In class we have talked about “reading” architecture and how a building’s form and style can speak volumes about its function and what its tenants wish to say to the general public. Specifically, we have focused on the transition of banks and other corporate offices from the solid, heavy, and imposing historically influenced neo-classicism/beaux-arts classicism of the 18th to early 20th century to the transparent steel and glass modernism that took hold in the middle of the 20th century. However, I believe that this change in the dominant style of corporate architecture is important not only because of the difference in what these styles say about the purpose of a building, but also because the changing of dominant architectural styles has, at least for the past three centuries or so, also signaled a change in the dominant world power and order. Innovation and the willingness and ability to fund and support exciting new buildings is a hallmark of a thriving, upward moving society, and today that sort of innovation is no longer happening here in the United States. Instead, it is in countries like China, especially with the coming 2008 Summer Olympics being held in Beijing, where boundaries are being pushed and innovation is being embraced.

The strong, heavy, historically influenced style of banks and corporate offices—like York & Sanders Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1919-1924) and McKim, Mead, and White’s Municipal Building (1914)—that was the dominant style for so long can be directly traced back to the neoclassical revival in Europe (especially England) centuries ago. Indeed, it is easy to see that the buildings just mentioned are clear descendants of other similar works such as Sir John Soane’s famous Bank of England (1788-1833). However, in the 1950’s a revolution occurred right here in New York City at 53rd and Park Ave. Right across the street from one another, and within only a few years of one another two buildings sprang up which inexorably changed the trajectory of corporate architecture. Lever House (1952), designed by the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrell (SOM) and the Seagram’s Building (1954-1958) designed by Mies van der Rohe were the first great examples of the “modernist” office buildings which became so ubiquitous in the second half of the twentieth century. So ubiquitous in fact that one of the first great Post-Modern office buildings (Philip Johnson’s Penzoil Place, 1976) is a neo-Miesian skyscraper with the top lopped off at a 45 degree angle. But part of what made these buildings so fascinating was not their style and form but that despite representing truly international ideas regarding the direction of architecture they could only have been built in the United States.

The 1950’s, as we all know, saw a remarkable change in the balance of world power, as Europe was struggling to rebuild and recover from a catastrophic world war and America was enjoying a new wave of prosperity and power, becoming for the first time in its history, a real “Super Power.” Lever House and the Seagram’s Building were representations of this new power. Large corporations had the money to make expensive gambles on new buildings (the Seagram’s building, despite its simple palette of materials was exceedingly expensive to build and maintain, as van der Rohe famously used very high quality and expensive materials) and were willing to risk the money for the chance to build and associate themselves with something that would be of real importance and cultural significance. And in the case of the Seagram’s building especially that risk paid off. All across the world from the small town office parks of America to the most far-flung reaches of the globe, black steel and glass Miesian buildings became the default, accepted . Today we are not seeing that same innovation in the US.

The perfect example of this new temerity in the US is the evolution of the design for the “Freedom Tower.” Daniel Libeskind’s original design obviously had its flaws, but it was daring, defiant, and original. This is an man who, up until a few years ago, was considered a purely conceptual architect and whose first major building, his Jewish Museum in Berlin (1998) did such a great job of connecting with and expressing the tragic history of Jews in Germany that it has been heralded as one of the most emotional buildings built in recent memory. His original design, while perhaps not of the same level as the Jewish Museum, was exciting and should have been the platform and base for a daring, emotional, innovative design. Instead, it has been completely tamed and dulled by the developer’s chief architect, David Childs. Ironically enough, Mr. Childs is the consulting design partner at SOM, the same firm that half a decade ago gave us Lever House.

To my mind, it is in China, and specifically Beijing, where the most innovative and exciting buildings are being built today. The new Olympic Stadium designed by the Swiss team of Herzog and de Meuron is a fun and theatrical new take on a classic design form. However, perhaps the single most exciting and promising new building that is being constructed right now is Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV building. It took a team from the structural engineering firm Arup thirteen months just to determine whether or not the building could actually be built. While the palette remains simply glass and metal the twisted daring three dimensional form could very possibly represent a new turn, and the start of a new era, in large scale corporate architecture. I do not mean to suggest that either of these new buildings will certainly be as important or influential as the Seagram’s building or Lever House, but they should be celebrated for the chances they are taking and for being fresh designs that I do not think could be built here in the US right now. Indeed, just like the Seagram’s building and Lever House half a decade ago, these new buildings in Beijing are fascinating because they are not the intellectual product of the society that is building them.

When we have talked in class about the how the US is slipping as jobs are being sent to cheaper overseas locations we have mainly focused on India. China is a difficult country to analyze and deal with on this level because despite whatever advances it is making economically and socially it remains under the yoke of an essentially dictatorial non-democratic government, and for us westerners I think it is sometimes hard to accept that such a country could very well become the economic super power that replaces us at the top of the world stage. Granted to infer simply from two new buildings that China is on its way to becoming the next great world power seems a little far-fetched, but I do believe that there is a real link between a what a society builds and where it is heading. Therefore, I hope that this paper will spark a discussion of not only what people think of this connection, but also of other interesting, daring, or bland and boring building projects going on around the world today (especially if anyone knows of anything being done in India right now) and what they appear to represent about the places where they are being built.

-- AlexLawrence - 07 Apr 2008