Credit goes to another forumite for these:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2554230199_9e12496dba_b.jpg)
Can't tell if that is precast concrete or natural stone they are making the entryways with...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2555047680_26b6f57b75_b.jpg)
Say whatever you want about the merits of the project, the final product is going to be top notch.
It looks awesome!
Looks like a giant roll of duct tape.
Yaaay,[:D] A world class piece of architecture right here in our little city. Design wise, it can hang right up there with the best of anything that is being built in the world right now.
Better yet Artist... it's functional! The design elements are incorporated to the functionality of the structure. The multi-tier roofs allow rain to drain more effectively. The stainless steel reflects the hot Oklahoma sun and resists corrosion from our rain and temperature extremes. The round shape diverts wind AND is utilized in people moving on the interior.
It's also not so radical as to be a gamble in the future. Just as many world class pieces of architecture end up being viewed as missteps int he future as end up being hailed as greatness. Not too mention most are rejected by the common man out of the block.
I'm just dang happy with it all around (thus far).
Yeah, I got bored yesterday and thought I would travel west to see if I could get some good weather pictures; instead I wound up downtown. It appears to be progressing quite nicely.
If you're interested in seeing more of the series, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/sets/72157605453329214/
The thing that I've really come to appreciate is how the exterior changes every day, based on the clouds and lighting. It's like looking at the surface of a lake...different every day. On really cloudy, gray days, the structure practically disappears against the sky. (Like it's wearing Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.) On other days, you can watch the shifting areas of light and dark as blue sky and clouds reflect off the surface.
I didn't give this much thought until recently...now that they've got most of the metal on the outside. Now, it's my favorite thing about the arena exterior. (From the inside, my favorite thing is the huge glass wall that offers my favorite view of downtown--one I used to only see from the west side of the IDL).
I realize how one-dimensional and horrible a concrete monolith would have been. Brick buildings sometimes glow in a certain slant of light, but for the most part, they always look the same. The cool thing about the arena is how it imitates nature...which is always changing and always new.
I didn't think much of the arena when I first saw the drawings and the model. I thought it would look weird and out of place. Now, I've totally changed my opinion. I notice it every day, and look forward to seeing it.
Just can't wait to see my first event inside!
Go Tulsa!
It's just strikingly beautiful. I'm so happy and impressed that the city came together and made this happen.
I was thinking at lunch about who stands to benefit from the arena. One place is really clear: Coney Island.
It's a great looking building! I'm definitely digging it with the stainless cladding. Tulsans one and all should be very proud of their new arena! I'll have to pull off the highway for a look-see next month on my way to Grand Lake for the 4th!
I hope the remodel of the Ford Center makes some much needed improvements on the exterior appearence in addition to the increased space! It's not hideous now, just totally boring in comparison to the BOk Center.
I drove by it on my way home from the new chocolate shop over on Brady, just incredible. Frank Gehry could not of done a better job. It looks a heck of a lot better than the Sprint Center in Kansas City. That is just a big glass doughnut.
quote:
Originally posted by Hoss
Yeah, I got bored yesterday and thought I would travel west to see if I could get some good weather pictures; instead I wound up downtown. It appears to be progressing quite nicely.
If you're interested in seeing more of the series, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/oilerfan/sets/72157605453329214/
Great pictues Hoss, I passed on the link for a few out of town friends to look at and get jealous over.
The picture has already made it to the wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOK_Center
You're famous. I bet you get rich from that creative commons license too. Not sure on that, IP? [;)]
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
The picture has already made it to the wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOK_Center
You're famous. I bet you get rich from that creative commons license too. Not sure on that, IP? [;)]
I've been updating that page with a version of my pictures since April.
I could give a rat's donkey if anyone notices, but since you did, I consider it an honor. [:D]
The building looks really cool, with one exception: That ugly BOK logo. The building looks like something out of the future, but the sign looks like an anachronism from the late 1980s. They should make the sign a lot smaller, or modify it to make it fit the building. Right now it looks like a futuristic sports car with a hood ornament from a '74 Gran Torino.
It does not respect it's environment. Number one rule in building design. A building should respect the environment in which it is to be placed.
quote:
Originally posted by citizen72
It does not respect it's environment. Number one rule in building design. A building should respect the environment in which it is to be placed.
Nice drive-by; cite a specific example, please.
quote:
Originally posted by citizen72
It does not respect it's environment. Number one rule in building design. A building should respect the environment in which it is to be placed.
Like the civic center and its parking garage? That post office building? The new parking garage? The jail perhaps?
I get your point though. I like it when things "match" "fit in" or "respect the environment" as well. But its not as though this is some Brutalist building in the middle of a bunch of cottages.
Plus there are always exceptions to the rule. The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (which when they said our arena was to be clad in stainless steel I instantly thought of). http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/visita_virtual/visita_virtual.php?idioma=en http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao The Eiffel Tower? etc. It is true that Iconic buildings more often than not do not "respect their surroundings". Its often just the nature of the beast so to speak. A building (or person for that matter) that seeks to be the center of attention, often is not good at fitting in. The only way for an exceptional building to fit in, is to be surrounded by other exceptional buildings. The Picasso over a Louis XIV Console,,, they do not match in historic styles, but match and work together none the less because of their "class", their artistic quality.
Some places are great because they have a lot of structures of a similar style, some are great because they are ecclectic. I would say the area of downtown where the areana is is quite ecclectic. Heck, pretty much our entire downtown is, and its probably too far in that direction to ever go back to a more homogenous style.
(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1189/depotbokwilltellwatermaxj9.jpg)
Though I would like to see more attention to making sure areas are pedestrian friendly. But even here one has to temper that sentiment with some wisdom and realize that... "If you try to make every street a perfect street, none of them will be." You concentrate the pedestrian friendly elements in some areas, the pedestrian unfriendly stuff in others.
quote:
Originally posted by citizen72
It does not respect it's environment. Number one rule in building design. A building should respect the environment in which it is to be placed.
I'm not worried about it matching "it's environment" when everything around it is due to be torn down or majorly remodeled.
quote:
Originally posted by citizen72
It does not respect it's environment. Number one rule in building design. A building should respect the environment in which it is to be placed.
And what 'environment' is that, exactly? It is in a downtown area with many different styles juxtaposed. What would you have rather it been, Art Deco? Tulsa has enough boring 'revival' architecture.