ART1

Post Structuring the World

I think all the buildings in this selection have some form of postmodernism, and
bits and pieces of contemporary architecture.
Postmodernism resulted from the failure of Modern Architecture. Modernism failed
because it was so rational and neat, with no ornaments; it lacks the human need
for comfort both for the eye and the body.
All of the buildings selected here are made within the 90s.
Some characteristics included in postmodernism is the use of sculptural forms,
ornaments, anthropomorphism, and materials which form trompe loeil ->
creating illusion of space and depth
Often, there is double coding; the building conveys 2 meanings at once.
The Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California
Architect: John Portman
Often being said as postmodern architecture; a famous case study for
postmodernism.
Bonaventure Hotel looks like a
glass spaceship, with 3 cylindrical
towers, and it boasts a biggggg
shopping area, however, it is now
deserted and only sells crappy shit.
We see, then, that the economic
shift to finance capital and the
subsequent deterritorialization -the butterfly fleeing the base of the
"material" world -- changes the
world. Using the experience of
stores within the physical
embodiment of this
deterritorialization, however, this
change can viewed as detrimental to capitalism's own cause. Capitalism,
therefore, attempts to conceal this deterritorialization by re-marking or resignifying this new space -- labeling it based on the diachronic space of the old
world.
The interior is very dark and moody; it seems like fortress, all jailed up. It doesnt
look inviting. Bonaventure ought not to have any entrances at all, since the
entryway is always the seam that links the building to the rest of the city: for it
does not wish to be part of the city according to Frederic Jameson.
It has become a concentrated representation of the city around it, reflecting the
manufactured spaces of Los Angeles. Edward Soja believes that much like the
economy LA, the hotel is a paradox. Inviting from the outside, but once inside, it
becomes a daunting experience, difficult to get out. Fragmented and fragmenting.
Homogenous and homogenizing.
Its mirrors on the towers tries to imply that the building is not trying to distinguish
itself, much rather blend in with the other buildings in the sides, so what we see is
reflections of the buildings in the skyline.

The building is a physical manifestation of the late capitalistic society, a mini city
within the city itself. Its designed to fit its surrounding environment, but when you
enter, its a different world, a new outside world.
Late capitalism can be seen as a new level of economic abstraction, which, in
turn, affects people's thoughts and perceptions and creates postmodernism.
Within postmodernism's physical manifestation in architectural space, we, quite
possibly, may find that that the disorienting hyperspace and its deterritorialization
may be a resistance, or, at least, a hindrance to capitalism. The best evidence of
this resistance may, in fact, be capitalism's reaction to this proposed threat:
inscribing signifiers that act to re-establish the referents of the old world
Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Architect: Jorn Utzon
Utzon uses his experience from traveling as an inspiration for the design. Though
he had never visited the site, he used his maritime background to study naval
charts of Sydney harbor. His early exposure to shipbuilding provided the
inspiration for the Sydney Opera House sails and would also help him solve the
challenges of their construction. From his travels to Mexico, he had the idea of
placing his building on a wide horizontal platform, inspired by Mayan architecture
from his travels.
Apparently, the curves for the sails of
the opera house has different
curvatures, which is not possible yet that
time because computer engineering has
not existed.
The distinctive roof comprises sets of
interlocking vaulted shells set upon a
vast terraced platform and surrounded
by terrace areas that function as
pedestrian concourses.
The two main halls are arranged side by side, with their long axes, slightly inclined
from each other, generally running north-south. The auditoria face south, away
from the harbor with the stages located between the audience and the city. The
Forecourt is a vast open space from which people ascend the stairs to the podium.
The Monumental Steps, which lead up from the Forecourt to the two main
performance venues, are a great ceremonial stairway nearly 100 metres wide.
The vaulted roof shells were designed by Utzon in collaboration with
internationally renowned engineers Ove Arup & Partners with the final shape of
the shells derived from the surface of a single imagined sphere. Each shell is
composed of pre-cast rib segments radiating from a concrete pedestal and rising
to a ridge beam. The shells are faced in glazed off-white tiles while the podium is
clad in earth-toned, reconstituted granite panels. The glass walls are a special
feature of the building, constructed according to the modified design by Utzons
successor architect, Peter Hall.
Ove Arup, another Danish, helped him in the construction of the opera house.
Arup couldnt prevent construction from starting before the design was finalized.
Premier Cahill insisted that the building should start building before the March
1959 election. Political imperatives trumped all other needs.
The podium wasnt strong enough due to the rush, and the shells needed 6 years
to resolve. As work went on political pressure mounted, fanned by an opposition

that used the Sydney Opera House as a major tool in its campaign to destabilize
the government.
Time was needed to solve the many technical issues. The Askin opposition grew
increasingly vitriolic. Inflation, the artificially low starting budget and the fixes
necessitated by the too-early start, pushed the numbers well over the estimates
and were seized on to accuse Jorn Utzon of incompetence, poor management and
even dishonesty.
When the Askin government gained power in 1965 Davis Hughes, the minister in
charge of public works, simply withheld money from Utzon, either delaying or
refusing payment time after time. Until Jorn Utzon could no longer pay his staff,
pay for testing of his ideas, or even pay his own taxes, which, in the absence of a
tax treaty between Australia and Denmark, were being levied on him by both
countries. It became, or perhaps was always, an issue of control. Political control
versus architectural. And politics won.
Neither Askin nor Hughes cared for the opera house, they just use it for
immediate political gain with no concept of any wider importance. They cut down
the fees for the opera house, and owed Utzon $100 000 in fees. Utzon quitted and
left Australia along with his family.
In 2000 Utzon revised the design of the opera house, and made future guidelines
so that future architects wont ruin his masterpiece.
In 2003 Jorn Utzon was awarded architecture's highest honor, the Pritzker Prize.
His masterpiece, the Opera House in Australia, received its own prize. Recognized
as one of the world's famous structures, it was listed as one of the UNESCO world
heritage sites in 2007.
Oslo Opera House, Bjorvika, Oslo, Norway
Architect: Snohetta (won the design contract.)
The Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property, oversaw the
project, which has been billed as the biggest boost for culture in Norway since the
medieval Nidaros Cathedral was built in Trondheim.
The opera house is the first element in the planned transformation of this area of
the city. In 2010, the heavy traffic besides the building will be moved into a tunnel
under the fjord. Due to its size and aesthetics, the opera house stands apart from
other buildings in the area. The marble-clad roofscape forms a large public space
in the landscape of the city and the fjord.
There are 3 basic elements to the
opera house; the wave wall, the
factory, and the carpet. The most
striking feature is the white slopping
marble roof. There are over 1100
rooms, and has one of the best
horseshoe-shaped auditorium.
Norway wants to spotlight its cultural
aspect, making this opera house a
landmark. The architects collaborate with lots of artists for the building.
Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic

Architect: Vlado Milunic and Frank Gehry

In August 1990, Vaclav Havel, newly appointed president of Czechoslovakia
invited the Rolling Stones to come and perform in Prague. More than 100 000
people attended despite the rain. Many people were happy they get to watch the
Rolling Stones live, after being suppressed by the communist regime for decades.
The Velvet Revolution, in 1989, is what freed them from communism.
Milunic then proposed to President Havel to establish an art gallery nearby the
Prague Castle, home to Bohemias rulers. Milunic won the commission, as Havel is
a very artistic person, and loved his
proposal.
Thus was born the concept for what
would become Dancing House,
Prague's postmodern masterpiece
designed in partnership by Frank
Gehry and Mr. Miluni. With Dancing
House, Gehry and Miluni succeeded
in giving architectural form to
Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution,
marking a singular moment of
national transition and celebration.
Gehry was partnered with Milunic because the company that bought the space he
wanted wants a more famous architect to be leading the restoration project, so
they ended up collaborating. The two hit it off well.
The dancing house is made up of 2 towers. Fred, a masculine cylinder of concrete,
stretches up and out, simultaneously leading the rest of the building into the
abutting intersection and serving as an anchor for Fred's show-stealing partner.
The distorted cylinder is topped by a bird's-nest-shaped mesh sculpture named
"Medusa."
Ginger, a feminine frame cinched at the waist and wrapped in a billowing glass
dress, angles away from Fred in several directions at once, her spindly concrete
legs poking through her dress and planting themselves aggressively along the
very edge of the street. Dynamic and anthropomorphic, Ginger reflects Mr.
Gehry's evolved interpretation of Mr. Miluni's revolutionary female form. This
graceful piece of sculpture is also fully functional: The tower plays host to several
levels of conference rooms, along with a restaurant and bar on the top two floors
that provide expansive views of the Vltava.
They were nicknamed after the famous dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rogers. At that time, many people lambasted the building, saying that it is
irrelevant to the skyline and its environment. Today, this line of criticism seems
wildly off the mark. Mr. Miluni spent a great deal of time advising Mr. Gehry on
the site's context, and the two delivered a final product that richly pays homage
to Prague's architectural leitmotifs. Start with the towers themselves: Prague's
older city blocks are almost always bookended by towers of one kind or another,
often topped by an ornamental cupola. Mr. Gehry followed the area's prevailing
tradition by putting the focus on the corner, and by topping Fred with his
decorative "Medusa" sculpture, whose form playfully echoes that of several onion
domes sitting atop adjacent corner towers. The dancing house is a symbol of a
time when an entire nation shook off its nothingness and decided to be fun.
(communist -> liberal)
The Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain

Architect: Frank Gehry, 1997

Bilbao is the 4th largest city in Spain, and during the 90s it was reconstructing.
Once an industrial town, it was trying to beautify itself, by adding new airports, a
subway system, and such. These ambitions were fitting with Gehrys ideology. He
wanted to push the boundaries of postmodernism. Gehry won the commission to
the Guggenheim design. He started thinking about fish, and how its curve still
remained even if it is static. This inspired him in designing the Bilbao
Guggenheim.
Although the metallic form of the exterior looks almost floral from above
Built in limestone, glass,
and titanium, many
people do perceive it as a
bouquet of fishes. It looks
crisp, clean, and gives a
sense of function.
Perhaps Gehry's building's
real legacy is the ardor
with which post-industrial, lackluster or just plain uninspiring cities around the
world commission a new cultural building, in the hope that they too will achieve
what's come to be known as, 'the Bilbao effect'. In the first 3 years the
Guggenheim was open, over 4 million tourists visited the museum, which gave an
economic boom to the city.