Two Recent Urban Places in the Same City

[ablarc]

TWO RECENT URBAN PLACES IN THE SAME CITY

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photo by zupermaus.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

So is there any information about these projects? Names? Architects?

 

[ablarc]

The first project is four-year-old Paternoster Square.

Masterplan: Whitfield Partners

Various buildings by various architects:

MacCormac Jamieson Prichard

Eric Parry Architects

Rolfe Judd

Allies & Morrison

Whitfield Partners / Sidell Gibson

Whitfield Partners / Sheppard Robson

Whitfield Partners / Sidell Gibson


The second project is called Richmond Riverside and dates from the late Eighties. Here all buildings are by one architect: Driehaus Prize winner, Quinlan Terry --generally thought to be the world?s premier classical architect.

Both projects are esteemed by the public and loathed by the architectural establishment --as is Poundbury.

Can you guess why?

 

[ablarc]

The first project is four-year-old Paternoster Square.

Masterplan: Whitfield Partners

Various buildings by various architects:

MacCormac Jamieson Prichard

Eric Parry Architects

Rolfe Judd

Allies & Morrison

Whitfield Partners / Sidell Gibson

Whitfield Partners / Sheppard Robson

Whitfield Partners / Sidell Gibson


The second project is called Richmond Riverside and dates from the late Eighties. Here all buildings are by one architect: Driehaus Prize winner, Quinlan Terry --generally thought to be the world?s premier classical architect.

Both projects are esteemed by the public and loathed by the architectural establishment --as is Poundbury.

Can you guess why?

 

[bdurden]

because it is popular to reject new urbanism? Neither of these are bad examples, though they aren't exactly on par with Seaside (though I'm not quite sure why). Perhaps some styles are more difficult to produce authentically than others.

 

[Joe_Schmoe]

Hate to point out the obvious, but it is the edges that define a public space. Pei made a huge mistake at Government Center as it just falls off into nothing on three sides. He made the same mistake at the Christian Science Center, and at the JFK library. All three can be repaired on the model of the spaces ablarc shows above. Build a 6 - 8 story building along Cambridge Street and in front of the JFK building at GC, and along Huntington at the Christian Science center. Put a sloping lawn down to the water at the JFK museum.

ablarc, are the historic looking buildings here actually historic, or are the new construction built in an historic style?

 

[ablarc]

are the historic looking buildings here actually historic, or are the new construction built in an historic style?

All new. The Quinlan Terry buildings in Richmond are built the way they would have been 150 years ago but with modern plumbing, mechanical and electrical. They were built at the same cost per square foot as a London skyscraper, which they resemble in program (speculative office space), and bulk (a bit less than a million square feet). Tenants love them, and so does the public.

Architects hate them; they're a sendup of their theories. Same is true of Poundbury.

 

[hubcrawler]

This is exactly the problem with a lot of architects. The very people these buildings were built for love them. So what is the problem here? I do not understand the resentment by certain people. I personally would love to see some of this stuff being built in Boston. I'm not saying to build like this exclusively but in certain areas this would ease a lot of people's skepticism of replacing buildings especially in historical areas. Amazing this is built at a similar cost per square foot as London skyscrapers. I thought construction of buildings like this was no longer feasible. These buildings seems to be of good quality. Many buildings that attempt to emulate old architecture seem to come out tacky but not this.

 

[ablarc]

The very people these buildings were built for love them. So what is the problem here? ... I personally would love to see some of this stuff being built in Boston. I'm not saying to build like this exclusively but in certain areas this would ease a lot of people's skepticism of replacing buildings especially in historical areas.

Sounds like you're a member of the public. If you were an architect you would know that would be IMMORAL .

This is exactly the problem with a lot of architects ... I do not understand the resentment by certain people.

Hell hath no fury like a theory scorned.

Amazing this is built at a similar cost per square foot as London skyscrapers. I thought construction of buildings like this was no longer feasible. These buildings seems to be of good quality. Many buildings that attempt to emulate old architecture seem to come out tacky but not this.

As construction costs soar generally, the price gap between standard construction and this kind is narrowing. Building really well is not as much more expensive as it used to be. See also Whitman College, Princeton in the Gothic Colleges thread.