Quote:
Originally Posted by Zerton
I don't understand how the antennas aren't an architectural element. Were they not considered in the original plans?
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Yes, the superstructure of the building was actually specifically built to have two little super reinforced nubs where the bottoms of the antennas are attached to support them. If you look at the pictures of it after it topped out but before the cladding was finished you can see them as two metal cylinders about 2 stories high poking out of the roof. How that makes them not a structural element I don't know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harryc
As seen from the Lake/Ashland CTA station.
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Yep, look how black that glass is... DUH proves my point bronze =/= to black...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TallMark
The Sears, I am sure, would benefit from the same. Its façade needs to be stripped down to the bone, those metal panes thrown away, and the building should get a "Trump" treatment for elegance. Smith & Gill, I am certain, will do justice to this otherwise, magnificient structure (unfortunately, cladded by a cheep robe!!  |
Again, the facade of the Sears Tower is not cheap, its actually pretty high quality. Like I said before, the building I live in was a cheap SCB design from 1974 (about the same time as Sears) and its held up very poorly compared to the Sears' facade.
The Sears Tower is not meant to be "Elegant" it is meant to be mean and in your face corporate architecture. It is meant to be imposing and to impress not to be mellow and blend into the background. It is an old school forceful he-man tower, the idea of putting a milder facade on it effectively castrates the building and turns it into a something its not: a pansy ass metrosexual mediocrity.
I'm sure in your next post you'll be proposing stripping the Hancock of its X bracing it and putting a nice brick facade on it with little pilasters and cornices and maybe a nice flying buttress or two holding up the antennae. (I shudder at the thought of such a horrible thing) Can they please hurry up and land mark these buildings like Hancock, Sears, Chase, IBM, Daley Center, etc. before someone like TallMark comes along and ruins them all with suburban office park facades?