they are doing something that in my view for the first time genuinely contributes to humanity in some way. Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu’s work demonstrates a sensitivity to their local traditions and a deliberate resistance to China’s blatant lack of regard for its own architectural heritage. By giving them the spotlight, the committee has made them in some way an example for other architects to follow. Perhaps this attention could bring a focus on what they are doing to the broader architecture and building industry in China. Perhaps it give some umph to those architects and developers in China who would like to go in that direction but thought they were alone. Perhaps it may put a question mark behind China’s thirst for the new and disdain for the old. It may or it may not but it is worth a try. </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">You see little Pritzker Committee I knew you had it in you. I knew there was an ounce humanity and substance in you. Last year I implored you to<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html"> take a Lesson from Brad & Angelena</a> and in your own way you did. You went a little outside your comfort zone by choosing someone in Asia outside of Japan. That’s a little step in my book but a big step for you non-the-less, but that’s how we all start. No? </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">You also chose to cut down on the age limit. Instead of a European Caucasian architect around the age of 62.97, you went with an Asian male at the ripe young age of 48. Well don’t hurt yourself. I know that must have been quite a challenge but you did it. That’s what counts.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">You guys remind me of the little train that could. It came up on that hill and it kept on saying </span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">and suddenly it did.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Now all you have to add to your mantra is:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“Women are our equals, women are our equals, women are our equals”</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it but it just might work. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Conrad Newel</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Liberating Minds Since August 2007</div><br />
<br />
Related Notes:<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html">76. Predicting The Pritzker Part II: Take a Lesson from Brad & Angelena<br />
</a><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/75-predicting-pritzker.html">75. Predicting The Pritzker Part 1</a><br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/04/sanaa.html">68. Take a lesson from SANAA</a><br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html">60. Play Peter, the Pritzker Peddling Hermit Genius</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-79611579926884161422012-02-03T21:17:00.005+01:002012-04-09T13:39:44.395+02:0082. You Don't Have to be Good - Part 1: BIG, JDS, PLOT<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i></i></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>I don't want to be interesting, I want to be <b>good</b></i><i><br />
</i><i>-Ludwig Mies van der Rohe</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><b>Good</b> work + good promotion = fame in architecture</i><br />
<i>-Conrad Newel</i></blockquote><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Good: That is the common denominator in the two quotes above, and that is what I would like to zero in on in this note; specifically the former part of the equation "good work" which I have so endearingly engrained in the consciousness of all my long time readers.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I had a teacher in college that once told me that to be a good architect you have got to innovate; push the envelope and do something interesting or you have to go the way of Mies and raise the level of precision and craftsmanship to a level of high quality. I have always respected Mies but I also felt he was too extreme in his insistence on quality to the point that it was quite often boring for me, so I tended towards architecture that was attempting to do something interesting. My preference for interesting works however did not mean that I did not appreciate quality in craftsmanship and detail. To the contrary, for me good architecture means a combination of both.</span></div><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border: medium none;"><div style="border: medium none;"><span lang="EN-US">So earlier this year I went on a trip to Copenhagen and I thought naturally I would grab my copy of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3836520109/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=nobafa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=3836520109">Yes Is More</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=nobafa-20&l=as2&o=1&a=3836520109" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />" to read on the flight over. With the book in one hand and a map of Copenhagen with all of BIG's projects clearly circled on the other, I embarked on finding and seeing all of these exciting works first hand.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first stop was the harbor bath project that was done under PLOT with Julien De Smedt. As I approached, I recognized the profile from all the images I have seen of it before, but as I got closer it became strangely unfamiliar. The bright golden color of the wooden planks that made up the structure has aged to a dirty splintered gray. <span style="color: red;">[<b>A</b></span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ddendum: february 9, 2012: </b></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of my readers have informed me that this may be because the wood used here was either larch or some other kind of local Scandinavian wood that resists natural forces without need for any finish. It turns gray naturally and was most likely intentional by the architects. If that's the case I concede this point and kudos to the architects here]</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> There was a roughness and uncraftly quality to it that was not present in any of the photographs or images that was seen in the publications. It seemed somewhat crooked and shabby. This brought to mind another maxim that was impressed upon me while I was still in school:</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i></i></b></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i><b><i>A good building should enhance in character with age like a fine wine; Since most buildings will last about 100 years or more, a good building should be designed with that in mind and consideration should be given to how it will appear as it ages.</i></b></i></b></blockquote></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Time and the effects of its aging was not considered here. I was disappointed but not deflated. Surely this was a fluke, BIG and JDS are arguably among the world’s most celebrated and exciting architects today. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwSH7kN6OjiN7wL0CfnjbZz1pm_clJNgO_RLRpUo3xLg9Uyp7Ip_QEqPGATT8egiL0xXZT1aMrR5MdusTtjac8q7Zr6OCCKocz-hNVASCx55CSGIVWmYb6cUEOS-8paxyloM6xZu7mEc/s1600/BIG-JDS-PLOT-HARBOR-BATH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwSH7kN6OjiN7wL0CfnjbZz1pm_clJNgO_RLRpUo3xLg9Uyp7Ip_QEqPGATT8egiL0xXZT1aMrR5MdusTtjac8q7Zr6OCCKocz-hNVASCx55CSGIVWmYb6cUEOS-8paxyloM6xZu7mEc/s640/BIG-JDS-PLOT-HARBOR-BATH.png" width="485" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTuVc2U1tytyIJsQUbwCCVxIaUdOESzN0mh7LpCgVGEj4JKxRAs7UMys2RaBNm6Omnys81HRSNMONnImZbxlMt97Et6MtmExjV_CLwyEQAQcvJmfGlycGcOHsy6HJ3u2MgK8a16j2QkU/s1600/BIG-JDS-PLOT-HARBOR-BATH-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTuVc2U1tytyIJsQUbwCCVxIaUdOESzN0mh7LpCgVGEj4JKxRAs7UMys2RaBNm6Omnys81HRSNMONnImZbxlMt97Et6MtmExjV_CLwyEQAQcvJmfGlycGcOHsy6HJ3u2MgK8a16j2QkU/s640/BIG-JDS-PLOT-HARBOR-BATH-2.png" width="485" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The next stop was the VM apartments also done under PLOT. The buildings are located in a new suburban development just outside of Copenhagen called Ørestad. You can read more about it <a href="http://waua.wordpress.com/tag/linear-city/" target="_blank">here</a>. While on the monorail that takes you out there I saw quite a few interesting apartment buildings that caught my eyes. The area seemed recently developed and quite a lot of the buildings out there were attempting to do something interesting in some way or form. Though I did not know who the architects were, they were attention worthy and I wanted to at least go over and take a closer look. However, my time was limited and I was here to see the VM Apartments and the Mountain dwellings that I had read so much about.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UMflHHnsHFJHs4PNpACRbcAj207QGPVKVcrYeypFYqiUmqwom_jnUhkEyRusU6Z9Uk_JjpOW1JpdJSOXfoStyKdk-pjAAGiDo6OWXOiaGPtyIi_mObzN_gpz9f2AQItr2XO4RK-OwQU/s1600/5243449507_1e954672d0_b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UMflHHnsHFJHs4PNpACRbcAj207QGPVKVcrYeypFYqiUmqwom_jnUhkEyRusU6Z9Uk_JjpOW1JpdJSOXfoStyKdk-pjAAGiDo6OWXOiaGPtyIi_mObzN_gpz9f2AQItr2XO4RK-OwQU/s640/5243449507_1e954672d0_b.jpg" width="485" /></a><br />
<br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border: medium none;"><span lang="EN-US">Arriving was akin to seeing the statue of liberty for the first time. I have seen the images so many times before it felt like I knew it very intensely yet there it was; a strange yet familiar icon. Approaching it from a distance was exciting, it was just as how I imagined it: the genius man made mountain stood there shining in the Scandinavian light. It was a beautiful thing to see. Then there was the jeweled array of razor-sharp Leanardo DeCaprio balconies gallantly defending their facade. </span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrkGhcigxyPD_Gb75-oAPhjLdQNRbwU6J5RIF3W3RldoBMJys_CWqYkllvMPzcrNksCXjPI-yQwwLcOdpZ0yyzRJKrSQZBJ9HSnIvKrJrBeY1-G5fhPnBY9wVAnCIdL90aHGUACRlTyg/s1600/3261099928_68f95b794e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrkGhcigxyPD_Gb75-oAPhjLdQNRbwU6J5RIF3W3RldoBMJys_CWqYkllvMPzcrNksCXjPI-yQwwLcOdpZ0yyzRJKrSQZBJ9HSnIvKrJrBeY1-G5fhPnBY9wVAnCIdL90aHGUACRlTyg/s640/3261099928_68f95b794e_b.jpg" width="485" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><div style="border: medium none;"><span lang="EN-US">As I got off the train and started approaching it up close I began to see another side of the project that I had hoped not to see. Just by looking at the quality of the detailing of the elements used; the fixtures, the handrails, etc. I could only imagine that someone was trying to save money. Either the developers were pressuring the architects to be thrifty or there wasn't much money in the project to begin with.</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R5WTvCYP23-i6PSoprM8uaE8W9suKiYUkgsDxKFnsMbSXr003RPznbdqx40_pyJuu3q0NarVfyCF-tqkM_KGE2XwWcaw3QR4E4YZHFeq8hUdjo_qo4_bTgjje1m-KY1nBKpeSbfDqmg/s1600/3261084878_7a8c3b5335_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R5WTvCYP23-i6PSoprM8uaE8W9suKiYUkgsDxKFnsMbSXr003RPznbdqx40_pyJuu3q0NarVfyCF-tqkM_KGE2XwWcaw3QR4E4YZHFeq8hUdjo_qo4_bTgjje1m-KY1nBKpeSbfDqmg/s640/3261084878_7a8c3b5335_b.jpg" width="485" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">Little or no thought given to how the building or its materials ages and transforms as it weathers over time. The wood as you can see is already water-rotted and beginning to lose its integrity over just a few winter cycles. This demonstrates a gross lack of understanding of the properties of wood and its behavior in winter climates or capitulation to economic pressures to cut costs by using inappropriate wood sans proper finishing and correct detailing.</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border: medium none;"><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fx8OarURg5i2-PJlLwdeefzdLRgCnm8ZgY-LAgrdjF69ub8gypPIaCX1MU3bmCwwoIr6NAZNvovcdHFViXBzxmbAV68JJxB-9Z-Nfe8GJlsjV8ySjpaAlVBFPwAuMXlytrQoIOV2Rf8/s1600/379460417_7a03ec8793_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fx8OarURg5i2-PJlLwdeefzdLRgCnm8ZgY-LAgrdjF69ub8gypPIaCX1MU3bmCwwoIr6NAZNvovcdHFViXBzxmbAV68JJxB-9Z-Nfe8GJlsjV8ySjpaAlVBFPwAuMXlytrQoIOV2Rf8/s640/379460417_7a03ec8793_z.jpg" width="485" /></a></div></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">Facade elements already beginning to fall apart</span></i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3t9A1ROQ4ubkJytsqryCiT2wcOImheU2RBFmsddw_Jl3v3JfRjIYidQf8ZX2AM8D55CzycpfNXdkhZgV2lLM4XEQRUKUr22SczNhcNZT-cOTYywYGky2p27aecubTyO50gEswNbF8cfY/s1600/379462966_fe764fb6e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3t9A1ROQ4ubkJytsqryCiT2wcOImheU2RBFmsddw_Jl3v3JfRjIYidQf8ZX2AM8D55CzycpfNXdkhZgV2lLM4XEQRUKUr22SczNhcNZT-cOTYywYGky2p27aecubTyO50gEswNbF8cfY/s1600/379462966_fe764fb6e7.jpg" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr style="color: blue;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Long institutional corridor with poor day lighting and fluorescent light strips glaring directly into your eyes.</span></i></span></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0I_jkz9FdIrSGv3bBABQuQmEKMlKiMFlNzkIom_mt8BteOR_UK-7hmkahoOi__EdFkQnYT1jJID0Qc2RQXjXSJDzFmYiXMd9aEWP_Pq_zRHYG4_1ZQhis8Knt5EMicpV1RLNsbZiupI/s1600/3261088290_acef1e9a5b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0I_jkz9FdIrSGv3bBABQuQmEKMlKiMFlNzkIom_mt8BteOR_UK-7hmkahoOi__EdFkQnYT1jJID0Qc2RQXjXSJDzFmYiXMd9aEWP_Pq_zRHYG4_1ZQhis8Knt5EMicpV1RLNsbZiupI/s640/3261088290_acef1e9a5b_b.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<i><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">Optimistic colors and snazzy graphics painted on top of sloppy concrete-work and cheap metal fittings: Clearly visible in the foreground is efflorescence leaking from grotesque concrete surfaces. Further in the background are water puddles accumulating because of shoddy leveling and grading work on the parking deck.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Either way, at close range certain parts of the structures looks one grade up from the temporary utilitarian structures one might find at a construction site. There seemed to be no consideration or strategy for how the building's material would appear over time as it ages or how it would look after the first two weeks or so after the building was finished and after all the press photos were taken: Pieces were already falling apart and the materials used made it feel more like a temporary Hollywood stage set.</div><br />
<div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Whether Bjarke and Julian were simply making the best of what resources and budget they had is a whole other discussion. It could very well be that the both of them had a modest budget and they passionately worked their asses off to make something reasonably decent; in which case they should be commended for that deed. I tend to lean towards this theory, but since I have never seen a report that compares what the proposed budgets were and what the actual cost of the building turned out to be then I really don't know.<br />
</div><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My point here is not to denounce BIG, JDS or PLOT as bad architects. To the contrary, I think they are probably better than most of the unknown Joe Blow architects out there that you have never heard about. The point I am trying to make is that famous architecture and quality architecture are not necessarily synonymous.</div><br />
<div style="border: medium none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What BIG has been able to do is create buildings animated by playful and innovative ideas, poorly detailed with cheap commercial grade materials and clearly present/promote them with contagious enthusiasm and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/01/35-bio-like-big.html">nifty little diagrams</a>. The bottom line of this formula is that you can produce very interesting and popular buildings on the cheap. It wins you lots of competitions and makes you the darling of developers looking to turn a nice profit. This very project have received more awards and accolades than I can count. They are the inspiration for a great part of all the new projects that are being copied and pasted throughout the architectural hemispheres. I see copies of them in almost every architecture school I visit, and a lot of new residential projects all over the world. Just go to ArchDaily and browse around a bit and you will see the influence of these buildings. The ideas and main concepts are very interesting and admittedly worth inspiring the world, but qualitatively speaking, they are not very different from the crappy commercial office building that you can easily find at any strip mall down the road from where you live. This is simply put wonderful and interesting ideas built of crudely detailed shit: And that's a pity because I think the ideas and concepts that they represent deserve better.</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have never relay met Julian but I have met Bjarke and to be honest, he seems like a genuinely nice fellow. His personality, enthusiasm and mere force of character spits in the face of the notion that you have to be a conceited archi-speaking dick-head in order to be a successful starchitect. That's one of the major reasons I root for him and that is why I want to see him succeed.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However to continue to heap praises and accolades on these projects of his without pointing out their obvious deficiencies is to really do a disservice to architecture. It sends a message to the younger architects who take inspiration from it that this is acceptable, that this is something to strive for, not something to surpass.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After seeing these works from up close, the best conclusion I can come to is that the level of quality and craftsmanship was disappointingly shitty while the marketing and presentation of ideas was absolute genius. I am hereby disputing (or modifying) the maxim that I often touted on this blog</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html">Good work + Good promotion = Fame in Architecture</a>"</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now I will have to say something like this:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Good (and /or interesting) work + Good Promotion = Fame in Architecture</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The one thing I now know with all certainty is that the only thing that is invariably consistent with famous architecture is just good marketing and publicity.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Conrad Newel</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Liberating Minds Since August 2007 </div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></blockquote><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R5WTvCYP23-i6PSoprM8uaE8W9suKiYUkgsDxKFnsMbSXr003RPznbdqx40_pyJuu3q0NarVfyCF-tqkM_KGE2XwWcaw3QR4E4YZHFeq8hUdjo_qo4_bTgjje1m-KY1nBKpeSbfDqmg/s320/3261084878_7a8c3b5335_b.jpg" style="left: 350px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 3268px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" /> </div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div>Conrad Newelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3973215316119445314.post-57484301449025228232011-10-08T22:20:00.009+02:002013-03-21T21:39:18.028+01:0080. Why be famous?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLHJboIxanCW964iU9L79nT1epfBRnTV-TBfc2BKxJK7zlmvTryuEWjbe-FgIkIsoIwNxqIEPgUmlA2qzBGOVrJdhyL7lBw2O5_KUzAA-syNWSIj6I0lbjdC3ua4en7k9ES42fzddc6g/s1600/pharel+and+zaha+hadid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most popular question I get from my readers is: Why do you want to be famous anyway? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To me, I always thought the reasons were self evident. Its like the question "why would you want to sit in first class anyway? In fact I often wondered who wouldn't want to be famous? But it is a good question and well worth pondering. So below are 22 reasons (not in any particular order):</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">People will respect you. For all the drawbacks of being famous people tend to generally respect famous people. Becoming famous is a tremendous accomplishment and it is universally respected in most parts of the world.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though architecture is a team sport and the work that comes out of your office is a product of the many talented people who work for you, it is you that gets all the credit. You can pretend to be gracious all you want by showing a picture of you staff and saying “oh, this is my team, and I show them to let you know that it is a team effort. bla, bla, bla...” hogwash! If you are the head of he firm and you are clearly the leader and spokesman, it is you who gets the credit.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will get asked for your autograph. That alone is reason enough.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">People (esp. architectural critics) will stop really questioning you. They just assume that everything you do and say makes sense and is just wonderful.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even when the hair on top of your head have migrated down to your back, members of the opposite sex will still find you attractive.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You may get to have a retrospective at a major museum before you die</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">You don’t chase down magazine editors to get your work published, magazine editors chase </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">you</span></u></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> down to get </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">your</span></u></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> work published.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> You and your image will be such a hot commodity journalists will want to feature you in their magazines, even if its is not an architecture journal. This one below of Zaha Hadid was found while browsing though an inflight magazine:</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLhV9hH846bPOhlQiQZj0D4TivDlUxk4C_v9LyOw0OxQNWICBHyzEII63R-CbQJJ_yRY6meizHeAadX3TJ5UJcTK7Hwnck6ANsufXnPOLVHURhOiZ_nBhbkYMwhthaDCe3kbUVBxCF8w/s1600/45294_10152320189650161_881559023_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLhV9hH846bPOhlQiQZj0D4TivDlUxk4C_v9LyOw0OxQNWICBHyzEII63R-CbQJJ_yRY6meizHeAadX3TJ5UJcTK7Hwnck6ANsufXnPOLVHURhOiZ_nBhbkYMwhthaDCe3kbUVBxCF8w/s400/45294_10152320189650161_881559023_n.jpg" width="400" /></a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You don’t need to wait till you have something important to say to get heard. What ever bull-shit you think of and say is listened to with the full attention of the architecture world.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You get credit for things that lesser known architects have already invented long before you stole...ahem, I mean borrowed it from them. </span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You get to meet other famous people. Why is this so great? You can take pictures of yourself with them and put it on your facebook profile. You will be the envy of all your friends.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ZVVGzHtgNRx0cD4gIvJbzY8PUeISlS9Uo7-BVLYdRXn9hwcad8kMebNld1L6-yDWM_HHa7U1JPyLEwos2G_OomiRNuVFuwoaH2nw8wiBRSTxrszFStOCEdht1SKODQgxLszBHJ8V47B/s1600/bjarke+%2526+desmond+tutu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14ZVVGzHtgNRx0cD4gIvJbzY8PUeISlS9Uo7-BVLYdRXn9hwcad8kMebNld1L6-yDWM_HHa7U1JPyLEwos2G_OomiRNuVFuwoaH2nw8wiBRSTxrszFStOCEdht1SKODQgxLszBHJ8V47B/s400/bjarke+%2526+desmond+tutu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am hanging with Tutu, top that suckers!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Even better than just meeting other famous people you get to work with them. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLHJboIxanCW964iU9L79nT1epfBRnTV-TBfc2BKxJK7zlmvTryuEWjbe-FgIkIsoIwNxqIEPgUmlA2qzBGOVrJdhyL7lBw2O5_KUzAA-syNWSIj6I0lbjdC3ua4en7k9ES42fzddc6g/s1600/pharel+and+zaha+hadid.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLHJboIxanCW964iU9L79nT1epfBRnTV-TBfc2BKxJK7zlmvTryuEWjbe-FgIkIsoIwNxqIEPgUmlA2qzBGOVrJdhyL7lBw2O5_KUzAA-syNWSIj6I0lbjdC3ua4en7k9ES42fzddc6g/s400/pharel+and+zaha+hadid.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Pharrell are buddies like that!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">You get to <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/56-listen-to-little-devil-on-your.html">work for autocrats</a> and <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2008/07/57-more-from-little-devil-on-your.html">dictators</a>. Why is this an advantage? These are the types that have the good sense to put great architecture in its rightful place: above the concerns of uncultured people who have no taste what-so-ever in architecture. With a supreme leader behind you, your design visions can be realized unmitigated; without all the nonsensical layers of regulations and bureaucracy commonly found in democratic countries. </span></span></span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">If you are a</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/03/75-predicting-pritzker.html">Caucasian or Japanese male living and working in a major first world country</a>, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">you stand a pretty good chance of winning the</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_872665722">Pritzker Prize: </a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/04/76-predicting-pritzker-part-ii-take.html">“The profession's highest honor”</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">that comes with $100,000 of pocket change by the way.</span></span></span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You get invited to competitions that are closed off to regular architects.- imagine offered the opportunity to design some of the most exciting and important buildings of our times. There is real opportunity in that to flex your design muscles and show off your talents, but you don't even get considered if you are sitting in the economy section of the architectural class.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Freebies. Oh my God! the freeking freebies. People will just give you stuff for nothing. You will get discounts at hotels, restaurants, get bumped up to first class, etc. </span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">After a certain stage people will just give you awards and accolades for things that you didn't even know there was an award for, just because you are famous.(</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/04/sanaa.html">look at all the awards and accolades that SANAA got after they made their break through</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">)</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">At some point you will be invited to become director of </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The Venice Architecture Biennale: <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.no/2012/09/87-what-is-venice-biennale-of.html" target="_blank">the world’s most important celebration of contemporary architecture. </a></span></span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You don’t need to prove your-self anymore. You can just sit back on your laurels and regurgitate your same old shtick and everyone will say “oh he is such a genius.” Just look at Zaha and Lebiskind.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like Norman Foster, when your name becomes so famous and valuable you can arrange it so that your own company basically pays you just to keep your name on their stationary. Then you can buy a ranch in the french countryside and come in to the office once or twice a month just to show your face and sign autographs for your star-stuck employees.</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also from the Norman Foster play-book: When a financial crisis hits and most of your employees either have to take a pink-slip or a pay cut, you can have your-self a nice pay raise and a hefty bonus. You deserve it! </span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most talented people will want to come and work for you and what’s more they are willing to do it for free or very little. Even more, they will work much, much, harder for you than they would at an average office. I think Frank Lloyd Wright once had the children of his rich clients actually pay him money to work for him. Now that's what I call "Big Pimpin"</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will get to <a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html">travel the world over to promote your self </a>and even get paid to do it,</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/05/60-play-peter-pritzker-peddling-hermit.html"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339336931502972322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6zzsdG4SBK-rHIuOu3FMmWH0J6mzgmukagdy40MnKeekNKTvuRZWjrL4hWJ9Tx3wQo0_U1EQL2MaPSLThrekvyyxlOW2KcH7ZWTzpuzUb74cDRQJ7v60Fl1-Qz-WB7JuPdRegr5blD4/s640/PETER-ZUMTHOR-ZUMTOR-GLOBE-TROTTING.png" style="width: 490px;" /></a></span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contractors don’t argue with you, and clients?... well clients will be clients. Sorry!</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just the thought of groupies. If you are famous you will no doubt have a bunch of superficial friends and loyal devotees that will follow you around like secret service agents just because you are famous. </span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">People will drop your name to make themselves look important; "Oh I was having dinner with <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13361919565513238957">Conrad Newel</a> yesterday darling, who were you dining with again?"</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">People will call you a genius - for most famous people i.e. movie stars, singers, etc, when they are famous people say oh they are fantastic, etc. but architects? when architects are famous people tend to say "well he is a genius!". Just think about that for a second: Conrad Newel a Genius! - I kind of like the sound of that. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will be memorialized simulntaniously for about a week on facebook when you die. People will replace their profile picture with a flattering picture of you. All the vicious and tyrannical things that you have done throughout your career will be forgotten or forgiven. They will say nice things about you, write quotes of all the wonderful things that you said on their statuses, and every website and news articles will be all about you. Although you won’t be around to basque in all the adoration, I think that's much better than silently slipping off the planet with not a mention in the press.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3x1sSHVnnsfEVG_vsJXRc6N7lTE8DMOy2HG2Qz-IZzYPMRjB6e_-gJKOm6RvRKBnveGjeCXND1y_bsfB40-8QG1XRP7slqADiFgTCdDuuGbn2-By1vh4ewnGjtJYClEiQvTjmbUeHyoo/s1600/64627_10152312669345621_386342722_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3x1sSHVnnsfEVG_vsJXRc6N7lTE8DMOy2HG2Qz-IZzYPMRjB6e_-gJKOm6RvRKBnveGjeCXND1y_bsfB40-8QG1XRP7slqADiFgTCdDuuGbn2-By1vh4ewnGjtJYClEiQvTjmbUeHyoo/s400/64627_10152312669345621_386342722_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">People will actually want to read your autobiography</span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIGi6sThzJFB7aL6uZgQM1iN8Q2SSCzjcwnARs0fdRkijqVGM0F6J50PB-gyLCqNQz9nRjDUS2I2-ogDI7fH1J6Oe4sar8Vdl_ug_4nlDR8IzHzQR5kqcjlT-dPYfx_sOQqNA9iP7fic/s1600/oscar+n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIGi6sThzJFB7aL6uZgQM1iN8Q2SSCzjcwnARs0fdRkijqVGM0F6J50PB-gyLCqNQz9nRjDUS2I2-ogDI7fH1J6Oe4sar8Vdl_ug_4nlDR8IzHzQR5kqcjlT-dPYfx_sOQqNA9iP7fic/s400/oscar+n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tribute to Oscar Niemeyer, after his death by Brazilian artist Kobra (Thanks <span class="-cx-PRIVATE-webMessengerMessageGroup__authorName">Vinícius Vitoriano</span><span class="-cx-PRIVATE-webMessengerMessageGroup__authorName">!</span><b class="-cx-PRIVATE-webMessengerMessageGroup__authorName">)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR2HhkJdbDPGuVLFjGbyndwUZe28G1CZH4SUCDpqdnuzVeqoSEQzkVVL4qOAU4npD9-urVad7eix15VQt9Kn7v1vQ4DuStPRswsNXFsEyzQ2u1fFQYX9wS9VV4uaLHVwYFndSzN0I0ls/s1600/tumblr_lqsn0oDEcw1qe0nlvo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR2HhkJdbDPGuVLFjGbyndwUZe28G1CZH4SUCDpqdnuzVeqoSEQzkVVL4qOAU4npD9-urVad7eix15VQt9Kn7v1vQ4DuStPRswsNXFsEyzQ2u1fFQYX9wS9VV4uaLHVwYFndSzN0I0ls/s400/tumblr_lqsn0oDEcw1qe0nlvo1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Corbusier immortalized on Swiss currency </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will have a place in History. People will write about you, and continue to be inspired by you long after you are dead. Just think about this. Hundreds of years after you are dead, architecture students will be visiting your grave with flowers.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: normal;"><br />
Conrad Newel<br />
<br />
<a href="http://famousarchitect.blogspot.com/WWW.FAMOUSARCHITECT.BLOGSPOT.COM" style="color: #0053a6; text-decoration: none;">NOTES ON BECOMING A FAMOUS ARCHITECT</a><br />
Liberating Minds Since August 2007</span></span></div>
<ul></ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18