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.
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Thanks for your insight and opinion! I will take a better look at the building next time I'm in South Beach. The pictures are great!
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