Soulless Skyscrapers

[HomrQT]

I don't see anything wrong with the Sears Tower, it definitely plays its part very well as a center piece and in my opinion looks damn good too. And the simple brick buildings of New York are awesome to me and create a great atmosphere of city living. That LDS Church Office Building in SLC is a crime against that city, and I think could only be made acceptable if other more decorative buildings were put around it.

[Cirrus]

I don't think "ugly" or "bland" are synonyms for "soul-less". WTC may have been both ugly and bland, but it definitely had a soul. Those towers had meaning, even before they were destroyed.

"Soul-less", to me, implies either thoughtless mass production or style over substance

[M.K.]

Originally Posted by SkyscrapersOfNewYork

anytime,i cant stand it when idiots act so ignorantly toward others on this site for such insignificant reasons. the user who attacked you is an annoyance and burden to this site,he continues to have outburst against others for no reason and to put it simply he has a horrible attitude. hopefully this wont happen again because its so childish for such a great and intellectual internet community. as for others who are about to make the same mistake, think twice because it wont be tolerated by others on SSP.

-SONY

I will not add anything to your words, because you made it so greatfully. Thanks for the immense support. Yes, as an open minded who wants to contribute in a worldwide community coming here, then it is to join positive attitudes in my opinion about thematic architecture mainly, propose this site, and other man-made constructions, and not to skip from real life and using the space as psyco-therapeutic hours daily to forget the hard real life, attacking here in obscure personal identity, but this is common in forums, it is a pity. Unfortunatly it is tolerated here, cause many do. Pity, but still a great space even with those disappointments and frustations, hitting all time.

I agree with Cirrus that WTC was ever in many humans souls of desire and appreciation, so no way, those US icons were soul-less, in opposite, if they do not fit to most modern times and technologies, this is another point. For me a soulless structure is one that if i pass-by near it daily 1000 times i never stop for a while to make a blink wow of happiness. If my eyes move catching from some of those monolits with windows, than is really no soulless to me, in positive or negative appreciation of its architecture.

[Flamesrule]

i also don't think that yhe Sears tower is souless. It in fact is very interesting in my opinion.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Flamesrule

i also don't think that yhe Sears tower is souless. It in fact is very interesting in my opinion.

it's ABSOLUTELY not soulless, i know many people find the sears tower ugly or bland or whatever, but the building definitely has a soul. it may be a dark, evil, malevolent soul, but it's a soul none-the-less.

besides, how immensely appropriate is it that chicago, known as "the city of the big shoulders" thanks to sandburg's illustrious poem about the city, is actually overlooked by a large domineering skyscraper that literally has big giant shoulders? the sears tower has serious presence in the windy city; you better believe it's got soul.

[CharlesCO]

Here's one that's soulless. It's called "Vistaloft" and was just built near the University of Denver. It's a really nice, walkable area with a lot of shops, restaurants, and light rail, all clustered around the gorgeous DU campus.

This new apartment building is just a slab of concrete, is too tall for the area, and has a terrible street side presence.

[rockyi]

The Mid-American Energy Building in Davenport. A very prominent structure in the Quad City skyline.
....Boring as hell.

[texcolo]

Originally Posted by CharlesCO

Here's one that's soulless. It's called "Vistaloft" and was just built near the University of Denver. It's a really nice, walkable area with a lot of shops, restaurants, and light rail, all clustered around the gorgeous DU campus.

This new apartment building is just a slab of concrete, is too tall for the area, and has a terrible street side presence.

I worked on that bad boy. I went out before they razed the previous apartment complex and took soil samples. I then tested the concrete and did a few rebar inspections on it. Yeah, it's pretty disappointing. I think the developer wanted to cram as many condos as possible into that space. It's too bad the street facade is so crummy.

[espalorius]

really interesting thread

i typically find big boxes to be soulless - i love houstons skyline but i think most of the individual towers are 'soulless'

some of those housing project towers (2nd post) are imo full of soullll

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

Originally Posted by espalorius

really interesting thread

i typically find big boxes to be soulless - i love houstons skyline but i think most of the individual towers are 'soulless'

some of those housing project towers (2nd post) are imo full of soullll

ok elaborate,why do you think low incoming housing has soul and character?


http://s3.amazonaws.com/sfb111/image..._Town_20090910

[rockyi]

Not exactly skyscrapers but here's few more from my area....

Despite it's happy name, I swear this sad building in Rock Islands west end always has a cloudy sky above it.



This soulless shoebox hogs Rock Islands riverfront.
That Chevy, on the other hand, is loaded with soul!

[Innsertnamehere]

the cn building in edmonton, pretty bad.



source

also, guy's hospital in london.



source

[ColDayMan]

^Hey, I morbidly like that building! It's the soul of evil!

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by SkyscrapersOfNewYork

ok elaborate,why do you think low incoming housing has soul and character?


http://s3.amazonaws.com/sfb111/image..._Town_20090910

For me they have a soul and character because they tell a story of an economic time and an idea of finding a modern way to house people. Most buildings can be considered to be soulless in photo or from a distance, the soul really comes from the ground when you are around them and the people that fill the building and its surroundings and how it works with its surroundings.

[M.K.]

oh guys, people here are complaining of wonderful good modern boxed shaped well maintained daily offices ones, immagine for this one in Sao Paulo if soulless or not of grafitti, but decrepit, anyway i agree those massive ones repeated to be entirely out of salt but they gave a roof to people instead they are going to slams... Better than nothing. Ok, today they are concrete slams, but a colorful painting in each one could resolve a better stay.


Source: Sao Paulo Abandonada, Oglobo ô bobo : http://saopauloabandonada.com.br/wp-.../saovito01.jpg
Edifício Sao Vito etc. all region is soulless...

[Flamesrule]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

the cn building in edmonton, pretty bad.



source

also, guy's hospital in london.



source

I really like that building.

[Tolbert]

Originally Posted by M.K.

Source: Sao Paulo Abandonada, Oglobo ô bobo : http://saopauloabandonada.com.br/wp-.../saovito01.jpg
Edifício Sao Vito etc. all region is soulless...

Thats a great building, just in need of some renovation. Anything but soulles ...
imagine it beeing just coloured white and glas...

Same for the London hospital!

[M.K.]

Originally Posted by Tolbert

Thats a great building, just in need of some renovation. Anything but soulles ...
imagine it beeing just coloured white and glas...

Same for the London hospital!

I totally agree with you. This was a building made in the 60ies. The big problem is that was so inside demolished of the original apartments, so slammish made from poor people without conditions that none budget can be positive enough for reviving it. It costs less imploding it and doing a modern one in place to reposition the families there. Unfortunatly it is not how decisions happen in Brazil, they still build a lot of boxes when some interesting buildings and whole neighborhoods could be reviewed for a better life to everyone, mentality of whole population otherwise is not practical enough for such. It has the huge costs also and politics who never see the quality life to everyone. Even people with low mentality goes still destroying the city, criminals of grafitti are not punished, so many facettes of destruction, which inerent belongs to humans. Here is a project of some revive this structure. Not what i really would like, but would be organized back in human conditions to live/survive: http://img265.imageshack.us/f/dsc07132r1gm2.jpg/
Source: Forumer of SSC who uploaded this project in his imageshack account. The picture came from a famous Architect trying to revive the building, which is now in very long process of implosion to make a park there, unbelievible, how disperdice of material is, a huge cost for having nothing in replace. Well, the whole city need urgent reviews, that are never made... pity!
More about in my diagrams: The information is precise enough regarding many research of mine, when i was editor:
(1. The water reservoir box is not in first diagram, but i did not updated the diagram because problems with AC disliking it)(2. This was the minimal point i left, but the rest is 100% precise to its today conditions)(3. Hope none current editor to go destroy my work...)
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=73900 http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=73900

[Phil McAvity]

Originally Posted by M.K.

Post #5: The world Trade Center were beautiful simple clean buildings......

How anyone could find beauty in those huge, featureless, towering, soul-sucking pieces of shit is beyond me but then M.K. has always kind of struck me as insane. The terrorists probably would have been considered heroes if no one was in those buildings at the time.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

How anyone could find beauty in those huge, featureless, towering, soul-sucking pieces of shit is beyond me but then M.K. has always kind of struck me as insane. The terrorists probably would have been considered heroes if no one was in those buildings at the time.

See, again, I would have to disagree with that opinion. Those towers had a lot of soul and spoke very clearly about who the architect was. Minoru Yamasaki was afraid of heights and he couldn't understand why anyone would want to be that high up and having floor to ceiling windows, which is where the distinct facade of the towers came from.

But again, I am not saying your opinion is wrong, just saying that not everyone feels the same way as you do about them.



Oh and calling other forumers "insane" makes you sound really classy and likable....