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Originally Posted by rgolch
To start, I'd like a someone to explain to me how several posters are upset that the south and east towers look like lazy, recycled material for Pelli, yet they sing praise for the west tower. Admittedly, the western edge of the west tower is interesting in how it interfaces with the riverwalk. But doesn't it look similar to about a hundred other buildings in Chicago. It's a glass box with balconies. To the casual observer, it won't even get noticed. Look at it from the point of view of River North resident, and not the view of an architect.
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You know what else looks similar? All the Second Empire buildings that line the streets of Paris. The Neoclassical blocks in DC. Many of the Art Deco towers in New York. The "casual observer" would probably have a hard time telling most of these apart, but that doesn't necessarily diminish the individual significance of any one or the overall effect of the whole.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rgolch
Second, there is a lot of criticisms of the similarity of the south and east towers with Pelli's other works. But isn't that the point? I think that once you hit a certain level of international recognition, you have to stick to your "branding."
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People aren't upset because of the similarity itself. They're upset because what they're similar to is garbage: meaningless shapes the soul purpose of which is to dazzle, and which barely respond to their context (physical, historical, architectural)—if they respond to it at all. That kind of design philosophy rarely makes for good architecture, and certainly has no place in Chicago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rgolch
Finally, as I've said in other posts, I think we have to temper expectations for what this particular site deserves. Ask any normal person living in Chicago what Wolf Point is; very few people outside of the real estate or architecture world will know about Wolf Point. I'm not denying that it has significance, but it's not sacred ground. It only deserves what the market determines will be built there. A lot of posters say "we should demand only the best!" But I seriously doubt the Kennedy family, and other developers put much stock in the casual observers opinions. Our opinions may, on some microscopic level, trickle to the city approval process, but that's about it. I only reinforce these points because I think some forumers may be setting themselves up for another Block 37 category disappointment.
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Again: Outcry from the architecture community led to major design revisions to the Trump Tower, and I can't think of anyone with a bigger ego than that douchebag. Anyway, I think you're confusing desires and expectations. A lot of us desire something great for Pelli's portion of the site even though, at this point, we don't really expect it.