Scott hates it

Almost every day on our way to work the sight of this building enrages my housemate, Scott - it is to the point now that he will talk about it on the way to work, before we've even gotten close enough to glimpse the faulty facade.



He cites a number of issues he has with the design elements of the building, but the true, first, and currently LARGEST issue he has with the building overall is the placement/installation of two windows in the second section there in the wedding cake.



Some people don't see the issue so I drew some lines here.



We of course argue that it's silly to focus in on something like that, something that can surely be changed before the building is deemed complete. But Scott rages on. (I wish I had a picture of THAT!)

We'll have to see what the finished product really looks like. The concept pictures don't make it look like the worst thing in the world.


But it is a bit weird, with the 3 completely different sections of the exterior.

I was digging around on the internets and found this piece about the design (HEAVILY edited):

NYC architect hired to give Olive 8 ‘landmark status’

... Gluckman wants Olive 8 to fit in. But he’s less concerned with how the building responds to nearby structures, and more interested in how it blends with the sky and topography... Even on gloomy days, Gluckman wants Olive 8 to have a glow, with its white and light gray exterior. He takes his cue from one other downtown building. “I’ve always admired the Smith Tower as a really elegant building with unique proportions,” he said. “I think it’s time we had another white tower.”... Developer R.C. Hedreen Co. hired Gluckman’s firm... to give the building extra flare... he... wanted Olive 8 to have a high profile design, like the Central Library and Experience Music Project. “This building is going to have the same sort of landmark status,”... “We’re making [Denny Triangle] into a vibrant part of the city, and this is the flagship.”... One of Olive 8’s most distinctive features will be the podium. It will have large cut-outs that resemble eggs or elipses... “He thought it would be intriguing to do something pretty cutting-edge... the Design Review Board in Seattle... review[s] projects solely on “good design principles,” and high profile architects must meet those standards just like everyone else... his firm will “push the envelope more” with upcoming residential towers in downtown Seattle... the trend among East Coast high-rise residential developers to hire notable architects will spread west. “Having a name associated with a design attracts buyers"...

Just as a reminder - these are the two "landmark" buildings mentioned in the article.


I looked up Landmark on dictionary.com and this is what they said:

land·mark
–noun

1. a prominent or conspicuous object on land that serves as a guide, esp. to ships at sea or to travelers on a road; a distinguishing landscape feature marking a site or location: The post office served as a landmark for locating the street to turn down.
2. something used to mark the boundary of land.
3. a building or other place that is of outstanding historical, aesthetic, or cultural importance, often declared as such and given a special status (landmark designation), ordaining its preservation, by some authorizing organization.
4. a significant or historic event, juncture, achievement, etc.: The court decision stands as a landmark in constitutional law.
–verb (used with object) 5. to declare (a building, site, etc.) a landmark: a movement to landmark New York's older theaters.

So... #1 definitely applies to EMP and the new downtown public library. You certainly can't miss them. If you point a tourist, friend, or loved one in the general direction of either of those structures and they are unable to find it... well, that joker will probably be hit by a bus tomorrow because they are apparently blind. You had better say your goodbyes now.

I'm not 100% on definition #3 being a match - historical, aesthetic, or cultural importance

I spoze it is important to remember that we allowed something that looks like a giant wad of chewed up and spit out gum to be built in our city. A building that only looks good in close ups - all of the elements are there, they just look terrible together.

And the library - what can I say about that behemoth? It lets in a lot of light... it's big... it's better than what we had before. I do find myself being terribly turned around every time I step through the doors though. I like to imagine that the staff has the same problem and am always looking around when I'm in the stacks in case there is a scared, malnourished library employee wearing dirty rags, covered in paper cuts and cowering in a make-shift hut fashioned from back issues of Teen Beat and tiny pencils.

Historically, aesthetically and culturally - I guess these buildings are important - just not in a super awesome way.

That's just my take though. I'm sure that each of those buildings is important in ways that I am refusing to acknowledge. Long story short - I'm not a huge fan.