Clever move to have the Knight (private) University supported by public funding. Keeps his nike dealings in the developing world away from critique. Plus, Phil never pays retail.
uomattersPost author | 10/27/2017
I love snark, but it’s generally more effective with a few links, quotes, or public records denials from http://publicrecords.uoregon.edu/requests. You got anything to show?
Thedude
10/28/2017
It’s beautiful. Can’t happen soon enough.
Now about PLC….
New Year Cat
10/29/2017
What I want to know is, what is the LEED rating going to be? Did I miss the part where they talked about sustainability and solar panels and all? I hope I did, and that we are going to build something very 22nd century and not an ego-boosting energy hog with what already seems like a dated design ( sort of like the science building with all the concrete Xs across). How will this building hold up to a 9 or 9.5 earthquake?
Anonymous
10/31/2017
I think gold. They might aim for platinum, but that can be hard with energy intensive lab equipment.
XDH
10/29/2017
As an occupant of said science building with all the Xs across, I am running like a mofo in the direction of the Knight campus when the shaking starts…..
$225 million?
10/29/2017
I wish UO and the Knight Campus the best of luck. I believe it will be a big success!
However, I don’t think they got their money’s worth with that design. I would have loved to see one of Knight’s firms from Oregon design it.
uomattersPost author | 10/29/2017
Do you have any specific suggestions on how that would have led to a better building, or is this just a plea to “buy local”?
$225 million?
10/29/2017
I think the exterior facade, while visually striking, looks like a pain to clean and repair. Additionally, the north side of the building is pretty bland and the overall shape and layout of the building is kind of generic.
Anyhow not really my place to comment, but there are a few firms in Portland that have worked with Knight in the past and also have a good grasp on designing modern buildings that fit the NW landscape.
Hatfield-Dowlin, Matthew Knight Arena, and the Knight Cancer Research Building are all recent mega projects that were designed here in Oregon.
That said, if the faculty is happy that’s all that matters.
uomattersPost author | 10/29/2017
I assume the $500m includes an endowment to fund pressure washing of the moss. Although now that you mention it, I don’t know anyone who has actually seen the gift agreement letter.
$225 million?
10/29/2017
I will quickly add that Ennead (formerly Polshek) has had issues getting projects built in the past. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.
Oh dear. Considering the problems we had with the contractors on other new buildings recently, I hope things go well. And where are the low-carbon features?
Oryx
10/29/2017
” the north side of the building is pretty bland” ?? You mean the side that turns the now dumpy and unnatural millrace into a water-side garden terrace?
And: The Knight Cancer Research Building is far blander.
pedals
10/30/2017
Exciting!
…where’s the bike parking?
New Year Cat
10/30/2017
And where’s the covered bus stop?
DWD
10/30/2017
It’s a little hard to tell from the diagrams, but it looks like the easternmost portion of the complex will abut Riverfront Parkway, which means that it will be served by the Agate station EmX. There is a stop for the 91, 98 and Diamond Express in front of Dominos now, which might be moved or might stay the same. This stop looks more like a drop-off for those coming into town rather than a heavy pickup location since the only major station after this one is Downtown. I doubt LTD will invest in a covered location here.
I saw some internal floorplans a couple of weeks ago that suggested the bike parking would be on the northeastern corner of the complex. There wasn’t a whole lot of detail, but both City code and Campus policies require substantial covered bike parking, so whichever one applies, it will be there.
Dogmatic Ratios, I can’t thank you enough for sharing that link. It elucidates what I haven’t been able to express but have felt all my life. Long but definitely worth the read!
Dog
11/01/2017
agreed
most spaces (especially classrooms) immediately dehumanize the
entrant,
Oryx
11/01/2017
That’s a brilliant essay. Thank you!
Peter Keyes
11/04/2017
Wow. An article that tendentiously states what people have been saying since Complexity and Contradiction was published, in 1966 – but without the knowledge or insights of that seminal book. We get it – there are many bad modern buildings. A bunch of us teach this material. But we’re always glad to be enlightened by a law student who just has such strong feelings about things.
I’m just a little mortified to see this being disseminated and praised by people whom I assume are colleagues at the university. Maybe I should just weigh in on why poetry that doesn’t rhyme is bad, or how economists just make really obvious things complicated with all their equations, or how the Constitution is really clear about everything and certainly doesn’t need a bunch of “scholars” clarifying things. I have really strong feelings about these things, and I’d be glad to write about them at length for everyone’s edification.
Clever move to have the Knight (private) University supported by public funding. Keeps his nike dealings in the developing world away from critique. Plus, Phil never pays retail.
I love snark, but it’s generally more effective with a few links, quotes, or public records denials from http://publicrecords.uoregon.edu/requests. You got anything to show?
It’s beautiful. Can’t happen soon enough.
Now about PLC….
What I want to know is, what is the LEED rating going to be? Did I miss the part where they talked about sustainability and solar panels and all? I hope I did, and that we are going to build something very 22nd century and not an ego-boosting energy hog with what already seems like a dated design ( sort of like the science building with all the concrete Xs across). How will this building hold up to a 9 or 9.5 earthquake?
I think gold. They might aim for platinum, but that can be hard with energy intensive lab equipment.
As an occupant of said science building with all the Xs across, I am running like a mofo in the direction of the Knight campus when the shaking starts…..
I wish UO and the Knight Campus the best of luck. I believe it will be a big success!
However, I don’t think they got their money’s worth with that design. I would have loved to see one of Knight’s firms from Oregon design it.
Do you have any specific suggestions on how that would have led to a better building, or is this just a plea to “buy local”?
I think the exterior facade, while visually striking, looks like a pain to clean and repair. Additionally, the north side of the building is pretty bland and the overall shape and layout of the building is kind of generic.
Anyhow not really my place to comment, but there are a few firms in Portland that have worked with Knight in the past and also have a good grasp on designing modern buildings that fit the NW landscape.
Hatfield-Dowlin, Matthew Knight Arena, and the Knight Cancer Research Building are all recent mega projects that were designed here in Oregon.
That said, if the faculty is happy that’s all that matters.
I assume the $500m includes an endowment to fund pressure washing of the moss. Although now that you mention it, I don’t know anyone who has actually seen the gift agreement letter.
I will quickly add that Ennead (formerly Polshek) has had issues getting projects built in the past. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.
-UVa and Polshek parted ways in the early 2000s:
(http://www.readthehook.com/79239/architecture-am-not-are-so-architects-scrap-over-south-lawn-project)
-Since 2009 Mr Schliemann alone has had 4 projects that were submitted but never built/cancelled:
http://www.ennead.com/people/todd-schliemann
Oh dear. Considering the problems we had with the contractors on other new buildings recently, I hope things go well. And where are the low-carbon features?
” the north side of the building is pretty bland” ?? You mean the side that turns the now dumpy and unnatural millrace into a water-side garden terrace?
And: The Knight Cancer Research Building is far blander.
Exciting!
…where’s the bike parking?
And where’s the covered bus stop?
It’s a little hard to tell from the diagrams, but it looks like the easternmost portion of the complex will abut Riverfront Parkway, which means that it will be served by the Agate station EmX. There is a stop for the 91, 98 and Diamond Express in front of Dominos now, which might be moved or might stay the same. This stop looks more like a drop-off for those coming into town rather than a heavy pickup location since the only major station after this one is Downtown. I doubt LTD will invest in a covered location here.
I saw some internal floorplans a couple of weeks ago that suggested the bike parking would be on the northeastern corner of the complex. There wasn’t a whole lot of detail, but both City code and Campus policies require substantial covered bike parking, so whichever one applies, it will be there.
From yesterday’s Current Affairs — for everyone’s consideration:
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/10/why-you-hate-contemporary-architecture
Dogmatic Ratios, I can’t thank you enough for sharing that link. It elucidates what I haven’t been able to express but have felt all my life. Long but definitely worth the read!
agreed
most spaces (especially classrooms) immediately dehumanize the
entrant,
That’s a brilliant essay. Thank you!
Wow. An article that tendentiously states what people have been saying since Complexity and Contradiction was published, in 1966 – but without the knowledge or insights of that seminal book. We get it – there are many bad modern buildings. A bunch of us teach this material. But we’re always glad to be enlightened by a law student who just has such strong feelings about things.
I’m just a little mortified to see this being disseminated and praised by people whom I assume are colleagues at the university. Maybe I should just weigh in on why poetry that doesn’t rhyme is bad, or how economists just make really obvious things complicated with all their equations, or how the Constitution is really clear about everything and certainly doesn’t need a bunch of “scholars” clarifying things. I have really strong feelings about these things, and I’d be glad to write about them at length for everyone’s edification.