In Reply to: Re: ArchWeek - Foster's New City Hall - for Per posted by Per Corell on March 07, 2003 at 04:21:51:
Please tell your oppinion and what you think checking this photo;
http://www.archinect.com/dis/DCH-05-30-01-E.jpg
Now when I se this kind of fiddeling, I look at the cross members, the obvious weight of so huge steel beams, and ask why it need to be so clumpsy -- and ontop I wonder where all this new technology is hidden ; it is _not_ hidden in the structure as when the shell of the building volumes are hoised, then come the problem adding the floors that is _not_ a natural part of the emty shells ; except where the craftmen with hansd-on experience do the enginers job, by doing the job on site with the steel beams and attachments avaible.
Anyway what do you think the weight of that angled wall is, and how do the building structure acturly profit from these huge amounts of standard steel profiles;
http://www.archinect.com/dis/DCH-05-30-01-A.jpg
Now maby you think I don't like the architect, but this is _not_ the case. What I point at, is the lack of feel the lack of new technology and the obvious impression you get before the panels are added, that new technology is not a natural "language" for architects as they lost the feel of structures as the material.
Foster do not need to hide the rigid standard frames but this concert hall make modern architecture into somthing that need to hide the structure while the structure are made with no feel no wish for beauty and the expression of the materials or the beauty in the structure , ----- as there seem to be no beauty, no feel and no wish for true new technology ; sorry I have this critic, but as you know I can prove my critic but what make me sad is, that when the architectural world look for new, you are at risk proving your visions as then you critic the social inviroment and then the critic _you_ get is the response of offended non-architects defending _their_ Icon. Then all your scientific or artistic challances work nothing, as even the world look for true news, these "new things" must not be to challancing and must not critic the settled architectural world, --------- guess this is the reson academics allway's was blind ,maby the reson is that there are no arts in architecture, just a crowd of skilled craftmen that make any sketch into a house with the technikes and materials allready avaible.
Please check a few more construction photos, and then tell me what will be nicest, ------ these heavy structures to carry thin sheetworks or the Gotic playground of interconnected 3D-H framework.
Please check the pile of beams at the left corner ; not even 3D-H will make such a mess about a building structure ;
http://www.archinect.com/dis/DCH-01-04-02-A.jpg
Here you se what I mean with a building volume as a thin shell covering a huge arear;
http://www.archinect.com/dis/DCH-01-04-02-B.jpg
Now please tell me if this look as if the architect master the materials or spended the oppotunity to develob the new technology that the industrie ( the arts ) need after doing this the same way as ever; who is fighting who here ;
http://www.archinect.com/dis/DCH-10-16-01-M.jpg
It's been said over and over again that the world want "new technology" , but this technology must be simular to what is allready here, it must progress nothing new in terms of form language ,it must be "new" but must be somthing we allready know and it must not offend anyone ; ------ arts never did so ?
P.C.