ruminations about architecture and design

Saturday, January 27, 2018

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

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