Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Mayne event: What went into designing the new Cooper Union building



Time magazine has an interview online with Thom Mayne, the bigshot architect who designed the new Cooper Union building. To an excerpt!

TIME: So Cooper Union comes to you and says "Okay, here's the program. We need laboratories, offices, classrooms." They told you what they wanted. What did you want to bring to this project?

MAYNE: I don't bring anything a priori to a project in a conscious way. I don't come with an agenda. Clearly I come with interests that I've pursued over 35 years. Who I am as an architect and the history of my work — that's clear to anybody who hires me. But I come in literally with nothing in my brain about what the building will look like.

And I really couldn't with this one because it had a very complicated program. There was nothing to design until I knew how big it was and how many pieces there were. The envelope was given us — the basic shape — because it's a zoning diagram. And we needed every ounce of it because we didn't have enough. And then we looked at the program. On one side are laboratories and they go straight up and they're very efficient and straightforward. And in the front where the offices are, ditto. There's not a lot of room there for architecture.


[Photo via Time]
at

6 comments:

  1. Brooks of SheffieldNovember 11, 2009 at 10:57 AM

    Ah, we finally know what's wrong with today's architecture. The architects arrive with nothing in their brain!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura Goggin PhotographyNovember 11, 2009 at 11:00 AM

    I can't get over the fact that this architecture/engineering school didn't use one or more of its own graduates. What does that say?

    And, where was this photo taken from? The trees across the street or the construction site further down the block?

    ReplyDelete
  3. EV GrieveNovember 11, 2009 at 11:20 AM

    I've seen some photogs hiding in the trees, but I just thought they were stalking the celebs at the Cooper Square Hotel.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bowery BoogieNovember 11, 2009 at 4:31 PM

    guess they didn't anticipate the "slide" out front.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MelanieNovember 12, 2009 at 8:41 AM

    Great photo EV Grieve.

    ReplyDelete
  6. glammaNovember 13, 2009 at 1:48 PM

    this building is just plain fugly. i would be so embarrassed if i went to cooper union.

    ReplyDelete

Your remarks and lively debates are welcome, whether supportive or critical of the views herein. Your articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to an article are welcome.

However, commentary that is intended to "flame" or attack, that contains violence, racist comments and potential libel will not be published. Facts are helpful.

If you'd like to make personal attacks and libelous claims against people and businesses, then you may do so on your own social media accounts. Also, comments predicting when a new business will close ("I give it six weeks") will not be approved.