Alberta’s $88 Million Dollar Tribute To Silicone Caulking

31 Replies to “Alberta’s $88 Million Dollar Tribute To Silicone Caulking”

1. At least it’s not going to be shaped like a crescent.

2. I pity the artists who have to exhibit in that thing.
   My two favorite galleries are/were the Mauritshuis,
   in the Hague, which is simply a large house built
   for a gentleman (prince actually), and the old
   National Gallery on Elgin Street in Ottawa. Both are architecturally
   humble, the one a house and the other an office building,
   but both are good showplaces for works of art.
   The National Gallery on Elgin supposedly was wretched in
   terms of temperature and humidity control, and
   certainly was lacking in space, especially for
   the conservation laboratory.
   Nonetheless the display spaces were varied and effective, and I have
   many happy memories of exhibitions there – notably one showing
   their own fine collection of Duerer prints, another being a show of the Vollard suite.

3. Looks like a large quonset that was hit by a tornado.

4. it is ugly, obviously inefficient , but a bargain for Edmonton. Bronco Dave is putting a bridge up in Calgary for 25 million that looks like a broken slinky.

5. Looks like it would make one hell of a water slide.

6. Looks like Edmonton takes first in the quest for the world’s most hideous and inefficient building possible. Congratulations.

7. Looks like the architects also thoughtfully designed the structure to form killer ice guillotines.
   Having worked with many architects over the years I’ve found quite a number are wannabe artists who have absolutely no concept of what’s practical & economical in the real world.

8. I get catwoman on the ground floor and an agonised Kermit the Frog screaming to the sky on the roof.

9. Well since the City of Edmonton already buys silicon caulking by the box car to keep the pyramids on city hall from flooding the place. I’m sure the volume discount won’t hurt the city’s bottom line.
   Its too bad they took the train tracks out of downtown now they have to truck all that caulking from the inland terminal in the northwest all the way downtown. Think of the CO2 footprint. Maybe they could put a freight car on the LRT at least it runs on electricity.

10. There’s a similar monstrosity, in Seattle, that houses a rock and roll exhibit. The building tends to overshadow the actual exhibit. All that’s inside are a few old guitars, and an old outfit that Elton John wore on stage. Well, I guess there’s a bit more than that, but after seeing the building, I expected a better exhibit.

11. i’m very much a traditionalist in boat building design and furniture and so on…i honour durability and a sweet line with a memory…
    but i LIKE that kind of stainless steel or aluminum (a SUPERB boatbuilding material)shit…but not TOO much of it of course…
    anyway they thought Gaudi was a nut you know…and mebbe he was…

12. “i’m very much a traditionalist in boat building design…” you mean the damn thing is supposed to float?

13. We work with similar building models but on a much larger scale and must work dynamically with offices around N.America. We have to sacrifice quite a bit in order to work in this way IMO. The benefits of working this way are huge we’re just going through growing pains, but the big picture is we’re just scratching the surface. I’d say I spend 10% of my time trying to learn how to use new tool efficiently.
    The cynical side of me says that we’ll never be happy with the tools we have, we’ll always want more and more. I long for the Gene Rodenberry vision where there is 1 brand of communicator, 2 types of phasers, and one tricorder that does everything. There were no Mac’s in Star Trek.

14. Remember when art was Ruebens and Monet and architecture was Gothic? Yeah- those were good times.

15. Looks like the end product from a twisted colon.

16. It reminds me of “the Crystal” that they tacked on to the formerly beautiful AGO in Toronto. When I first saw an article written about it before it was built I remember thinking that it wouldn’t work as an art gallery because art galleries must be very careful with natural light damaging the art. Sure enough, they had to redesign it and clad the windows with metal to protect the art. The other thing that is a problem is that with no flat walls there is nowhere to hang the art. I guess architects aren’t taught that form follows function.

17. Another “City Trade Mark” to elbow aside the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House (snicker) courtesy of renowned international architects Bendum, Weldum, and Patchum, a division of Trouble In River City Consultants LLC, a subsidiary of L’Homme Musique Ltee, Lichtenstein, in turn entirely owned by Productions SA, address unknown.

18. It’s long been my contention that some architects should be simply taken out and shot.
    Ugh. This one’s definitely on the list.

19. Is there a bottle opener some where on that thing?

20. Oh, while speaking of Edmonton, 200 IT workers get laid off from the Alberta Government and not a peep in the news.
    Most were offered to be rehired as contractors at higher pay but no benefits, so they ‘quit’ and got fired the same day. No severance pay.
    The ones left behind don’t know how to run the government data bases, which apparently crashes once a month.
    Oh, the support went off shore.
    This from a student who quit before the ‘contractor offer’ to start his own business and found out from his now unemployed buddies.
    Alberta Advantage eh.

21. On a recent trip to Las Vegas I marveled, sometimes I marvel, at the sight of this building, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LouRuvoBrainHealth13.JPG, Some kind of brain research institute. It’s located just off downtown LV.
    Anyway the Edmonton building is not as outrageous, though somewhat on the way to it.

22. Its a perfect example of……..
    The number one reason that NOthing should be left in the management of government.

23. Speaking of Governments and Alberta …. did I read today that Eddie Haskelmach gave convicts in AB the right to vote?

24. form follows function
    Yes, minuteman, truth lost in today’s misguided worldview of style, fashion, and bold statements as the ultimate in design.

25. Minuteman,
    The crystal went on the ROM, and its a museum not an art gallery. That being said it is one of those things you are supposed to admire without knowing why. Cant say I admire it.
    What Ghery did with the Art Gallery of Ontario is actually quite good. Not aware if they had to add anything to the windows.
    It all started when Bilbao was cutting edge and stunning. Now its just me tooism

26. Frank Llloyd Wright’s signature buildings were the Gugenheim in New York and the Johnson Wax Headoffice in Racine Wis.
    A weird and wonderful house called “falling waters”…..(or something)…….
    He later in life designed a farm house…..
    They all leak………

27. Or what happens when a “conservative” party forgets who elected them, and what they got elected to do. Time for a grass roots internal party @ss kicking eh?
    IMHO my barn would be a better showcase for art. My truck looks good in it, anyway. 🙂

28. I should add my barn has on major advantage over this “sculptural” approach: its water tight.

29. a few blankets & it would make a stunning homeless nesting area.

30. An object lesson in spending other people’s money.

31. Architects can and do often create some gawd awful things but i blame those who either commissioned the work and/or those that approved the funding for same. Almost like “artists”, if someone is willing to pay for their work then have at it, just don’t let the payer be the taxpayer.