WestGrayGuy Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I may not be a world renowned architecture critic but come on.... This is what is proposed for Austin's new courthouse. Wasn't city hall enough? I realize that the Intel building is sitting over there all sad, lonely and unfinished but this seems a little too out there for my taste. It seems like its trying to be modern to be cool which in turn makes it uncool. Perhaps I am crazy and yes, this is my opinion. I like classical architecture, especially for court buildings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Bad idea jeans. Looks like a condo.I agree that court houses should be predictable in design. They need to be stable and consistent - just like the law itself. This design is a travesty of justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 It's a nice design, just not for a court house. I remember that brown city hall building, I hated it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 LOL! It sure does.Anyone have a pic of the Highland Village store? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I like it. It fits Autin's new architectural vernacular. Why courthouses are suppose to look "predictable"? I do not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citykid09 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I like it. It fits Autin's new architectural vernacular. Why courthouses are suppose to look "predictable"? I do not know.I like it too. Just because its a courthouse doesn't mean that it's supposed to look like the typical courthouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Looks a little like something out of Robocop ! a short OCP Building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddleman Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 This is the new way of the gov't architects. Get used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 The King is korrect, there has been a movement to upgrade courthouse architecture. The WSJ had a long article about it not long ago (you wouldn't know it to see Houston, however). I like the rendering overall, except that the little tiny rendering people make it look excessively massive so it's hard to get a feel for the true scale. If it's really ten stories high or so it is too much of a block for that size. It's all about scale and proportions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banking214 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 I like the design, it is cutting edge in my opinion. This is something that will put Austin on the map again. I think the city hall is a great piece of architecture. Civic leaders in Houston should be a little more progressive when it comes to architecture. Houston has some spectacular archictecure, but as of late, seems somewhat staid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Who is the architect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDawgATX Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Actually I believe that rendering is out of date. I heard that they are revising the design for the building so it may very well not look like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udan Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 The latest design for the new federal courthouse now planned for 7-stories tall. It is designed by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Austin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 I thin the old design would have looked better than the new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I don't think it's spectacular, but it is OK. At least they're building something fairly innovative. It's interesting that the new design has a lot more surface design. That helps break up the blockiness of the original rendering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 That's heinous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 What does it say when the style that your legal system chooses to represent itself is Deconstruction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 What does it say when the style that your legal system chooses to represent itself is Deconstruction? I get what you mean. You must be a real traditionalist. And, yes, many corporations or businesses choose a design which somehow ethereally represent them. BUT .... when looking at current global architectural trends, this fits into several "thinking outside the box" patterns. Look at some of the new architecture coming out of London and Berlin. Talk about Deconstruction! At least this one still has relatively "normal" angles. I like it. And i do agree that if it is proportioned properly, it could actually become a new landmark for Austin. Keep in mind, as well, Austin is one of the "New Hotspots" of architecture in the US, so of course new designs will be built here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 The latest design for the new federal courthouse now planned for 7-stories tall. It is designed by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects. Jeez, I liked the first one better and I didn't even really like the first one. I tend to agree with Coog, although I don't think that traditional styles should necessarily be strictly adhered to. Buildings should reflect their users...and I'm not all that in favor of innovative new laws because they tend to have unintended consequences and are incrementally restrictive of the public. I'd prefer to see more of a bare-bones 'Keep It Simple Stupid' approach to law. If anything, I'd like to see a completely transparent glass box with only very sparse, simple, and functional ornamentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 i dont think this building will age well...like the buildings from the 50's and 60's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I get what you mean. You must be a real traditionalist. And, yes, many corporations or businesses choose a design which somehow ethereally represent them. BUT .... when looking at current global architectural trends, this fits into several "thinking outside the box" patterns. Look at some of the new architecture coming out of London and Berlin. Talk about Deconstruction! At least this one still has relatively "normal" angles. I like it. And i do agree that if it is proportioned properly, it could actually become a new landmark for Austin. Keep in mind, as well, Austin is one of the "New Hotspots" of architecture in the US, so of course new designs will be built here. I don't think I'm a traditionalist - I've liked other deconstructive buildings (although it's not my favorite style) - I'm just not sure it's appropriate for a building that represents justice. Wouldn't one want a style that expresses some kind of order or symmetry? Not sure what this has to do with corporations or business, or what you mean by "ethereally" representing something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Bad Feng Shui no matter how you look at it. Don't mess with Justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I don't think I'm a traditionalist - I've liked other deconstructive buildings (although it's not my favorite style) - I'm just not sure it's appropriate for a building that represents justice. Wouldn't one want a style that expresses some kind of order or symmetry?Not sure what this has to do with corporations or business, or what you mean by "ethereally" representing something. I was just giving an example when i was talking about corps. & businesses. i.e., The purposefulness of the archetecture of the Chrystler Building or a newer example would be the openess of the new New York Times building in NY. (currently being built). As you must know, many "entities" whether they be business or government oriented, try to communicate their, i don't know what to call it.......vision? mission statement?...help me out here........ They try to communicate this through their archetecture. For instance, in Berlin, the remodeled "City Hall" purposely has a transparant dome to communicate an openess between the government and the people. I guess i was just expressing that maybe we could think differently regarding straight lines, right angles and bold strength = a building touting a law abiding office. Calatrava and Gehry are two of my favorites, so i am probably just promoting them and not presenting a logical argument. thoughts? m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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