This morning Chris Otto's class walked the 42nd street axis from west to east. We stopped at the McGraw Hill building by Port Authority, 11 Times Square, the New York Times building, Knickerocker Hotel, Conde Nast, the Bank of America Tower, Bryant Park, the Grace Building, the New York Public Library, Grand Central Terminal, Bowery Savings Bank, Commodore Hotel, Chanin, the Chrysler Building, Ford Foundation, Daily News building, Tudor City, and the United Nations building. Phew!
Our discussion focused on the different materials architects decided to use for the interior and exterior surfaces, lighting fixtures, ceilings, and clocks for different buildings. Several buildings such as the McGraw Hill Building, Chanin, and the Chrysler Building exemplified the art deco style, which is characterized by streamlined or curved edges and abstracted, representational elements instead of classic, decorative elements. Raymond Hood's McGraw Hill interior and lobb reflected the speed and dynamism associated with the art deco style of the 1930s. Its modern appearance displays how a modern building's purpose was to make a statement through its slick, undecorated surface, achievement of balance rather than symmetry, and strong horizontals. The Chrysler Building, built during the "City Beautiful" movement at the turn of the century, similarly boasts the art of architecture in its floors, elevators, lighting, and ceiling. However, the Chrysler Building departs from the McGraw Hill building because it was made as a monument for a person. The Chanin Building on the other hand celebrated personal achievement.
We compared the art deco style apparent in the lobbies of buildings constructed in the 1930s to contemporary building lobbies such as the ones housed in the New York Times and Conde Nast buildings. The Conde Nast lobby emphasized privacy, as the entrance led straight to security. Apart from the newer building materials used, this was a strong disparity from buildings in the 1930s, which celebrated the art of architecture in a more open, inviting setting. The New York Times building kept in the same vein as the 1930s skyscrapers by putting the technology of its construction on display. Ceramic rods that serve as a curtain over the entire building exterior cut down on glare and heat but are also the main feature of the building. Inside the building boasts a garden. Visitors do not reach security or are as aware of it until they are deeper into the building, which makes the New York Times building seem more accessible than the Conde Nast building.
Passing through Times Square, Chris talked about its history. From the 1900s to the 1970s, Times Square was a stomping ground for shady and unlawful characters. Its post 70s rejuvenation, spurred by Disney's proposition to revamp the area as long as the vagrants, pimps, prostitutes, and other illicit individuals were cleared off the streets, was inspired by the Las Vegas of the 1960s. The glittering signs, larger than life displays, and family oriented atmosphere that we recognize today all originated nearly 40 years ago.
We stopped in Bryant Park, where we looked at the Bank of America Tower, a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. To achieve its Platinum LEED status, it has several environmentally-friendly building features: a slag concrete frame consisting of 45% slag reduces the amount of concrete produced; recycled and recyclable material such as glass prevents heat going inside/outside during summer/winter; giant filter for air facilitates clean air going out of the building; an ice generator operates when the power is less expensive at night, so the ice that is produced cools the building down during summer months; and a power generating plant is located inside the tower so it is a self sustained building.
New York City's diversity is not only apparent in its population; the many differences in its buildings showcases unique designs and architecture that make the landscape of the city itself look so unique.
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