What do you think of this project?

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Actually, @_Citizen_Dane_ the new Library is more in the tradition of Brutalism than the old and that is why I kind of like it. It is kind of a book-end (pun eluded me at first) to the raw brutalism of the Courthouse structures to the north-north-east in the Civic Precinct. The only fix -- which is still doable -- is to cover the standing-seam-like exterior finish with a smooth zinc surface. And as a street remedy, it would be nice to see some "activity elements" all through the Civic area (my preference -- to begin with -- is an extension of the ERRS line (for starters) into this area). I don't think that there is a clear perception re how significant these kinds of elements would juice up the downtown scene. The exterior is fixable -- I would love to take a crack at it!
 
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except it is missing the two hallmark components of brutalism - the use of structural components as finished architecture (sometimes steel but typically concrete which is actually what the style is named after) and a high degree of symmetry. (albeit sometimes with some rather strange shapes). brutalism done right can have a rather strange elegance that is totally lacking here.
 
I was at the library this afternoon, and wow, the interior is amazing. What stood out personally is the gamer space. They did not cut corners when it came to this area of the library. The PC's and peripherals were high end Alienware. Even the monitors were large and curved for better immersion. Left very impressed with everything there. The only place I wanted to check out but could not - because it was closed - was the theater in the basement.

I can definitely see this place packed with people. Very inviting and fun to just wander.
 
kcantor said:
i think we may have to agree to disagree on this one...

the exterior of a building is not a paper jacket cover over a book that can be readily and easily changed or hidden at will. the exterior of a building is an integral part of the whole. steve jobs said it much better than i could when talking about good design principles that are as applicable to buildings as they are to computers and ipods and phones and animated movies:

"The third and equally important principle, awkwardly named, was impute. It emphasized that people form an opinion about a company or product based on the signals that it conveys. “People DO judge a book by its cover,” he wrote. “We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software, etc; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; it we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities.” "

there is something immensely satisfying when this concept is well executed that will be forever lacking with our new library regardless of how successful some of the interior components may prove to be and we will all be poorer as a result despite the architect's rationalizations.
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lol that was just a joke. I don’t despise the exterior of the building but it’s more suited to a suburban library or recreation centre. But remember, the city “saved money.” That’s all that matters. ;)
 
@kcantor -- you are quite right about the genesis of Brutalism but in its current revival it has gone to new levels of expression and the Library is an excellent representation of that new iteration. "Love it or hate it" is the motto of the new idiom in architecture from which this form is derivative. The new Brutalism owes its revival to SCI-Arc founders who began to re-explore the original context and push it to new limits ideation-wise. I have sat in on many panel discussions with the school and, while it is not universal in popularity, nonetheless a trend has been established that is growing in substance.
 
archited said:
@kcantor -- you are quite right about the genesis of Brutalism but in its current revival it has gone to new levels of expression and the Library is an excellent representation of that new iteration. "Love it or hate it" is the motto of the new idiom in architecture from which this form is derivative. The new Brutalism owes its revival to SCI-Arc founders who began to re-explore the original context and push it to new limits ideation-wise. I have sat in on many panel discussions with the school and, while it is not universal in popularity, nonetheless a trend has been established that is growing in substance.
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That’s unsettling.
 
^^
just because something is a trend in some circles doesn't mean it's easy to look at or appropriate. like this one, sometimes one can only hope some trends die an early death (the trend, not the people).
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^^^^ I am not a Goth, but I have known people who are and they are friends. I do not have any tattoos, but it is hard to find a Millennial that does not have at least an ankle tat. I know there are lots of people with studs and pins in ears, cheeks and so on. I am not a big fan of country music but I don't begrudge my brother for his tastes. All I can say is vive la différence!
 
we were talking about trends and my point was that some trends are readily reversible, like the book cover or the studs and safety pins, whereas architecture is not. you could even make the point that trends are trendy in no small part because they are short-lived. the exterior of a building in the centre of edmonton's downtown fronting four streets and our main civic square deserves to be more than a trendy pig that no amount of lipstick will cure. i'm happy the interiors appear to be successful and i truly hope the library itself is successful. but as someone who loves this city and who loves architecture, as architecture this a poorly executed failure. for the record, i'm not usually a big fan of country music either but (a) i can appreciate it for what it is which is more than i can say for the library and (b) it's a lot easier to stay away from or not pay attention to than the library.
 
And I was talking about diversity -- a concept for which I am highly in favor. As my Grandfather used to say, "it is a good thing that not everybody likes the same things, or else everyone would be chasing after Grandma." Architecturally speaking, many people don't like the International Style, finding it too rigid and conservative, providing little variation in the urban-scape -- e.g. the very discussion on this site re the Provincial Annex building; some people dislike post-modernism finding it too supportive of faux detail; and some people don't like igloos because they melt in the summer.
 
and some people appreciate just about any style executed well and dislike just about any style executed poorly. i like to think i’m in that camp and imho the library is simply poorly executed regardless of what style you want to attribute to it.
 
I have to visit here soon, maybe over the weekend. Anybody else planning on going out of curiosity? 👀
 
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