Hasta La Ideas

British designer Thomas Heatherwick suffers criticism for his latest project, a pair of New Towers with bulging windows, in this week’s comments update.

Battle the bulge: readers have suggested that Thomas Heatherwick should to go back to the drawing board, after his studio released renderings for two towers that will straddle the High Line, featuring similar windows to his recently completed MOCAA project in Cape Town.

“Take the worst thing about the Cape Town project and regurgitate it pointlessly over two entire buildings. When will he be stopped?” said JC.

The images seemed to offend Yethica: “It’s like someone blew bubbles in the windows of a postmodern tower. Gross.”

“That’s just lazy, Tom,” added Jon.

Stefon criticised the project for creating yet more high-end homes in the city: “Yay, more affordable housing!”

Cezary Marek added to that sentiment: “I wonder if, seeing this, Neave Brown would laugh or cry in despair.”

“At the end of the day, Heatherwick is a pop-architect that designs things that speak to people, regardless of how clumsy an academic might perceive his buildings to be. Most architects could use a lesson in how to be personable,” concluded Jacob Volanski.

One reader used a metaphor to express his resentment towards the design:

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Unwanted visitor: readers were divided over president Donald Trump’s decision to not attend the opening of London’s new Kieran Timberlake-designed US Embassy, amid claims on Twitter that he prefers the former embassy, designed by Eero Saarinen.

West Van Man thought the US president might actually be afraid to visit: “Why in the free world would 45 want to go to the ribbon cutting for the new embassy if he knows he’ll get egged, mocked, jeered and his caricature cartooned every which way?”

“The US President has always been welcome in England. And President Trump is absolutely right about the location and fineness of the US embassy in Mayfair,” fired back Guest, loyally.

“Trump is a moron, can I get that clear before I say what I’m going to say? I sort of agree that it’s not exactly the best building in the world,” wrote a half-sure John McGrath.

The cancellation of the trip was good news for this reader:



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Preservation: news that Frank Lloyd Wright’s Lockridge Medical Clinic in Whitefish has been demolished by its owner, despite efforts to protect the building, left readers dismayed this week.

Kay was angered by the developer’s decision: “He’s an immoral unethical extortionist. Such a depressing story. And to think it’s happened so close to Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th celebrations all over America.”

“I hope people boycott whatever this buffoon decides to put in its place,” fumed J.

But Fetish didn’t see what all the fuss was about: “What is special about this building except that it was designed by a famous architect?”

Guest had a poetic response: “Anywhere with a Frank Lloyd Wright building, no matter how forsaken or remote, is inherently somewhere.”

Whereas this reader kept his comment short, but to the point:



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Barack’s back: readers have also been discussing a set of images released by Barack and Michelle Obama, showing the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, which will be located on Jackson Park in Chicago’s South Side.

WYRIWYG was a fan of the toned-down design: “Thoughtful and reserved. Better than the Clinton and Bush libraries.”

But Davvvvid found it boring: “Where is the imagination? It all seems soulless, pragmatic, and calculated.”

“Much like Obama in his formative Chicago years, the project appears to seek to activate and give back more to the community, in civic spaces and parks,” stated Melon Design.

One reader made sure not to understate Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects‘ importance to the project:



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