now and maybe

the end endgame

The Economist magazine had a good report on the proliferation of discount chain stores like Dollar General. For better or worse, this retail model may be the final model of the American shopping experience. The very wealthy will have a few boutique locations, and Amazon. The middle class will have Amazon. The poor will have Dollar General, and Amazon. Even Wal-Mart will throw in the towel. If things reach that point the Dollar Stores will even be able to get rid of their signs.

ducks vs. decorated sheds

Towers of ilium invents facts. That preceding statement reveals, in large part, the efforts of this news organization to deceive the public--our success is legend.

The "duck" and "decorated shed" terminology that was invented by Venturi and Scott-Brown can be useful, but it leads to false dichotomies. Many buildings are partly duck and partly shed. The high-rise pictured above, like most high-rises, is very shed-like. The top of the building features a collection of wind turbines that will pay for themselves in 600 years. As signage goes, they are confusing--even though there is (for now) a Tesla car showroom on the ground floor.

Obvious symbolism is in the eye of a beholder. Scale is the most successful demonstration of importance.

photo credit: Peter Gruhn

amazon headquarters #30298

Towers of ilium is doubling down on its position that Amazon will not build a new headquarters in the Boston region. Despite the fact that Boston has made the final 20 list, the most rational locations for the new complex include the following regions:

-New Jersey
-North Carolina
-Atlanta
-Pittsburgh

A southern state is still the smartest move for the company. Actually, the smartest move is not building another centralized headquarters, but Bezos will only reach this conclusion during the next recession.

where to put louis kahn?

Efforts to categorize architectural styles always go off course when it comes to Louis Kahn. He managed to keep one foot in the world of classical formalism and the other in the slippery territory of high modernism. He was not know for the use of glass, but is regarded as a master of light. His lack of commercial success only enhanced his legacy and he managed to inspire hordes of post-modern designers. The word most frequently used to describe even his smallest projects is "monumental"--and for this reason he remains a threat.

who won? modernism or post-modernism?

If we want to consider this question objectively then we should admit that Colonial Revival architecture has always been the winner. After all, towers of ilium owns significant stock in companies that make vinyl siding. In the realm of commercial architecture the answer is less clear. Modernism won the battle for the high rise, but Post-Modernism appears to be winning the battle for the low-rise strip. This outcome makes sense from a business perspective. At street level--or car windshield level--the rudimentary details of post modernism draw the eye more effectively. For anything over 6 stories high the world still belongs to Mies.

this is everywhere

In between storms and recessions there is paradise. The beach, the boardwalk, the road, the burger joint, and the hotel. To get there is a traffic choked road that creeps through the low rent areas that can smell the water but never see it. The people will always come because they do not have salt water in the heartland, or in winter, or because their beach is not exciting or exotic enough. The sand drying on feet and the sunburn headache on the way home on the interstate is the best part.

a victim of success

The main problem with the Salavador Dali museum in Florida is that too many people like to go there. Consequently, spaces that were designed for a few dozen people now have to accommodate nearly a hundred. The stress is felt acutely in critical circulation areas--especially the stair atrium and the main gallery.

The lesson here is that architects and building owners are doomed by an inability to predict both popularity and indifference. Bring on the wrecking balls.

rumblings

Although the news cycle has shifted a bit in the past few days, towers of ilium noticed that the Treasury Dept and IRS are rushing to implement the tax code changes. We sense trouble ahead, and a political opportunity for some candidates--and a bonanza for some tax lawyers. The chief problem is that employee withholding may be a bit muddled in the months or year ahead. People who expect a tax break, may not see much of a change in their paycheck because of errors or deliberate criminal mischief. Who will they blame?

phillip johnson super genius architect man

Phillip Johnson was a great architect by virtue of his ability to design mediocre buildings. William Rawn just completed a makeover of Boston Public Library, and now New York gets to have something similar done to the former Sony headquarters building. 

Rock on.

an unworkable idea

Clients spend money on architects draw pictures and select products. Clients spend money on contractors who organize the labor and materials that create buildings based on the decisions of the architects. Efforts at finding more efficiency in these arrangements has attracted the attention of economists and business leaders for quite some time. One obstacle to efficiency is that both architects and contractors will claim to have a grasp of the complexity involved in the undertaking, no matter how original it may be. Both groups are beholden to a labor and material market over which they have no control. One possible approach would be for a contractor to establish a true design-build operation where design services are combined with in-house trades who can give more accurate feedback on pricing as the design is being developed. Until this happens, the guesswork continues.

where things come from-part IIXV

If something is imitated it usually means that people like it. People in New England liked this church designed by the British architect James Gibbs. Its image came to America in the form of memories and ink prints. Consequently, pure copies were impossible to achieve, and nor was that anyone's intent. That it was copied imperfectly was a testament to the wide variety of skills and desires of the worshipful people of a rough, new land.

That Gibbs was imitating Greek temples, Roman palazzos, and medieval cathedrals is all part of the mix. Imitation and agglomeration are lifeblood of design. Until modernism, perhaps.

reckonings-the blizzard of 2018

Marty Walsh and Charlie Baker do not have their heads buried in a snowbank. Both expect coastal flooding to increase in the decades ahead and have a dramatic impact on land use patterns and emergency planning. They acknowledge the cause as global warming, combined with centuries of development  in high-risk areas. Resilient design has been adopted in the coastal regions of Massachusetts sporadically over the past several decades. Commercial property owners tend to take things more seriously than homeowners. In some respects, this is a function of the need to satisfy private insurers and public officials, but the ultimate effect is to encourage a growth pattern that will favor large buildings replacing small buildings in coastal areas. We'll see how this plays out over the next 82 years.

disaster artists

Famous architects from New England:

Frank Lloyd Wright--by virtue of having spent part of his childhood in Weymouth.
H.H. Richardson
Olmsted
Ralph Cram
Maya Lin--by virtue of having gone to Yale
Gropius
etc...

The sales pitch of this list is that some important designers have passed through New England. Their most important work was often realized elsewhere. This region is not the most fertile ground for the avante garde or the very large. A provincialism stalks the streets, and people learn to temper their expectations. No towers to the sky get past local zoning boards.

predictions for 2018

Please note that predictions for the Trump administration will be dealt with separately. Some of these predictions for 2018 will be impacted by Trump, but most of them are far beyond even his control.
These predictions are more conservative than in past years. The only excitement will be the conclusion of the Mueller investigation and the mid-term elections.

-The retail apocalypse will be more significant in 2018, but it will not lead to a general economic downturn. The repurposing of retail properties will be a more notable phenomenon.

-The "internet of things" will continue to be a buzzword but towers of ilium does not see much in the way of real technological revolution in the years ahead. Apple's star will start to fall as the ghost of Steve Jobs fades away into the long, curved hallways of their new headquarters in Silicon Valley.

-Renewable energy will continue to make real gains.

-War between the U.S. and  North Korea will not break out. China may take a more aggressive role in this.

-Housing starts will be at a slightly below average pace.

-The U.S. economy will do okay for most of the year. Okay means around 2% growth. Everyone will be happy.

-Someone may trim the feathers of bin Salman--this will be the outcome of another year of turbulence in the Middle East--exacerbated by America's inept diplomacy.

-Europe, except for Britain will be mostly stable. The hard right movement in Poland and Hungary will gain traction. Putin will be conservative in his posturing.

-China will be more active in its region--capitalizing on American ineptitude.

-China will be continue to be the hot spot for avante garde architecture.

-On average, things in Africa will improve.

-Mueller's investigation will not result in charges against Trump, but Kushner may be shown the door and a seat in a courtroom.

-The Democrats will clean up at the mid-term elections. They will win the House--with Pelosi back as Speaker, and the Senate, with Schumer as Leader. Then the axes will start to fall....