Building Up and Tearing Down Reflections on the

PAULGOLDBERGERONTHEAGEOFARCHITECTURETheGuggenheimMuseumBilbaobyFrankGehry，theCCTVHeadquartersbyRemKoolhaas，theGettyCenterbyRichardMeier，theTimesBuildingbyRenzoPiano：PulitzerPrize–winningcriticPaulGoldberger’stenureatTheNewYorkerhasdocumentedacaptivatingeraintheworldofarchitecture，oneinwhichlarger-than-lifebuildings，urbanschemes，historicpreservationbattles，andpersonalitieshavecommandedaninternationalstage.Goldberger’skeenobservationsandsharpwitmakehimoneofthemostinsightfulandpassionatearchitecturalvoicesofourtime.Inthiscollectionoffifty-sevenessays，thecriticTracyKiddercalled“America’sforemostinterpreterofpublicarchitecture”rangesfromHavanatoBeijing，fromChicagotoLasVegas，dissectingeverythingfromskyscrapersbyNormanFosterandmuseumsbyTadaoAndotoairports，monuments，suburbanshoppingmalls，andwhite-brickapartmenthouses.Thisisacomprehensiveaccountofthebest—andtheworst—ofthe“ageofarchitecture.”OnNormanFoster：NormanFosteristheMozartofmodernism.Heisnimbleandprolific，andhisbuildingsaremarkedbylightnessandgrace.Heworksveryhard，buthisdesignsdon’tshowtheeffort.Hebringsanairofunnervingaplombtoeverythinghecreates—fromskyscraperstoairports，researchlaboratoriestoartgalleries，chairstodoorknobs.Hisabilitytoproducesurprisingworkthatdoesn’tfeellaboredmustdrivehiscompetitorscrazy.OntheWestinHotel：Theforty-five-storyWestinisthemostgarishtallbuildingthathasgoneupinNewYorkinaslongasIcanremember.Itisfascinating，ifonlybecauseitmakesTimesSquarevulgarinawholenewway，extendingupintothesky.Itisnoteasy，thesedays，togobeyondtheboundsoftaste.Ifthearchitects，theMiami-basedfirmArquitectonica，hadbeentryingtoalludetobadtaste，onecouldperhapsrespectwhattheycameupwith.Buttheysimplywanted，likemostarchitectstoday，toentertainus.OnMiesvanderRohe：Mies’sbuildingslooklikethesimplestthingsyoucouldimagine，yettheyareamongtherichestworksofarchitectureevercreated.Modernarchitecturewassupposedtoremaketheworld，andMieswasatthecenteroftherevolution，buthewasalsoacounterrevolutionarywhodesignedbeautifulthings.Hisspare，minimalistobjectsareexquisite.Heistheonlymodernistwhocreatedalanguagethatrankswiththearchitecturallanguagesofthepast，andwhilethishassometimesbeentroublingforhisreputation...hisarchitecturalformsbecomemoreastonishingastimegoeson.