Calatrava is not a Venetian. He was born in Spain. Apparently, there's a notion that Venetians do not design impractical — dangerous? — things.
According to one person who fell — "like a bag of potatoes" — Calatrava "ruined the most beautiful years of my old age."
Posts
29 comments:
Calatrava designed the Milwaukee Art Museum's Burke Brise Soleil and Windhover Hall
People who walk on glass bridges shouldn’t break bones.
If it's a 'Starchitect' or 'Celebrity Chef,' I tend to steer clear...
'People who walk on glass bridges shouldn’t break bones.'
Outstanding...
It’s an exceptional bridge, and they should keep it like this. Beauty must save the world/We can’t always do poetry. We must give security/A Venetian would have never built such nonsense/That is not a bridge.
Much of that post headline sounds like it was written in 'Trump.'
"A beautiful dog, a talented dog..."
Were those Italian to English to Trump translations?
Q: Why did the Venetian cross the bridge?
A: To get to the other side.
NB: Time was, "the other side" meant that place to where you went (or didn't) after you died.
Architects are failed artists pretending to be incompetent engineers
The bridge looks graceful and worth putting in a movie. Sadly we well never see star crossed lovers rushing across it for a final embrace and fade out. Maybe they can meet cute. He's an orthopedic surgeon, and she's a fashion model doing a shoot for Jimmy Choo.
It's a beautiful bridge. But functionality should always come first. And a primary function of a bridge is that people can easily cross it without fear of getting hurt.
Apparently, there's a notion that Venetians do not design impractical — dangerous? — things.
Like a building a city on marshland?
Also, something about Laslo and gondoliers and upskirt views...
But won't changing the bridge make Calatrava cross?
What tommyesq said- both times.
Part of beauty is fitness and elegance in use.
…and I don’t understand the attraction of glass floors and stairs unless the architect wishes to appeal to pervs.
In our college library there was an area nicknamed The Pit, a lower level for casual seating under a stairwell and faced with glass to the third floor. There I was shocked to learn about commando. I chose cubby seating after that…
On the glass wall side some students would bring those octopi from the cereal boxes- Wacky Wallwalkers that stuck to the window and slowly walked down. Now that was fitness and elegance in use….
"Apparently, there's a notion that Venetians do not design impractical — dangerous? — things."
Just because we built our city on a lagoon is no reason to get personal about things. And btw, people who live in glass houses . . . In New Orleans you have to walk UP a flight of steps to view the river.
The glass is opaque.
"Beauty must save the world."
Is that meant to be the Dostoevsky quote (from The Idiot)?
"Like a building a city on marshland?"
It was a good idea at the time because it provided protection from sea pirates and land armies.
Baby, I've been,
breaking my ass on that bridge again
See
I Ducked the bridge and looked at some pictures.
Nice looking bridge but it looks completely out of place where it is. Why would Venice build something that screams 21st century to connect 2 16th century riverbanks?
Italians are sophisticated enough to realize that there is such a thing as non-skid glass? Still transparent or translucent, I could not tell which the existing glass is.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
According to one person who fell — "like a bag of potatoes" — Calatrava "ruined the most beautiful years of my old age
Calatrava did not force this person to cross the bridge. Calatrava did not put the bridge up one night under cover of darkness -- certainly Venice decided this was a good thing. So why is Calatrava blamed here for this person's misfortune?
I did like John Henry and found a picture elsewhere. I see lots of architecture in it, but not anything that enhances Venice and little in the way of sound engineering regardless of locale. Maybe put that thing in London's Canary Wharf area (and invert the proportions of glass to stone walkways) but keep it out of Venice.
Poor design is poor design, even if it is beautiful. I’ve seen too many “parking lots designed by artists” that emphasize appearance over function. Too much of modern architecture prioritizes appearance over functionality. There’s nothing wrong with something being pretty (I’ve seen God awful ugly Soviet era buildings), but functionality is more important.
This bridge and its modernism reminds me of what they want to do to Norte Dame in Paris.
Why ruin what was beautiful with modernity.
It is a lovely design possibly honoring the glass-making traditions from Murano, though the steps and walking surfaces made of glass are something my Dr. Pepper-deprived mind is struggling to comprehend: How do you make glass surfaces structurally sound and aesthetically appealing/pleasing? I can't tell from the photos I have seen but isn't a glass surface slick, especially when it is wet?
jvb
When the art is also a used (maybe useful) structure like a bridge then perhaps the "is it useful" takes precedence over the art. Maybe Lowey's ideas about design should be considered again.
Some of the worst ideas have come from renowned architects.
"Some of the worst ideas have come from renowned architects"
Stand up Frank Gehry,
https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/frank-gehry-building-0.jpg
@gspencer
When I was on my bicycle ride across Europe, one thing was odd. In Netherlands, when you come to a bridge, you go up instead of down.
Post a Comment