Atlantic Yards Taps New Arena Architect
Forest City Ratner, the developer of the Atlantic Yards project, has found a new architect for the arena to be built for the Nets, reports the Observer. After dropping Frank Gehry, the firm has been on the lookout for a new architect as well as for a way to save face. They settled on SHoP,…
Forest City Ratner, the developer of the Atlantic Yards project, has found a new architect for the arena to be built for the Nets, reports the Observer. After dropping Frank Gehry, the firm has been on the lookout for a new architect as well as for a way to save face. They settled on SHoP, a New York-based firm that is young and in demand; since SHoP has no arena experience, Forest City Ratner will continue to work with institutional design specialists Ellerbe Becket as well, so that the final product for the $800 million arena will be a collaboration between the two firms. The developer will make renderings available later this month, which will be essential for the next stage of the Atlantic Yards project: selling $700 million in bonds to investors before 2010 in order to qualify for tax-exempt status. And while Forest City moves forward with planning, design, and funding, there is still a major legal hurdle—an October court case regarding eminent domain. The Observer notes, “While Forest City has been victorious at every opportunity thus far, a victory for opponents and affected landowners in that court would certainly doom Mr. Ratner’s years-long efforts.”
Nets Arena To Be Designed by SHoP [NY Observer]
Photo by Tracy Collins
D-O-N-E-D-E-A-L!!!
ROTFL, Maly.
What I don’t understand is for what purpose is designing a horribly out of context, heinous building in an old historic area? All that building says to me is “Look- I have a bigger penis than yours. And its uglier too!”
The normal wish for bad architects is that they spend an eternity living in their own building, but in this particular instance, I hope they get beat with 2X4’s in the 7th circle of hell for uglifying the world.
Saw that too Maly- awful.
If you are curious about Shop, have a look at the horrendous condo tower they designed at the corner of Mulberry and Houston. They managed the usual trick of getting a 7 story building morph into 10, with the obligatory 3 level penthouse. This particular one is cantilevered over the next building. It manages to be ugly by itself, an affront to the neighborhood ( a particular feat at this corner), taller than the Puck building, and a dismal commercial failure. I think they will be perfect partners for Ratner.
I’m happy to hear this, it gives me a sliver of optimism about the results.
ShoP are innovative and thoughtful designers, (and not least of all, in New York City!). There is plenty of time and opportunity for them to influence the design. Certainly the results will be better than with Ellerbe alone.
g-man- don’t forget, the shade of lipstick also helps 🙂
bobbyd,
If you think that a design by Gehry, with his notoriety for valuing his egotistical style over the limitations of an owners budget, would have ever fitted Ratner’s financial pro-forma for the project, then I’ve got a beautiful bridge to sell you.
for chrips sake–let him build already!!!!!.
Only Brooklyn has itself to blame for losting out by stalling this project—-you have no one else to blame for the loss of Frank Ghery and his designs