ArchWeek - Gehry at MIT

[Kevin]

This forum thread is for discussion of the ArchitectureWeek article:

[nipesh]

Hi!
Its OK as for the building but due to this type what would be the psychological effect on those inside the building....for first its interesting if you feel that a wall is going to fall on you but as general can the occupants have a cool state of mind? Won't they be chaotic inside....Is this state of mind nice for an institute like MIT
[list] Psychologists say that what we see is what we reflect, so would this building not degrade the intellectual environment of MIT

[Frank Potter]

From what I hear the inside is not as tortured as the outside so what looks to be a problem is not.

Frank

[Chuck Rachal]

i agree with you saying the inside is not as tortured as the exterior. Though some of the jagged corners continue through the building, they are softened by flowing walls and stair cases. It was the first Gehry building i've been in, so i was thrilled to be able to freely walk around and see the interior. This site shows some interior views, you can see how the exterior has entered the interior only to become of 'people friendly' and livable.
http://www.eecs.mit.edu/stata-link.html

[wayne]

I'm over Gehry's signature buildings.

[sharkycharger]

The polarization of opinion on Gehry's work is refreshing. I regularly drive by his "Weatherhead" building at Case Western in Cleveland, and have heard everything from "amazing" to "digital doodling". I suppose that the structural premise is to visually facilitate the business student's ability to (pardon the cliche) "think outside the box", yet I wonder if the visual context serves the surrounding location, or merely serves Gehry's ability to push the digital boundaries of design.