Putting aside the issue of whether the building works as designed (something we will not find out for a while), the building LOOKS like a green machine. The building is composed of a series of architectural elements, (the stainless steel facade vs. the glass and louver facade, the metal mesh hat on top, the wavy plate that welcomes you into the building) that some how all come together to work as a cohesive whole.
Photos by Kurt Rogers for "Towering Expectations"
What is more, Thom Mayne describes his building process in a way that will be recognized by bloggers. He claims, in the video I posted below, that his buildings are about the multiplicity of systems that can only work through a dynamic relationship to each other. Isolating and working on those systems than becomes easier through the use of digital technology. The description reminds me of forums and blogs where the power comes not from the single thread, post, or thought, but in the layering of a series of them. The question that I take from this is whether the aesthetics of sustainability are connected to the aesthetics of digital communication. Can sustainable buildings, meaning those that engage the complexity of local environmental systems, be called media?
Other Articles: NYT | SFGate | B d+c
Video:
1 comment:
Based on the arguement you layout i would say....
Yes.
Although, it seems like this line of thought applies specifically to his building becaus ehe has the movable skin etc, and it is these systems "that can only work through a dynamic relationship to each other."
I am not sure all sustainable buildings, are built or even function along the lines of his SF tower though....
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