Gehry turns square. And insipid?: Miami New World Symphony

Not far from the beaches and just a few blocks east of acclaimed Herzog & de Meuron's Lincoln 1111 garage, retail and residences, an unrecognizable Gehry shows his least deconstructivist project: the Miami New World Symphony
South Beach residents are happy to have him home, but the concrete cube that will house the music academy, by now,  lacks the typical expressiveness of Frank Gehry's projects such as his recent Abu Dhabi Guggenheim museum and the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago. Only a few scattered signs of his firm are spotted in the entrance's slide-like roof, also in the interior, some curves poke through the glass facade on one of it's sides that opens the stiffness of the simplistic enclosure, and outside, towards the adyacent future park (no longer commisioned to Gehry -budget matters-), where a lonely twisted tree-like (sculpture?) stands.

Here are pictures I took last April

This is the facade that faces an "unwalked" Lincoln LN: Lincoln road shops' back door. This too is the building's "back" (that doesn't mean he can use those standard impersonal windows!! How could he!!)


A Glass facade facing the garage: is it necessary?


This is what I can shyly call the "most exciting" part of the project


The glass facade as will be seen from the park, reflecting South Beach Hotels, like the Delano and the National. Bottom right stands the "tree-like" sculpture.


A weak accent


The strong Miami sun reveals the irregular white concrete facade. Intentional or low quality construction?


17th street, the Delano, the National, and "cubic Gehry"


Please tell me this is not what we will see of Gehry's New World Symphony garage. So not-tuned.


Soon with the completion of the building, I'm sure (and wish) the whole project will be a worthy icon of contemporary architecture, and deserving Frank O. Gehry.

more info @ arcspace
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Christian de Portzamparc. Hergé Museum. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Pritker prize winner (1994), Christian de Portzamparc made his childhood dreams come true with this museum that pays hommage to Hergés most iconic comic strip creation: Tintin. All of his vast adventures that once cradled and enchanted my own childhood, now amuse me in this adventurous walk along the four different characterized parts of the building. The simple lined comic strips acquire a new third dimension.  In the inside it's like becoming a new character because of the playful forms and coloured walls that resemble Hergés drawings.

map: Rue du Labrador, 26 , Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium




:   :  : ::: THE FACT
The building has 4 parts that illustrate diffrent kind of characters.
:   :  : ::: THE QUOTE
"I said to myself, from this point on, that the museum was obviously a tribute to Hergé, but also as much a game played with Hergé, or a letter to Hergé.”
- Christian de Portzamparc

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