jducoeur | Shocking, just shocking...

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The news of the day is that MIT is suing architect Frank Gehry, because -- shock, surprise -- it turns out that Stada Center is badly designed. I could have told them that years ago.

Yes, yes -- the problem isn't that the building is ugly, it's that it is actually disfunctional. But y'know, those aren't unrelated. The rules of architecture were developed for good reason, and casting them (not to mention common sense) aside in the name of Art is always a bit dangerous...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

laurion

But you have to give Wright credit for recentering living spaces into the large open living rooms most of us have now. Of course, the open floor plans and 4 room, 1000' floors of the McMansions these days seem to be the result of that, so whether or not you find it a good thing or not, you have to lay the credit on Wright.

From:

metageek.livejournal.com

But you have to give Wright credit for recentering living spaces into the large open living rooms most of us have now.

That is nice; I didn't realize that was one of his.

From:

laurion

Yeah, he thought victorian houses were too boxed up, and he also thought that with the decline of household servants, the mother should be able to work in the kitchen and still be accessible to the kids in the living space. Central chimneys were also something he liked, which is just stupid. The point of having two or more chimneys on the ends of the house is that it keeps the house heated more efficiently. At least we have modern heating systems to make up for that. :)

From:

cvirtue.livejournal.com

I approve of chimneys that aren't on outside walls, because half the heat isn't going outside (sideways at any rate. Lots goes up the chimney flue.)

But having the basic work space available to the family in general is an excellent one.

From:

laurion

Oh, I agreee with the principle, I just feel that, like many notions in architecture, htat it has been taken Too Far(tm). Have you seen modern houses? There's not enough walls for bookcases, and the overconnectedness that makes the living room the main hallway as well unfairly constricts furniture layout choices. Wright understood that a little bit more, and made a lot of 'built in furniture', but there isn't much of that anymore.