David Sucher wrote:->
I am aware that Duaney and Plater-Zyberk have re-done one in
Massachusetts(?). Any reactions to it? Is it commercially successful? Do
the customers like it? etc.etc.
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I feel that a good deal of the D+P/Z carries with it,(borrowing a phrase
from David Burne), a ". . . celebration of specialness." That
characteristic which makes Disney so *sucessful* in what they do. It's not
quite real life, not quite fantasy, not quite to *scale*. Perhaps
structures which qualify as those which will be processed for adaptive re-use
should not undergo such idealistic design efforts. A good conversation on
this topic is an article in Harpers called "What Ever Happened to the
Public Square," or something like that. June 1990 I think. At any rate,
this trend of *specialness* is quite prevalent in many new adaptive re-use
projects. There are only so many gift-yarn-antiques-flavored coffee-Gap for
Kids-quaint little craft-quilt shops which tourists can frequent in this
declining economy. It's true some rethinking needs to be done relative to
sustainable design efforts and the re-use of existing buildings, but I dont
think that D+P/Z have the answer just yet.
I am aware that Duaney and Plater-Zyberk have re-done one in
Massachusetts(?). Any reactions to it? Is it commercially successful? Do
the customers like it? etc.etc.
********************************************************************
I feel that a good deal of the D+P/Z carries with it,(borrowing a phrase
from David Burne), a ". . . celebration of specialness." That
characteristic which makes Disney so *sucessful* in what they do. It's not
quite real life, not quite fantasy, not quite to *scale*. Perhaps
structures which qualify as those which will be processed for adaptive re-use
should not undergo such idealistic design efforts. A good conversation on
this topic is an article in Harpers called "What Ever Happened to the
Public Square," or something like that. June 1990 I think. At any rate,
this trend of *specialness* is quite prevalent in many new adaptive re-use
projects. There are only so many gift-yarn-antiques-flavored coffee-Gap for
Kids-quaint little craft-quilt shops which tourists can frequent in this
declining economy. It's true some rethinking needs to be done relative to
sustainable design efforts and the re-use of existing buildings, but I dont
think that D+P/Z have the answer just yet.