Iconic Venues: Losing Sight of the Program For the Building

Museums, once thought to be the triumphs of a City's in need of rejuvenation, have spawned a new era of iconic architecture; the perceived panacea that promises to resolve a dwindling civic patronage. To me, no one person stands more iconic in this 'galleria-revolution' than Frank Gehry. Driven not by the arts community, the proliferation of such cultural buildings have "[become] the way in which cities articulate their identity and vitality". To some the "Bilbao Effect" is no longer the solution for ailing cities but for corporations - a way to lure tourists and economic development - but a potential boon to corporations, whose identities are signified in their contribution to a city's architectural map of 'trophy buildings'.

(Bilbao Guggenheim, Spain)

I was recently reminded of the power Mr. Gehry and others command in the architecture and design world, but also the influence they have to affect public opinion and influence popular culture. With the recent construction of Barry Diller's IAC headquarters adjacent Manhattan's West Side Highway, and the nearly completed Beekman Tower (Gehry's first skyscraper), perhaps the most transformative piece of "civic" architecture in recent history has been that of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. Perhaps so progressively ahead of their time we are unable to see the immediate benefits of their presence. Arguably, these projects seem to backfire more often in their dissociation from their context; relating not to what's there now but instead to a new collection of "look-at-me buildings by global architects." Adrian Ellis, leading arts consultant and executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, recently referred to this form of museum building as "keeping up with the Joneses".

Fortunately, the economic downturn has given 'cause-for-pause' in this rabid quest for individuality and novelty. Scaled back or abandoned completely, current and proposed plans are being rethought. Where private institutions may have an advantage in raising capital for such projects - most financing for civic projects relying on donations and city funding - all are concerned with the increased maintenance budgets required to operate such 'iconic' facilities.

Exquisitely inventive and materially ground-breaking, a great deal of the architecture that steals headlines and stimulates the salivary glands of architectural students worldwide loses sight of its obligation to a cities social and environmental impacts. While "sensuous, almost feminine facades" are appealing in their own right and offer a refreshing complement to the orthogonal domination of our cities' urban faces, merely intending these new structures to spur surrounding development in areas is simply rhetoric. Too often, these buildings offer little to the public realm. Opaque or barely transparent glazing, oppressively 'thin' concrete walls, and undulating floor-to-roof facades not only lack the formative qualities of public space at their edges, but almost arrogantly turn their back on the surrounding life it seeks to attract.

(IAC Headquarters, NYC)

(Experience Music Project, Seattle)

Am I the only one to find it strange that in seeking pictures for the 'Walt Disney Concert Hall' there appears an absence of people? Traditional notions of the Agora may have long since passed. However, the attraction of and migration to cities only promises to increase a demand for livability, community, and interaction. 'Build it and they will come' may work in the short term but often results in isolated pockets of urban space that, over time, dissociate themselves from the surrounding fabric they seek to weave. Is thoughtful contribution to our public environment too heavy a demand for our policy makers to make of developers and designers in addition to simply providing recognizable jewels that enhance the skyline?

(Seattle Public Library, Seattle)

Architecture and public open-space design have long-since offered innovation in human comfort, passive and active recreational programming, social engagement, and city building. This is evidenced in the illustrations of designer's concepts religiously. Unfortunately the key ingredient that is so often illustrated - one that supports and nourishes these places and spaces - is so often lacking in the photographed realities of such creations - people!