Closing Bell: DDDB's Letter to SHoP
After Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner released the new design renderings for the Barclays Center arena, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn took the opportunity to write an open letter to the arena’s co-architects, SHoP. The gist of the letter is that SHoP, by accepting the Barclays Center commission, is also attaching the firm’s reputation to…
After Atlantic Yards developer Forest City Ratner released the new design renderings for the Barclays Center arena, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn took the opportunity to write an open letter to the arena’s co-architects, SHoP. The gist of the letter is that SHoP, by accepting the Barclays Center commission, is also attaching the firm’s reputation to the Atlantic Yards and condoning the actions of Forest City Ratner: “We think that as responsible professionals, you must be aware that your designs are being used in an attempt to mask the political, planning, economic and aesthetic failures of Forest City Ratner’s corrupt Atlantic Yards development proposal … On these grounds, we urge you to reconsider your involvement. And we will be pleased to meet with you and discuss these issues.”
An Open Letter to SHoP Architects Regarding Atlantic Yards [DDDB]
When we say ‘lord the DDDB are heinous blow hards’, or any reference DDDB, we’re basically talking about one guy living with his wife in an entire building all by themselves because, yup, he really is that obtuse.
ONE PHOCKING GUY WHO DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A JOB (unless you count the salary he pays himself from DDDB).
One obstinate azz is more important than the tens of thousands who are and have always been for this project moving forward.
Did I miss anything?
Easy for Goldstein to say…he’s independently wealthy – and a total a$$
DDDB, go away – you’ve ruined things as is.
“they really need to look more closely at how much and when they can expect to get paid and should consider things like FCR’s past record of “re-negotiating” deals for far less money, not making timely payments, etc.”
I never had a problem getting paid from anything related to Ratner…
Really? not in most professions where professionals think of themselves as professionals.
I think it’s just bad business for SHoP. This is a young firm, without the financial resources that allowed Frank Gehry to devote years (and considerable staff members) to this project only to be dumped in the end. SHoP can’t really afford all that — they really need to look more closely at how much and when they can expect to get paid and should consider things like FCR’s past record of “re-negotiating” deals for far less money, not making timely payments, etc. Really not a good idea.
I don’t think anyone at SHoP contemplated this work in black and white way. Even a firm like SHoP is impacted by this economy – in fact, since a substantial part of their practice is for private sector clients, I’d bet that they have been more impacted than most. If I had to speculate, (and I can’t resist, so I must,) I’d say that SHoP’s decision may have included factors such as staff retention, opportunity for design research, the opportunity to learn a new building type, and exposure to a much broader (and richer) client base, and perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to one-up Frank Gehry.
The other thing that I’m sure SHoP considered was that despite the Ratner Atrocities in downtown Brooklyn, the NY Times building is a good building – one of the best new tall buildings in the City this decade, I’d say.
So all that said, Right on ENY on “ethics.” I think that the now non-existent Ratner plan for Atlantic Yards is doo-doo, and an abuse of the public trust. Hopefully it will be changed for the better, and maybe SHoP will get to build their arena somewhere else.
“Professionals are free from the burden of ethics?”
One man’s “ethics” are another’s grandstanding. Not impressed in the least.
I very much enjoyed reading the letter! It was well written and succinct–although it might seem long to the casual observer. Just to lightly touch on the many issues requires a long letter.