Society for Architectural Insignificance: Frank Gehry

After decades of mediocre projects such as the mall at the 3rd street Promenade and his private residence in Santa Monica, Frank Gehry finally has his breakthrough "success" at Bilbao, Spain in 1997. It seems we are stuck with this iteration of his work from here to the end of his career as his work since 1997 has essentially been a re-gurgitation of Bilbao.

The EMP in Seattle is a poster child for the Society for Architectural Insignificance. Situated at the base of the mighty Seattle Space Needle, EMP embodies all that is wrong with modern architecture.

1. It looks just like all of Gehry's other crumpled up metal buildings.
2. Somebody thought it would be cool to take a torch to it to change the color of the metal skin.
3. By most accounts, the EMP is a financial failure

Wikipedia points out the following criticisms of Gehry's work:

• The buildings waste structural resources by creating functionless forms
• The buildings are apparently designed without researching the local climate
• The spectacle of a building often overwhelms its intended use (especially in the case of museums and arenas)
• The buildings do not seem to belong in their surroundings "organically"

Gehry admitted during a TED Talk interview that Bilbao was his first design that did not leak. He isn't pushing construction techniques for any purpose other than being avant garde. Enough!


I have to admit I do like:
The Dancing House in Prague
Gehry Tower in Hannover
Der Neue Zollhof


Photo Source

12/1/08 UPDATE: I am not the only person that is not impressed by Gehry's mediocrity!

Society for Architectural Insignificance: The Space Needle

I am starting a new feature on my blog, the Society for Architectural Insignificance. I will feature insignificant eyesores, public boondoggles and other annoying architecture. To start this series, I will focus on a structure that I am very passionate about, the Seattle Space Needle.



Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Space Needle rocketed on to the world architectural scene at a dizzying height of 605 feet. This pales in comparison to the free standing tour-de-force, the Eiffel Tower, which stands 1,063 feet, built in 1889.

The Needle's short stature combined with it's "The Future is Now" design make me question why it is arguably the most recognizable feature of Seattle.



The Seattle Space Needle is Insignificant Because:

• It is an eyesore standing slightly taller than half the height of a French structure that was built 73 years earlier

• The Needle's marketing crew created this retro-futuristic logo:

• It has a rotating restaurant (It used to have TWO rotating restaurants)