Oculus - Fall 2016 - 13
first words
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
©Albert Vecerka/Esto
Timeless Questions
of Coexistence
J
ane Jacobs or Robert Moses? Preservation or
development? Glass or terra cotta? Authenticity
or innovation?
These either/or questions are not new. And today, new questions in the same vein are emerging:
Can a contemporary building use age-old materials? Will digital do away with print? Should new
development only look to the future?
I purposely linked the words "authenticity" and
"innovation" with "and" instead of "or" as my presidential theme at the beginning of the year. Can two
apparently opposing ideas coexist? And embedded
in that question is the value component: Should
they coexist?
I look to Philadelphia, where my formative
years were spent, to tell a story of unrelenting
urban renewal and its consequences. In the eastern
part of Center City, the National Park Service tore
down all buildings built after the colonial era to
create an authentic historic Philadelphia. Hardline preservationists cheered. On the other side
of town, much of Market Street was torn down,
including a Frank Furness-designed train station,
to create a modern office corridor. Some thought
this would make Philadelphia competitive in a
post-textile-driven city. Both initiatives left the city
in a lesser state for the purity of their efforts.
In the early 1970s, Romaldo Giurgola, FAIA,
emerged in Philadelphia as a master of accommodating - and even celebrating - the coexistence of
these two seemingly opposed approaches. In my
mind, he took architecture and urbanism in a new
direction with the Penn Mutual building, where he
married a 19th-century, four-story Egyptian Revival
building to a new, strikingly innovative, and sustainable 22-story building. Romaldo (known as Aldo
to friends and colleagues) later took this sensitive
and extraordinarily creative approach on the road,
most notably at the Parliament House in Canberra,
Australia, where he synthesized site, program, and
identity in a wholly new and instantly iconic vision
for the country and its seat of government. Sadly,
Aldo passed away this year, but his legacy lives on.
We have much to learn from this kind, sensitive, and
poetic architect.
And now, as we face ever more critical issues of
resilience, energy use, housing shortages, inadequate schools and hospitals, and poor infrastructure, a nuanced and thoughtful approach to
architecture is more important than ever. Achieving this goal will require imaginative and out-ofthe-box thinking. As architects, we are trained to
be problem solvers, and we should join the effort to
take the best of the past forward into the future.
This issue of Oculus is dedicated to the challenges of reusing older buildings and integrating
them into the contemporary urban landscape. In
addition, the Center for Architecture is hosting the
exhibit "Authenticity and Innovation," curated by
Donald Albrecht, opening on September 30. An
October 1 symposium associated with the exhibition will explore the architectural, cultural, social,
and environmental issues associated with these
initiatives. Please come join the conversation.
Carol Loewenson, FAIA, LEED AP
2016 President, AIA New York Chapter
Authenticity + Innovation: Architecture Repurposed
Fall 2016 Oculus
13
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016
First Words Letter from the President
Letter from the Editor
Center for Architecture
One Block Over
Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
A Study in Contrasts
WeLive on Wall Street
A Preservation Paradox
Industrial Strength
Innovation Rooted in History
In Print
97-Year Watch
Last Words
Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover1
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover2
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 3
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 4
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 5
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 6
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 7
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 8
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 9
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 10
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 11
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 12
Oculus - Fall 2016 - First Words Letter from the President
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 14
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Letter from the Editor
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 16
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 17
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Center for Architecture
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 19
Oculus - Fall 2016 - One Block Over
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 21
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 22
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 23
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 24
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 27
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 29
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Study in Contrasts
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 31
Oculus - Fall 2016 - WeLive on Wall Street
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 33
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 34
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Preservation Paradox
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 36
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 37
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Industrial Strength
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 39
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 40
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 41
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Innovation Rooted in History
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 43
Oculus - Fall 2016 - In Print
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 97-Year Watch
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 46
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Last Words
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 49
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 50
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover3
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover4
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