The Gutter

Bad Skin Mars Gehry's NYC Debut 
Wednesday, April 5, 2006

gehrynycdetail copy.jpg

While our parent site goes crazy for the skinning of Bernard Tschumi's ominously overhanging LES condo, Blue (the load-transfers on which, bt, just blow our minds every time we visit once-humble Norfolk Street), we would like to share similar news from the West Side: Gehry's IAC Building, famous for it's gorgeous bones, now has some insipid skin. Compare to the limpid renderings. Ouch. Writes the photographer: "Has Frank been hanging with Steve Jobs? It looks like an iPod."

Full image follows.

gerhynyc2.jpg


Posted in Dinosaurs, Gotham

Reader Comments (43 extant)

1.

is there not a building in Princeton with a similar frit pattern?

By old timer at April 5, 2006 5:15 PM

2.

come on, that photoshop that is.

By Anonymous at April 5, 2006 5:22 PM

3.

Don't know about Princeton, but it does share some similarities with the louis vuitton store in Midtown with those halftone windows. That thing is pretty ugly. I really don't like Gehry. He's a sculptor, not an architect.

By Devin at April 5, 2006 5:23 PM

4.

Gotta getta Gehry!
Gotta getta Gehry!

Got a Gehry!
Got a Gehry!

Ha, ha, ha!
Ho, ho, ho!

Laughing ourselves all the way to our ruin.

Brave New World. By Design. That's the real message.

By Anon at April 5, 2006 5:49 PM

5.

I think it looks fabulous - will be one of NYC finest buildings when complete. compare it to the mediocre crap happening at ground zero.

By brad pitt at April 5, 2006 8:41 PM

6.

The fritted glass skin was done much more elegantly, at least 10 years ago, by Norman Foster on an office building near Heathrow Airport. Frank, stick to jewelry and perhaps something cheap for Target.

By Freddy Botchy at April 6, 2006 7:55 AM

7.

hey brad: nothing is happening at ground zero.

By jolene at April 6, 2006 10:18 AM

8.

nice to see that it's main use as fodder for car ads is already in effect.

By Anonymous at April 6, 2006 12:24 PM

9.

you guys at curbed really suck

By Anonymous at April 7, 2006 8:24 AM

10.

there is a spec office building in SF with that frit as well...right along I-80 in the middle of the city...it was ugly there, too

By martin at April 7, 2006 1:25 PM

11.

give it a chance, once its all up with the curves it might look pretty cool, anything is really an improvement in the craphole area.

By Anonymous at April 7, 2006 4:24 PM

12.

First we get the "Urban Glass House", now comes the "Urban Snow Globe".

By Not a starchitect at April 7, 2006 5:07 PM

13.

Should one assume that the views from inside will now all be modulated by a kind of a blend? I was kind of hoping the bones would show more in the end. I think I will wait until it's finished to comment on it.

By Morty at April 10, 2006 8:41 AM

14.

I was really hoping that the skin would be set black showing the concrete floor plates and the angled columns. It could have been awesome.

By anon at April 10, 2006 2:14 PM

15.

Anon #15, that would be like asking to see the man behind the curtain. In the end, Frank is always about the curtain.

By Nim at April 10, 2006 2:31 PM

16.

the building at princeton? that would be the Frist (as in rep. douchebag) campus ctr. and yes, it's a venturi building. the comparison is hilarious.

By s dawg at April 10, 2006 3:05 PM

17.

Listen hear, Don't Hate the Architect... Hate the Billionaires supporting and encouraging the Architecture... Gehry is doing the same thing everyone with a successful practice is and has done... Answering to the clients' wants! In this case ICA got what they wanted, shade and a "Gehry" building. Welcome to the REAL world Gutter!

By Anonymous at April 11, 2006 12:59 PM

18.

i don't hate the architect....however, it is the architects responsibility to educate the client insted of perpetuating the rediculous chiche of himself. this building is poo...and i mean that very constructively. i'm not a digital architecture hata, but this is a perfect example of how the digital world really does not allow the architect to truely explore space....this is barely a bad fashionable architecture statement. look at the total lack of attention to the detail....if FOG or any other architect was in control and had said billions to play with...do you really thing that the 3" joint between panels (visible from 1/2 mile a way) would be desirable disecting the dense white of the gradiant. give me a break....give us all a break....not y'all.....MrF.O.G.

By Brandon at April 11, 2006 6:01 PM

19.

In response to no. 11-- the building on I-80 in SF is a prison, not offices

By PDD at April 19, 2006 6:54 PM

20.

in response to no. 20. i know, i work there. one day a week i'm allowed to email 3 sentences. the third one goes: they never should have put a facade on this 'structure.'

By ker-lee at April 21, 2006 3:50 AM

21.

2 months after these exchanges and it isn't looking any better. in fact the more skin goes on, the more you realize that as with most everything he does, gehry's lithe design could not be translated into real materials, and the result is a giant niki de st. phalle scultpure

By fritz at July 10, 2006 8:45 PM

22.

I have been driving to work past this building every day for months. First off, it was fascinating to see the skeleton rise. But when I saw the first panels arrive, I knew it would be a disaster. Firstly, the panel shading scheme is hideous, like some schlock office building off the L.I.E. But MOST importantly. The panels are not curved at the edges (I wondered all along if they would go all the way and actually pay the extra money to curve the panels) and come together ass-awkwardly. This building looks put together cheaply already. Geez.....not like they had to pay to custom curve them all, but at least they could have done the corners. The edges are the whole point of this building. Makes me wonder about Gehry.

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24.

great building - frame and facade.
the foster building that did this first is at Stockley Park. (1988?)

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