Poor pastiche or eyesore replacing improvement?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"City officials reject ‘mock-Georgian’ plan for new-build"
(13 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
-
So, rather than have something that is intended to be sympathetic to the surrounding buildings, that slots in nicely (certainly looking at the design) and replaces an eyesore, the Council "... are understood to be against so-called “pastiche design” – and would prefer to see a steel and glass structure"
Ah yes, another anonymous glass and steel box, just what the city needs...
Posted 12 years ago # -
WC - you philistine! I'm sure the Council will be after a top quality modern design, perhaps like the Omni Centre or Fountainpark...
Posted 12 years ago # -
There is an awful lot of bad pastiche out there. My personal 'favourite' is the flats nr powderhall, which are execrable.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I hate pastiche too, unless it's done in an ironic, playful way. Or done so well it's like a fake (vis Scandic Crown on the High Street).
The officials are right. However that's no guarantee the revised design will be good quality. Hopefully though it will at least be honest...
Posted 12 years ago # -
so glass and steel boxes are OK so long as they aren't a pastiche on other glass and steel boxes?
Uh-huh.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"I'm sure the Council will be after a top quality modern design, perhaps like"
their own headquarters..
I can understand the argument against bad pastiche and there's a lot to be said for good architecture in the right context.
There are various place in the New Town - Clarence Street, Dublin Street - where buildings have been built in recent years with facades that would fool most people.
I'm sure there will be experts who can point out the 'mistakes' - not that 'original' New Town streets are exactly uniform!
Perhaps the proposal for the new Zonal building can have some detail improvements, but to demand/expect something high quality/modern seems unreasonable.
Zonal have been employing people in Forth Street for years. Presumably these buildings were originally family homes - but the external appearance is the same, so that's all right.
Very Edinburgh...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Just looked on street view and it would seem the building down from it looks similar to the proposal ( modern build).
Posted 12 years ago # -
"
Cockburn Association (@thecockburn)
16/10/2012 09:08
Zonal Retail tweak their Union St proposals bit.ly/WeKS1g at least they've learned the difference between v-jointed & droved ashlar"
Posted 12 years ago # -
Looking at that drawing I'm not sure I quite get the problem... it looks really nice. I'm all for a living breathing city but I don't understand the problem of imitating architecture that looks good and doesn't disrupt the feel of the area.
Posted 12 years ago # -
When I read some things published by the Cockburn Association I imagine the 2 camp Kelvinsiders from Chewin' the Fat, drinking tea and eating scones in the North British and giggling to themselves because someone had the temerity to confuse a v-jointed ashlar with a droved ashlar.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Posted 12 years ago # -
Do you think someone should tell them they left the spellcheck underscoring on the image?
Posted 12 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
