Found this at aperion, my final presentation is on this coming tuesday, possibly my real ‘final’ presentation. Anyway, here is a short video clip of Peter Eisenman and Wolf prix of Coop Himmelblau during a class presentation, it appears to me they are debating on the topic ‘How to teach architecture’. Possibly the worst presentation that poor girl ever had.I’m not a big fan of Zaha Hadid, not Frank Gehry but I do have respect for their masterpiece, at least they are famous in many ways. On the other hand Peter Eisenman’s early works is horrible, Between House I to House X and what ever the student is presenting, my money is with the student.
Wolf Prix and Peter Eisenman, Architecture Design Crit
Who is Eisenman??? Brutal critique…that student must be scarred for life.
I love how he criticizes Buckminster Fuller for being a bad architect for the geodesic dome…That´s nothing compared to stairs that lead to nowhere or columns that aren´t even structural in the middle of stairways. When you have a client come out with a book criticizing you for your architecture you probably have no right to even criticize students. Go throw yourself off a bridge Eisenmann and leave the architecture and critiques to good architects who don´t waste other people´s time.
I think eisenman stands as a succesfull architect in many ways. Im fascinated by his House series, and love the associated readings, drawings and diagrams.
They may be challenging places to live in, but then again, the clients knew what they were in for when hiring eisenman – especially the person who wrote the book criticizing him – she was an architectural critic after all.
I wouldnt really be insulted if I were that student in the crit, just annoyed that my crit has become a soapbox for a greater issue. Past the first bit, the student may as well not have existed.
So I and many others find eisenmans early work great, whereas the clients tend to not – so does that make him a failure as an architect, or just a flawed one?
You beat me to it, Calvin! Don’t know whether I should post it with my own comment or not now…
Good luck with your crit!
That guy is a prick, just a token of an egotistical architect out of his leash. I do give credit to Eisenman’s work, specially as cutting edge for its time, I think of deconstructivism as a modern day manierism, a movement to explore ideas. But that aside, Eisneman is just a prick with a ego larger than life, we all had those types of proffesors during our studies, atleast I had, best thing to do, is take the few inetresting things they say, and forget everything else, which is pretty much insults.
Even worse – in the back you find other “great” guys: Lovegrove and Greg Lynn.
Nothing more than a couple of old farts doing intellectual masturbation at the expense of a student’s dignity. And none of their work (and I do mean NONE, for either one) gives them the right or moral authority to talk that kinda shit –
Hey Folks, just stumbled upon your comments about Peter Eisenmann and felt the need to comment. I can personally testify to Eisenmann’s ego-centric, self aggrandizing personality. He built a home for my family in 1969 in Lakeville Conn. It was one of his experimental houses that helped catapult his career but ended as a nightmare for my family. The house had so many structural flaws, a flat roof being one of them. Perhaps in California this would have worked but not in the north east. The house was made of plywood and very soon after its completion the leaks began. Over the years the house literally fell apart. After my parents passed away my family asked Eisenmann for his advice in how to save the house but he had no interest in helping us. The house eventually was torn down. My brothers and i had many fond memories spending summers in Lakeville and we were very sad to see the house slowly fall apart. The house should have never been built structurally and geographically and my parents were partly to blame for listening to Eisenmann and letting him convince them to build it. But to top it off in the end, Eisenmann’s disinterest in helping us repair his guinea pig nightmare, left us with no choice but to tear it down.
?????I DUNNO?
?????I KNOW…listen to what he is saying.Read the Eisenman’s mind…its full of *#@%
his words contradict itself…when he felt Wolf was going to give a different point away from his brutal comment he cut it…but then notice afterwards his cockiness crumbled a bit…this guy is full of *#@%
I’d rather listen to Greg Lynn and Lovegrove talk abit. Wonder what her design actually looks like…
I have to say that I believe Eisenman actually does have authority to criticize in the manner he does. His work in architectural theory, which is often difficult to decipher and explain, has actually been groundbreaking interms of philosophical implications for the history of architecture. Many people do not have this context prior to engaging with him. I do often see in my peers, a critical lack of understanding of theoretical applications within design. When he points out the average student’s ignorance i.e. his assumption of a student not understanding the difference between Palladio and Borromini, on one level, yes, he is being an intellectual dick, but on the other hand, he is expressing an unconscious frustration with the commercialization of education. At this point, anyone can be an architect if they work hard enough at it, not because their ideas command merit, or that they will eventually come to develop a progressive theory through their practice. Today, it is painfully-easy to access sub-par architecture schools, because of the large growth spurt of architectural education during the era of postmodernism, which essentially the cause for all the lifeless buildings (and underskilled architects) we see today. I’m not surprised that the ideology of ‘equality’ and ‘access’ has taken over in architecture at the expense of unique and critical thought in design. In that sense, I do share Eisenman’s anger.
i do agree with tali pukerson explaination. and im a support of similar anger. too many poser in our generation as result of great intelectual period of modernism+post+decon about SYSTEM that left generation beyond that period lost and abusive towards removing the system itself.
Dear Sir
We are planning to construct a crs sgow room in saudi arabia and looking for the best of the rang all over the world.
I have seen your design of BMW showroom in germany and interested to get more information about your prequalification.
Your kind action will be appreciated
Eng. Sharif AL-Bahhar