KONSTRUKTOR

November 20, 2002 1:01 PM

New Plans for the World Trade Center. Call Frank Gehry, and keep Eric Owen Moss far, far away.
posted by four panels (40 comments total)

Keep Fran Gehry far away too, if you ask me.
posted by gottabefunky at 1:08 PM on November 20, 2002

An architecture troll. And yet Moss seems interesting. Thank you for the link.
posted by Isamu Noguchi at 1:20 PM on November 20, 2002

Makin' fun of Fran/k Gehry's like shootin' fish in a barrel. What's interesting is the carte blanche Silverstein has to proceed without a master plan for the site in place. Probably it's got something to do with Pataki being in charge of the Port Authority, his recent reelection, and Silverstein's campaign contributions.

What would be nice is if they adopted Hubert Muschamp's master plan idea.

Anyone else mistrust David Childs' whole "reflections of the sky penetrating into the building" rigamarole?
posted by DenOfSizer at 1:22 PM on November 20, 2002

The Disney Concert Hall designed by Gehry and going up in LA looks like it'll be the best building in the city.
posted by shoos at 1:22 PM on November 20, 2002

Eric Moss designed the office for Kickmedia, the failed dot-com I used to work at. The roof leaked and the glass "umbrella" structure was unstable.
posted by waxpancake at 1:31 PM on November 20, 2002

Ah, another featureless glassbox from the crqapmasters at SOM. So it's either bland glass boxes from SOM or titanium-clad junkheaps from Gehry. Isn't there a middle ground?
posted by sir walsingham at 1:34 PM on November 20, 2002

The Disney Concert Hall designed by Gehry and going up in LA looks like it'll be the best building in the city.

It looks an awful lot like his Guggenheim extension in Spain. Maybe he's channeling Mike Brady.
posted by donkeyschlong at 1:45 PM on November 20, 2002

Take my Gehry, please. The man is an insult to Seussian architecture. You do not want him to crap on New York the way he has on other cities, even Cleveland, where the budget for a new business school has drawn the university and other non-profits into some rough financial times.
posted by whatzit at 1:49 PM on November 20, 2002

Metafilter: Architect baiting at its finest.
posted by blue_beetle at 1:50 PM on November 20, 2002

The EMP is the worst building ever. Period.
posted by jragon at 1:54 PM on November 20, 2002

It looks an awful lot like his Guggenheim extension in Spain. Maybe he's channeling Mike Brady.

Please elaborate. I'm not familiar with Mike Brady.
posted by shoos at 2:01 PM on November 20, 2002

Mike Brady
posted by Dick Paris at 2:23 PM on November 20, 2002

Ok, I see. The Brady Bunch show. Donkeyschlong: what's the connection? Did Mike Brady do work somehow similar to Gehry? I've seen the show before, but I never saw any work that the character "did."
posted by shoos at 2:43 PM on November 20, 2002

It seems like a really bad idea to let anybody into twisty exploding structures anywhere near the WTC site. I think we probably want our buildings boring and solid looking.

When I saw the NY Times Mag "master plan" with the twin twisty towers I couldn't believe they were serious.
posted by ednopantz at 2:46 PM on November 20, 2002

The design reminds me a lot of the Hancock Tower in Boston. Okay, no notch on the side, but the same parallelogram and the whole "sky penetrating the building" thing.
posted by warhol at 2:49 PM on November 20, 2002

Call Frank Gehry--my gut reaction was Are you out of your fucking mind?

The EMP is the worst building ever. Period.

I don't know if I'd go that far--but I'd be in the general neighborhood, maybe a street over.
posted by y2karl at 4:04 PM on November 20, 2002

I think we probably want our buildings boring and solid looking.

Would you? How interesting....
posted by rushmc at 5:21 PM on November 20, 2002

I was confused when I read the posting here and then read the article --- this is not a design for the world trade center (where the Twin Towers stood), rather for 7 World Trade Center.
posted by quam at 5:54 PM on November 20, 2002

Since I have classes in Gehry's Building I should point out its actually pretty nice. It serves the purpose of adding status to the business school, (even if it does take them away from business, you need to compete somehow) Also, besides it being suspiciously similar to the Disney center, it works well. Its just not worth $61.7 Million. Its probabably worth half that, which is about what was left after Peter B. Lewis paid for it.
posted by stryder at 6:07 PM on November 20, 2002

With all due respect to Eric Owen Moss and F. Gehry... there are other architects who are more subtle. The team of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien comes to mind...
posted by vers at 7:06 PM on November 20, 2002

Donkeyschlong: say you were given the authority to choose who would design 7 WTC. Which architect, or which school of architectural design would you select for the project? This is free form. Go nuts.
posted by shoos at 7:10 PM on November 20, 2002

Patiently awaiting an answer.
posted by shoos at 7:11 PM on November 20, 2002

Ha~~~~~~s ARchi|-ecturE~~~~ really become just ST|cking funny looking things a|| OVER~~~~~ the place?
posted by HTuttle at 7:14 PM on November 20, 2002

Contemplating the "new" WTC, I think it's a shame that Philip Johnson isn't still around.
posted by Dreama at 8:00 PM on November 20, 2002

I'm a bit confused on whether these new teams (who supposedly are all working on their own proposals at the moment) selected by the LMDC are responsible for also designing 7 WTC? Or was Silverstein and Childs just attempting to steal the thunder from these teams?
posted by Stan Chin at 8:13 PM on November 20, 2002

Two Union Square here is more than easy on the eyes and has this subtle fiddleback curve on this side that is wondrous in the setting sun from spring to autumn. We--that is at least some people of a certain age hereabouts--call it the Bic Building locally for its Claes Oldenbergian resemblance to a disposable lighter. Nobody calls it the Zippo Building. I am now telling recent arrivals that the brown building to the left and behind is called the Donkeyschlong Building.
posted by y2karl at 10:42 PM on November 20, 2002

Dreama,

Has Philip Johnson died? Man, I am way out of touch.
posted by Dick Paris at 3:16 AM on November 21, 2002

That's 7WTC, not really the WTC.
posted by ParisParamus at 3:54 AM on November 21, 2002

I em noo telleeng recent erreefels thet zee broon booeelding tu zee lefft und beheend is celled zee Dunkeyschlung Booeelding. Bork Bork Bork!
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:02 AM on November 21, 2002

Contemplating the "new" WTC, I think it's a shame that Philip Johnson isn't still around.

Umm...that'd be news to him.
posted by notclosed at 6:30 AM on November 21, 2002

maybe i'm just an emotional fuckwit (shut up you), but why rebuild at all? please don't say it's because it's an expensive piece of property, blah blah blah. i know that. i would like to hear some pros and cons on rebuilding.

ps: at least you can't say the EMP isn't boring. ugly maybe, boring no.
posted by deborah at 1:23 PM on November 21, 2002

eep.

ps: at least you can say the EMP isn't boring. ugly maybe, boring no.
posted by deborah at 1:24 PM on November 21, 2002

maybe i'm just an emotional fuckwit (shut up you), but why rebuild at all?

In affirmation that that is what man (properly) does, builds rather than destroys.
posted by rushmc at 6:32 PM on November 21, 2002

i had hoped there would be some sort of memorial park in place of new buildings.

naive me.
posted by deborah at 11:20 PM on November 21, 2002

Spray an anthill with water. The ants will rebuild it.
Hymn-worthy?
Hardly.
Just Roark and Rosie gigging.
Clap anyway.
posted by Opus Dark at 12:52 AM on November 22, 2002

Has Philip Johnson died? Man, I am way out of touch.

No, he hasn't died, but he is 96 years old and I'm of the understanding (perhaps incorrect?) that he is no longer actively designing. Every day I look out my window and enjoy one of his masterpieces. His work is timeless.
posted by Dreama at 2:10 AM on November 22, 2002

i had hoped there would be some sort of memorial park in place of new buildings.

I find the notion appalling.

But then, I absolutely loathe roadside markers for traffic accidents, too. /shrug
posted by rushmc at 6:47 AM on November 22, 2002

why do you see that as appalling? i'm not trolling, i would really like to hear ..um.. see your reason(s) behind that.

i feel it's like they're trying to rebuild, cover it up (literally), pretend it never happend. it's also seems like all they want to do is get back to making money (from the rebuilt buildings - rent, etc.). not that making money in and of itself is bad. it just seems - mercenary(? - can't think of a better word).

i can't say i loathe the roadside markers, but i wouldn't want one myself. however, i can see why people want them (a way to grieve, etc).

thinking out loud: i think i can see your point, rushmc. what is the difference between the two except volume (ie: one or a few killed as opposed to thousands killed). i could very well be wrong, i don't want to put words in your mouth.
posted by deborah at 3:28 PM on November 22, 2002

The world is for the living. If we set aside a portion of it every time someone dies, there will very soon be no room for the living...and what a morbid landscape it will be! These people did nothing heroic--they were murdered while going about their daily business, much as other people are frequently are, only usually one at a time. Every death is an unfair tragedy, but where are the annual monuments being constructed for the umpteen thousand who die in automobile accidents? Household fires? All the other murder victims? Etc, etc. A meaningful memorial, IMO, is not a statue or a park but a commitment to pro-life (not using the abortion sense here, but the more general sense) values.
posted by rushmc at 4:22 PM on November 22, 2002

If we set aside a portion of it every time someone dies, there will very soon be no room for the living...and what a morbid landscape it will be!

sadly true. thanks for the input, rushmc.
posted by deborah at 6:46 PM on November 22, 2002