Every 1,400-word essay should be so dense with meaning.
Ryan Scavnicky, the founder of Extra Office and a teacher of architectural design, theory, and criticism at Kent State University, manages in his June 27, 2023, crit in The Architect’s Newspaper to
(1) critique—excoriate, perhaps—Eric Owen Moss Architects’ recently completed (W)rapper* building in L.A.
(2) present a cogent explanation of the current state of architectural criticism and a battle between “insiders” and “outsiders”
and (3) poke at the profession’s aloof and often clueless old guard.
As someone who believes architecture can and must be something more than exuberant form making justified with opaque and ultimately unsatisfying layers of archibabble, I look forward to more published criticism in this vein.
Check out “Eric Owen Moss Architects completes a new office tower in South Central Los Angeles” by Ryan Scavnicky.
* Concerning the building itself, the exterior looks like a disaster to me, as if someone wrapped (get it?) a mediocre Richard Rogers’ building with pieces stolen from the “Bird’s Nest” stadium in Beijing. I have not seen (W)rapper in person though, so, as always, I reserve final judgment.**
** Caveat aside, any project or firm that includes parentheses in its name is deeply suspect….