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The architecture team of Ellerbe Becket and SHoP, which designed the Barclays Center arena for the Atlantic Yards development, held a public meeting Monday evening to discuss the new renderings of the arena that were released last week. The biggest news from the meeting was that the current renderings will drastically change: more buildings will be added, such as the “Miss Brooklyn Tower” at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic, which, in Frank Gehry’s scrapped design, was a gateway to the rest of the project. Other open plazas in the current rendering could become residential towers, but all of this is contingent on the economy. If the economy improves, Forest City Ratner will incorporate these addenda.
Bait and Switch? Designer Admits Rendering Will Change [Brooklyn Paper]
Closing Bell: DDDB’s Letter to SHoP [Brownstoner]
IBO Reports Net Loss from Atlantic Yards Arena [Brownstoner]
Ourousoff Weighs In on Barclay’s Center Design [Brownstoner]
New Barclay’s Center Design Revealed [Brownstoner]


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  1. havelc, if you will go back and read my post you will notice how I used the word “particular” when I commented. In fact, a few posts down there is a different rendering where the arena looks quite different and more striking. I’m not attacking the architecture, just the rendering. As for the architecture, I prefer the original but this is WAY better than the shed that they proposed initially to replace the first design.

  2. havelc- we are a tough crowd, no doubt. But then, NYC has plenty of world class architecture that we see every single day. I am not an architect, but I am a fan of great architecture and I read about it and learn as much as I can about it.As much of an improvement this design is over the last one, this is not world class and in fact, it rather pedestrian. Gehry’s arena design was anything but- and while I hated the other part of his design for AY, the arena was world class. I’m not impressed with SHop. The building at South St. Seaport is awful.

  3. havelc – maybe people are inclined to throw darts at the architecture because Ratner cynically used star architects to sell a deeply flawed project to the public while circumventing the public process that all other developers must endure. The other thing is that AY has always been about the arena – I don’t think it takes a sophisticated observer to see that buildings and projects like this one will always be lightning rods. Personally, I see amusement and curiosity in the comments, and doubt that the architects would be offended by them.

    I have to say that the recent parade of revised renderings suggests desperation on the part of the developer. The GPP right now – sucks. Maybe we can all hope that we’ll eventually get something that doesn’t suck someday.

  4. If/when we get this arena and attend rock and roll festivals, Chicago Bulls games and political meetings we’ll forget the whole hassle and rejoice in having a new BADLY needed venue BK.

  5. So, as a thought experiment– and maybe we should kick this out to Mr. B as some sort of Brownstoner heals Brooklyn contest– what would (hypothetically) a stadium that didn’t destroy all of Brooklyn for all time look like?

    Totally detach the idea from the specific example of Atlantic Yards– but I’d be interested to see what sort of ideas the Brownstoner community could come up with. Maybe they’ll be superior to what they have, and the developers would incorporate our suggestions.

    Either way, it would negate the completely crazy and unfounded notion held by some that the DDD people are just anti the idea of a stadium project for its own sake

  6. bxgirl– absolutely not my point. I’m not talking about the money, I’m talking about the architecture.

    Here is my point: every time they release a new rendering of what this stadium will look like, people on these boards go completely nuts with why the building is incredibly ugly, coming up with some hackneyed analogy. It’s gotten to the point now, where they could resurrect Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel Burnham, and William Van Alen, have them design an arena and everyone would say it’s the ugliest building ever.

    So, given that the people on this board are starting to sound like Republicans before Obama gives a speech on anything– I’m merely asking for the architectural giants on this board to suggest something that wouldn’t suck…

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