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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Architecture Pb Elemental's Legacy

Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 9:01 AM

It's still empty...

Our city's 00s were all about Pb Elemental. Those 00s may never comeback that way again. But Pb Elemental left a serious mark on Seattle. The firm forced other developers not to always take the laziest design path possible. That accomplishment is nothing to laugh at. Strangely enough, Pb Elemental's former headquarters is no where near its best work.

Comments (9) RSS

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Silver Lining: the 48 is on time.

Posted by GlamB0t on July 21, 2011 at 9:39 AM

Is THAT who's responsible for the architectural abortions that litter Capitol Hill? Good riddance.

Posted by Architecture Should Be Seen, Not Heard on July 21, 2011 at 9:43 AM

You know, there have been some studies that show architects develop taste that is divergent from us hoi polloi's taste once they suffer through architecture school. Architecture school turns people into thick-skinned egomaniacs who are constantly trying to replicate their penises and expect the rest of us to live inside them. That's why there are so few women architects.

I'll take the humble cinder block buildings of the third world over these monstrosities any time. Just as long as there's plumbing. And garish paint.

Posted by TVDinner

on July 21, 2011 at 10:14 AM

That "best work" you site was built in my crappy little corner of greenwood and has been on the market for ages. I think it ahs gone through several owners. It is totally incongruous in the neighborhood and is priced at a factor of 2,3, 4? times the average house on that street or in the surrounding area. It is a single family home of about, what? 2500 square feet or so? In a neighbrohood where the averages size home is about 1000-1200 square feet.

Is it interesting? yeah. I suppose. But it's a joke in our neighborhood. It looks comletely ridiculous next to the far more modest homes that completely surround it for blocks and blocks. This building does not exist in a vaccum. It is in a neighborhood that has been a modest middle income working class neighborhood for decades and building it where they did is a giant fuck you to the rest of us who live here. It is not inspiring. It just says that some people have a hell of lot more money than I do.

Posted by troutbum on July 21, 2011 at 10:28 AM

Hideous boxes with too much lighting. Ugh!

Posted by Vince on July 21, 2011 at 10:53 AM

@4,

This building does not exist in a vacuum.

Every architect should have those words tattooed on the back of his or her hand.

Posted by Fnarf

on July 21, 2011 at 10:58 AM

I love pb Elemental, and I feel sorry for the rest of you.

Posted by schmacky on July 21, 2011 at 11:12 AM

I like most of those well enough on their own. Nothing groundbreaking, but decent examples of the best of the 2000's residential. For those that feel they're out of place in their neighborhood based on style alone, imagine in their place a shitty faux (insert predominant architecture style in your neighborhood here) and tell me that's better.

I agree with a lot of what @4 says though. I'm happy to see the 50's and 70's and 00's modern that pepper my otherwise Edwardian street, but the scale—the austerity, of the structures, should blend with its surroundings.

Posted by Dougsf on July 21, 2011 at 12:53 PM

I reserve judgment about Pb because I've never seen the insides of any of their buildings, either in person, or in any (even one!) of the posts from bloggers who praise them. Outsides are nice enough, but buildings are for people to go in, yes?

Posted by saccade on July 21, 2011 at 1:51 PM