Urban Planet is a daily roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
They are the buildings you love to hate. “The machines for living in”. The brutal structures of High Modernism, constructed in the 1960s and 70s, are beginning to show their age. Now, historic preservation laws in many countries will attempt to keep these buildings in tact – protecting their distinctive style. But will this serve the interests of the communities who use them or create monuments to terrible architecture? The Atlantic Cities explores.
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4 comments
LOL who doesn’t love Robarts? It looks great.
Add Montreal’s Place Bonaventure to the list. I worked there in the late 70s and the biggest complaint was no way to see the outside world. Every lunch someone would trek to the outside world and come cack with a weather report.
On the other hand, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is one of the lovliest libraries in the world, despite being housed in the Robarts Library.
These buildings are unique and shouldn’t be destroyed because they don’t satisfy current esthetics.
I think that’s the cusp of the issue here–we Torontonians don’t hate Robarts nearly as deeply or viscerally as non-Torontonians *think* we do…
I spent a solid 5 years inside Robarts Library. Its design makes for unique spaces and experiences, but the actual interior design was quite dark and depressing for the avg student who spent a large portion of their week there, at least prior to the recent renovations. Besides the (less enjoyable) use of colour and materials, the building always offered lots of unique and quiet areas, including private study rooms (now with glass walls), and great views of the city (I especially enjoyed these when I wanted to clear my mind). I think its exterior (albeit a peacock) speaks of its outstanding collection, and its new interior is now a much healthier environment for learning. All in all, I think Robarts is a city gem.