Re: [design] not-GZ

Steve wrote:

Anything else new?

-----

Perhaps not. While GZ and the stadium capture attention, the usual
urban predations are occurring in the city, with a host of special districts
implemented which grant developers favorable incentives to construct
dense-pack, grotesque, expensive housing, and more of the zoning
loosened nabes are on the way, especially around the long-industrialized
river fronts, now being pumped to max for river-view flats, led in the arts
and leisure cum real estate Times sections by Richard Meier's squats
facing the Hudson. Fat Bastard Richard says he wants to do more,
presumably because these boom-time projects richly compensate for
those that do not pay well except for the face-time needed to be hired
to do the creme de la crap.

Not to be exculpated, we've done a pro-bono edu facility near Richard's
tiny towers, and the sponsors hope to capitalize, if you will, on the
upsurge in leftist fashion in that district, some say to show cloaking
protest against Bush-quality war-enrichment lifing all boats in
NYC, ready to demo against Wall Street so long as it is understood
these protests are showboating invites for the brokers to cleanse
themselves with tithe to needy orgs and to spend, spend, spend at
the artificially downtrodden, call them protetarian, shops and cafes.

The meat-packing district, So- and No-Ho and Tribeca are awash
in pretend poorhouses and brand outlets, peopled by sellers and
buyers in faux poor branded clothing, and there are retro-limos
following the strollers to pretend difference from the stretches
beloved by NJ and CT B&T, the borough-boys and new-rich artists
aching to display Enronish bad taste.

Designers are pumping up the goods, joking about steriodal talent, to
output outrageously profiligate, luxurious, world class schlock to keep
up with the demand for high-profit marketability in residences, offices,
shops, schools, court houses, museums, the gamut of wartime, well,
homeland security, recovery from the dread 90s and short-time after
9/11.

Turnover in archie offices is high, due to the predatory hiring practices
of those awash in more work than can be handled. Staying in one place
for more than six months is considered to be doltish. Young designers
can work six months and take off for six, or insult their bosses, or
fuck-off on the Internet at work. Just pretend to be as hard at work as
the bosses, as the clients, as the banks, as the administration.

All-volunteer armies of workers, ready to work 60 hours for 40 hours
pay is declining, especially as the new hires from overseas learn
quickly how valuable they are.

We saw a five-page list of Building Department violations on a
housing project under construction, and an order to stop work.
The developer was outraged, we heard his bellow while visiting
his architect's office, at the injustice of the inspectors who, he
yelled, singled him out for punishment when, he said, it was the
builder of Meier's buildings who deserved the axe.

Meier's buildings are leakers, and not well-built, as the first
buyers have discovered but have not disclosed to those who
came calling to reap second harvest.

It is worth keeping in mind that the steady decline of construction
quality means that no GZ tower will be as well-built as the Twin
Towers. However, PR for security will continue to rise in lieu of
genuine security, following the lead of luxuriously deceptive
national security, and now the homeland cheapo versions.

Not-GZ is bellweather of not-America, except the historic
preservation kind.

Did I not mention lately the wretched decline of preservation
quality and upsurge of PR since tax benefits for historic
schlock were legislated.

Now, Steve, assure me this baloney historicism did not begin in
Philadelphia, once, in the 1700s, the premier US center of civilized
society.





Folow-ups
  • Re: [design] not-GZ
    • From: lauf-s
  • Replies
    [design] not-GZ, brian carroll
    Re: [design] not-GZ, lauf-s
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