OCULUS an eye on new york architecture The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Volume 52 , Number 4, December 1989 I JJJ1I 'f.J Archi.tecture Books l at a Glance ARCHITECT ABUSE: The Sharks and ~ the Guppies f ~' 2 NYC/AIA OCULUS OCULUS LEnERS Brentano's, formerly Scribner's. Volume 52, Number 4, December 1989 Dear Editor: and working stiffs that strut and fret their hour upon the stage and then are heard Editor: Suzanne Stephens In case a poll is taken about the new no more. Whether Waterstone's books, Deputy Editor: Alex Cohen editorial style of Oculus, please register Art Director: Abigail Sturges Waldenbooks, or Waldo books line the Copy Editors: Renee Cohen, Kate Norment me as against. shelves, book browsers will have the Typesetting: Steintype, Inc. opportunity to experience this Printer: The Nugent Organization I find it to be too flip, too undignified, Staff Photographer: Dorothy Alexander wonderful built space called too slangy, and I recommend a return to architecture. The New York Chapter of the previous style. The editor should the American Institute of Architects strive for polished English and good taste Gerald Fritz 457 Madison Avenue to represent our profession. New York , New York 10022 212 -838-9670 Charles K. Hirzel Obituary Executive Committee 1989-1990 Denis G. Kuhn AIA, President We'll try some polished Latin: "de Percival Goodman, who died at age 83 John H. Winkler FAIA ,First Vice President David Castro-Blanco FAIA, Vice President gustibus non est disputandem."-Ed in mid-October, was both an architect Douglas Korves AIA, Vice President and a provocative thinker. A fell ow of the John Ellis AIA, Secretary AJA and a former professor at the James L. Garretson AIA, Treasurer Dear Editor: Columbia School of Architecture, Bronson Binger AIA , Director Wendy Evans AIA, Director Goodman designed more than 50 Harold Fredenburgh AIA, Director Regarding "Scribner's Fate: Fast-Food synagogues throughout the country and Margaret Helfand AIA, Director Books?" (November, page 7): my, my, how wrote extensively on visionary planning. Judith Solomon AIA, Director elitist! Perhaps we have been so busy In 194 7 he wrote Communitas with his Margot Wo olley AIA, Director patting ourselves on the back and brother, the philosopher Paul Goodman. Lenore M. Lucey AIA, Executive Director passing around awards for projects, a A look at utopian plans of the 20th Regina Kelly, Executive Secretary goodly portion of which remain unbuilt century, the book prophetically attacked paper exercises, that we have forgotten the destructive and decentralized Chapter Staff Christine Magnus about reality. We are part of the masses qualities of Le Corbusier's Ville Radie use Annemarie Malley plan. Evelyn Romero Judith Rowe Goodman was an early opponent of Stephen Suggs Robert Moses's elaborate highway © 1989 The New York Chapter of the NOTICE systems, which he believed siphoned off American Institute of Architects. funds that could be better used "improving the center and making livable All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is Do you have an IBM PC neighborhoods." It is ironic that strictly prohibited. Compatible Computer Goodman's primary commissions, suburban synagogues distinguished by OCULUS, published ten times a year, and Printer you would strongly sculptural design, could not September through June, is a benefi t of like to lend Oculus NYC/AIA membership. Public member have materialized without the highways, subscription rates available. temporarily? Please call the postwar suburban migration, and the 684-4377. growth that planners .like Moses For more information on professional and promoted. public memberships please call the Chapter, at 212-838-9670. -A.C. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Executive Committee or Staff of the Le Corbusier Modular Rule NYCIAIA. Cosed in on alum inum box, the Modular Rule is a plastic-coated fiberglass measuring tape with Cover: DrawingsfromLake Baikal (left) feet/inches and meters on one side, Reweaving the Urban Fabric an d the index (right) to Vladivostok by and Le Corbusier's Modular This new book approaches infill housing as a John Hejdu k (Rizzoli). Back cover: John measurement system on the other, method to encourage community participation and Hejdu k's Southern Friedrichstadt printed in blue, red, and block. contextual design . It contains essays on various housing, Berlin. $20.00 aspects of infill housing as well as selected projects for a site in Harlem. To order coll 212-995-9620. $24. 95, paper, 160 pages, 239 b/ w illus. Princeton Architectural Press To order coll 212-995-9620. 37 East 7th St., NYC 10003 Princeton Architectural Press 37 East 7th st., NYC 10003 DECEMBER 1989 3 NEWS NOTES Competitions, Controversies, Changes Rafael Vinoly Rafael Vinoly Architects, Dorothy Alexander Tokyo International Forum. Beyond City Limits Bad news for competitions came in the November 7 defeat of a referendum for funding the East Hampton Airport. The vote was necessary since three of the five town board members, instead of the necessary four, had favored the proposed airport design. The design by G. Phillip Smith and Douglas Thompson is now on hold. It was chosen by the board from five selected by a juried competition that took place this past summer. The jury, which included architects Jordan East Hampton Airport, ranked first by jury, Sanders/Guenzberger Gruzen (chairman), Charles Gwathmey, and William Pedersen, along with John Shanholt of the Architectural Review Board in East Hampton and Suzanne Stephens, had actually ranked the scheme by Joel Sanders and Ernest Guenzburger of New York as its first choice. In its list submitted to the town board, a design by Meyer, Yowell, Gifford of New York was in second place, the project by Smith/Thompson (also of New York) placed third, Voorsanger/Mills' design came in fourth, and one by John Clare Miller (a Cornell professor) was ranked fifth. Two of the town board members didn't like any of the five schemes, but three found the Smith/Thompson proposal to have an "openness and an East Hampton Airport, favored by town board, Smith and Thompson Architects. airy quality." One of the basic problems with all of the schemes chosen by the initial entries from 68 countries. But one coverage of architectural practice and jury was that the board had a strong can understand why: The first prize is 30 give criticism more prominence. All this penchant for the familiar and traditional. million yen, or about $200,000. The only goes on amidst heavy denials from Although the board had conveyed this problem, of course, is that most firms McGraw Hill that Record is for sale. preference to the jury, the jury couldn't spend that amount just in preparing the Meanwhile, 1991 will mark the lOOth find anything familiar and traditional that scheme for the competition. anniversary of the magazine's would fly. Because of the board's split, founding .... Writer Patti Hagan had a the issue soon become controversial, and field day in the October 26 Wall Street polarized into a stylistic debate. The plan Inside Media Journal with the South Garden scheme finally dissolved in this financial impasse. at Battery Park City that Jennifer Now what? .... Rafael Vinoly Architects Beginning with the January 1990 issue, Bartlett and Alexander Cooper are of New York won first prize in the Architectural Record will be showing off designing. Hagan reported Bruce competition for the Tokyo International its redesign. While Oculus has not seen Kelly/David Varnell Landscape Forum - a 1.5 million-square-foot it yet, it sounds as if the old Vignelli Architects had bowed out as a third cultural center with four theaters, specialty, with its big, sumptuous color party in the collaboration because they exhibit areas, and conference rooms, that photographs splashed throughout the thought the design was "arbitrary and will be built by the city of Tokyo. Jurors feature section, will not be the only thing amateurish." The writer went on to I. M. Pei, Fumihiko Maki, Kenzo on the menu. Nancy Butkus, former art berate the artist, "who flaunts her Tange, Vittorio Gregotti, and Arthur director of Manhattan inc., is the design ignorance of plants and gardens," and Erickson selected Vinoly over James consultant for a revised editorial format the architect, "another confessed garden Stirling/Michael Wilford, who placed that will weave technological subjects ignoramus," for creating a series of second with two other architects, throughout the middle of the book outdoor windowless rooms. While the Tomohisa Yuri and Shuei Hashimoto. instead of relegating them to the back garden is to have a modicum of roses Competition was quite keen, with 395 pages. Record also plans to expand its and topiary, it will require high security 4 NYC/ AIA OCULUS PROFILE Gwendolyn Wright Alvin Ailey dance space, R.M Kliment & Center for Non-Traditional Employment Frances Halsband Architects. for Women, Neski Associates. and high maintenance and will not off er Oppenheimer, Brady and Vogelstein Over the past year the Buell Centerfor views of the water, nor will it are back in New Jersey-this time at the Study ofAmericanArchitecture at accommodate more than 100 people at Curries Woods, the largest public housing Columbia University has seemed a time. Meanwhile, Nicholas Quennell project in Jersey City. The firm will rather quiet. Nevertheless, some very (Quennell-Rothschild Associates) has redirect its rehabilitation, including the profound changes have been made in supplanted KellyNarnell in this project, restoration of four high-rise buildings its leadership, its program, and its called by Hagan "a topiary version of the and the design of 105 new row house funding. The changes in the relatively Tilted Arc." units .... If you are threatening your young institution -it was founded in client with litigation, the firm name you l983 as part of the university-have will probably want to drop has changed.