That's right - walking.
First is the notorious Wurster Hall that houses Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, locally known as the ugliest building on campus.
Wurster Hall is visionary in a way, although the vision is unfortunately that of the Third World War aftermath and of nuclear fallout. That, however, is where the building holds appeal for me - it is an exercise in exageration, a tribute to weather and time, a celebration of material. Each surface is as rich as the years it saw and the abuse it endured. The interior does not disappoint either. ;)
Year: 1964
Architects: DeMars, Esherick, Olsen.
Location: Berkeley University campus, Berkeley, California, USA
-- Andrey Y.
1 comment:
Andrey,
Wurster Hall reminds me a lot of the work of Uno Prii in its sculptural quality, and especially in its sense of materiality.
Surprisingly, there are a great number of really interesting concrete creations right here in Toronto too; they remain a legacy of the design boom that occurred from the 1950s to the 1970s. During this period, concrete was the superhero of materials: structurally secure and yet so formally liberating that it acted as a catalyst to sculptural buildings of epic proportions (think CN Tower). Concrete Toronto is a really great reference for the amazing concrete creations of our city.
As well, there's currently an interesting exhibit on Uno Prii at the Daniels AL&D (230 College Street). More information can be found here:
http://unoprii.wordpress.com/
-- Yi
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