Quote:
Originally Posted by jsbrook
I think you are somewhat missing the point that it's her job to be hypercritical. It's not her job to propose realistic alternatives. She is not the architect or developer. Her job is to point out problems and get people talking and working to address poor and ill-fitting building designs. I am not an architect so I can't say how effective she is. I would not think people actually alter construction proposals based on her critique; however, that does not mean there is no impact. But as I said, I am not defending Inga's body of work or global positions (which are case-specific and vary in being ill-advised depending on the situation). I will agree with her critique of this building as crap. And there are realistic alternatives even if not the luxury tower Inga may favor. Let's move on.
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I think it's just natural for people to have a love/hate relationship with any professional critic. We get annoyed when a critic praises a restaurant we hate, or criticizes one we love. We get annoyed when a critic does the same with movies.
The reason Saffron is employed is the same reason most of us are on this message board. If she wasn't writing it, one of us might be. Curbed and Hidden City do a lot of critiquing of their own. It's just easier to bash/love Saffron because she's at the top of the pyramid.
I really doubt architects anywhere are concerned with the opinions of critics. It's a more niche area of journalism than, say, movie reviews. Plus, once a building is approved, architects don't rely on critics the way movie producers rely on critics to sell tickets. However, one thing I do like about Saffron is she tends to write from the point of view of most Philadelphians, not just those technically schooled, or even informed, about the elements of design and architecture.
I've read pieces by New York
Times' critic Nicolai Ouroussoff that talk down to his audience with academic jargon. He's condescending. Saffron, although sometimes she sounds scattered, talks about architecture in a relatable way, even if we disagree. I think she understands that architecture is the one art that
everyone must endure.
Likewise, I think Philadelphia's general public is much more opinionated and informed about architecture and development than they are in other cities, and that's why I think much of what we get is better than cities of comparable size. Whether it's Saffron, Curbed, Philebrity, Hidden City, or this message board, we demand much more than Seattleites, Los Angelenos, Washingtonians, and even a lot of New Yorkers. Whereas residents of Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta largely regard their city as a place to live, we tend to look at Philadelphia the city as another one of our residents. Like a city in a comic book, Philadelphia is its own character like Gotham or Metropolis.
I have to think that good architects not only consider that when designing something architecturally influential, but also embrace the fact that most Philadelphians really want to see the best. It pays off. Just put any skyline in the Southeast or West Coast next to Philadelphia.
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