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Sunshine and Noir: Peter Zumthor Architecture in LA

United States Architecture News - Aug 18, 2015 - 12:33   4142 views

Sunshine and Noir: Peter Zumthor Architecture in LA

Peter Zumthor's LACMA plan.Swiss architect Peter Zumthor's lastest design for a new Los Angeles County Museum of Art is less curvy and incorporates double-height galleries that will extend beyond the roofline.image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner

Among these new ventures, perhaps the most intriguing and most scrutinized is his design of the new building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in part because it coincides with this very interesting time in the architect’s career. Many have challenged the logic of a Swiss building in Los Angeles, asking whether his revered precision will translate given the economics of American construction. Others ask whether his monastic aesthetic will make sense in the image-driven landscape of Los Angeles and, more specifically, whether his architectural language of sublime asceticism will respond to the city’s very diverse urban context. Even more inflammatory critics have suggested that he lacks adequate experience in buildings of this scale. In a sense, all of the criticisms can be boiled down to a single accusation: quality architecture does not belong in Los Angeles........Continue Reading

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