Comments on: Calatrava: Thumbs Down

By: fish

fish — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:24:38 +0000

I know this is an old entry, but I can’t believe you said “facehole”. that invective is the best. I once accedentally called someone a “facehole” because I was trying to call them an “asshole” and a “dickface” simultaneously, but “facehole” is so much better than any of those. it sounds absolutely disgusting and it contains no nominally profane language, which is some useful shit. anyway. calatrava is totally a facehole. nice one.

By: Vesper

Vesper — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:01:37 +0000

Oh ye ol’ motherfucker of Santiago Calatrava. That New Yorker Profile was made of crap and fail. “Oh yeahh i like all the arts (O RLY?) im so artistic that i can shit on your face and call it art, and laterz maybe build some crap; damn, did u heard that? was my stomach!. Neh, you are not the only one who hates that fucker, That idiot destroyed more cities than the II reich and the idiot of Colon togeter: “we were just… exploring, we were so hardcore”, calatraba was just being so artistic, he was so hardcore, now everbody in europe has his own uber big stuff/shit/building(?!)/whatever Calatrava brand new style (he didnt masturbate before start drawing; bad idea, srsly; just like Gehry, another fucker). Just look at the picture, he says “im so good, u ll shit in your pants, u little architect student, start blowjobing meh if u wanna work with the big fish” -yes, I am one… architect student; i haven’t sleep in four days, don’t shoot me-.
Anyway, Im just waiting for someone who decides to tear down those damn buildings before some UN idiot or Bernard Weber make them some kind of monument of memorial. D:

By: JimBob

JimBob — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:10:30 +0000

Maybe if you named one of the mice Filbert, you would feel better about having them.

By: Megaron01

Megaron01 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:20:46 +0000

Hey Annie! My old professor from back in the day used to say that architects are frustrated artists. I gotta say that I do like a lot of Calatrava’s portfolio. I just didn’t know about all the preamble slather used to prime his clients. The article is pretty hilarious though cuz I had a visual of head gettin’ ready to implode by the end of it……ewwwwww…….

By: Pedro

Pedro — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:20:21 +0000

I tried to read the article and only could read half. I wanted to throw up, I cannot believe most of the things there.

I hated his job and him as a professional before, I think he is a cheater, he doesn’t know what architecture is about, I think he just likes himself too much and tries to show off the fact that his architecture is so precise and beautiful at the same time.

After reading the article (half of it) now I also hate him, as a person, as an architect.

This is the worst thing that can happen to our profession (yes, I am an architect), having someone like him. If architects try to be like that, and ppl think architects are like that, we would have killed our profession.

By: weirdo

weirdo — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:13:01 +0000

hey! he totally looks like Egon Spengler! (http://www.fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/spengler.jpg)

By: jon

jon — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:33:15 +0000

Att: Calatrava & Mouse – not since torch-wielding peasants chased Frankenstein’s monster through the town square has such frightening creatures been so deserving of being taunted.

Architecture is eye candy creating harmonious layers of hardscapes….Allow me to pile on.

If, Architecture is a mix of service, art form, function and technology in the context of evolving place, purpose and time. Then, the worst architecture do none, or few of those and the best do all of them well.

If, Architects are people of varying degrees of experience, talent and humility. Then, the worst ones have none of those qualities the best have them all in spades.

What complicates this whole post-modern Archi-mess is that every one of us experience and judge the world, including buildings thru their own values and perceptions. Architects confuse that even more by having their own obscure vocabulary and value set that almost no one else understands or gives a crap about. Architects (the ones inclined to even care about this) are terrible at dealing with that chasm……the reasons for this are embedded in internal and external culture and forces on this profession, but in short…don’t expect to have cause to put down your pitchforks anytime soon.

But to Annie’s point “Calatrava is an A-hole. YES… he is. Or at least he comes across as one, assuming he has all his marbles. Even though he is well known for his bridge designs he, himself does nothing to bridge the gap of understanding or appreciation of architecture, his or otherwise. While there are many examples though out history that show the value of independent thinking and creative expression, ego does not in itself guarantee genius. I guess from his point of view you either get him and his style or your don’t! Calatrava’s work (some of it) is good. YES…I think so. The question is…

Why Don’t the Rest of Us Like the Buildings the Architects Like?

http://www.amacad.org/publications/bulletin/summer2004/campbell.pdf