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Old Posted Aug 15, 2016, 11:56 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AcmeGreg View Post
Two things that bug me about this building. First that a firm as creative and respected as ZGF would find so little inspiration in such a prominent hometown project, especially given their good work on other recent buildings here. Secondly, the end product has avoided the scrutiny applied (appropriately) to another local project suffering from what appears to be precisely the same issue. Everyone is in an apoplectic hissyfit over the Yard but in my book this result is even more egregious since expectations were set so low to begin with. Maybe I need a new book, but we were all gobsmacked with Skylab's initial design for the Yard – while the NV has been a snoozefest from the get-go. Skylab was at least being bold and adventurous with their conceptual approach, now denigrated for their inexperience. Well, what's ZGF's excuse?

The only thing NV had going for it conceptually was its light and airy, almost retro appearance. Dull opaque gray spandrel (?) glass has almost completely muted that visual effect, and also has disrupted the strong horizontal lines evident in the renderings by creating more prominent vertical swaths that now confuse the overall composition. Distinct horizontal and vertical volumes have now been reduced to mishmash leaving us with only those strips of bling – eyeballs drawn to them like moths to a bare lightbulb. They are of course the saving grace, the one thing everyone will talk about in relation to this building. Perhaps a perfect example of ZGF's experience coming into play on a project where I can only imagine that circumstances prevented them from pursuing a more architecturally interesting solution.
The difference is location, the NV, people don't notice as much, yet the Yard sits at a very iconic spot. People expected more from the Yard than the NV. Personally I don't mind it....though it has been a few months since I have been over there to really see it because it is a bit out of my way to see this building, but I have always liked the overall design of the building. It was something different than what was being done throughout much of the Pearl.
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