The Absolute Condominium competition announced its winner yesterday to some fanfare. While I have to admire the developers for making a bold choice, the rhetoric justifying the building's curvilinear form was more than a bit suspect. Architect Yansong Ma of China declared that high-rise buildings have a close connection with technology and culture. I'm with him there. He also said that high-rises are landmarks of culture. Sure.

However, when he says that social relations have more complexity and [therefore] we need more complexity in this building, he steps over into a fantasy realm shared by a certain type of designer who thinks the surface style of his or her building has some kind of mystical effect on the lives of the people who inhabit it. Architecture can have a profound impact on the lives of people. But it is not the specific style of one high-rise that is at the core of that impact. The impact of, say, choices in density and the number and types of elevators serving a tall building have far more influence on the day to day social lives of a building's inhabitants that does the "Marilyn Monroe" like curves of its profile.

Let's acknowledge this building for what it is: a beautiful form - maybe even an interesting engineering challenge - but really a marketing tool to attract people to a suburban landscape typically all too devoid of real architectural choices.

1. March 5, 2006

   Dear Sir,

   I am fascinated by the beauty of Marilyn Monroe building. I believed that it will draw much attention to the public and many will be interested to book/buy the unit in the future. I would like to request your office to please give me more detail/information how to get reservation to the said Marilyn Monroe building as my wife and I would like to purchase one.

   Sincerely,

   Eduardo/Gulnaz Velasco

   Posted by  on  04/05  at  05:18 PM

2. You can reach them through their web site:

   http://www.absolutecondos.com/

   Posted by  on  04/06  at  12:47 PM
4. Dear Sir/Madame, I have never seen a building of our modern age so beautiful in my entire life. I lived I Barcelona for 3 years and have seen some great avant-garde buildings or achitecture from the past and of our time that have never been moved in emotition in this same way. I have never seen anything of our time that has taken my breath away like this!… In conclusion I say to you, for humanities sake, build it, and deal with the financial and political consequences afterwards… it will be a monument to humanity from here to for ever!!! I give you my undying support! David Bruno Davidrbruno@hotmail.com 514-952-7278
   
   Posted by  on  {comment_date format=’%m/%d’}  at  {comment_date format=’%h:%i %A’}
Posted by  on  04/27  at  09:55 PM
6. I am thankful to be one of the luckiest owners for this marvelous structure. I was surprised with the structure and design of this awesome building, Its exclusive and there’s nothing else like it! At 25 yrs old im static and cant wait to move in, this Building is going to be the downright groovy!
   
   Posted by  on  {comment_date format=’%m/%d’}  at  {comment_date format=’%h:%i %A’}
Posted by  on  03/12  at  11:45 AM

7. i am architect

   Posted by  on  07/22  at  06:34 PM

<< Back to main