
“Brutal” Architecture (2004) - elie_CH
http://weblogs.asp.net/kpleas/121407
======
Animats
That's from 2004. Here's a review by an architecture critic from 2007.[1] "The
shin-high steel fences built around the slanting structural I-beams to avert
head-bonking look like improvised fixes for a problem nobody anticipated."
"'The building's celebrated splotches of weirdness -- the red sea-monster-
bowel corridors on the fourth level, the bile-yellow elevators and escalators,
the vertiginous canyon overlooks on the upper levels -- exist to draw
attention away from the fact that most of its work and pleasure spaces are
actually cheaply finished or dysfunctional." "You and other critics have been
had. From the tip of this glass squeeze box to the bowels of its red metal
stomach, this library is a joke, a monument to the architects' vanity, to the
critics' collective vanity, to a city's greedy desire to be noticed. And
noticed not for achievement, not for actually doing anything, but for looking
cool."

That last seems to nail it.

However, it does have 4 1/2 stars on Yelp.

12 years on, most of the weirder floor materials are gone, replaced by bare
concrete. The badly upholstered chairs have been replaced with PVC. Lots of
railings and fences have been installed to keep people from hitting their
heads on angled beams. They've probably also gone to LED lighting on those
high ceiling lights. So the building is at least workable now. I'm impressed
that nobody is complaining about it being too hot or too cold; tall atriums
are a huge HVAC headache.

If you're in SF, consider joining the Mechanics Institute library. This is a
private library with a good, well-curated collection, with new books coming in
regularly. Classic multi-level stacks, columns, wood furniture, and librarians
who will hush you if you talk.

[1] [http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/article/On-Architecture-How-
the-...](http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/article/On-Architecture-How-the-new-
Central-Library-1232303.php?source=mypi)

~~~
EliRivers
Good God, less than a hundred of your US dollers a year? Bargain.

------
bgolder
> Of course, all of the above is just the "icing on the cake" (or "lipstick on
> the pig") [...] The real purpose of any library is to retain and provide
> access to the assets within.

I think the quote above underscores how little this critic understands about
architecture. Public libraries have a long history as spaces for public
gatherings and performance, arguably a more important role than their use as a
storage facility. Today, public libraries in the United States are some of the
few remaining public spaces we have, with classes for adults and children,
spaces for community groups to meet, and free access to computers and the
internet. For many people, this is the only place where they can go to apply
for certain public services. Public libraries are one of the few places we
allow homeless people to without citing them for loitering. A core premise in
the design of the Seattle Public Library was that a new library should put
greater emphasis on open social spaces than space for the "stacks". A good
critique would judge how well it followed through on that premise.

An analogous critique of software would be to look at an enormous, highly-
regulated, committee-designed, waterfall-style software project and highlight
random technical shortcomings and potential security flaws patched after the
initial release. And then never discuss how well the software addresses the
core use case.

A better critique would ask: Does the building do a good job of answering the
needs of its users?

~~~
vlehto
...and at what price?

In 2008 you could get 5 star luxury hotel with average price of 2600$/square
meter. Seattle Central library costed 4922$/square meter. Even airport
terminals and hospitals are usually cheaper.

It's true you can't justify that with "holds books nicely". But "has empty
space to accommodate people" is neither sufficient. Building empty space with
heating and air condition is not that difficult. But I don't think there is
anything unusual about it given that it's public building paid by tax money.

[http://tinyurl.com/hv78vd2](http://tinyurl.com/hv78vd2)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library)

------
elipsey
Showy brutalist architecture without an emphasis on pragmatism is kind of
ironic: it's got the charm of a fallout shelter with the convenience of anti-
cubism.

It's like "utilitarianism theatre."

There were lots of brutalist style buildings from the 50's and 60's where I
grew up, but at least they were ugly _and_ practical.

------
mieses
A "software architect" runs their blog on ASP.NET and makes drive-by comments
at real architecture.

~~~
chris_wot
Goodness, how dreadful! Running a blog at the domain webblogs.asp.net on
ASP.NET! Who would have thought this possible?

~~~
mieses
Also surprising - an engineer's rigid and passionate misunderstanding of
architecture (the Vitruvius not Gates kind).

