The ugliest building in the world

[Ted Striker]

I like most of these buildings, even the Empire State center or whatever it's called.

We don't craft enough plazas today.

We need more plazas.

Even though they are outlandish, it's nice to see a daring break from the ordinary, especially when 90% of suburban America is a cookie cutter cluster **** of:

1) McDonald's
2) Wal-Mart
3) Home Depot
4) Taco Bell

The only one I didn't like was that breadbasket thingie.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Originally posted by Oerdin
I like the roof top park which the mayor of Chicago has built on top of city hall.

As corrupt as the city government of Chicago is (which is nothing compared to the South or New Jersey), they really do put a lot of effort into making it a nice place to live. I do miss my city.

Millennium Park looks like an awesome piece of urban planning. Multiuse so it stays relevant throughout the year (the duck pond from summer turns into an ice-skating park during the winter) and it has everything from green fields for family picnics to an open air theater where people can go watch a play or listen to a concert. Great stuff.

[chequita guevara]

Millenium Park rulez. When I first heard the idea, I was more than skeptical, but the reality is just amazing. People were kvetching about the exploding price tag $475 million, but damn that park is nice. I don't know if it's $475 million nice, but over time it will be worth it.

The bean is just so unbelieably ****ing cool!

[VetLegion]

Well post a pic of that place then!

[Ted Striker]

Yeah!

dickheads

[Dinner]

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is the central sports field in the park and in the winter these frame work gets covered with an awning so that the field doesn't get buried in snow and is usable year round.


Crown Fountain is an interesting electronic screen which is also a fountain. This provides a nice artist detail for the park.
edit: link not working.



Kapoor Sculpture is the bean Che was talking about.


Aerial view of the park.


Design diagram.


One of the main walkways; you can see some of the modern art and the green spaces.


Another view of the fountain and how the tiles can change color to keep things interesting.

And yet another.

Millennium Park occupies 24.5 acres in the heart of Chicago's downtown.
Opened in July 2004 and destined to become a Chicago landmark and a major visitor attraction, Millennium Park occupies 24.5 acres in the heart of Chicago's downtown. But the park is much more than green grass. It contains an outdoor performing arts pavilion, an indoor year-round theater, a restaurant, an ice-skating rink, a contemporary garden, public art, fountains, a promenade area for special events, and landscaped walkways and green spaces.

One of the park's focal points is the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue in the United States. Connected to the pavilion is the only Gehry-designed bridge in the world, which links visitors to Daley Bicentennial Plaza and toward Chicago's lakefront.
Joining the pavilion as a performing arts venue is the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance. This indoor theater - which itself opened last November - presents cultural events year-round.

'Cloud Gate' is a huge sculpture by the British artist Anish Kapoor. Measuring 66 feet long by 33 feet high, the sculpture will reflect the activity and lights of the park and the surrounding skyline.

The Crown Fountain designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa is an interactive fountain features light, water and video images reflected off glass bricks.

The park also features a contemporary ornamental garden. The Lurie Garden showcases 240 varieties of perennials, water cascades and a dramatically lit, 15-foot-high hedge. It was commissioned to Seattle-based landscape designer Kathryn Gustafson.

Of interest to those who may want to hold special events in the park is the Bank One Promenade. This walkway crosses the park, providing an area for activities such as ethnic festivals, fairs, and exhibitions. The 300-seat Park Grill restaurant and the ice-skating rink on the McCormick Tribune Plaza are also possibilities for special event venues.

In addition, the park includes the tree-lined commons area of Wrigley Square, which is anchored by the Millennium Monument (Peristyle). This open space allows a quiet space for visitors to relax.

The $475 million Millennium Park was made possible by the City of Chicago and many generous private donors. It is located between Michigan Avenue and the lakefront in the north end of Grant Park.

Millennium Park is open every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (hours for special events sponsored by the City of Chicago in cooperation with the Chicago Park District may vary).

[Urban Ranger]

Nice

Could use more land, though.

[Eli]

The MIT pic is amazing.

And I dont understand what's the problem with you all, most of the buildings in this thread are cool. Especially the Seattle Central Library that Oerdin found so ugly.

[Az]

Dude, there's no place like the TAU electric engineering building.

[Alexander's Horse]

I can't believe I actually found a picture on the web of this futuristic monstrosity from canberra

[Gangerolf]

teh winner

[Dinner]

It looks like some sort of slug like space alien has landed in Oslo.

[Alexander's Horse]

This horror is also in canberra and again probably 2001 inspired. I've been there many times. Its like a maze. I always get completely lost - the internal addresses are things like "core 4 2nd floor, wing 3" or "core 6, 4th floor, wing 7". AAARRGH!!

The diagram serves better than a photo to show how you just get completely lost and disoriented once inside, a bit like government, you go round in circles

Also, as with the building in my last post, this building does not have a ground floor. The idea was to create open space but the practical effect was to create inhuman frozen wind canyons under the building. Nice to come to work through that gale in winter. All concrete too - the courtyards ice over with frost during the night.

[Gangerolf]

Oerdin, that's not far from the truth. It's supposed to be a frog and contains an art exhibition. Too bad it's not permanent.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Oerdin


OK, 30 St Mary Axe in London didn't break ground on materials (same steel and glass structure) but they did create a unique shape which flowed together and didn't look disjointed (like the Seattle Public Library does). They tried to off set the inherent colorlessness of the glass & steel structure by using different colored glass and designing it so that it is pleasing and draws your eye upwards to look at the rest of the tower.



The newly redone German Reichstagg Building with its crystal dome is also a great update on a classic structure. Most of the 19th Century details are still there but the old damaged coppola has been replaced by a glass dome letting in a great deal of light into the old building and there is a creative use of lighting at night in order to make it an attractive addition to the Berline night sky. I like how the clear dome signifies the transparency of the government so we have a good play between architecture and symbolism.

You do know they are the same architect - Norman Foster?