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Originally Posted by Keith P.
I simply cannot understand why anyone would ever do what you suggest.
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Yet, others have given examples of where it has worked in other cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith P.
I'm reminded of a story Frank Stanton, President of CBS in the 1960s, told about his involvement in the design and construction of Black Rock, the CBS Building on 6th Avenue and 52nd St in NYC. The exterior was designed by Eero Saarinen and the interiors by Florence Knoll, thus giving a modernist style both inside and out. Late in the process, Chairman William Paley expressed a desire for the office designs to be changed to something more traditional in style as he did not like the modernist esthetic. Stanton, who was a very smart man, arranged for some empty office space in another building to be mocked up in decor using a designer that Paley selected as being more to his tastes. One evening the two of them took a tour of the mock-ups. Afterward, Paley was forced to concede that their traditional designs really didn't work very well in the context of the new building. Stanton ended up getting what he wanted, while Paley's suite of offices and conference/dining rooms was done in a more traditional style as he preferred, but were the only such spaces in the building.
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Others have suggested exteriors built to replicate lost historic buildings but built to code to be safe and functional. I don't see how this equates to traditional office amenities in a modernist building, though obviously Paley's suite was made to work, so...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith P.
The principle of being an honest design in the context of the esthetic of the times, the buildings around it, and the amount being invested in construction holds true regardless of what you are making. Back in the '80s we saw a lot of less-than-honest design features, from fake plastic woodgrain in cars and on microwave ovens, to faux-leather furniture. We still see it in the building trades today with styrofoam fake cornices and composite fake-stone veneer. I cannot understand why anyone would ever specify such fakery on a new build. Who do they think they are fooling? It is a rare project indeed that can afford real granite blocks, terra-cotta exterior cladding, and carved walnut trim inside. If a developer can make the economics work, then by all means use the best materials you can and incorporate them using good design. But if you cannot afford the genuine article, don't try to fake it.
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You're describing 'faux heritage', whereas others are describing creating authentic period architecture using quality materials and modern construction methods. It doesn't seem to be an unobtainable goal, even though nobody in Halifax seems to really want to do it.
An example of what could be done would be Queen's Marque, with all its newly-quarried Wallace sandstone, could easily have been styled to look more like the Dominion Public building across the street or the old Customs house that was torn down around 1960. Instead they chose a more modern motif using traditional materials.
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