Architecture critic pans Apple's 'spaceship' campus as 'troubling,' 'scary'

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by delete View Post


    How big is the "adjacent structure" to park the cars for 13,000 employees?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    Parking is going to be underground, I believe.



    Nope - *massively* big parking structure stretching along I-280. I'm really disappointed in Apple both for including this gargantuan structure in the campus (when it runs so counter to the purported goal of having open space and a 21st century campus), as well as in the fact that none of the published drawings show this behemoth.
  • Reply 62 of 193
    The cool thing about architecture is that no matter what kind of architectural jargon these critics use, nothing can circumvent my opinion.



    I think the building looks awesome. It's unfortunate that some out-of-work armchair critic didn't get commissioned to build an iconic building. Thus, let's lambast it.
  • Reply 63 of 193
    "Bitter architect wishes he was the one who designed Apple's spaceship".
  • Reply 64 of 193
    Non-architect, critic, realizes he can gain notoriety/infamy from trolling Apple, just like analysts in tech can.



    He's known for banging the preservation stump, which makes critique of modern design coming from him as legitimate as critique of foreign policy coming from me. You can count on the periodic "get off my lawn" tripe from critics like Goldberger.
  • Reply 65 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    I'd never seen that before. It looks pretty awful and I don't care who made it or designed it. It looks like the aftermath of an earthquake.



    Exactly my point...

    It doesn't matter who likes it or not. If they want to build it, they will.
  • Reply 66 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zaphodsplanet View Post


    And why should anyone care what this idiot "Architecture Critic" has to say about anything?? You guys on this site need to do a reality check. People like this bring NOTHING to the party. What has he created? What has he built from scratch? Who has he employees?



    NOTHING, NOTHING and NOBODY!



    Oh goddess, here we go again.



    What he "brings to the party" is years (in fact, in his case decades) of experience in exploring, examining, advising and critiquing architecture. I guess you believe that expert knowledge is pointless, that a janitor is as good a person to advise on a building's form and function as a professionally trained architect with decades of experience?
  • Reply 67 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    I am going to play a critic for a minute and I'm going to critique Paul Goldberger's style.



    how infantile
  • Reply 68 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Takeo View Post


    OMFG. Seriously? Look, Steve Jobs has created some amazing products but for pete's sake... he's not an architect. Nor should he try to be one. He should stick with what he knows. This building is a disaster.



    +1



    Love his products; eagerly awaiting the iPhone 5. But sorry, this 'spaceship', it's divorce from the local surroundings, its lack of public transit access, and its behemoth parking structure are all *not* perfect gifts from on high that we should worship. They're one view of what could be done with the site, and there are a lot of legitimate ways it could be improved.
  • Reply 69 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sierrajeff View Post


    how infantile



    One could say the same about the vacuous critique that started this.......
  • Reply 70 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


    Those who can... do



    Those who can't... teach



    Those who can do neither... become critics



    I propose a cleaner version.



    Those who can, do.



    Those who can't, teach.



    Those who don't know anything at all about the topic become analysts.
  • Reply 71 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fecklesstechguy View Post


    After all, we obviously don't have the deep background and experience in architecture your statements claim for you.



    That's painfully clear.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fecklesstechguy View Post


    Since all utopian visions are essentially doomed to failure, your phrase "failed utopian visions" is a res ipsa loquitur, [...]



    And you're clearly not a lawyer either. I think you mean to allege that the phrase is redundant. Res ipsa involves something not readily known or witnessed, but which nevertheless has to have happened or been the case based on current conditions.
  • Reply 72 of 193
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sierrajeff View Post


    how infantile



    What can I say, that's how I roll. Do you not have any sense of humor? Even though my critique was written mostly in jest, I do feel that my advice was actually good advice and he should lose the rest of his hair, speaking purely from an artistic point of view.
  • Reply 73 of 193
    when frank lloyd wright put up the guggenheim museum on fifth ave in nyc, people were jumping out of their skin.



    fifth ave is a very very upscale quiet type area. when the guggenheim was built some people wanted it torn down. steve job's design is pedestrian if you wanted to make a one on one comparison.



    now, 30-40 years later (estimate), the guggenheim fits in like it was destiny. nobody complains and the same series of events will propel steve job's building to success.
  • Reply 74 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    Personally? The 'spaceship' certainly looks impressive on paper. It also looks ominous and 'blank faced', almost threatening, like a futuristic closed fortress. It doesn't appear to have any nooks and crannies outdoors. Nooks and crannies can be created through landscaping. Maybe an Apple Village would have been a better solution in the long term... or just nicer for the people working there. I don't know. But the Spaceship is very Jobsian, so it makes sense. But often great minds need tempering through imposed limitations to be truly great. Once they rise above that and can freely unleash their 'vision' unhindered, it becomes bigger, grander, more impressive, but less great. So, I don't know. I am seduced by it at the moment on a purely visual level.



    Very well said. If (when) it's built, it will undoubtedly be impressive, hailed as an achievement, and be a landmark for decades to come. And rightfully so, just as the Pentagon is impressive and a major landmark.



    But that doesn't mean that the new HQ is inherently, axiomatically *the* best iteration of what could have been done there. And it's entirely possible that once it's built, some people will love it, and some people will see limitations or deficiencies in the plan and/or in using the space on a day-to-day basis.
  • Reply 75 of 193
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    The design is not really my taste but you can't see it from my house, so it is fine with me.



    Looks like it would be easy to get lost inside without navigational aids. I would expect they will have high speed horizontal transportation implementations of some sort.
  • Reply 76 of 193
    Clearly this Green Site is making the critics green with envy. I'd love to work in an office surrounded by natural beauty/parkland. It'd be even better with real cows grazing!
  • Reply 77 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sierrajeff View Post


    Nope - *massively* big parking structure stretching along I-280. I'm really disappointed in Apple both for including this gargantuan structure in the campus (when it runs so counter to the purported goal of having open space and a 21st century campus), as well as in the fact that none of the published drawings show this behemoth.



    I've seen plenty of drawings that show the parking structure. Only two levels of the four will be visible from the campus and structure along the 280 side will be almost invisible, sitting in a depression next to the 280 and hidden by trees.



    head on over to this page and get the site drawings offered at the bottom of the page:



    http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=1107



    The link to "Floor Plans" has drawings of the garage.
  • Reply 78 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    I am going to play a critic for a minute and I'm going to critique Paul Goldberger's style.







    One first notices that he's bald. He really needs to lose whatever hair he has left on the left and right side above his ears. It is not a modern style at all and sporting something that makes somebody look old is reminiscent of an outdated sense of fashion and it is no longer appropriate in this current century. I find this most troubling, and not to mention, a little bit scary.



    For perfect symmetry to be achieved, he needs to go with the clean look and shave everything off. That would produce much smoother, cleaner and purer lines and it would also be more harmonious with his surroundings and with nature. His current style is quite similar to what a 16 century monk would sport on their heads. It is simply put, not aesthetically pleasing and I find it to be a follicle disaster of enormous proportions.



    AHAHAHA!!! WIN!
  • Reply 79 of 193
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    I didn't really look at his criticisms in detail but my point is that any knowledgable critic should be allowed to voice his concerns. Architecture is centred around aesthetics and functionality in a geographical / social context. That leaves a lot of room for deep debate and differing views.



    Personally? The 'spaceship' certainly looks impressive on paper. It also looks ominous and 'blank faced', almost threatening, like a futuristic closed fortress. It doesn't appear to have any nooks and crannies outdoors. Nooks and crannies can be created through landscaping. Maybe an Apple Village would have been a better solution in the long term... or just nicer for the people working there. I don't know. But the Spaceship is very Jobsian, so it makes sense. But often great minds need tempering through imposed limitations to be truly great. Once they rise above that and can freely unleash their 'vision' unhindered, it becomes bigger, grander, more impressive, but less great. So, I don't know. I am seduced by it at the moment on a purely visual level.



    I agree in general. My problem is that there is nothing in this piece that can be reasonably defined as criticism, not in the professional or journalistic sense.
  • Reply 80 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Takeo View Post


    OMFG. Seriously? Look, Steve Jobs has created some amazing products but for pete's sake... he's not an architect. Nor should he try to be one. He should stick with what he knows. This building is a disaster.



    I'm fairly certain that Steve's input to the architectural design of the building was limited to drawing two concentric circles on a piece of paper and saying, "Here. Build me this." No, Steve is not an architect?nor was he trying to be. What he is is a visionary genius. He knows how to motivate and drive the best people to do their best work?this includes architects.
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