Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Coming soon to Atlantic Yards...

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is suing renowned architect Frank Gehry, alleging serious design flaws in the Stata Center, a building celebrated for its unconventional walls and radical angles.

MIT alleges flaws in Gehry building

The school asserts that the center, completed in spring 2004, has persistent leaks, drainage problems and mold growing on its brick exterior. It says accumulations of snow and ice have fallen dangerously from window boxes and other areas of its roofs, blocking emergency exits and causing damage.

The suit says MIT paid Los Angeles-based Gehry Partners $15 million to design the Stata Center, which cost $300 million to build. It houses labs, offices, classrooms and meeting rooms.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks like the village in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari_(1920_film)

Anonymous said...

Gehry is Caligari's sonambulist...."Ken".
(I love those German Expressionist movie sets) !

He spends many sleepless hours dreaming up
his impossible to maintain finicky buildings.

So it comes as no surprise
that these ill thought "works of art"
are turning out to be nightmares.

They're no match for the temperate climate zones
i.e. Massachusetts, New York, etc.!
They're more suitable for warm dry climates.

His brain must also be springing leaks
along with his "architecture"!

Frank's designs belong in a cabinet....
well protected from the harsh environment
of rain, wind and snow!

Anonymous said...

Architects have known since Frank Lloyd Wright that unusual shaped buildings are prone to chronic problems, leaking roofs, sagging foundations, etc. "Falling Water" almost fell into the water and was held up by cables for decades until a new bracing could be put in.

Now we have a new generation of precious developers and precious builders ready to impose (or should we say mar) the landscape with their precious designs.

The only good thing is these building may not last like the old ones. The bad thing is they will be up for the balance of our lives.

Anonymous said...

The only thing that's missing
is the Budweiser logo
on the big beer can with the 3 windows
lying on its side !

Or, if you prefer, Coors Light, Miller or
whatever "brewski" you favor !

Anonymous said...

That MIT building is hideous, as are the most of the museums, concert halls and other public buildings this alleged "starchitect" has completed. Thirty years from now people will look back on Gehry with wonderment, as in, "I wonder what people were thinking when they built THIS awful monstrosity?"

fuckgoogle said...

Whatever crap is thrown up for the Atlantic Yards project will have the shelf-life of a block of cheese.

Anonymous said...

This is sooooooo ugly!

georgetheatheist said...

One does not use a key to enter this edifice, but instead, you use a can-opener.

Anonymous said...

yep, those German Expressionist movies from the 20's were something else.

Part of the reason for the inventiveness of the sets, as Robert Osborne once explained, had to do with how small of a budget the studio had, in those post WW1 times.

Economic impoverishment often seems to lead to creative constructions, while prosperity on the other hand leads to ...

Anonymous said...

To "you know who you are"...

What pills have you been poppin'??!!??!!

Anonymous said...

Soma!!! :)

Anonymous said...

An architect who was a contemporary of Wright
(who's name escapes me)
once called him "Frank Lloyd Wrong" !

verdi said...

Give me solid post and lintel construction
(like the Parthenon)
which will last for hundreds of years !

Once I buy a home (or a building)
I'd like to be assured that the longterm upkeep
won't cost more than the purchase price!

georgetheatheist said...

The oldest home in Boston is the Paul Revere house. Revere bought the house in the mid-1700's when it was already 100 years old! (having been built in the mid-1600's) I took a tour of the house and asked the doyenne to show me the usually-not visited basement. Except for maybe 2 or 3 "sistered" ones, all the joists were the originals and built on solid masonry foundation.

john-e-be said...

Funny:
Just last night, a segment of a "This Old House" episode on DIY network (circa 2005) both featured and applauded the building and its architectural appeal. Seemed a bit sacrelidge, but I bought it.
Funnier:
When the show host and campus host visited the "spilled beer can" portion, aka Robitics Lab, the grad student commented that there were no closets or any shelving, etc. along the curved wall and had to make-do by stacking boxes along the curve. Seems in hindsight that the not-so-impressed look on his face was a portent to the news reports of the other architectural failures...I mean, endearing features.

verdi said...

Everybody has been fleeced by Gehry......
too afraid to appear un-hip
by criticizing this wunderkind.

There once was a little boy (in a fairy tale)
that boldly stood up and pronounced,
"The emperor isn't wearing any clothes".

The tailors, who fashioned his "invisible" duds
beat it the hell away long before the crap hit the fan
....I believe!

Anonymous said...

H-m-m-m.....it seems that MIT.....
the mecca of technology
should have known about the design flaws
inherent in Gehry's "architecture" !

I guess that school ain't what it used to be !

You got duped.....you fools !