PROPOSED: Brown U. Creative Arts Building

[Garris]

From the Brown Daily Herald:

"Originally the creative arts building was to be constructed at the intersection of Waterman Street and the Walk, the planned greensward that will link the Pembroke campus with Lincoln Field. Now that the building will be located at 154 Angell St. and will include a recital hall, the University has increased the budget from $30 million to $42 million. In addition to the recital hall, which will seat 200 to 250 people, the building will include a recording studio, a multimedia lab and other production space for multidisciplinary art...

The schematic architectural design will be finished by February, and construction will likely start by the end of 2009, said Assistant Vice President for Planning, Design and Construction Michael McCormick."

- Garris

[brick]

Is it too much to ask that this be an architechturally significant building, the Brown equivalent of the Chace center, if you will?

[gregw]

Is it too much to ask that this be an architechturally significant building, the Brown equivalent of the Chace center, if you will?

[Pseudo_Work]

It's definitely not too much to ask. FWIW, Brown has been doing a much better job than in the past putting up decent buildings and doing excellent work renovating old ones. As far as new ones go, there's Watson, the new Life Sciences Bldg, which isn't in the same category as Watson but is pretty good in terms of materials, etc. True, it's way out of scale but it's pretty hard to maintain a small scale to match a 19th century neighborhood when you're designing 21st century lab spaces. While not a building, the Walk shows a sensitivity to aesthetics that seems to be part of Brown's new architectural vision. So I think Brown's turned a corner and moved away from the crapola it used to put up in the 70s and 80s.

[pdxstreetcar]

the article mentioned that the architect is diller scofidio renfro

[quente]

the article mentioned that the architect is diller scofidio renfro

[Pseudo_Work]

Interesting choice; they did the recently opened Boston ICA (the elevations don't do much for me but I'll reserve judgement till I visit) and they're behind the recently begun renovations of the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York (which seems to be a vast improvement over the existing building).

Here's a link of selected projects from their site:

http://www.dillerscofidio.com/projects.html

[gregw]

A Creative Arts building lends itself to creative and daring architecture. The choice of the firm is a sign that something distinctive and modern will be built rather than something will merely try to blend in. This will be Brown's answer to RISD's Chace Center.

It will be something that Brussat will hate.

[eltron]

It will be something that Brussat will hate.

[Cotuit]

Ugh, I HATE the ICA. I tried to like it, but it is a total turd. The roof line is horrible with all the mechanicals sticking up (total ruins the building's lines). It completely turns its back on the city (I know there is development slated to go behind it, but really, it shouldn't have a "back"). There's already cracks forming in its ugly back (I have photos, I'll post them later). You enter through a little crevice in the corner (way to say welcome). Such potential turned out to be such crap.

I hope they give us something good, but I hope it has no relation to the ICA.

Is it just me, or is it ironic that their website is Under Construction?

One thing that could be interesting about this, is it's relationship to the B.O.B. (where the Brown Bookstore is). 154 Angell appears to be the location of the old Shell Station. It would be cool if they built something hyper modern that attacked and entombed the craptacular B.O.B.

[xine]

Wow, color me impressed if they are actually committed to working with Diller Scofidio Renfro. In addition to the Maneo building that will be two super-starchitect buildings in this town. Like their work or hate it, they are major players on the world (architectural) stage. They are daring and creative and I hope their handlers at Brown have the stomach to stand by them and not let their ideas get watered down by politics, whether internal or external.

[pdxstreetcar]

Brown also has Robert AM Stern designing the new fitness center in the athletic center parking lot which will include a replacement for the existing collapsing roof swimming center.

[Cotuit]

Some photos of the ICA I took back in July:

[Dan]

A little too funky for me. They could have resurfaced (or even just reseal and stripe) that crumbling parking lot after removing the old retaining wall back there. That Boston concrete just can't seem to hold up...

I hate telephone poles.