GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT
Projects that were disowned by high-profile architects
Construction is an exercise in frugality and compromise . To see their work realised , architects have to juggle the demands of developers , contractors , clients , engineers — sometimes even governments .
3 . ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES , LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA
The resulting concessions often leave designers with a bruised ego and a dissatisfying architectural result ( perhaps only in their eyes ). While these architects always do their best to rectify any problems , some disputes get so heated that the architect feels they have no choice but to walk away from their own work . There seems to be some problem with opera house and museum architects ! Here are some of the most notable examples :
1 . SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE , SYDNEY , AUSTRALIA
In 2014 , Zoltan Pali of Culver City-based SPF Architects resigned from his collaboration with Renzo Piano on the new Academy Museum , currently under construction next to LACMA in Los Angeles . The complicated project essentially amounts to an ambitious theatre orb tacked on to the back of the renovated 1930s May Company Building , which Pali was already in charge of the renovating when Piano was brought on to design the orb in 2012 . When Pali bowed out , The Hollywood Reporter uncovered internal conflict between the two architects ; however , this conflict was denied by the museum itself .
4 . CITTÀ DELLE CULTURE MUSEUM , MILAN , ITALY
While now widely considered one of the most iconic examples of 20th-century architecture , Jorn Utzon ’ s stunning Sydney Opera House emerged despite a bitter conflict with the New South Wales government and Utzon ’ s eventual resignation . Utzon ’ s relationship with Sydney ’ s Minister for Public Works Davis Hughes was extremely contentious . When Utzon wouldn ’ t budge on his intricate wooden window , corridor , and seating designs , Hughes scoffed and labeled the architect an “ impractical dreamer .” As the ensuing battle between vision and budget worsened , Utzon , who infamously referred to the debacle as “ Malice in Blunderland ,” dramatically quit . He never returned to Australia , and never saw the completed Opera House in person .
2 . COPENHAGEN OPERA HOUSE , COPENHAGEN , DENMARK
David Chipperfield exonerated himself from his $ 60-million museum for Milan shortly before its opening in 2015 . After the architect expressed discontentment with the cost cutting stone flooring used , a highly publicised battle ensued . When Culture Minister Filippo Del Corno insisted the Chipperfield was an unreasonable architect to work with , he responded by claiming that the flooring turned the building into a “ museum of horrors .”
5 . PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS , PARIS , FRANCE
Danish architect Henning Larsen didn ’ t know what he signed up for when he agreed to design Copenhagen ’ s newest opera venue for client Maersk McKinney Møller . Møller , cofounder of shipping conglomerate Maersk would entirely fund the $ 500 million building , giving him total control over Larsen . The two repeatedly bickered over most of the projects details . The most controversial element was Møller ’ s insistence on metal ribbons of the facade , strangely resembling a radiator grill of a mid-century American car . Larsen even threatened to quit the project , but never went through , fearing a lawsuit from Møller .
Also in 2015 , renowned French architect Jean Nouvel not only sought to legally divorce himself from Paris ’ s newest concert hall , he actually boycotted the opening . “ The architecture is martyred , the details sabotaged ” Nouvel lamented in an editorial for French newspaper Le Monde about the behind schedule , over-budget monstrosity . While the building has been praised for its exceptional acoustic properties , the exterior remains a butchered interpretation of Nouvel ’ s intentions . The architect was so distraught that he claimed his client held a genuine “ contempt for architecture , for the profession and for the architect of the most important French cultural program of the new century .”
Source : Thomas Musca . “” Don ’ t Blame Me !”: 6 Projects That Were Disowned by High-Profile Architects ” 22 May 2017 . ArchDaily . Accessed 7 Nov 2017 .
10
ISSUE 32 - DECEMBER 2017