Hi,
My article is not related to IT and
it is not too much scientific. But still I hope you will find it interesting.
Let me present you my favorite artist
active in architecture and sculpture Santiago Calatrava:
His projects give rise to a lot
of emotion and controversy.
You can find quite a critical
article here :
It is enough if you read it until
“But then, every so often, you set
foot in one of Calatrava’s works.”
I wonder what are your feelings about what you have just seen and read.
1) Has anyone seen any of
Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they
only look pretty on the pictures ?
2) Do you think Calatrava’s
projects are worth money spent on them ?
3) Do you think it would be good
to have something similar in Poland ?
Wish you a very good week,
Asia
Hi Asia, it is pleasure to be you first commentator. Unfortunately design is not my domain. I am software developer. However I could name one building that make me impress a lot. It is Chicago Spire Tower. I am not impress in size of this building but when you look on panorama of this city you would agree that this state-of-the-art building is a fabulous monument in Chicago centre. It would be great to have similar buildings here in Poland unless it would be assigned to polish architects and designers.
ReplyDeleteIt is true, Polish architecs also do great job. Like 307kilo and WWAA who have designed The Służew Cultural Center. Some pictures :
Deletehttp://307kilo.pl/SLUZEWSKI-DOM-KULTURY
a. Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures?
ReplyDeleteIt looks very nice. I have never lay my eyes on them personally.
b. Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them?
Definitely no.
c. Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
We have so many other expenses much more important than this kind of buildings.
In my opinion it is much better option to spend these kind of money on healthcare for example.
Regarding b & c, I couldn't agree more with you, Kinga.
DeleteThe only exception could be a proper business case for that. If there is a need for a new building of certain function (most probably museum or stadium), and shape/design could bring more people in, then yes. Let the Calatrava design pay for itself.
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI have never seen any of Calatavra's buildings.
I know almost nothing about architecture, but I don't like his buildings even on the pictures.
Maybe it is not only Calatavra, but I generally don't like urban architecture and big modern buildings.
The architect who's buildings I am very impressed is Gaudi. They are totally different from everything I know and despite they are mostly in the middle of the city have much in common with nature. I don't feel overwhelmed when I am nearby them (what happens when I am surrounded with contemporary architecture).
But buildings I love the most are Norwegian small houses with grass on their roofs (sod roofs). :)
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
Maybe they are. Someone is willing to pay for his projects so they may be worth it.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
I am not sure if Poland can afford such expensive architect ;)
Gaudi is indeed just one of a kind. If you like nature in architecture you will probably also like this :
Deletehttp://architizer.com/projects/wooden-chunk-house/
Thank you for the link. It's very interesting.
DeleteHas anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI like his work a lot at least at the pictures as I didn’t have chance to see it in real life or if I did I don’t remember it. What I like the most is that when you look at them you see he had a vision, to me they are powerful, stylish and beautiful which is not that often when you see modern buildings. I sometimes look at them and wonder why they are so ugly and feel a waste.
Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
It is always controversial when something is so expensive, when it comes to art there are always more urgent or important issues especially in countries that are not wealthy. As he is famous his projects are probably not worth the money, you are paying for a brand and although I like them a lot you could find young architects who can design beautiful buildings much, much cheaper J
Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
I don’t think we necessarily need Calatrava in Poland but It would be great to have matching style in modern buildings or somebody with some kind of a vision because otherwise it is just very sad to look at ugly, expensive buildings that are making our cities unpleasant to watch and live in.
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI have never seen them also and this not my cup of tea :-).
I like "polish style" buildings, for example old buildings built before second world war.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
If somebody wants to, why not.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
In more modern parts of town it can nice idea. But better roads are more important.
Hi,
ReplyDelete1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava's buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures?
I think that's It looks very nice, but the styles of cities must be coherent, this is not fit to polskih cities - at the moment.
2) Do you think Calatrava's projects are worth money spent on them?
I know nothing about it. Demand verifies the price
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
We are not yet at this stage, are more important needs, particularly infrastructure
Hi Asia, I really like his work. I generally like modern art. Certainly it would be nice to see it live. I'm glad I had a chance to get to know his work reading your topic. I never heard about him Before. It's difficult to assess whether his work is worth it. It's not my field but I can understand point of view of Kinga. The art is important in our life but there are so better options to spend these kind of money. However for sure it would be good to have something similar in Poland not necessarily made by Santiago Calatrava.
ReplyDeletePresented pictures are impressive to me. In the other hand they have to be so, it's possible that in reality those buildings don't look so great (difficult to say, I haven't seen any of them alive).
ReplyDeleteEvery project has its own strong and weak points. There has to be a reason if someone invests money for such buildings. Attached photos are definitely the advantage.
Idea of building something similar in Poland is interesting. If there is an investor... why not?
Hi Asia,
ReplyDelete1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
I have never seen Calatrava's buildings . In my opinion they only look pretty on the pictures.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
In my opinion Calatrava's projects are worth money because it is beautiful.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
I have the same opinion as Tomasz Sznajder , roads are more important :)
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have seen Calatrava's buildings in real world, at least not consciously.
However, I've seen documentary films on construction of the Turning Torso in Malmoe, Sweden as well as New York's WTC hub and I must admit the architecture of these building is pretty impressive.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
It is very interesting question. Let us dissect it. First of all, I don't subscribe to the idea that Calatrava's extravagance is a main driver of costs. Some things (especially underground transportation hubs) are expensive by nature. And to make matters worse, we tend to underestimate costs due to complexity of these projects. Same thing happens in Software Engineering: due to complexity of systems we build and changes made during the implementation process, we have lot of delays and cost overruns.
It is easy to estimate a project if it is something repeatable and simple. What we can attack Calatrava for is his tendency to overcomplicate things. The only problem is, I can't really see it in his works. I believe the answer to your question is most of the time Calatrava's architecture is good value for money (for many reasons; one being he is famous architect and to some extent his works boost tourism). And his "colleagues" are just jealous.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
Actually, we already have many interesting buildings in Poland. I can mention a few architecture icons in Warsaw. Sure, they weren't designed by Calatrava, but it still doesn't make them less interesting.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI looked at Calatrava's portfolio and realized I must have seen Kronprinzen bridge while I was in Berlin. Well, it's a bridge... Not much more to say. Until couple of minutes ago I didn't know it was designed by some famous architect, which I didn't know either.
Are the projects worth the money paid? I think that things are worth the money someone is willing to pay. Personally I wouldn't pay the guy 3k pln for designing a house.
In my opinion buildings should be functional and my first impression on latter Clatrava's projects was: form over substance.
Of course I don't think that every building has to be cubic.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHi Asia,
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
I have never seen Calatrava's buildings,but pictures looks nice.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
I think they are, this is kind of art.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
I have the same opinion as Tomasz Sznajder , and Ivo :)
1) I watched a documentary on the building of this bridge on Discovery Channel a few weeks ago. It looks cool.
ReplyDelete2) No, Creativity something beautiful but not to the point of extravagance
3) why not :) ,
I have seen one of Calatrava's bridges - the one in Venice. I may not have been particularly impressed but I certainly thought it was interesting - not just another bridge. And perhaps most importantly, it didn't look out of place.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard for me to say if his projects are worth the money spent on them or not. On the one hand a bridge is a bridge, a building is a building etc. I'm sure most if not all of his projects could have cost a lot less and serve their purposes just as well. On the other hand though, would you rather go to Janki to see the freeway overpass or go to Venice to see the Ponte di Rialto?
Unfortunately I have only seen FELIPE II Bridge and as many of the pictures on the site it looked quite wonderful. Calatrava’s art is perfect in every way. It is a pity that there are not as many great buildings in Poland as in for example Spain.
ReplyDeleteIf there are people willing to pay for that kind of art and there is anyone who enjoys then it is worth money spent on the projects. It is great when exquisite projects are applied to commercial art like bridges or music halls. Art has a power to increase morale so combining art and city facilities in Poland may result in many benefits.
He did not see personally any of these constructions. These projects remind me of origami, probably by the dominant white color. They are bold and daring. The nearest work of Calatrava seems to me to be a train station in Poznan. Each project of this kind, touching the art is worth the money. As regards the third question, it is difficult for me. I am not affiliated with the architecture very closely so I'm not able to compare the work of Calatrava to the work of other architects.
ReplyDelete1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I have seen Calatrava's bridges in Dublin and I'm not impressed. Maybe they are too small to express enough.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
Why not, actually i really like futuristic design. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall
But, there is always but... In most cities in Poland it's hard to fit modern buildings. Most of them are ugly. On of the newest buildings in Warsaw by Libeskind. Compare left image with artistic design and right side with reality: http://m.natemat.pl/5a2f15ceb5f18fc9ec5369a5bdee82dc,640,0,0,0.jpg
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
You can always build a stadium or a concert hall.
Thanks for the links, especially for the design and reality of the Libeskind building. I actually did not find it ugly before seeing the design :).
Delete1. Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures?
ReplyDeleteThey look very original and very expensive :)
2. Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them?
Never in my life !! :)
c. Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
We do not need this type of building. Many other projects are worth funding.
Health , safety...
1. Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures?
ReplyDeleteThey look very original and very expensive :)
2. Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them?
Never in my life !! :)
c. Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
We do not need this type of building. Many other projects are worth funding.
Health , safety...
Like the majority of the colleagues that expressed their opinion I have to state that I am not that much into architecture however I did find most of the projects quite spectacular. They all seem modern or even futuristic. I don't know how much similar projects cost although 4 billion $ sounds a lot for just one subway station. However if this brings more tourists or inspires people then maybe its money well spent. ;)
ReplyDelete1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunatly I didn't
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
No, I think this idea as a project isn't worth spending money BUT idea of good architecture, that is properly designed and done is something that is worth spending money. We have too much useless buildings that are just ugly
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
Only if it had some sense. On first place there is always functionality and than the design. Also remember that it should fit to surroinding architecture
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been inside GALLERIA & HERITAGE SQUARE in Toronto last year but I didn't realize that it's one of Calatrava's work. I'm looking forward to see Chicago Spire Tower - looks impressive!
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
I'm not sure. Great things quite often need huge resources and amount of money. On the other hand good design should be affordable. And maybe it is? Maybe it's even a good investment because of all this buzz around his work?
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
I'm not sure we can afford that yet. But I hope that we will start to invest more in good architecture and design in Poland very soon.
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been inside GALLERIA & HERITAGE SQUARE in Toronto last year but I didn't realize that it's one of Calatrava's work. I'm looking forward to see Chicago Spire Tower - looks impressive!
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
I'm not sure. Great things quite often need huge resources and amount of money. On the other hand good design should be affordable. And maybe it is? Maybe it's even a good investment because of all this buzz around his work?
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
I'm not sure we can afford that yet. But I hope that we will start to invest more in good architecture and design in Poland very soon.
For all those who would like to find out a little bit more Polish young architects :
ReplyDeletehttp://culture.pl/en/article/top-polish-architects-under-40
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI've seen it in SF movie sceneries. I guess it would be very impressive to see it in the reality.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
I guess those kind of buliding may have a chance to persist in the future, despite regular buildings that will get old within 20-30 years and will be replaced by new ones.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
Of course, we are lacking good architecture, because every thing must be cheap here. This is very wrong thinking. If you don't have enough money you should spent it very carefully and on things that will persist long time.
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI would like to say that's beautiful but unfortunately that's not the point. In my opinion that buildings are weird, expensive and not matching at all to city landscape. It's like to dump super sized fish bone near the Old Town's monuments – totally terrible idea.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
Like I sad before not at all. Maybe some specific taste is necessary to adore such ideas.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
That's terrible idea. In Warsaw for example there are too many modern building that doesn't match anything, especially town architecture. In my opinion modern building should correspond to historical architecture and that should be the most important thing during new facility design.
1) Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures ?
ReplyDeleteI've seen it in SF movie sceneries. I guess it would be very impressive to see it in the reality.
2) Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them ?
I guess those kind of buliding may have a chance to persist in the future, despite regular buildings that will get old within 20-30 years and will be replaced by new ones.
3) Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland ?
Of course, we are lacking good architecture, because every thing must be cheap here. This is very wrong thinking. If you don't have enough money you should spent it very carefully and on things that will persist long time.
I have never seen before Calayrava's projects. But in my opinion all of them look fantastic! I hope I will have the same feelings when I see in real life.
ReplyDeleteI think that marvelous things can cost more than normal. I love visiting extraordinary places around the world made by such buildings.
Unfortunately Poland is small and poor country with a lots of problems. First We must develope our economy but maybe in the future we can buy some marvelous and expensive Calatrava’s projects.
Hello Asia! Thanks for bringin up this topic. Both portfolio and article, which you linked, were really interesting. Since I'm speending a lot of time reading IT related things a piece on architecture was a breath of fresh air, great idea.
ReplyDeleteHere are my answers to your questions:
1. Has anyone seen any of Calatrava’s buildings or bridges somewhere? Did it impress you or maybe they only look pretty on the pictures?
This was actually a big surprise for me, but I've seen his works in real life. I've seen the opera house and bridge in Valencia city center a couple of years ago. I was really impressed by these projects, and until today I did not know who was the author. So thank you for this, and yes in real life they look as stunning as on the pictures.
2. Do you think Calatrava’s projects are worth money spent on them?
Taking into account visual perspective I would say yes. The problems listed in the article (flooding of the opera house in Valencia for example) raise some doubts.
3. Do you think it would be good to have something similar in Poland?
I would love to see such impressive pieces of architecture in Poland. Still the cost would be probably too high, at least for now.
I am not an authority figure on sculptures. I can appreciate beauty of a car or a painting (or lack of it), but I don't think that anyone should have the say in what things should cost.
ReplyDeleteIf people are clever enough to buy a Jackson Pollock painting for millions of dollars then good luck to them, but do I think that they paid too much? Clearly they appreciated the painting more than their money, so they made a good deal, no matter how absurd it may look for a bystander.