Comment of the day: Visual ambiguity
Posted 5/1/2008 by Mark Boyer"I think this sort of architecture is coming from the desire to do something interesting with balconies. There are too many new construction condo buildings with balconies on the front that just create these overwhelming horizontal shelves. This is an attempt to break up that massing by having the strong horizontals blend into vertical elements. This creates visual ambiguity, and doesn't give your eyes a simple place to rest in the composition…"
"It's ridiculous to say the use of brick is exclusively related to the fire protection requirements of the Chicago Building Code. There are literally hundreds of materials that can be used. But if you try to get, say, a rain-screen metal panel building built in a typical North Side neighborhood, you can expect to make waves with the neighbors, block clubs, Alderman's zoning committee, etc.
I'd love to see the architecture of low-rise condos in Chicago lifted to a higher level, but the economics ususally don't work out for developers. We have a hard enough time convincing clients to use a curtain wall system instead of a window wall system on large towers with hundreds of units! Even Donald Trump skimped on his curtain wall, opting for the ugly Chinese glass you see on the Trump Tower today. It's sad that the city is getting mucked up by a bunch of bland, uninspiring, condo buildings, but the economics of building housing is the major culprit."
–UptownR, in two separate comments, lamenting architectural trends in low-rise condo developments and challenging Sheridan B's assertion that brick balconies are popular because they are made of non-combustible material
Comments
5/2/08
ah_specialist said:
I agree here with UptownR. The economics is the driving factor. But also, I think consumer demand for inspired, visually appealing residential architecture in Chicago is just not present once you leave the boundaries of Downtown. As someone explores the marketplace as a potential buyer (and a background in urban planning) I find that many of the condos being build in the city are just plain ugly on the exterior. Not to mention the massive amount of brick used, where condos are either spaces cut out of a box-like building with steel balconies attached to the exterior, or mini-fortresses with recessed balconies carved out. It is visually boring and aesthetically unappealing.
However, because so many building are built like this… and I can't afford to "pay the price for great design", I end up looking at this fortresses wedged in between single-family homes, above retail store fronts, etc. And the reality is, I care more about what's inside than what's out. I like light, open space, lots of windows, the patios, the rooftop access, the floorplans, the finishes. I care more than it is well-built and the space functional than the outside appearance. So as much as I'd like to find the marriage of form and function in my future residence, it is not available at the price point that meets my first-time buyer, median income, median purchase price self.